Scot Free (1881 – after 1887) 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 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 ...

. He showed promise as a two-year-old in 1883 when he won Sapling Plate. In the following spring he emerged as one of the best horses of his generation in England with emphatic victories 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) ...

and 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 ...

. He had never been entered in the

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 ...

and finished unplaced when made favourite for the St Leger. He remained in training as a four-year-old in 1885 but became very difficult to manage and was eventually

gelded A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, making th ...

Background

Scot Free was a brown horse bred in England by E Etches. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

he was offered for sale and bought for 250 guineas by James Foy, a professional gambler and bloodstock dealer. He was trained by

Tom Chaloner Tom Chaloner (2 June 1839 – 3 April 1886) was an English jockey who won ten British Classic races, each of them except the 1,000 Guineas at least once. Although he won races across the country, his most notable came in the north of England. ...

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred hor ...

. The colt was originally named Donald II. He was probably the best horse sired by Macgregor, who won the 2000 Guineas and started odds on favourite for the

in 1870. Scot Free's dam Celibacy was a half-sister to Brown Bess, the female-line ancestor of

Kennymore Kennymore (February 1911 – 1916) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was a highly talented horse whose career was adversely affected by his difficult temperament. He did not appear until the autumn of his two-year-old season b ...

Racing career

1883: two-year-old season

In 1883 Scot Free made three racecourse appearances. He recorded his only victory of the year when he won the Sapling Plate at

Sandown Park Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing ...

1884: three-year-old season

Scot Free began his second season in the Craven Stakes over the Rowley Mile 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 ...

and started the 6/1 second choice in the betting. Ridden by

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...

he took the lead soon after the start and won "easily" by three

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 ...

from the favourite Loch Ranza. Following the race the Duchess of Montrose attempted to buy the colt but was dissuaded by the asking price of 10,000 guineas. On 30 April Scot Free started the 3/1 favourite for the 76th running of the 2000 Guineas over the same course and distance. The veteran

George Fordham George Fordham (1837–1887) was a British flat racing jockey. He was Champion Jockey every year between 1855 and 1863, as well as four other occasions in his own right and once as joint champion. He then won the Derby in 1879, won the Oaks ...

was expected to partner the colt but as he was suffering from ill-health, the ride went to Bill Platt. On the eve of the race Fordham said that he was so weak that he might fall out of the saddle but asked that a bet of £5 should be placed on Scot Free on his behalf. The best fancied of his nine opponents were Royal Fern, Superba ( Champagne Stakes) and St Medard. Harvester was the first horse to show in front but Scot Free took the lead before half-way. The favourite never looked in any danger of defeat thereafter and accelerated away from his rivals in the closing stages to win by five lengths from St Medard, with Harvester a head away in third. According to one account he "came bounding out of the Abingdon mile bottom furlong from the finishlike a

cricket ball A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket. A cricket ball consists of a cork core wound with string then a leather cover stitched on, and manufacture is regulated by cricket law at first-class level. The trajectory of a crick ...

". In the Payne Stakes over ten furlongs at Newmarket two weeks later Scot Free started the 8/15 favourite but was beaten a length by Harvester, to whom he was conceding seven pounds in weight. Scot Free had never been entered in 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 on ...

and in his absence Harvester ran a dead heat for first place with

St. Gatien St. Gatien (1881–after 1906) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1884 he was involved in the second and final dead heat in the history of The Derby, part of an unbeaten sequence of twelve races. St. Gatien went on to becom ...

. 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 ...

on 10 September, Scot Free was stepped up in distance for the St Leger over furlongs. His preparation for the race had not been helped by the very dry conditions which led to unusually firm ground at Newmarket. Ridden by John Osborne he was made the 4/1 favourite but was never among the leaders and finished ninth behind The Lambkin. Scot Free's winnings for the year came to £4,799.

1885: four-year-old season

Scot Free remained in training as a four-year-old in 1885. During a training gallop early in the year, he threw his jockey and attacked another horse, losing several teeth in the ensuing fight. He began his third season in the £2,000 Leicestershire Spring Handicap over one mile at Leicester Racecourse on 11 April for which he was assigned a weight of 120 pounds. He started at odds of 12/1 and came home fifth of the eighteen runner behind the filly Whitelock. A week later at the Craven meeting at Newmarket he finished unplaced in two handicap races, the six-furlong Crawfurd Plate and the one-mile Babraham Plate. At

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 ...

in June Scot Free started second favourite for the Gold Cup over miles but finished last of the four runners behind

, Eole and The Dutchman.

Later career

Scot Free was not raced in 1886 and was

sometime before the 1887 racing season. He won the Trial Plate at the Epsom Spring Meeting, beating The Tyke by a length and a half. He was sold immediately after the race for 650 guineas. Returned to J. Foy, he was last of seven runners in the Brighton High-Wright Plate in August 1887.

Pedigree

* Scot Free is inbred 4S x 4D to the stallion

Touchstone Touchstone may refer to: * Touchstone (assaying tool), a stone used to identify precious metals * Touchstone (metaphor), a means of assaying relative merits of a concept Entertainment * ''Touchstone'' (album), a 1982 album by Chick Corea * T ...

, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

References

{{2000 Guineas Winners 1881 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 1-a 2000 Guineas winners