Sir Harry (British Horse)
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Sir Harry (1795 – after 1816) 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 ...
. In a career that lasted from May 1798 to August 1801 he ran nineteen times and won nine races. Lightly campaigned in his first two seasons he won
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 ...
on his racecourse debut and the Claret Stakes at Newmarket in 1799. Sir Harry was much more active in his two remaining years, running fifteen times and winning seven more races including several
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 ...
s and King's Plates. After his retirement from racing he was exported to the United States where he had a successful record at
stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...
.


Background

Sir Harry was a brown horse bred by his owner Joseph Cookson. He was the fifth Derby winner to be trained at
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 ...
by Frank Neale. Sir Harry's sire,
Sir Peter Teazle Sir Peter Teazle (1784 – 18 August 1811) was a good British bred Thoroughbred racehorse, a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland nine times, and carried on the sire line of Herod. Breeding Sir Peter Teazle was a brown horse bred and own ...
(or simply "Sir Peter") won the Epsom Derby in 1787 and became the most successful stallion of the time, winning the title of Champion sire on ten occasions between 1799 and 1809. Sir Harry made Sir Peter Teazle the first Derby winner to sire another winner of the race. Sir Harry was the last of three foals produced by Matron, also known as Betsey. After having her first foal in 1789, Matron was trained for racing for two years and then used as a
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for two further years until being returned to stud in 1794.


Racing career


1798: three-year-old season

Sir Harry made his first racecourse appearance in the Derby at
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 ...
on 24 May 1798. The race attracted thirty-seven entries, each paying fifty
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 ...
, of which ten appeared to run in the race. Despite his lack of previous experience Sir Harry was made favourite at odds of 7/4. Ridden by Sam Arnull, he won from the 33/1 outsider Telegraph, with Young Spear third. Sir Harry had only one other race in 1798, when he ran at Newmarket in October. He started second favourite for a
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over ten furlongs ("Across the Flat")) and finished second of the four runners behind the favourite Admiral Nelson. One source from late 1798 lists Sir Harry as the property of "Sir H. Hoghton", but this may be an error as Mr Cookson was listed as the colts owner for all his races from 1798 to 1800.


1799: four-year-old season

In the Claret Stakes at Newmarket on 9 April Sir Harry was opposed by some of the previous year's best three-year-olds including the colts Admiral Nelson (the 6/4 favourite), Telegraph and Schedoni as well as the
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 ...
Bellissima, winner of The Oaks. Sir Harry started at odds of 8/1 and won the two mile race from Bellissima and with Telegraph third. In August Sir Harry was walked 170 miles to compete in a four mile match race at
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 ...
against the 1798
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winner
Symmetry Symmetry (from grc, συμμετρία "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement") in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, "symmetry" has a more precise definit ...
in which he was scheduled to concede two pounds to his opponent. Very heavy rain turned the ground extremely soft and left parts of the course "knee deep" in mud and water. Sir Harry started 2/5 favourite but Symmetry coped better with the conditions to take the 500 guinea prize. A rematch was quickly arranged for the following spring at Newmarket


1800: five-year-old season

After running only four times in the previous two years, Sir Harry ran four times in five weeks at Newmarket in the spring of 1800. On 14 April he was beaten in a 500 guinea match race over ten furlongs against Mr Baldock's horse Schedoni, to whom he was conceding half a pound. Two weeks later the rematch between Sir Harry and Symmetry was held over the two mile "Ditch In" course. On this occasion, Sir Harry carried half a pound less than his opponent and reversed the York form to win a prize of 200 guineas. Three days later Sir Harry reappeared for a Sweepstakes over the four Mile Duke's Course. He was made the 2/1 favourite and won from
Lord Sackville George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, PC (26 January 1716 – 26 August 1785), styled The Honourable George Sackville until 1720, Lord George Sackville from 1720 to 1770 and Lord George Germain from 1770 to 1782, was a British soldier and p ...
's Laborie, the 1796 Oaks winner Parisot and two others. A third match against Symmetry, with Sir Harry conceding six pounds, had been scheduled for the next Newmarket meeting, but Mr Cookson withdrew his horse and paid a forfeit. At the same meeting on 17 May, Sir Harry ran a match against the Derby runner-up Telegraph over ten furlongs in which Sir Harry conceded seven pounds and ran a dead heat. There was no run-off, meaning that the 300 guinea stake was divided. As in 1799, Sir Harry traveled to York in late summer, but had no success. On 26 August he carried top weight in the York Oatlands Stakes over two miles and finished last of the three runners behind Sir Harry Tempest-Vane's St Leger winner
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. On the following afternoon Sir Harry started 6/4 favourite for the Great Subscription Plate and finished last of the five runners over four miles. On his last appearance of the season, Sir Harry returned to Newmarket for a Sweepstakes over the four mile Beacon Course. He was made 13/8 favourite and finished second of the six runners beaten by Mr Adams' horse Humbug.


