The Rubens mare (foaled 1819) was an unnamed

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 ...

. In her only race she finished second in The Oaks in 1822. Later she became a top

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 ...

, foaling

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 ...

winner

Camarine Camarine (1828 – 20 March 1841) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. After finishing second on her only start as a two-year-old, Camarine was undefeated for the next three years, winning thirteen consecutive races at distan ...

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 ...

winners May-day and Firebrand and

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 ...

winner

Phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

Background

The Rubens mare was a

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

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 ...

foaled in 1819 and bred by Major Wilson. She was an unnamed daughter of Craven Stakes winner

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

. Rubens was also a successful stallion and was the

leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current champion is Frankel, who r ...

three times. His other progeny included

Landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

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. A ...

and

Whizgig Whizgig (1819–1840) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in 1822. In a racing career which lasted from April 1822 until May 1824 she ran fourteen times and won seven races. Unrac ...

. The Rubens mare's

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

was, Tippitywitchet, a daughter of

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 ...

winner Waxy.

Racing career

The Rubens mare made her only start on 24 May 1822 at

Epsom Downs Epsom Downs is an area of chalk downland, chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey; in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the Epsom Downs Racecourse, racecourse, the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 and are ...

, when she and nine opponents raced for the

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 ...

. The

Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke ...

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 ...

winner

started as the 11/8 favourite, with

, who was also owned by Grafton, second favourite at 7/2. Major Wilson's Rubens mare was a relative outsider at about 12/1. Whizgig led the race from Pastille. The Rubens mare challenged and overtook Whizgig in the closing stages to take the lead, before Pastille passed her near the line and won by a head. Pastille and the Rubens mare finished clear of the rest of the field. The race was described as "as good a race ever seen for the Oaks."

Stud career

The Rubens mare was retired to Colonel Wilson's stud. During her career as a broodmare she produced eighteen foals in total. They were: * Care – a bay mare foaled in 1825 and sire by Woful. Her daughter Blue Devils foaled the dam of

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 ...

winner Saunterer. * Hazard colt – a chestnut colt foaled in 1826. * Recovery – a chestnut stallion foaled in 1827 and sired by

Emilius Emilius may refer to: People * Saint Emilius (died 250), Christian martyr * Emilius Ditlev Bærentzen (1799–1868), Danish painter * Emilius Bangert (1883–1962), Danish composer, organist, and academic * Emilius Bayley (1823–1917), English ...

. Raced from 1830 to 1832 and won several races, including a 100

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

Sweepstakes at Newmarket in 1830 and a

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 ...

against

St. Leger 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 ...

winner

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

in 1831.

Matthew Cotes Wyatt Matthew Cotes Wyatt (1777 – 3 January 1862) was a painter and sculptor and a member of the Wyatt family, who were well known in the Victorian era as architects and sculptors. Early life Wyatt was born in London, the son of the architect James ...

used Recovery as a model for the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

's deceased horse

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, when creating the Wellington Statue in

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

. Recovery's was the damsire of Rococo, who sired Cesarewitch Stakes winner Chippendale. *

– a chestnut mare foaled in 1828 and sired by

Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

. She won 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 ...

in 1832 and in 1833 was described as "the best mare in Europe." * Oscar mare – a chestnut mare foaled in 1829. Went to

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

's stud. Her daughter The Soldier's Daughter foaled

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 in ...

winner Red Deer. * Danoise – a chestnut mare foaled in 1830 and sired by Oscar. Through her daughter Lantern, her dam-line produced Stewards' Cup winner Royal Flush. * May-day – a chestnut filly foaled in 1831 and sired by Lamplighter. In 1834 she won the 1000 Guineas, but broke her leg in the Oaks and had to be destroyed. * Jack in the Green – a chestnut colt foaled in 1833 and sired by Lamplighter. He finished third in the

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 ...

in 1836. In 1837 he won the Plymouth Plate and Her Majesty's Cup. *

– a bay stallion foaled in 1834 and sired by Lamplighter. He won the 1837 Epsom Derby at the price of 40/1. He stood as a sire in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. * Phoebe – a bay mare foaled in 1836 and sired by Lamplighter. She was put to stud and produced her first foal in 1840. * Firefly – a bay filly foaled in 1837 and sired by Lamplighter. She raced in 1840. * Lamplighter colt – a chestnut colt foaled in 1838. * Firebrand – a chestnut mare foaled in 1839 and sired by Lamplighter. She won the 1000 Guineas by a

length 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 Interna ...

in 1842. She produced one foal in Britain, before being sold to go abroad. * Farintosh – a bay colt foaled in 1840 and sired by

Bay Middleton A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

* Bay Middleton filly – foaled in 1841. She died in foal. * Ratajia – a bay mare foaled in 1842 and sired by Bay Middleton. She was the granddam of Arbitrator, who sired St. Leger Stakes winner

Kilwarlin Kilwarlin (1884 – 1900) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. The detail of his ownership were complicated and led to complaints being lodged with the Jockey Club. He showed considerable promise as a juvenile in 1886 when he won h ...

. * Lanercost colt – foaled in 1844. * Colwick foal – foaled in 1845.

Pedigree

''Note: b. =

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

, ch. =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

'' * The Rubens mare was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

4×4 to both Herod and Eclipse. This means that the stallions appear twice in the fourth generation of her pedigree.

References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em 1819 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 27