Cobweb (horse)
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Cobweb (1821–1848) was an undefeated British
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 ...
racehorse and who won two
British Classic Races The British Classics are five long-standing Group 1 horse races run during the traditional flat racing season. They are restricted to three-year-old horses and traditionally represent the pinnacle of achievement for racehorses against their own ...
as a three-year-old and went on to become a highly successful
broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...
. Cobweb's racing career consisted of three competitive races in the early part of 1824. After winning on her debut she claimed a second prize when her opponents were withdrawn by their owners. She then won the
1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...
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 the
Oaks Stakes The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...
at
Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...
before being retired to stud. Cobweb produced three classic winners, including The Derby winner
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 narr ...
, and several other successful racehorses. Through her daughter Clementina she is the direct female ancestor of many champions of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries.


Background

Cobweb was a bay mare bred by her owner
George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey, GCH, PC (19 August 1773 – 3 October 1859), previously George Villiers and styled Viscount Villiers until 1805, was a British courtier and Conservative politician from the Villiers family. He added ...
at his stud at
Middleton Stoney Middleton Stoney is a village and civil parish about west of Bicester, Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 331. The parish measures about north–south and about east–west, and in 1959 its area was . Its eas ...
in
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
. She was sired by
Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...
, who won the 1811
Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...
before becoming a highly successful stallion. His progeny included two Derby winners (
Cedric Cedric () is a masculine given name invented by Walter Scott in the 1819 novel ''Ivanhoe''.Sir Walter Scott, Graham Tulloch (ed.), ''Ivanhoe'', vol. 8 of The Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels, Edinburgh University Press, 1998, , "explanator ...
and Middleton) and two winners of the
2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
( Enamel and
Pindarrie Pindarrie (foaled 1817) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced five times and won the Riddlesworth Stakes and 2000 Guineas Stakes. He was owned by George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, and trained by Robert Robson. He only raced in 1820 ...
). The successes of Cobweb in 1824 enabled Phantom to become the British champion sire for the second time. Cobweb came from an extremely successful female family which traced back to the
Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke ...
's outstanding and influential broodmare Prunella. Cobweb's dam Filagree also produced the
2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
winner
Riddlesworth Riddlesworth is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 147 in 48 households at the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland. St Pete ...
and the filly
Charlotte West Western Charlotte or Charlotte West may refer to: *Charlotte West (horse), a British thoroughbred racehorse * Charlotte West (electoral district), a defunct provincial electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada * Western Charlotte, New Brunswick, a ...
who won the 1000 Guineas in 1830. Filagree was a daughter of Web, the foundation mare of Thoroughbred family 1-s, and a sister of the Derby winner Middleton and the leading broodmare
Trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled spring (device), springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. ...
. Lord Jersey bought Web from the Duke of Grafton in about 1812, and she became his stud's foundation mare. Like all of Jersey's classic winners, Cobweb was prepared for racing by his private trainer James Edwards.


Racing career


1824: three-year-old season

Cobweb made her first appearance on 19 April, the first day of the Newmarket Craven meeting. In a Sweepstakes over the Ditch Mile course she was ridden by Sam Barnard and won at odds of 1/4 from her only rival, a "black" filly (later named Grey Helen) owned by the
Duke of Portland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
. Two weeks later, on the opening day of the First Spring meeting, Cobweb was scheduled to run in another Sweepstakes over the same course and distance, but Lord Jersey was able to claim the prie without running his filly when the other two entries were withdrawn by their owners. Three days later, Cobweb was ridden by James Robinson in the eleventh running of the 1000 Guineas Stakes. Only three fillies appeared to oppose her, but they included the
Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke ...
's Rebecca, who had won the
Riddlesworth Stakes The Riddlesworth Stakes was a flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-olds. It was run on the Abington Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and was scheduled to take place each year in early or mid April on the ...
and then defeated the future Derby winner Cedric at the Craven meeting. Cobweb was the second choice in the betting at 5/2 and won from Rebecca, the 8/11 favourite. On 4 June, Cobweb was moved up in distance to contest the Oaks Stakes over one and a half miles at Epsom. She was again partnered by Robinson and started the 8/11 favourite in a field of thirteen runners with Rebecca being made the 9/2 second favourite. She won the race from Mr Yates's grey filly Fille de Joie. Although Cobweb was perfectly sound after the race, Lord Jersey decided to retire the filly to stud without racing again.


Stud record

Cobweb was retired from racing to become a broodmare at Lord Jersey's stud. Between 1827 and 1842 she produced twelve foals– nine colts and three fillies.


Sons

Cobweb's first son was Young Emilius, foaled in 1828. He was not a champion racehorse, but was later exported to France where he became a highly successful breeding stallion, siring the
Prix du Jockey Club 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 a ...
winners Renonce, Fitz-Emilius, Gambetti and Amalfi. Cobweb's second colt was unraced, but her third, Lucius won the 1833
Riddlesworth Stakes The Riddlesworth Stakes was a flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-olds. It was run on the Abington Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and was scheduled to take place each year in early or mid April on the ...
, a race for three-year-olds which at the time was ranked alongside the classics in importance. Cobweb's 1833 was a colt by
Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
named Bay Middleton, who was unbeaten in six races including the Riddlesworth Stakes, 2000 Guineas and Derby. He went on to sire the Derby and St Leger winner
The Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dut ...
and was champion sire in 1844 and 1849. In 1834 Cobweb produced Bay Middleton's full brother Achmet who partially emulated his older sibling by winning the Riddlesworth Stakes and the 2000 Guineas in 1835. Her next two colts, Phoenix and Caesar both won the Riddlesworth Stakes, giving the mare her fourth and fifth winners of the race. Cobweb produced four more colts, none of whom were particularly distinguished racehorses, although her 1839 foal Jersey had some success as a stallion in Australia.


