Sweeper (also known as Sweeper II, 1909 – 1923) was a French-bred, British-trained

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 high-class form as a juvenile in 1911 when he won the Triennial Stakes 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 ...

and the

Richmond Stakes The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is schedul ...

at Goodwood as well as finishing second in the

Middle Park Plate The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...

and third in the

July Stakes The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it ...

. In the following spring he recorded his biggest success on his seasonal reappearance when he took 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 failed when favourite for 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 never won again although he finished second in both the St James's Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes. After his retirement from racing he had some success as a breeding stallion.

Background

Sweeper was a chestnut horse bred in France by his American owner

Herman Duryea Herman Barkulo Duryea (1862-1916) was an American Thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder. Herman Duryea built an estate in Old Westbury on Long Island, New York known as "Knole". Completed in 1903, it was designed by Carrere and Hastings. In 19 ...

. Like several major American owners Duryea had moved most of his hoses to Europe following the passing of the

Hart–Agnew Law The Hart–Agnew Law was an anti-gambling bill passed into law by the Legislature of the State of New York on June 11, 1908. It was an amalgam of bills enacted as Chapter 506 and 507 which were sponsored by conservative Assemblyman Merwin K. Hart ...

. The colt was sent to England and entered training Henry Seymour "Atty" Persse at

Chattis Hill Chattis Hill is a hamlet in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The village lies approximately 2 miles (3.3 km) west from Stockbridge, which both lie on the A30 road. At the 2011 Census the Post Office indicates that the populati ...

near Stockbridge in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. Physically, Sweeper was described as a "golden chestnut, rather dipped in his back, but with rare limbs and a lovely action". Sweeper was sired by

Broomstick A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...

, an American horse who won the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internation ...

in 1904 and later became a three-time champion sire. His dam Ravello was bred in England before being exported to the United States (where she was sold for 120 guineas) and producing Frank Gill, whose wins included the Travers and

Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York (state), New York. T ...

. Ravello was a granddaughter of Genuine, a broodmare whose other descendants included Nijinsky and El Gran Senor.

Racing career

1911: two-year-old season

In June 1911 Sweeper was sent to

for the 59th Triennial Stakes and looked to be "a real flyer" as he won easily from Jaeger. 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 ...

he came home third in the

behind an unnamed colt (later given the name ''White Star'') owned by

Solomon Joel Solomon Barnato "Solly" Joel (23 May 1865 – 22 May 1931), born in London, England, moved to South Africa in the 1880s where he made his fortune in connection with diamonds, later becoming a financier with interests in mining, brewing and railw ...

. In the following month the colt contested the Richmond Stakes at

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in lat ...

in which he was ridden by the French jockey

Georges Stern Georges Stern (1882 – October 28, 1928), nicknamed "The King of the Derbies"and "King of the Jockeys", was a French jockey. He rode in both England and France. Stern, who was Jewish, was born in France to British parents, who were naturalized i ...

and won at odds of 11/10. On 13 October in the

over six

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

at Newmarket Sweeper finished second to Absurd with White Star in third. At the end of the year he was rated the fourth best two-year-old colt in England behind Absurd, White Star and Lomond.

1912: three-year-old season

On 1 May 1912 Sweeper started at odds of 6/1 in a fourteen-runner field for the 104th running of the 2000 Guineas over the

Rowley Mile Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horseracin ...

at Newmarket. Ridden by Danny Maher, he settled behind the leaders as Jaeger set the pace from the favourite White Star. He took the lead two furlongs from the finish and won 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 ...

from Jaeger with Hall Cross half a length away in third. Sweeper started favourite for the Derby over one and a half miles at Epsom on 5 June, but never looked likely to win and finished seventh as the filly Tagalie won from Jaeger and Tracery. At Royal Ascot late in June Sweeper was dopped back in distance and started odds-on favourite for the St James's Palace Stakes over one mile but was beaten into second place by Tracery. At the same meeting he came home second behind Hector in the Triennial Stakes, with Jaeger in third place. In July he finished second by a neck to the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

's colt Le Lac in the Dullingham Plate over one and a half miles at Newmarket and then finished runner-up yet again when chasing home Tracery in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. On 11 September Sweeper contested the St Leger Stakes over fourteen and a half furlongs 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 ...

and rated at odds of 12.5/1 in a fourteen-runner field. He raced just behind the leaders until half way, but then quickly dropped out of contention and finished unplaced behind Tracery.

Assessment and honours

In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Sweeper an "inferior" winner of the 2000 Guineas.

Stud record

After his retirement from racing Sweeper stood as a breeding stallion in France and the United States. The most successful of his offspring was the American gelding Osmand, who won two editions of the Carter Handicap. More influential however was Ondulation, a broodmare whose descendants included Dahlia and Rail Link. Sweeper died in 1923 and his last foals were born in 1924.

Pedigree

References

{{2000 Guineas Winners 1909 racehorse births 1923 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 8-f 2000 Guineas winners