Peleid (foaled 1970) 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 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 ...

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 ...

best known for winning 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 ...

St Leger Stakes 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 ...

in 1973. After showing little promise in his early career he ran well in several important handicap races in 1973 before stepping up in class to record a 28/1 upset victory in the St Leger on 15 September. He was later sold and exported to stand as a breeding stallion in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Background

Peleid was a bay horse bred by his owner Colonel William E. Behrens. He was from the fourth crop of foals sired by Derring-Do, a horse whose wins included 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 ...

in 1965 and whose other offspring included the 2000 Guineas winners

High Top The high-top is a shoe that extends slightly over the wearer's ankle. It is commonly an athletic shoe, particularly for basketball. It is sometimes confused with the slightly shorter mid-top, which typically extends no higher than the wearer's a ...

and

Roland Gardens Roland Gardens (foaled 9 May 1975 – after 1993) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1978. During a racing career which lasted from 1977 until 1979 he ran sixteen times and won f ...

. Peleid's dam, Winning Bid, was a successful broodmare who also produced the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

winner Coup de Feu. The colt was trained by Bill Elsey at his Highfield stables in

Malton, North Yorkshire Malton is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town is the location of the offices of Ryedale District Council and has a population of around 13,000 ...

Racing career

1972: two-year-old season

Peleid was not campaigned in the highest class, and won only once, when taking 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 ...

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...

in July.

1973: three-year-old season

As a three-year-old Peleid was mainly campaigned in handicap races and made steady progress. After winning over one mile at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

day in March he won the valuable

Zetland Gold Cup The Zetland Gold Cup is a flat Handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three-year-old and up. It is run at Redcar over a distance of 1 mile 2 furlongs and 1 yard (2,013 metres), and it is scheduled to take ...

over ten

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 ...

s at

Redcar Racecourse Redcar Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Redcar, North Yorkshire, England. The racecourse was opened in 1872. History Racing began at Redcar on the sands at Redcar beach in the early 18th century. The final mee ...

in May. In June he was sent to

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 ...

where he finished second to Zab in the King George V Stakes. In July he won the

John Smith's Magnet Cup The John Smith's Cup (known until 1998 as the Magnet Cup) is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 2 furl ...

at York and was then sent to France where he finished second in the Prix de la Ville de Trouville. In August he returned to York for the

Ebor Handicap The Ebor Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 5 furlongs and 188 yards (2,787 metres). It is ...

over one and three quarter miles. Carrying a weight of 114 pounds he finished fourth to Bonne Noel. In September Peleid was one of thirteen three-year-olds to contest the St Leger Stakes at

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy. History Doncas ...

. Ridden by the 47-year-old veteran Frankie Durr, he was not regarded as a serious contender, and started at odds of 28/1. It was believed that Peleid had raced too prominently in the early stages of the Ebor, and on this occasion Durr restrained the colt in the early stages before making his challenge in the straight. He took the lead inside the last quarter mile and accelerated clear of the field to win by two and a half lengths and a neck from

Buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

and Duke of Ragusa. He was the first winner of the race trained in the North of England since the filly

Cantelo Cantelo (foaled 1956) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career which lasted from spring 1958 until September 1959 she ran eleven times and won eight races. Cantelo was unbeaten in five races as a two-year-old including the ...

, trained by Elsey's father Charles Elsey won in 1959.

1974: four-year-old season

Peleid remained in training as a four-year-old but failed to win a race in Britain: he did finish second in the

John Porter Stakes The John Porter Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs () a ...

and third in the

Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) on t ...

. In the autumn he was sold and exported to

. He won the Great Breeders' Prize in his new country before being retired to stud.

Assessment

In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Peleid a "poor" St Leger winner.

Pedigree

References

{{St Leger Winners 1970 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 21-a St Leger winners