Sweetbriar (foaled 1769) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 ...

. He won all eight of the races he contested, including a

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 ...

against Craven Stakes winner Firetail. He later became a successful stallion, with his progeny including

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 ...

winner

Assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...

Background

Sweetbriar was a

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

bred by Thomas Meredith and foaled in 1769. He was sired by

Great Subscription Purse The Great Subscription Purses were a series of flat horse races in Great Britain run at York Racecourse, usually over a distance of 4 miles, that took place each year in August from 1751 to 1833. During the second half of the 18th century they we ...

winner Syphon, who also sired Sweetwilliam. His dam was a daughter of Shakespeare.

Racing career

Sweetbriar made his racecourse debut in October 1773 when he beat the

Earl of Ossory Earl of Ossory is a subsidiary title held by the Earl of Ormond that was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1528. During King Henry VIII of England's pursuit of Anne Boleyn, who would be his second wife, he arranged for the main claimant to the ...

's Chalkstone, Mr. Vernon's Milliner, Mr. Ogilvy's Consul and Lord Foley's Chesterton in a Sweepstakes of 50

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 ...

each at Newmarket. Chalkstone had started the 6/4 favourite, with Consul at 5/2 and Sweetbriar at 3/1. At Newmarket's second October meeting he beat Chalkstone again, this time in a

. At the Houghton meeting he beat Mr. Ogilvy's Porsenna, after starting favourite, as he had done in his match against Chalkstone. In the spring of 1774 he beat Chalkstone in 1000 guineas race at Newmarket. The

bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookma ...

s sent them both of as joint-favourites. He then beat Mr. Foley's Craven Stakes winner Firetail after starting as the 1/3 favourite in another 1000 guineas match race at Newmarket. In October he beat the

Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke ...

's Lamplighter in a 140 guineas race. Two days later Sweetbriar beat Telemachus and Joquille in a Sweepstakes of 20 guineas each. In his final start he walked over for the Newmarket Cup in October 1775 and retired unbeaten.

Stud career

Sweetbriar stood as a stallion for Grosvenor and mainly covered his mares. He did meet with some success though, siring 1782

winner

. He was also the sire of the mares Flyer and Hare. Flyer was the dam of

Rhadamanthus In Greek mythology, Rhadamanthus () or Rhadamanthys ( grc, Ῥαδάμανθυς) was a wise king of Crete. As the son of Zeus and Europa he was considered a demigod. His name means "showing stern and inflexible judgement". He later became one o ...

and

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdix, an ...

, who both won the Derby. Hare foaled Tippitywitchet, who was the dam of the top broodmare the

Rubens mare The Rubens mare (foaled 1819) was an unnamed British Thoroughbred racehorse. In her only race she finished second in The Oaks in 1822. Later she became a top broodmare, foaling Ascot Gold Cup winner Camarine, 1000 Guineas winners May-day and ...

Pedigree

''Note: b. =

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

, ch. =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

'' * Sweetbriar was

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 ...

3 ×3 to Little Hartley Mare. This means that the mare appears twice in the third generation of his pedigree. He was also inbred 3 × 4 × 4 to Bartlett's Childers.

References

{{reflist 1769 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain Thoroughbred family 15 Undefeated racehorses

Background

Racing career

Stud career

See also

Pedigree

References