Glencoe (1831–1857) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

bred

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 ...

, who won 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 at ...

Stakes and 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 ...

. He was one of the earliest Thoroughbred stallions imported into the

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and was a top broodmare sire there. Several outstanding sons of Lexington were out of Glencoe mares, including

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Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and Norfolk.

Background

He was a

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 ...

stallion who was foaled at his breeder's stud, located in

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 ...

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 ...

. Glencoe was 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 ...

, a versatile stallion who won races from six furlongs to over three miles. Sultan raced until the age of eight, and was leading sire in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

for six consecutive years (1832–1837). The dam of Glencoe

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. ...

(by Tramp), was a fairly good racemare, and an even better producer of racehorses, foaling not only Glencoe, but also Glenara and Glencaire (all by Sultan).Morris, Simon; ''Tesio Power 2000 - Stallions of the World'', Syntax Software Glencoe stood 15

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

1¾ inches (1.57 m) high, with a large star and half-stockinged hind legs. He had a long, hollow back that sagged, especially as he aged, but still had a fine head, lovely neck, sound legs, deep girth, and powerful hindquarters with wide hips, inherited from his sire. Glencoe also inherited great staying power from his grandsire, Tramp.Montgomery, E.S, "T he Thoroughbred", Arco, New York, 1973

Racing record

Glencoe was started as a three-year-old, by trainer James Edwards. Edwards is still the only trainer to have won four successive 2,000 Guineas, all four horses sired by Sultan, and bred by the

Earl of Jersey Earl of the Island of Jersey, usually shortened to Earl of Jersey, is a title in the Peerage of England held by a branch of the Villiers family, which since 1819 has been the Child-Villiers family. History It was created in 1697 for the sta ...

. Glencoe, the trainer's favourite horse, was the first of these four winners. Glencoe first ran at the 1834 Second

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 ...

, winning a £1,400 purse and finishing in a canter. Two days later at the same Newmarket meeting, however, he ran against the highly regarded

Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of his or her sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word ...

in a £100

Sweepstakes A sweepstake is a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcasting laws (creating the ...

and was beaten. He then won the Desert Stakes in a canter, before winning the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, for a purse of 1,750 sovereigns. Glencoe's second loss in a stakes race was the

Derby Stakes 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 on ...

, to Plenipotentiary and Shillelah. He then had a walk-over in the Royal Stakes, and won the rest of his races that season: the

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 ...

, by four lengths at the canter and beating Colwick, the Racing Stakes, against three others, and the Garden Stakes, by four lengths and defeating Colwick. After his three-year-old season, the ''London Sporting Magazine'' wrote: "...from his late performances he has shown himself the best horse in the world. Where is there one to be found to meet him at weight for age? Not in England, assuredly." As a four-year-old, Glencoe won his only race of the season, the 2½ mile

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 ...

. He was entered in The Whip, a four-mile challenge race, during his second season, but there were no responses to the challenge. Glencoe was then retired, with this record: *1834: 9 starts, with 7 wins, 1 place, and 1 third *1835: 1 start with 1 win

Stud record

Glencoe stayed in Britain for a short time after his retirement, standing at Tattersall's Dawley Wall Farm in Middlesex for his first stud season. He covered three Jersey and forty outside mares for a fee of $80, producing 30 foals. One of these mares, Marpessa, had raced against Glencoe earlier in his career. She produced his daughter, the great filly

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

. Pocahontas is said to be the greatest broodmare in the history of racing, producing three outstanding sons—

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 ...

, Rataplan, and

King Tom King Tom was the Temne ruler of the land where the Province of Freedom, Sierra Leone was first located. He was described by John C. Lettsome as "a very fine fellow, so far as dress goes, for he generally has variegated bright colours; his hat ...

. During his first year, Glencoe also sired Darkness, an Ascot Stakes winner, who is the third dam of the French sire, Plutus. Bought by American, James Jackson, Glencoe was then shipped to the

at the end of the 1836 breeding season, arriving in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

before being sent south. James Jackson was an Irish-American emigrant who had built up a business in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

and started the farm

Forks of Cypress The Forks of Cypress was a large Plantations in the American South, slave-labour cotton farm and Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival Plantation house in the Southern United States, plantation house near Florence, Alabama, Florence in Laude ...

in northern

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. Glencoe was one of the first Thoroughbreds to be imported into the United States, and had an incredible effect on the Thoroughbred bloodlines of the country, siring a calculated 481 foals during his twenty-two years at standing at stud in Alabama,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

. It is not known what happened to the last of his foals, which were born during the first years of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and it is thought that the births of many foals were not recorded. Many of these fine horses were drafted into the war effort, on both sides. Glencoe was bred in 1836 to two mares. He continued to stand in Alabama for seven years, with a stud fee of $100, siring 132 offspring. After Jackson's death in 1840, Glencoe was sent to stand in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, for a fee of $50. He was sold in 1848, at the age of seventeen, to W.F. Harper of

Midway, Kentucky Midway is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, in the United States. Its population was 1,641 at the time of the year 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town sits just off ...

, for the price of $3,000. Harper sent the horse to his Nantura Stud in 1855, and raised the stallion's stud fee to $100, where the chestnut produced 21 live foals from his 1855 covers, and 15 from his 1856 covers. Glencoe was sold again in 1857, at the age of twenty six, to Alexander Keene Richards, owner of Blue Grass Park in

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originall ...

