Sun Castle (1938 – March 1942) 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 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 ...

who raced during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was best known for winning the

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

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 ...

in 1941. After showing promise as a two-year-old 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 ...

the following spring but ran poorly when strongly-fancied for the New Derby. He won a race at Newbury in August before taking the substitute New St Leger at

Manchester Racecourse Manchester Racecourse was a venue for horse racing located at a number of sites around the Manchester area including; Kersal Moor, New Barnes, Weaste and Castle Irwell, Pendleton, then in Lancashire. The final home of the course, Castle Irwel ...

. He died in the following spring after contacting

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

Background

Sun Castle was a good-looking bay horse bred at

Beningbrough Hall Beningbrough Hall is a large Georgian mansion near the village of Beningbrough, North Yorkshire, England, and overlooks the River Ouse. It has baroque interiors, cantilevered stairs, wood carving and central corridors which run the length of t ...

stud in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

Enid Scudamore-Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield Enid Edith Scudamore-Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield (10 September 187830 November 1957) was a British heiress and racehorse breeder. Born at Marske Hall in Yorkshire, she was the fourth child of Charles Wilson, 1st Baron Nunburnholme, and F ...

. He was sired by Hyperion, who won The Derby and the

St Leger Stakes 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 ...

in 1933 and went on to become an internationally significant sire: Sun Castle's successes enabled Hyperion to claim the second of his six sires' championships in 1945. Sun Castle's dam, Castle Gay, was a moderate racehorse, winning one minor race, but was a half-sister of the

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 Loaningdale. Sun Castle was scheduled to be sold at 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 ...

at Doncaster in 1939 but was withdrawn from the sale when

Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal Wyndham Raymond Portal, 1st Viscount Portal, (9 April 1885 – 6 May 1949), was a British politician. The eldest son of Sir William Wyndam Portal, 2nd Baronet, and Florence Elizabeth Mary Glyn, daughter of Hon. St Leger Glyn, 2nd son of Georg ...

bought a half share in the horse. Lord Portal, who owned Sun Castle throughout his racing career sent the colt to be trained at the Freemason Lodge stable in

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 ...

Cecil Boyd-Rochfort Sir Cecil Charles Boyd-Rochfort KCVO (188718 March 1983) was an Irish thoroughbred racehorse trainer who was British flat racing Champion Trainer five times. Background Cecil was the son of Rochfort Hamilton Boyd-Rochfort and the grandson of ...

. Sun Castle's racing career took place during

during which horse racing in Britain was subject to many restrictions. Several major racecourses, including

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 ...

and

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, were closed for the duration of the conflict, either for safety reasons, or because they were being used by the military. Many important races were rescheduled to new dates and venues, often at short notice, and all five of the

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

were usually run at Newmarket. Wartime austerity also meant that prize money was reduced: Sun Castle's St Leger was worth £3,550 compared to the £10,465 earned by

Scottish Union Scottish Union (1935–1954) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, stallion best known for winning the British Classic Races, classic St Leger Stakes in 1938. He was one of the highest-rated British two-year-olds in ...

in 1939.

Racing career

Sun Castle failed to win in two races as a two-year-old but showed promising form in defeat and was rated the fourth-best juvenile of the year in the Free Handicap. On 30 April 1941, Sun Castle contested the 133rd running of the 2000 Guineas which was run over the July course at Newmarket rather than its traditional home on the Rowley Mile. He started at odds of 14/1 and finished third of the nineteen runners, beaten two lengths and one and a half lengths by Lambert Simnel and Morogoro. with the favourite

Owen Tudor Sir Owen Tudor (, 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Background Owe ...

in fifth. In the New Derby, run over one and a half miles at the same course on 18 June, Sun Castle started joint-second favourite behind Lambert Simnel in a twenty-runner field. He never looked likely to win and finished sixteenth behind Owen Tudor. At the end of August, Sun Castle won the St Simon Stakes (not the current race of the same name) at

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat r ...

, beating Devonian and Masarin.

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 ...

, the traditional home of the St Leger was unavailable for racing in 1941 and a substitute "New St Leger" was run over one mile six furlongs at

in September. Ridden by Georges Bridgland, Sun Castle started at odds of 10/1 in a field of sixteen runners which also included Owen Tudor, Lambert Simnel and the

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 Dancing Time. Sun Castle won by a head from Chateau Larose with Dancing Time a length away in third place. At the end of the year, he was rated the second-best three-year-old in Britain, four pounds behind Owen Tudor. It was intended that Sun Castle would be kept in training in 1942 with the major staying races as his objectives. In March 1942, however he was destroyed after contracting

as a result of a foot injury.

Assessment

In their book ''A Century of Champions'', based on a modified version of the

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Sun Castle an "average" winner of the St Leger.

Pedigree

References

{{St Leger Winners 1938 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 22-a St Leger winners