Potoooooooo or variations of Pot-8-Os (1773 – November 1800) was an 18th-century

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 who won over 30 races and defeated some of the greatest racehorses of his time. He went on to be an important

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 ...

, whose leading runners included

Epsom Derby 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 o ...

winners Waxy,

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

and

Tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to rep ...

. He is best known for the unusual spelling of his name, pronounced 'Potatoes'.

Background

Potoooooooo (also spelled Pot-8-Os, Pot8Os, Pot8O's or Pot 8 Os from various sources) was a chestnut colt bred by

Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon (16 January 1740 – 26 September 1799), styled Lord Norreys from 1745 to 1760, was an English peer and music patron. Bertie was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, the second eldest son of Willoughby Bert ...

, in 1773. He was sired by 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 ...

. He was the first foal out of Sportsmistress, who was sired by Warren's Sportsman and traced to Thwaites' Dun Mare from

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

number 38 on her dam's side.Ahnert, Rainer L. (editor in chief), ''Thoroughbred Breeding of the World'', Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970. . The origin of his name has several different versions. According to the most common, Bertie intended to call the young colt "Potato" and instructed the stable boy to write the name on a feed bin. The stable boy spelled the name as "Potoooooooo" (Pot followed by 8 "o"s; that is, a failed attempt at spelling phonetically), which so amused Bertie that he adopted the spelling. Subsequent writers have used a variety of spellings that reflect the intended revised pronunciation, "Potatoes". In

The Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...

's online database equineline.com, the name is spelled as Pot8O's. 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 ...

'' uses Potoooooooo.

Racing career

Potoooooooo raced from 1776 to 1783, accumulating from 28 to 34 wins from an estimated 40 starts, mostly in 4 mile races on Newmarket's Beacon course. In 1776, he won a 100 guinea sweepstakes at Newmarket's first spring meeting. In 1777 at age four, he finished second in two Newmarket races for 4 year old colts, third at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, and fifth in the

Great Subscription Purse The Great Subscription Purses were a series of flat horse races in Great Britain run at York Racecourse, usually over a distance of 4 miles, that took place each year in August from 1751 to 1833. During the second half of the 18th century they we ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. In 1778 at age five, Potoooooooo was entered in the 1200 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket's first spring meeting. During the race, Bertie sold the horse to

Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor (; 18 June 1731 – 5 August 1802), known as Sir Richard Grosvenor, Bt between 1755 and 1761 and as The Lord Grosvenor between 1761 and 1784, was a British peer, racehorse owner and art collector. H ...

for 1,500 guineas. Potoooooooo won the race and subsequently raced under Grosvenor's yellow and black silks. His subsequent wins that year included the 140 guineas subscription purse at the second spring meeting, a subscription at Ipswich, a £50 purse at Swaffham and another subscription race at Newmarket's second October meeting. In 1779 at age six, he won a number of races at Newmarket, including the Gold Cup, a

walkover John_Carpenter_was_disqualified,_prompting_his_teammates_John_Taylor_(athlete).html" ;"title="John_Carpenter_(athlete).html" "title="Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres">men's 400 metres running in a walkover. Americ ...

for the Clermont Cup and the October Cup. In 1780, he again won several races at Newmarket, including the 140 guineas subscription purse where he beat

King Fergus King Fergus (1775–1801) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He won several races, but achieved greater success as a sire. He was British Champion sire in 1797 and his progeny included St Leger Stakes winner Hambletonian, who was only def ...

, the Jockey Club Plate and another walkover in the Clermont Cup. He also raced twice against Sir Charles Davers'

Woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...

, Herod's best son from these years, winning once. In 1781, he won the Jockey Club Plate and the Whip, both by walkover, plus a 400 guineas sweep. In October, he received 85 guineas "by common consent" as a reward for ''not'' starting in the 140 guineas subscription purse. In 1782, he had a third walkover in the Clermont, won the Jockey Club Plate for a third time, and was victorious in the

Craven Stakes The Craven Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres ...

, beating thirteen mostly younger horses. In 1783 at age ten, he won the Whip at Newmarket, but lost a 300 guineas

match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consis ...

Assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...

, who had won the previous year's Derby, and a 200 guineas sweepstakes.

Stud career

In 1784, Potoooooooo was retired to stud at Oxcroft Farm near Balsham, Cambridgeshire, where he mostly covered mares owned by Grosvenor. For other mares, his stud fee was initially 5 guineas, gradually increasing to 21 guineas. In 1796, he was relocated to Upper Hare Park near Newmarket. During his career, Potoooooooo sired 172 winners of £61,971. His leading offspring include: * Nightshade (foaled 1785), winner of the Oaks in 1788 * Asparagus (1787), a good runner and sire of

Rhoda ''Rhoda'' is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns starring Valerie Harper that originally aired on CBS for five seasons from September 9, 1974, to December 9, 1978. It was the first spin-off of ''The Mary Tyle ...

(winner of the

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 1816) * Waxy (1790), who won 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 ...

in 1793 and ten other races. Waxy was the leading sire in 1810 and is responsible for the continuation of the Eclipse sire line to the present day. * Sister to Edwin (1794), taproot mare of Family 3-i and the subsequent branch Family 3-l *

(1797), the first horse to win both the Derby and the

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 ...

(in 1800) *

(1799), Derby winner in 1802 *

Parasol An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used ...

(1800), who won many races and was a dam of Classic winners

Pindarrie Pindarrie (foaled 1817) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced five times and won the Riddlesworth Stakes and 2000 Guineas Stakes. He was owned by George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, and trained by Robert Robson. He only raced in 1820 ...

(2000 Guineas) and

Pastille A pastille is a type of sweet or medicinal pill made of a thick liquid that has been solidified and is meant to be consumed by light chewing and allowing it to dissolve in the mouth. The term is also used to describe certain forms of incense. ...

(Oaks and 2000 Guineas) * Mandane (1800), taproot mare of Family 11-g. Dam of

Manuella Manuella (1809 – after 1831) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic Oaks Stakes at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 1812. Unraced as a two-year-old, the Northern-trained filly was fancied to win The Derby on her ...

(1812

Oaks Stakes The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...

Altisidora Altisidora (1810–1825) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1813. Bred, trained and raced in Yorkshire she won two of her three races as a two-year-old in 1812. She was un ...

(St Leger), Lottery (

Doncaster Cup The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles 1 furlong and 197 yards (3,600 metr ...

) and Brutandorf (

Chester Cup The Chester Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 147 yards () at Chester i ...

) Potoooooooo died in November 1800 at the age of 27 and was buried at Hare Park. Some 200 years later, his skeleton was uncovered when a tree blew over. The skeleton is on display at the Kings Yard Galleries of the

National Horseracing Museum Palace House is the home of the National Horse Racing Museum in the remaining part of Charles II's racing palace in Newmarket, Suffolk, England. It is home to the National Horse Racing Museum, the British Sporting Art Trust and Retraining of Rac ...

in Newmarket.

Pedigree

Potoooooooo was sired by the undefeated Eclipse, who was also a very successful stallion even though he never led the sire list. His dam was Sportsmistress, whose dam Golden Locks was inbred 2 × 2 to

Crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

– he was both her maternal and paternal grandsire. Sportsmistress would produce a total of 11 foals including Sir Thomas, winner of the 1788 Derby. Pot-8-Os is inbred 4 × 4 to the Godolphin Arabian and Crab, meaning these stallions both appear twice in the fourth generation of Potoooooooo's pedigree.

Background

Racing career

Stud career

Pedigree

References

Further reading