Goldfinder (1764–1789) was an undefeated

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 ...

. His wins included two Newmarket Challenge Cup and Whips. After retiring from racing he became a successful

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 ...

Background

Goldfinder 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 ...

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 ...

foaled in 1764. He was bred by

John St Leger Douglas John St. Leger Douglas ( – 23 May 1783) was an 18th-century member of the House of Commons of Great Britain. He owned Springfield Place, near Chelmsford, Essex. Early life and education Douglas was the eldest son of John St. Leger Douglas, a W ...

and was sired by the undefeated racehorse and Champion sire

Snap Snap or SNAP may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Snap'', the original release title for the 2013 film ''Enter the Dangerous Mind'' *''Snap'' (TV series), a CITV programme * ''The Stanly News and Press'', a newspaper in Albemarle, North Carol ...

. His

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 a daughter of Blank, another Champion sire.

Racing career

Goldfinder made his racecourse debut at Newmarket on 5 April 1768, beating two opponents to win a sweepstakes of 200

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

each (known as the 1400 Guineas). On 29 April he beat six rivals to win the Ascot Stakes. His next race came in October, where he beat five rivals (including

Lord Bolingbroke Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (; 16 September 1678 – 12 December 1751) was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically des ...

's 4/5 favourite Sejanus) to win another sweepstakes of 200

each. The next day he was due to race a

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 ...

belonging to Sir John Moore, but Moore paid a 300 guinea forfeit and withdrew his horse. In his last race as a four-year-old he won the Contribution Stakes, beating four other horses. His first race as a five-year-old was on 31 March, where he beat four horses to win a 150 guineas race. In October he faced five rivals in the Newmarket Challenge Cup and Whip (known as 'the Cup'). In the betting the

Duke of Ancaster Earl of Lindsey is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1626 for the 14th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (see Baron Willoughby de Eresby for earlier history of the family). He was First Lord of the Admiralty from 1635 to 1636 and ...

's Jethro was the 2/1 favourite, with Goldfinder at 5/2, Sir Charles Bunbury's Bellario at 4/1, 5/1 and 6/1 against Marquis, with Sir Lawrence Dundas's A-la-greque and Lord Rockingham's Cosmo both at 8/1. Goldfinder won this race and then beat Jethro again to win a Subscription of 50 guineas each a few days later. In his final two races as a five-year-old he walked over for a 150 guineas race and the Contribution Stakes. At the start of the 1770 season he walked over for a Subscription stakes. In October he won the Newmarket Challenge Cup and Whip for a second time, in another walkover. It was intended that he would run in a King's Plate against the undefeated

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

, but the day after the Cup he broke down in an exercise.

Stud career

In 1771 he was sold to Sir Charles Sedley for 1,350 guineas. As a

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

he stood at Nuthall Temple in Nottinghamshire. He had a successful stallion career, siring many winners, including the 1781 St. Leger Stakes winner Serina. After the death of Sir Charles Sedley in 1778, Goldfinder was sold for 350 guineas and moved to Mitcham,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. He spent the rest of his stud career there and retired after the 1784 season. Goldfinder died in 1789, aged 25 years.

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'' * Goldfinder was inbred 3 × 4 to

Godolphin Arabian The Godolphin Arabian (–1753), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse who was one of three stallions that founded the modern Thoroughbred (the others were the Darley Arabian and the Byerley Turk). He was named after his best-kno ...

. This means that the stallion appears once in the third generation and once in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References

{{reflist 1764 racehorse births 1789 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain Thoroughbred family 1-a Undefeated racehorses

Background

Racing career

Stud career

Pedigree

See also

References