Radium (1903 – 4 August 1922) 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. A slow maturing racehorse, his most significant wins did not occur until his four and five-year-old seasons. After retiring from racing Radium became a successful

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 ...

, siring

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 ...

winner

Clarissimus The constitution of the late Roman Empire was an unwritten set of guidelines and principles passed down, mainly through precedent, which defined the manner in which the late Roman Empire was governed. As a matter of historical convention, the late ...

and the

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 ...

of Phar Lap.

Background

Radium was foaled in 1903 at Southcourt in

Leighton Buzzard Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills. It is northwes ...

, the stud of his breeder and owner Leopold de Rothschild. He was sired by

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 ...

and

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

winner Bend Or. After retiring from racing Bend Or became a successful stallion. His most successful son was the unbeaten Triple Crown winner,

Ormonde Ormonde is a surname occurring in Portugal (mainly Azores), Brazil, England, and United States. It may refer to: People * Ann Ormonde (born 1935), an Irish politician * James Ormond or Ormonde (c. 1418–1497), the illegitimate son of John Butl ...

. He also sired the champion sire

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

and

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

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. Bend Or was also the

leading broodmare sire in Great Britain and Ireland The list below shows the leading sire of broodmares in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1899. This is determined by the amount of prize money won during the year in Great Britain and Ireland by racehorses that were foaled by a daughter ...

for two years. Radium was foaled in the last crop of Bend Or, the aged stallion dying in January 1903 before Radium's birth. His dam, Taia, was also bred by Rothschild and was a half-sister to the horse Eros (winner of Althorp Stakes). Raced for two seasons and winless in 10 starts, she had a difficult personality that prevented her from being a successful racehorse. Radium was Taia's fourth and last foal before her death in 1905.

Racing career

Early racing career

Radium began his training as a two-year-old under John Watson in February 1905, with initial training runs being impressive. He started in the Khedive Plate at the Newmarket July meeting and was thoroughly beaten with his run later being described as "indifferent." After a place in a race at the Goodwood meeting, Radium won the Price of Wales's Nursery Stakes at Doncaster. Returning as a three-year-old, he was third to Beppo and Bridge of Canny in the Union Jack Stakes in Liverpool and was unplaced for the Newmarket Biennial. He was second to Sarcelle for the Chippenham Plate at the second spring meeting at Newmarket. Radium's only Classic race start was in the 1906

, which was won by Spearmint, where he battled with Troutbeck for a fourth-place finish.

1907: four-year-old-season

Radium's form remarkably improved as a four-year-old with the press noting that he seemed to "show what was in him." He won the Biennial Stakes, was second for the Great Yorkshire Handicap, and was unplaced in the Doncaster Cup. Following uncontested wins in the Rous Stakes and Rutland Handicap, Radium defeated the 11-4 favorite The White Knight in the

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...

. The running of the

Jockey Club Cup A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual w ...

in 1907 was described as, "one of the most farcical races that has ever been run on Newmarket Heath." Radium beat The White Knight at the slow time of 5 minutes and 32 seconds, setting what the crowds remarked was a ridiculously slow pace for the length of the course.

1908: five-year-old season

Radium lost the 1908

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...

and

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

to The White Knight by a margin of five

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in a much publicized rematch against the racing rivals. Winning the Dullingham Plate, Radium again raced The White Knight and beat him for the

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 ...

. Further wins in the Doncaster Cup, Beaufort Stakes, and a second victory in the Jockey Club Cup cemented Radium as one of the best older horses of the season.

Stud career

Rothschild retained Radium as a breeding stallion at Southcourt Stud for the remainder of the stallion's life. By 1920, Radium's fee had been reduced to £49 due to fertility issues, and he sired no foals after 1920. Radium was euthanised at Southcourt Stud on 4 August 1922 at the age of 19.

Notable Progeny

''c =

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 ...

, f =

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 ...

Pedigree

* Radium is inbred 3x5 to Stockwell.

References

{{reflist, 2 1903 racehorse births 1922 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 3-c