Crucifix (1837–1857) was an undefeated,
Classic Race winning,
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
-bred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racemare. She was also the dam of three sires who had a great influence on the breed.
Breeding
Crucifix was a bay filly foaled in 1837, by
The Derby winner, Priam; her dam was the then 21-year-old, Octaviana by Octavian.
[Leicester, Sir Charles, ''Bloodstock Breeding'', J.A. Allen & Co, London, 1969] Her breeder was
George Stanhope, 6th Earl of Chesterfield
George Stanhope, 6th Earl of Chesterfield, PC (23 May 1805 – 1 June 1866), styled Lord Stanhope until 1815, was a British Tory politician, courtier and race horse owner. He served as Master of the Buckhounds under Lord Melbourne from 1834 to 1 ...
. Crucifix was a sister to Chesterfield, who sired the stakes-winner, The Hero. Her sire, Priam, also sired
The Oaks winners Miss Letty and Industry before he was sold for 3,500 guineas and exported in 1837 to
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
in the United States.
[Morris, Simon; ''Tesio Power 2000 - Stallions of the World'', Syntax Software]
The powerful racing figure,
Lord George Bentinck
Lord William George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (27 February 180221 September 1848), better known as Lord George Bentinck, was an English Conservative politician and racehorse owner noted for his role (with Benjamin Disraeli) in unseatin ...
, bought Crucifix as a foal at foot with her 22-year-old dam for 65 guineas. At maturity, Crucifix stood nearly 16 hands high, with her body being described as "wiry", and she possessed a temperamental disposition.
[Ahnert, Rainer L. (editor in chief), ''Thoroughbred Breeding of the World'', Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970]
Racing record
At two years: 1839
Crucifix had nine starts for wins in the Chesterfield Stakes (carrying top weight), Lavant Stakes, July Stakes and Molecombe Stakes, the Hopeful Stakes at Newmarket, the Clearwell Stakes, the Prendergast Stakes, and a walk-over in a sweepstakes at Newmarket; in the ninth race, the
Criterion Stakes
The Criterion Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), ...
she dead-heated with Gibraltar. Her prize money for that season was a record £4,587.
At three years: 1840
In her three starts as a three-year-old, Crucifix won the
Two Thousand Guineas,
One Thousand Guineas and Epsom Oaks. The false starts resorted to at the start of the Oaks lasted about an hour, and it took about 15 attempts to get the 15 runners started. As a result of these tactics to defeat favourites, Lord George introduced reforms to inhibit this practice. Welfare ran second to Crucifix and she, too, was by Priam. After the running of the Oaks, Crucifix pulled up lame, and was retired with earnings of £10,287.
Crucifix became the shortest odds winner of the 1,000 Guineas when she was 1/10 odds on. She was also the first of only four horses to ever win both the 1,000 Guineas and the 2,000 Guineas in the same year, when the two races were run two days apart. In her dead-heat in the Criterion Stakes at
Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...
and her win in the Oaks Stakes at Epsom, Crucifix defeated the good mare
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
and others on each occasion.
Stud record
Crucifix was the dam of:
* 1842 colt, Cowl by Bay Middleton, sire
* 1844 b colt, Crozier by Lancercost
* 1845 b colt, Surplice by Touchstone, won Epsom Derby and
St. Leger Stakes
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...
, sire of Florin, (won
Poule d'Essai des Poulains
Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency.
Classification
Wurm (1975) placed it as an independent branch of Trans–New Guinea, but Ros ...
) and others, and broodmare sire of Queen Bertha
* 1846 Cucullus by Bay Middleton, died
* 1847 colt, Pontifex by Touchstone
* 1849 filly, Rosary by Touchstone
* 1850 b colt, Constantine, by Cotherstone
* 1851 b colt, Cardinal, by Touchstone
* 1852 filly, Chalice by Orlando, won Royal Hunt Cup, second dam of Placida (Epsom Oaks)
In order to pursue his political career Lord Bentinck sold his entire racing interests, including at least 60 horses along with Crucifix and her son, and future Epsom Derby winner, Surplice, for £10,000 to
Edward Lloyd-Mostyn, 2nd Baron Mostyn
Edward Mostyn Lloyd-Mostyn, 2nd Baron Mostyn (13 January 1795 – 17 March 1884), was a British peer and Member of Parliament (MP).
Mostyn was the son of Edward Lloyd, 1st Baron Mostyn. Born Edward Lloyd, assumed by Royal licence the addit ...
.
[Montgomery, E.S, “The Thoroughbred”, Arco, New York, 1973 ] Crucifix was later sold to
Henry Agar-Ellis, 3rd Viscount Clifden
Henry Agar-Ellis, 3rd Viscount Clifden (25 February 1825 – 20 February 1866), styled the Lord Dover from 1833 to 1836, was an Irish courtier and race horse owner.
Viscount Clifden was the eldest son of George Agar-Ellis, 1st Baron Dover, and his ...
.
Ajax
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Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
, the undefeated
French Derby
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over ...
winner and sire, great broodmare Double Life (dam of
Precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
and Persian Gulf), and many other good horses descend from Crucifix in the distaff line. Crucifix also became the 12th dam of another great race-mare,
Meld MELD may refer to:
* Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, a prognostic model
* A variant of the declarative language CycL
* Molecular orbital diagram, Molecular energy-level diagram, a type of one-dimensional plot with a significant qualitative aspec ...
who won the
British Fillies Triple Crown
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accompli ...
. Crucifix is the taproot mare of Family 2-i.
Crucifix died in 1857 and was buried beside
Bay Middleton
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...
at the Days' stables, Danebury, near
Stockbridge, Hampshire
Stockbridge is a small town and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. It is one of the smallest towns in the United Kingdom with a population of 592 at the 2011 census. It sits astride the River Test and at the foot of ...
.
Thoroughbred Bloodlines: Crucifix
Retrieved 24 April 2010
Pedigree
See also
*List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
The list of leading Thoroughbred racehorses contains the names of undefeated racehorses and other horses that had an outstanding race record in specific categories. Note though that many champions do not appear on the list as an unexpected defe ...
*Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplis ...
References
{{Epsom Oaks Winners
1837 racehorse births
1857 racehorse deaths
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom
Undefeated racehorses
Thoroughbred family 2-c
Thoroughbred family 2-i
2000 Guineas winners
1000 Guineas winners
Epsom Oaks winners