. Glencoe died in August, "...from a very violent attack of lung fever." The British press reported: "With all his ancient pluck, he stood up bravely against spasmodic colic and lung-fever, for ten days, and died quite exhausted, from bleeding at the nose." He was buried on Richard's Farm. During his time in the United States, Glencoe was leading sire eight times in the 1840s and 1850s. Most of his offspring raced in three and four mile races. He sired more than twice the number of

fillies 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 ...

to colts while he stood in America, producing at least 317 fillies, and his female offspring were superior to his male in both racing and breeding. Glencoe is therefore most known as a broodmare sire, producing not only the great Pocahontas, but

Reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the en ...

, one of the most influential broodmares in American racing history.

Progeny of Glencoe

*Charmer: 1844 filly, was very successful as a four-year-old, and ran until the age of ten, winning twenty seven races in forty starts. She was not defeated in any race over three-miles (in which she started in 16). She produced five foals, and is found in the pedigrees of

Emperor of Norfolk Emperor of Norfolk (1885–1907) was a champion American Champion and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. His large size, strong hindquarters, and racing record earned him the name "California Wonder." Background In the 1870s, when Joseph Cairn ...

, El Rio Rey, and

Yo Tambien Yo Tambien (1889–1896) was an American Thoroughbred racing filly bred in California by Theodore Winters, a breeder and major landholder from the Washoe Valley in Nevada who was sometimes called "Black T" due to his huge, black, T-shaped mousta ...

. *Florine: 1854 brown filly. She produced the racemares, Idlewild and Aerolite (both by Lexington). Idlewild won fifteen races before she was retired to be a broodmare. Aerolite was dam of several great racehorses. *Magnolia: 1841 filly, dam to Daniel Boone and

(both by Lexington), as well as the filly Skedaddle (dam to Saucebox, Slyboots, and others). *Novice: won races as a three-year-old. She was dam to

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

(by Lexington), who won several races and became an outstanding sire, and was grandsire of Rey del Caredas (aka Americus), who entered the

General Stud Book The ''General Stud Book'' is a breed registry for horses in Great Britain and Ireland. More specifically it is used to document the breeding of Thoroughbreds and related foundation bloodstock such as the Arabian horse. Today it is published e ...

in England. *Peytona: she won $35,000 in the Peyton Stakes, as a four-year-old, and won a match race against

Fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

(a great racemare of the North and the only horse, male or female, to beat Boston on merit). She retired with winnings of $62,400, an American record she held for fifteen years. However, she did not succeed as a broodmare, partially because Keene Richards bred her to his pure Arabian stallions. Only her daughter, Transylvania, produced a notable racehorse: Limestone (by War Dance), winner of nineteen races in 1874. *Pocahontas a prolific broodmare. *Pryor: Pryor, or "Prior", was foaled in 1852. He was the best of Glencoe's sons, winning several races in the United States, before he was shipped to England. There he had an unsuccessful career, and did not sire any notable offspring. *

: She was the greatest of Glencoe's daughters, undefeated at a mile, two miles, and four miles, before she was injured at the age of five in her last race. She produced ten excellent racehorses, including Lecomte by

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

(beat Lexington), Prioress (set course records in America, and won in England), Starke (won several races in England), War Dance (a fantastic sire), and many daughters. She is the ninth dam of

Two Lea {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Two Lea , image = , caption = , sire = Bull Lea , grandsire = Bull Dog , dam = Two Bob , damsire = The Porter , sex = Filly , foaled = 1946 , country = USA , colour = Bay , breeder = Calumet Fa ...

and is considered to be the greatest broodmare of the 19th century in America. *Topaz: 1844 filly, produced the racehorses Waterloo, Austerlitz, Lodi, and Wagram. *Vandal: 1850 dark bay colt, won three-miler races, and inherited Glencoe's sway-back. He sired several nice daughters, including Ella D (dam of Bourbon Belle, who was the dam of Hanover), Mollie Jackson, a good race and broodmare, and the filly Vandalite (champion three-year-old of 1874). He was ranked second, to Lexington, on the leading sires list in 1862. His sons included Virgil, Voltigeur (sire of Princeton, the three-time winner of the

Maryland Hunt Cup The Maryland Hunt Cup is a Timber race, which is an American Steeplechase. It was first run on May 26 1894 and won by Johnny Miller. Eight horses have won the race three times but no horse has won it four times. It is considered one of the most d ...

, and sire of filly Nora M. who produced the foundation

Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at s ...

, Peter McCue), Versailles (grandsire to three-time Maryland Hunt Cup winner, Garry Owen).

Pedigree

Sire line tree

*GlencoeByerley Turk Line
/ref>
/ref> **Thornhill **Winnebago **Glencoe (Howard) **Union **Highlander ***Everlasting **Star Davis ***Jerome Edger ***Metaire *** Day Star **Darby **Vandal ***Jack the Barber ****John Bell ****Fearnaught ***Revill ***Volcian ***Therit ***

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

****

Vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' (Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become genera ...

****

Vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, temporar ...

**** HindooHindoo
/ref> *****Merry Monarch *****

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

*****Jim Gore *****

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

*****Hindoocraft *****Dungarvan *****Aryan *****Macy *****Benroe *****Howland *****Miller *****Alard Scheck ****Van Buren ****Carley B. ****

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

****Isaac Murphy **** Ben Ali **** Tremont *****Tremor ***Pompey Payne ***Versailles ****Ira E. Bride *** Survivor ***Council Bluffs ***Vagabond ****Judge Morrow ***Vicksburg ***Voltigeur ****Princeton **Little Arthur **Pryor **Bay Dick ***Bay Wood **Bonnie Laddie **Foreigner **France ***King Bird **Glencoe Jr. **Walnut **O'Meara **Trumeter ***Young Trumpeter **Glencoe (Hunter)

References

{{2000 Guineas winners

External links

Full history of Glencoe at Bloodlines

1831 racehorse births 1857 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires Thoroughbred family 1-t Byerley Turk sire line 2000 Guineas winners