1801: six-year-old season

Sir Harry began his final season of racing in the ownership of a Mr Turnor. On 9 April he conceded at least ten pounds to his opponents in a race over the Duke's Course at Newmarket and won from Jack Andrews, Hippona and Telegraph. On his next start three days later, Sir Harry ran in the colours of Mr Bullock in a ten furlong Subscription Plate. Conceding at least twelve pounds to his seven opponents he finished second to Hornby Lass. On 22 April, running over the Round Course, Sir Harry finished second of the three runners to Sorceror in another subscription race. On his final start at Newmarket, Sir Harry ran over the sprint distance of six furlongs for a match race on 5 May. He took the prize money by defeating his familiar opponent Telegraph, to whom he was conceding seven pounds. On 9 June Sir Harry competed in a Sweepstakes at Ascot which carried the condition that the winner must be offered for sale at 300 guineas. Sir Harry won the race from Wrangler and was duly bought by Mr Concannon, the owner of the runner-up. This was seen as an unfortunate result for Mr Bullock who had reportedly turned down an offer of 500 guineas for the horse on the previous day. Two weeks later, Sir Harry made his first appearance for his new owner in a King's Plate at
Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...
where his opponents were Warter and Slapbang. In King's Plate races, horses carried heavy weights and raced in a series of four mile heats, with the prize going to the first horse to win twice. Sir Harry, carrying 168 pounds, finished last of the three runners behind Warter in the first heat, but then won the second. With Slapbang being withdrawn, the two winners then took part in deciding heat, which Sir Harry won to claim the prize, having galloped twelve miles in the course of the afternoon. Following this race, a match was arranged between Sir Harry and Warter on 7 August at Brighthelmston. Racing over one mile at level weights, Sir Harry started a slight favourite but was narrowly beaten by Lord Sackville's horse. The winning margin was so small that Concannon tried to claim a victory for Sir Harry before the official result was announced, creating "great confusion" among the racegoers. A week later, Sir Harry ran his last race in another King's Plate at Lewes. He finished second in the first heat and third in the second before being withdrawn. He was then retired to stud.


Stud career

Sir Harry began his breeding career at Dennis O'Kelly's stud at
Cannons A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during ...
, near
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,
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, where he stood at a fee of five guineas alongside the established stallions Dungannon and Volunteer. The most notable of his English offspring was an unnamed mare who produced The Oaks winner Medora. In 1804 he was sold to William Haxall and exported to the United States. He was based in
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until 1816 when he was moved to Samuel Griffith's stud in,
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,
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. He was a success at stud in America, siring the good winners Sir Alfred and Sir Hal and several important
broodmares 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 y ...
. '


Pedigree

* Sir Harry is
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 ...
3S x 4D to the stallion
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, meaning that he appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree. * Sir Harry is inbred 4S x 3D to the mare '' Regulus mare'', meaning that she appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and third generation on the dam side of his pedigree. ^ Sir Harry is inbred 5S x 4S x 4D to the stallion
Regulus Regulus is the brightest object in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation designated α Leonis, which is Latinized to Alpha Leonis, and abbreviated Alpha Leo or α Leo. Re ...
, meaning that he appears fifth and fourth generation once each on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation once on the dam side of his pedigree.


Sire line tree

*Sir HarrySir Harry
/ref> **Sir Alfred **Sir Hal **Moses


References

{{Epsom Derby Winners 1795 racehorse births Epsom Derby winners Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain Thoroughbred family 4-o Byerley Turk sire line