Squirt (1732 – ?) was a

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 ...

racehorse, best known as the grandsire of Eclipse, founder of the breed's dominant sire line. He lived at a time when the Thoroughbred breed was in its infancy, before even the foundation of the Jockey Club (in 1750) and

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 ...

(in 1791). Thus information is incomplete.

Breeding

Squirt was bred by William Metcalfe of Beverley, Yorkshire. His sire was Bartlett's Childers, a full brother to

Flying Childers Flying Childers (1715–1741) was a famous undefeated 18th-century thoroughbred racehorse, foaled in 1714 at Carr House, Warmsworth, Doncaster, and is sometimes considered as the first truly great racehorse in the history of thoroughbreds and the ...

, considered the greatest race horse of his time. Bartlett's Childers, also known as Bleeding Childers because he bled from the nose on exertion, never raced but did become a major sire. Squirt's dam, Sister to Old Country Wench, had earlier produced Grey Robinson, who in turn produced the undefeated

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. Reg ...

Racing career

During his racing career, Squirt was owned by Charles Colyear, (2nd) Earl of Portmore. He began racing at five, as was customary at the time. His performances include: * in 1737, won 200 guineas at Newmarket * in 1738, beaten by

Lath A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straight-wood grain, grained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in Latticework, lattice and Trellis (architecture), trellis work. ''Lath ...

in a match race at Newmarket * in 1739, won 200 guineas at Newmarket, 40 guineas at Epsom, 50 guineas at Stamford, and £30 at Winchester * in 1740, won a plate at

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

Breeding career

Squirt then became a stallion for Sir Henry Harpur of Calke, Derbyshire. Squirt was nearly put down after developing

laminitis Laminitis is a disease that affects the feet of ungulates and is found mostly in horses and cattle. Clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk, increased digital pulses, and increased temperature in the hooves. Seve ...

, but his groom begged for a reprieve. Squirt's offspring includes: * Marske (1750), sire of the unbeaten Eclipse, amongst others. Through Eclipse, Squirt's sire line continues to the present day. In Great Britain and Ireland, his sire line includes leading sires such as

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...

, Danehill and Galileo. In North America, leading sires in his line include Bold Ruler (sire of

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

), Mr. Prospector (ancestor of

American Pharoah American Pharoah (foaled February 2, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first ho ...

), Danzig,

Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North America in 1999 ...

, AP Indy,

Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (5 km) northeast of ...

and

Tapit Tapit (foaled February 27, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three of his six races, including the Wood Memorial Stakes, then a Grade I event. He was an immediate success after retiring to stud, becoming the leadi ...

. In Japan, Squirt's sire line includes leading sires Sunday Silence, King Kamehameha and Deep Impact, while in Australia leading sires from his line include

Redoute's Choice Redoute's Choice (15 August 1996 – 26 March 2019) was a multiple Group One-winning Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and also a champion sire. He is by the phenomenal international sire Danehill (USA) out of the lightly raced mare Shantha ...

Encosta De Lago Encosta De Lago (27 October 1993 – 6 October 2018) was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse that won three group races from eight starts including the Group One (G1), Vic Health Cup against older horses. He was the Leading sire in Austra ...

and

Fastnet Rock Fastnet Lighthouse is a 54m high lighthouse situated on the remote Fastnet Rock in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the most southerly point of Ireland and lies southwest of Cape Clear Island and from County Cork on the Irish mainland. The current l ...

. * Syphon (1750), winner of the £160 Great Subscription at York and others, sire of Sweetwilliam and Sweetbriar * Tim (1752), whose daughters would go on to be significant producers * Pratt's Old Mare, who went on to produce 17 foals, including Pumpkin, winner of 20 plates, and the mares Purity and Maiden, winner of 15 plates.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist

Squirt (horse)

1732 racehorse births Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain Thoroughbred family 11