Garden Path (foaled 1941) 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

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 ...

who won the

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

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 ...

in 1944. In a racing career conducted entirely 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 ...

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 ...

ran six times and won three races. She was one of the best British two-year-olds of 1943, when she won one race and was placed in both the

Middle Park Stakes The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...

and the

Cheveley Park Stakes The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it i ...

. After winning on her first appearance of 1944 she became the first (and still the only) filly since 1902 to win the 2000 Guineas against

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

s. On her only subsequent race she was injured when finishing unplaced in the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

. She was retired from racing at the end of the season and had some success as a broodmare.

Background

Garden Path was a big, good-looking brown mare bred by her owner the

Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, (4 April 1865 – 4 February 1948), styled Mr Edward Stanley until 1886, then The Hon Edward Stanley and then Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, d ...

. Her sire, Fairway, had been a highly successful racehorse for Lord Derby, winning 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 ...

and two runnings of the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

. Garden Path's successes in 1944 enabled Fairway to win the sires' Championship for the fourth and final time. Garden Path's dam, Ranai, won two minor races before producing many good winners including the

winner

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...

(also sired by Fairway). Lord Derby sent the horse to his private trainer Walter Earl at his Stanley House stable in

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred hor ...

. Garden Path's racing career took place during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

during which horse racing in Britain was subject to many restrictions. Several major racecourses, including

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

and

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 ...

, were closed for the duration of the conflict, either for safety reasons, or because they were being used by the military. Many important races were rescheduled to new dates and venues, often at short notice, and all five of the

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 ...

were usually run at Newmarket.

Racing career

1943: two-year-old season

Garden Path began her racing career by winning the Tostock Stakes, a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

at Newmarket. She was then moved up in class to contest the six

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

, the year's most important race for two-year-old fillies in which she finished third to Fair Fame. Garden Path then ran in the Middle Park Stakes over the same course and distance, in which she was matched against some of the season's leading colts and finished third again behind Orestes and Happy Landing. In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the season's best juveniles, Garden Path was given a rating of 123 pounds, eight below the top-rated Orestes and five below Fair Fame, the top filly.

1944: three-year-old season

On her three-year-old debut, Garden Path won the Chatteris Stakes over one mile. Her connections then took the unusual decision to bypass the fillies classic, the 1000 Guineas, and race her against colts in the 2000 Guineas a day later. Because of wartime restrictions, both races were moved from their traditional Rowley Mile venue to the adjoining Newmarket July (or Summer) course. No filly had won the race, or even finished in the first three since the victory of

Sceptre A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The ''Was'' and other ...

in 1902. Ridden by

Harry Wragg Harry Wragg (10 June 1902 – 20 October 1985) was a British jockey and racehorse trainer, who gained the nickname "The Head Waiter" due to his "come from behind" riding style. In a 27-year riding career, Wragg rode over 1700 winners in Britain ...

, Garden Path started the 5/1 favourite in a field of twenty-six runners. She took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish and held on to win by a head from Growing Confidence, with the future

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 ...

winner

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

in third. Among the unplaced runners was a 33/1 outsider named

Ocean Swell A swell, also sometimes referred to as ground swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series of mechanical waves that propagate along the interface between water and air under the predominating influence of gravity, and thus are ofte ...

. Garden Path's victory gave Lord Derby his sixteenth classic win in twenty years. On 17 June Garden Path returned to the July course for the New Derby Stakes, a wartime substitute for the Epsom Derby. Despite wartime austerity, the race attracted considerable public interest, with

bookmakers A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookma ...

reporting that betting was heavier than for many peacetime runnings of the race. In a field of twenty runners, Garden Path disputed favouritism with Tehran, Mustang and Growing Confidence. During the race however, the filly sustained a serious injury to the suspensory ligaments of her leg and finished tenth behind Ocean Swell, who beat Tehran by a neck. Garden Path never raced again and was retired to stud.

Assessment and honours

In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Garden Path an "inferior" winner of the 2000 Guineas.

Retirement

Garden Path was retired to become a broodmare at her owner's stud. She produced five winners, three at stakes level. The best of her offspring was Leading Light, a colt sired by Hyperion who won the Knights Royal Stakes, the race which would later become known as the

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is s ...

Pedigree

*Garden Path 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 × 4 to St. Simon, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and the fourth generations of his pedigree.

References

{{2000 Guineas Winners 1941 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 7 2000 Guineas winners