Doncaster (1870 – January 1892) was an English

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 ...

racehorse and sire. He was the winner of the 1873 Epsom Derby and the sire of the great stallion

Bend Or Bend Or (1877–1903) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden. No ...

. Through Bend Or he is the direct male-line ancestor of most modern thoroughbreds.

Breeding

Doncaster was foaled at the Sledmere Stud,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, Great Britain and was sired by "The Emperor of Stallions", Stockwell, who had won both the

2,000 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 a ...

and the

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 ...

; Stockwell was a leading sire during his later years, producing many classic winners. Doncaster's dam Marigold had a fairly good career on the track, and was sired by The Derby winner Teddington.Ahnert, Rainer L. (editor in chief), “Thoroughbred Breeding of the World”, Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970 Doncaster, a chestnut with a white blaze originally named "All Heart and No Peel", was raised at the Sledmere Stud before he was sent to the

Tattersalls Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founding It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. T ...

auction. James Merry bought the colt for 950

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

, changed his name to Doncaster (after the

racecourse A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

), and sent him to trainer Robert Peck.

Racing career

The colt did not compete as a two-year-old, partially due to a kick to the

stifle The stifle joint (often simply stifle) is a complex joint in the hind limbs of quadruped mammals such as the sheep, horse or dog. It is the equivalent of the human knee and is often the largest synovial joint in the animal's body. The stifle jo ...

. Doncaster began racing as a three-year-old, first appearing at the 2,000 Guineas (where he was unplaced to winner

Gang Forward Gang Forward (1870–1899) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from 1872 until 1874 he won ten races. He was one of the best colts of his generation in England, winning the 2000 Guineas in 1873. He la ...

). He won his next race (the Derby) easily. He then raced in 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 i ...

, finishing third to winner Boiard, before being beaten by a head at the St. Leger. He did not do well in his next run, the Grand Duke Michael Stakes, but finished his season second in the Newmarket Derby. His four-year-old career was respectable, with a

dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

second place with Flageolet in the Ascot Gold Cup (won by Boiard), before a win at the Goodwood Cup. As a five-year-old, he won both the Ascot Gold Cup and the Alexandra Plate; the races were two days apart.

At stud

Doncaster was then retired. Peck purchased him for £10,000 and immediately selling the stallion to the Duke of Westminster (for whom he was also a trainer) for £14,000. The Duke had been searching for a stallion prospect, with a good pedigree and racing record, to stand at his Eaton Stud in Cheshire. Doncaster was bred to the mare

Lily Agnes Lily Agnes (1871–1899) is an English Thoroughbred racehorse. On the track she won 21 races including the Northumberland Plate, Doncaster Cup and Ebor Handicap. She is best known for being the dam of unbeaten Triple Crown winner Ormonde, but s ...

(by Macaroni), who produced the filly Farewell, a

1,000 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 ...

winner. Doncaster's most famous son was

, the Derby winner and prolific sire. Noted offspring were:
Thoroughbred Heritage. Retrieved February 21, 2011.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898. Elisabeth was ...

saw Doncaster while visiting Eaton, and reportedly fell in love with him. She eventually purchased him, for £5,000, and he lived at her Kisber Stud until his death at the age of 22 in January 1892. His blood lives on through his son, Bend Or.

Pedigree

References

External links