Filho da Puta (, 14 April 1812 – 25 August 1835) was a 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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. He won nine of his 12 races including 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 d ...

and Doncaster Gold Cup. He also sired St. Leger winner

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

and was the

leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current champion is Frankel, who r ...

in 1828. He was owned by Sir William Maxwell and later T. Houldsworth. His name means "

son of a bitch ''Bitch'' ( ) is a pejorative slang word for a person, usually a woman. When applied to a woman or girl, it means someone who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, controlling, aggressive, or dominant. When applied to a man or boy, ''bitch'' ...

" in Portuguese. The name "Filho da Puta" originated from the irritation of Sir William Barnett, owner of the Haras where the animal was born, who, when the

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal i ...

was born, knew that his wife had been disloyal. Sir William, who had lived in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and knew the

Portuguese language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and ...

well, in a fit of anger gave this name to the future champion. Filho da Puta was painted in oil on canvas by a famous English painter named

John Frederick Herring John Frederick Herring Sr. (12 September 1795 – 23 September 1865), also known as John Frederick Herring I, was a painter, sign maker and coachman in Victorian England.England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

). The painting measures 34.5 x 45 cm and was purchased by the museum in 1958.

Background

Filho da Puta was a

bay 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 (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

horse with a white snip and a star foaled on 14 April 1812 and bred by T. Hornby. He was sired by

Haphazard Haphazard may refer to: * Haphazard (Owensboro, Kentucky), historic house *''Haphazard'', play by James A. Herne 1879 *''Haphazard: a tale of Youth'', novel by William Francis Casey 1917 * ''Haphazard'' (album), S. J. Tucker album released in 20 ...

, who won three

Great Subscription Purse The Great Subscription Purses were a series of flat horse races in Great Britain run at York Racecourse, usually over a distance of 4 miles, that took place each year in August from 1751 to 1833. During the second half of the 18th century they we ...

s. As a stallion Haphazard also produced

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 ...

winners

Antar Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) is an independent, national non-government, not-for-profit, community-based organisation founded in 1997 which advocates for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Au ...

and

Reginald Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language. Etymology and history The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...

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 ...

winner

Rowena Rowena in the Matter of Britain was the daughter of the purported Anglo-Saxon chief Hengist and wife of Vortigern, "King of the Britons". Presented as a beautiful ''femme fatale'', she won her people the Kingdom of Kent through her treacherous ...

and Doncaster Cup winner Figaro. Filho da Puta's

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

was Mrs Barnet, a daughter of

Waxy Waxy may refer to: * a substance related to wax * colloquially for a waxworm (particularly used by anglers) * Waxy (band), an American stoner rock band * Waxy (horse), a thoroughbred racehorse * WAXY (AM), a radio station (790 AM) licensed to serv ...

. He was purchased by Sir William Maxwell as a

Racing career

1814: Two-year-old season

Filho da Puta started his racing career on 21 June 1814 by walking over for the Tyro Stakes at Newcastle. In September he beat Agapanthus and a filly by Clinker to win a Sweepstakes of 20 guineas each over the last mile of the Pontefract course. These were his only two races as a two-year-old.

1815: Three-year-old season

Filho da Puta returned to the track as a three-year-old at the end of March, when he won a Sweepstakes of 100 guineas each at Catterick Bridge. Restoration finished second and a filly by Shuttle was last of the three runners in the one and half mile race. In the Autumn he won 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 d ...

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy. History Doncas ...

, beating fourteen rivals.

Earl Fitzwilliam Earl Fitzwilliam (or FitzWilliam) was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family (later Wentworth-Fitzwilliam). History The Fitzwilliams acquired extensive holdings in the ...

's Orville colt finished second, with Fulford third and Shepherd fourth. Three days later he beat two opponents to win the Doncaster Club Stakes over two miles. He was then bought for 3,000 guineas by T. Houldsworth and in his final race of the season he won the four-mile Richmond Cup. He beat Doctor Syntax into second place, with the Luck's All

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

finishing third of the ten runners. Filho da Puta had started the race as the 1/3 favourite.

1816: Four-year-old season

In April Filho da Puta was beaten for the first time in his career when he lost to Sir Joshua in a 1000 guineas

match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consis ...

over one mile at Newmarket. In the summer he was beaten by Doctor Syntax in the Preston Gold Cup, before returning to Doncaster in October, where he four horses in a Sweepstakes of 50 guineas each over the St. Leger course. Later in the day he started as the odds-on favourite for the Gold Cup over four miles. He won the race from Leopold. At Richmond he beat Rasping and Clinkerina to win the Dundas Stakes. Later in the day he could only finish third behind Leopold and The Duchess in the Gold Cup.

1817-18: Injury and final race

Filho da Puta never raced in 1817 due to a leg injury, but he was kept in training. His final race came in 1818 when after starting as the heavy favourite, he was beaten by Cerberus in a match race over two miles at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. After York he was retired to stud.

Stud career

Filho da Puta initially stood at

Farnsfield Farnsfield is a large village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire in Sherwood Forest. It is in the local government district of Newark and Sherwood. The population of the civil parish as at the 2011 Census was 2,731, an increase from 2,681 in ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

for Houldsworth at a fee of 10 guineas and half a guinea for the

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man an ...

. He became a successful stallion and was the

in 1828. His son

won the St. Leger in 1830. He died at Rock Hill Paddocks near

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

on 25 August 1835.

Pedigree

''Note: b. =

Bay 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 (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

, br. =

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

, ch. =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

Sire line tree

*Filho da Puta **Dr Faustus ***

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

***Tupsley ****

The Huntsman The Huntsman was the winner of the 1862 Grand National steeplechase run on 12 March at Aintree near Liverpool, England. The winner was owned by Viscount de Namur and trained in France by Yorkshire born trainer Henry (Harry) Jeremiah Lamplugh wh ...

** Hedgeford ***

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****John Willard ****

Gaines' Denmark Gaines' Denmark (foaled 1851) was one of the most influential stallions in the development of the American Saddlebred. Life Gaines' Denmark was foaled in 1851. He was a black stallion with two white hind socks, sired by Denmark and out of a mar ...

*****Star Denmark *****Washington Denmark *****Diamond Denmark *****Lail's Denmark Chief *****Sumpter Denmark ****Muir's Denmark ****Rob Roy **

**Colwick ***

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...

****Saint Germain

References

{{St Leger Winners 1812 racehorse births 1835 racehorse deaths British Champion Thoroughbred Sires Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 12-a Byerley Turk sire line St Leger winners