Daughters

Cobweb's first foal was a filly by
Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...
who never raced. Her 1831 foal, named Nell Gwynne, was good enough to run in the 1834 Oaks but had no recorded foals. Cobweb did not give birth to another filly until her last foal, Clementina (sired by
Venison Venison originally meant the meat of a game animal but now refers primarily to the meat of antlered ungulates such as elk or deer (or antelope in South Africa). Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible, in ...
) was born in 1844. Clementina was a highly successful racehorse who won the 1000 Guineas, Oaks and
Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong a ...
in 1847 and it is through her descendants that Cobweb's direct line of descent continues to the present day. The first of Clementina's descendants to win a classic was
Paradox A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically u ...
, winner of the
2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
and the
Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...
in 1885. Paradox's sister Inchbonny continued the line, being the ancestor of the influential broodmare Absurdity,
La Troienne La Troienne (1926–1954) was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners including two Hall of Fame inductees while at stud, while her daughters in turn produced many notab ...
and Adargatis. Absurdity produced two classic winners in
Jest A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...
and
Black Jester Black Jester (1911–1928) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the Classic St Leger Stakes in 1914. The colt won nine times from twenty-three races in a track career which lasted from 1913 until October ...
and was the ancestor of several others including
Humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...
,
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,
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and Moonshell. Other horses who trace the tail-female line to Absurdity are the Australian champions
Miss Finland Miss Suomi (Finnish for ''Miss Finland'') is a national beauty pageant in Finland. The pageant was founded in 1931, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. History Miss Suomi was held for the first time in 1931. Between 1952 and 1955 th ...
and
Stylish Century Stylish Century was a notable Australian thoroughbred racehorse. A son of Double Century from the Forex mare Stylish he was foaled in 1986 and was trained by a number of trainers throughout his career including Bart Cummings for a short time. ...
as well as the
American Champion Male Turf Horse The American Champion Male Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. The award originated in 1953 when the ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) named Iceberg II their champion. The Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA) added the cat ...
Cape Blanco. La Troienne is one of the most influential broodmares in North American breeding, being the ancestor of such notable horses as Black Helen,
Bimelech Bimelech (February 27, 1937 – 1966) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won two Triple Crown races and was a Champion at both age two and three. He was ranked #84 among U.S. racehorses of the 20th century. After retiring to stud, he sired ...
,
Personality Personality is the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that are formed from biological and environmental factors, and which change over time. While there is no generally agreed-upon definition of personality, mos ...
,
Easy Goer Easy Goer (March 21, 1986 – May 12, 1994) was an American Champion Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse known for earning American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors in 1988 and defeating 1989 American Horse of the Year Sunday Silence in th ...
,
Smarty Jones Smarty Jones (February 28, 2001) is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes. Background Born at Fairthorne Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the horse was ...
, Super Saver,
Prairie Bayou Prairie Bayou (March 4, 1990 – June 5, 1993) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse owned and bred by Loblolly Stable of Lake Hamilton, Arkansas. Named for a bayou between Little Rock and Hot Springs in Arkansas, he was sired by L ...
,
Go For Gin Go for Gin (April 18, 1991 – March 8, 2022) was an American thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the 1994 Kentucky Derby. He was sired by Cormorant out of the dam Never Knock. He was ridden in the Derby by Chris McCarron, who h ...
,
Sea Hero Sea Hero (foaled March 4, 1990 – July 12, 2019) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1993 Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes. Beginning in 2011, Sea Hero was the oldest living winner of the Kentucky Derby unt ...
and
Princess Rooney Princess Rooney (March 22, 1980 – October 7, 2008) was an American Eclipse Award, Champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the first winner of a Breeders' Cup race to be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame ...
. Her family also had success in Europe with horses such as
Allez France Allez France (24 May 1970 – 11 December 1989) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Winner of the French 1000 Guineas, the French Oaks and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she was one of the greatest-ever ...
and
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. La Troienne is regarded as the foundation mare of Thoroughbred family 1-x. Adragatis, a sister of La Troienne, won the
Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 metre ...
in 1934. She was the dam of the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...
winner Ardan and Pardal, the sire of
Psidium ''Psidium'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere (Mexico, Central and South America, the West Indies the Galápagos islands). Taxonomy This genus was described first by ...
. Her later descendants included the
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
winner Spend A Buck and the
Irish 1000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to ...
winner Hula Angel.


Pedigree

* Cobweb was
inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...
3 x 4 to Young Giantess, meaning that this mare appears in both the third and fourth generations of her pedigree. She was also inbred 4 x 4 to the stallion Trumpator.


References

{{Epsom Oaks Winners 1821 racehorse births 1848 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Undefeated racehorses Thoroughbred family 1-s Byerley Turk sire line 1000 Guineas winners Epsom Oaks winners