Picture Play (1941–1956) 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

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 raced during World War II and was 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 ...

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

in 1944. As a two-year-old she won twice from four races before winning the 1000 Guineas by four

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

on her three-year-old debut. She was injured in her only subsequent race and was retired to stud. She went on to become a very successful and influential broodmare, whose descendants have won seven classics and many other major races.

Background

Picture Play was an exceptionally good-looking bay mare bred by her owner Jim Joel who had inherited a substantial stable of horses on the death of his father

Jack Barnato Joel Isaac "Jack" Barnato Joel (29 September 1862 – 13 November 1940) was a South African mining magnate and a champion horse breeder. Early life Isaac Barnato Joel was born on 29 September 1862 into a Jewish family, being one of three sons of Jo ...

in 1940. The filly had a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on her left hind foot. She was from the third crop of foals sired by the French-bred stallion Donatello who won eight races when trained in Italy including the

Gran Criterium The Gran Criterium is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Milan over a distance of 1,500 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take place each year in October. The event he ...

Gran Premio di Milano The Gran Premio di Milano is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Milan over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June. The event w ...

and

Derby Italiano The Derby Italiano is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Capannelle over a distance of 2,200 metres (about 1 mile and 3 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in ...

. After a slow start at stud he went on to sire many leading horses including

Alycidon Alycidon (1945–1963) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was described as "one of the greatest stayers in history". In a career which lasted from the autumn of 1947 until September 1949 he ran seventeen times and won eleven races. He w ...

and

Crepello Crepello (1954–1974) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse which won England's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby in 1957 and was later a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland. Pedigree He was a chestnut horse sired by Donatello II ( ...

. Picture Plays's dam, Amuse, showed little ability as a racehorse but came from an excellent family: she was a granddaughter of Joel's outstanding broodmare Absurdity, whose other descendants included

Jest A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...

Humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

and

Black Jester Black Jester (1911–1928) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the Classic St Leger Stakes in 1914. The colt won nine times from twenty-three races in a track career which lasted from 1913 until October ...

. Joel sent the filly to his private trainer John Evelyn Watts (the son of John Watts) at his Foxhill Stable in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. Picture Play's racing career took place during World War II 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. Wartime austerity also meant that prize money was reduced: Picture Play's 1000 Guineas was worth £1,777 compared to the £7,592 earned by

Galatea Galatea is an ancient Greek name meaning "she who is milk-white". Galatea, Galathea or Gallathea may refer to: In mythology * Galatea (Greek myth), three different mythological figures In the arts * ''Aci, Galatea e Polifemo'', cantata by H ...

in 1939.

Racing career

1943: two-year-old season

Picture Play won two of her four starts as a two-year-old, and showed promise when finishing third to Fair Fame in the

Queen Mary Stakes The Queen Mary Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot over a distance o ...

, which was run that year 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 ...

. On her final appearance of the season she finished unplaced behind the same filly in 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 ...

1944: three-year-old season

On her three-year-old debut on 16 May Picture Play contested the 131st running of the 1000 Guineas which was run over the July course at Newmarket rather than its traditional home on the Rowley Mile. Ridden by

Charlie Elliott Charles Standish Elliott MBE (24 April 1912 – 1 January 2004) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1932 and 1953, an international umpire and a part-time footballer. Elliott was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire. ...

she started at odds of 15/2 in an eleven-runner field. She won by four

from Grand Corniche, with Superior two lengths back in third place. In the "New Oaks" run at Newmarket over one and a half miles a month later, Picture Play finished unplaced behind Hycilla. The filly was injured in the race and never ran again.

Assessment

In their book ''A Century of Champions'', based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Picture Play an "average" winner of the 1000 Guineas.

Breeding record

At the end of her racing career, Picture Play was retired to become a broodmare for her owner's

Childwickbury Stud Childwickbury Stud is a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm near St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. Originally built in 1888 by Sir John Blundell Maple as part of his Childwickbury estate, he bred and raced Thoroughbreds and built Childwickbury Stu ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. Between 1947 and 1955 she produced at least seven foals. Through her daughters Red Shoes and Queen of Light she was the ancestor of numerous major winners. *Full Hand, a chestnut colt (later gelded), foaled in 1947, sired by Straight Deal. Winner. *Red Shoes, bay filly, 1948, by

Bois Roussel Bois Roussel (1935–1955) was a French-bred Thoroughbred champion racehorse and a leading broodmare sire. He won the 1938 Epsom Derby on his second racecourse appearance. Background He was named for Haras du Bois-Roussel, the breeding farm in A ...

. She was the dam of West Side Story (

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 fu ...

) and the female-line ancestor of

User Friendly Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a soft ...

. *Queen of Light, bay filly, 1949, by Borealis. Won

Falmouth Stakes The Falmouth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,60 ...

. At stud, she produced Ancient Lights (

Dewhurst Stakes The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), ...

) and Crystal Palace (Falmouth Stakes,

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong a ...

). Queen of Light's descendants have included

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

Fairy Footsteps Fairy Footsteps (15 January 1978 – 1996) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic 1000 Guineas in 1981. She showed promise in her first two races as a two-year-old before establishing herself ...

Light Cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily rai ...

, Moonshell, Lawman,

Desert Prince Desert Prince (foaled 14 March 1995) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning one of his four starts as a two-year-old in 1997, he improved to become one of the best milers and the highest-rated horse o ...

, Cape Blanco,

Stylish Century Stylish Century was a notable Australian thoroughbred racehorse. A son of Double Century from the Forex mare Stylish he was foaled in 1986 and was trained by a number of trainers throughout his career including Bart Cummings for a short time. ...

and

Miss Finland Miss Suomi (Finnish for ''Miss Finland'') is a national beauty pageant in Finland. The pageant was founded in 1931, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. History Miss Suomi was held for the first time in 1931. Between 1952 and 1955 th ...

. *Boxwood, brown colt, 1950, by Bois Roussel. He had some success as a sire in Australia. *Love Parade, bay filly, 1952 My Love. Winner. *Royal Pageant, bay filly, 1953, by Prince Chevalier. Winner. *Promulgation, bay colt, 1955, by

Court Martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

. Winner.

Pedigree

References

{{1000 Guineas Winners 1941 racehorse births 1956 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 1-s 1000 Guineas winners