Gang Forward (1870–1899) 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 and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

. 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 later became a successful sire of winners in Australia.

Background

Gang Forward, described as "a remarkably handsome, powerful colt" was bred by his owner

William Stuart Stirling-Crawfurd William Stuart Stirling-Crawfurd (1819 – 23 February 1883) of Milton, Glasgow, Milton in Lanarkshire, Scotland, was a prominent racehorse owner. Origins He was the eldest son of Capt. William Stirling (1789–1826) of Milton and Castlemilk Ho ...

(1819–1883), an "old school" sportsman who had married the widow of the 4th Duke of Montrose. Stirling-Crawfurd named the colt after the motto of

Clan Stirling Clan Stirling is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. History Origins of the clan The Scottish town of Stirling and Stirling Castle lie at the crossroads of Scotland and this could account for the derivation of the name which means ''plac ...

. Gang Forward was a chestnut horse standing 15.3

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high with a white blaze and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on his right hind leg. He was sired by

Stockwell Stockwell is a district in south west London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It is situated south of Charing Cross. Battersea, Brixton, Clapham, South Lambeth, Oval and Kennington all border Stockwell. History The na ...

, winner of the 1852

St. Leger 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

2,000 Guineas Stakes 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 a seven time leading sire. Gang Forward was trained at Manton in Wiltshire by

Alec Taylor Sr. Alec Taylor Sr. (1821/23–1894) was an English horse trainer, racehorse trainer who in 1870 established the surviving famous Manton, Wiltshire, Manton training stables on the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire, one of the finest training centres in ...

, who had established his training facility there in 1870 under the patronage of Stirling-Crawfurd.

Racing career

1872: two-year-old season

Gang Forward began his racing career in September 1872, when he contested the Municipal Plate at

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

. He started a strong favourite at odds of 1/5 but was beaten into second place by an unnamed colt later named Fontabrian. It was subsequently revealed that he had been hampered by having twisted at least two of his racing plates during the race, although other sources attributed his defeat to his being "very backward". At the First October meeting at Newmarket he recorded his first victory when winning the Boscawen Stakes by a head from Surinam. Later at the same meeting he beat Paladin by a neck to win the Triennial Produce Stakes. At the end of October, Gang Forward ran twice at Newmarket's Houghton meeting and claimed two more prizes. He won the Glasgow Stakes from Andred and Surinam after a "fine race" and then was allowed to

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for a first prize of £500 in a Sweepstakes when his opponents were withdrawn. Gang Forward went into the winter break as one of the leading fancies for the following year's

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

alongside Kaiser and Flageolet.

1873: three-year-old season

Gang Forward made his first appearance of 1873 in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on 30 April and started at odds of 8/1 against nine opponents, with Kaiser being made 15/8 favourite. The race attracted an extremely large crowd and there was a delay to the start as spectators were cleared from the course. Ridden by Tom Challoner, Gang Forward was among the front-runners from the start and two furlongs from the finish he was moved forward to dispute the lead with Kaiser. The two colts drew away from the rest of the field and after a "good race" Gang Forward prevailed by a head from the favourite, with Suleiman three lengths back in third place. Immediately after his win, Gang Forward was made clear favourite for the Derby at odds of 9/4. At Epsom on 28 May Gang Forward started 9/4 favourite for the Derby in a field of twelve runners. He was among the early leaders but then dropped back before running on in the straight. He was never able to reach the lead however and dead-heated with Kaiser for second place, half a length behind the 40/1 winner

, who had finished unplaced in the "Guineas". Gang Forward and Kaiser met again in the

Prince of Wales's Stakes The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 met ...

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

in June and had another close contest. On this occasion, Gang Forward looked the likely winner before swerving to the right in the closing strides and losing by a short-head to Kaiser in a race which was effectively a match between the two favourites in the straight. At the same meeting he won both the

St James's Palace Stakes The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards (1,603 metres). It is schedu ...

and the Ascot Derby. Gang Forward was strongly fancied the

St Leger 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 ...

after performing impressively in training with Challoner claiming that the horse was better than ever. He was to be transported to Doncaster by train, but only reached Oxford, where he was removed from his carriage and found to be lame as a result of a

hock Hock may refer to: Common meanings: * Hock (wine), a type of wine * Hock (anatomy), part of an animal's leg * To leave an item with a pawnbroker People: * Hock (surname) * Richard "Hock" Walsh (1948-1999), Canadian blues singer Other uses: * A t ...

injury. He was immediately withdrawn from the Doncaster Classic, in which the

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Marie Stuart defeated Doncaster and Kaiser. Gang Forward's earnings for the 1873 season totalled £5,000.

1874 & 1875: four- and five- year-old seasons

Gang Forward was less successful as a four-year-old when he was campaigned in staying races. At Royal Ascot, Gang Forward turned into the straight in second place in the

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...

but faded in the closing stages and finished unplaced behind the French colt Boiard. His only important success of the year came in the

Jockey Club Cup A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual w ...

. In the following year he recorded his last major victory in the

Craven Stakes The Craven Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) ...

Stud career

In 1875 Gang Forward was sold for 4000 guineas to Sir Thomas Elder and exported to South Australia. The best of his progeny included Hortense (

Ascot Vale Stakes The Coolmore Stud Stakes, registered as the Ascot Vale Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, at set weights, run over 1200 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on Victoria Derby Day ...

), Chetwynd (

Goodwood Handicap The Goodwood is a South Australian Jockey Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three years old and older, run at set weights with penalties, over a distance of 1200 metres at Morphettville Racecourse, Adelaide, South Australia in the SAJC Au ...

), Guesswork (

South Australian Derby The South Australian Derby is a South Australian Jockey Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, at set weights, run over a distance of 2,500 metres at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide, Australia during the SAJC Autumn Carniv ...

) and Remus (VRC Mares' Produce Stakes). He was euthanised due to old age in May 1899.

Pedigree

References

{{2000 Guineas Winners 1870 racehorse births 1899 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 2-u 2000 Guineas winners Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom