Lemonora (foaled 1918) 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 owned by

Joseph Watson, 1st Baron Manton Joseph Watson, 1st Baron Manton (10 February 1873 – 13 March 1922) was an English industrialist from Leeds, Yorkshire. He was chairman of Joseph Watson & Sons Ltd, soap manufacturers of Leeds, and a director of the London and North-Western ...

(1873-1922). Ridden by

Joe Childs Joseph Childs (1884–1958) was a French-born, British-based flat racing jockey. He won fifteen British Classics in a 35-year career, the last ten years of which were spent as jockey to King George V. He was known for riding a slow, waiting ra ...

he won the

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...

on 26 June 1921, one mile seven furlongs, beating a large field, with a prize of 400,000 French Francs (about £16,830) then the world's most valuable racing prize. Just 26 days before on 1 June 1921 he came third 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 ...

, having in early May come second in 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 ...

at Newmarket. In 1920 he won the Champagne Stakes 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 ...

and came second in the

Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

at York. His subsequent breeding career was disappointing as he was "a bad sire". The unusually feminine sounding name for a stallion appears to be from a variety of

azalea Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and '' Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, and Octob ...

created in 1912 whose flowers are "moderate yellow, tinted pink externally". Lemonora is immortalised in the 1935

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

film '' The 39 Steps'' when the names of the first three horses in the 1921 Derby are recounted on stage by "Mr Memory"."A serious question, please. :03:26 What won the Derby in 1921? :03:28 Mr. Jack Jool's Humorist with Steve Donoghue up. :03:31 Won by a length at odds 6 to 1. :03:33 Second and third: Craig-an-Eran and Lemonora. :03:35 - Am l right, sir? - Righ

/ref>

External links

*For movie footage of Lemonora winning the Grand Prix and Watson with his horse in the winner's enclosure, se
British Patheyou tube
Item title reads: "World's Richest Racing Prize. "Lemonora" wins Grand Prix for Mr "Lucky" Watson"

References

1918 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain