Sweetmeat (foaled 1842) was a successful 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 that won 16 consecutive races (including walk-overs) as a three-year-old, including the Doncaster Gold Cup, and was a useful sire of the early 19th century.

Background

He was a bay or brown colt foaled in 1842 that was sired by Gladiator, who became an important sire in France. Sweetmeat’s dam, Lollypop was sired by either Starch or

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

, as recorded in the

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 ...

, with Voltaire listed in second position, which indicates he was the last stallion to cover the mare and therefore the most likely sire of Lollypop. If Lollypop was indeed by Voltaire she was incestuously

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 ...

to Blacklock, who was the sire of both Voltaire and Belinda (the dam of Lollypop).

Racing record

At two years

In July 1844 Sweetmeat won the Stanley Stakes at Liverpool. He then won a £220 sweep at Wolverhampton, and a 60 sovereign race at Wrexham, defeating three other horses. In the Two Year Old Stakes at Nottingham, he finished second.

At three years

Sweetmeat was undefeated in his 16 starts, including a number of walk-overs, as a three-year-old, which included victories in the Ascot Gold Vase and the 2¼ mile Doncaster Gold Cup defeating Alice Hawthorne who had twice previously won the race.

At four and five years

Sweetmeat only started once at four, in the

Chester Cup The Chester Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 147 yards () at Chester in ...

in which he was unplaced. At five he started once again, at Chester in the Cheshire Stakes, and was again unplaced. Sweetmeat finished his racing career with 22 race starts for 19 wins, 1 second and 2 unplaced runs.

Stud record

In 1847 James Cookson purchased Sweetmeat for 300 guineas as a sire for his Neasham Hall Stud near

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. It was here that Cookson bred the great Formosa who won in 1868 the

1,000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...

2,000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...

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 ...

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

and Newmarket Oaks. Seven years earlier Cookson bred both Dundee and Kettledrum, who finished first and second in The Derby. Sweetmeat stood at this stud until 1861 when, aged 19 and blind, he was sold for 800 guineas and exported to Russia. His progeny included: *

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, who won 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 ...

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

Doncaster Cup The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles 1 furlong and 197 yards (3,600 metr ...

; sired three Epsom Oaks winners and the top-class broodmare

Lily Agnes Lily Agnes (1871–1899) is an English Thoroughbred racehorse. On the track she won 21 races including the Northumberland Plate, Doncaster Cup and Ebor Handicap. She is best known for being the dam of unbeaten Triple Crown winner Ormonde, but s ...

(dam of

Ormonde Ormonde is a surname occurring in Portugal (mainly Azores), Brazil, England, and United States. It may refer to: People * Ann Ormonde (born 1935), an Irish politician * James Ormond or Ormonde (c. 1418–1497), the illegitimate son of John Butl ...

and granddam of

Sceptre A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The ''Was'' and other ...

). * Mincemeat (a half sister to Kettledrum, both being out of Hybla) won the Epsom Oaks Stakes and was the dam of 1000 Guineas winner Tomato. * Mincepie (1853) won Epsom Oaks Stakes * Muscovado exported to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, sire of stakes-winners including Lantern (won the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

) * Nettle (1852) won

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

, third dam of the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

winner Common * Parmesan sire of two Derby winners and a French Oaks winner plus others. * Plum Pudding (1857), sired Grand National (won the 1876 Irish Grand National), Billy Pitt (won Irish Derby) and Silk (dam of Master Kildare, undefeated juvenile in Ireland). * Saccharometer (1860) won

King's Stand Stakes The King's Stand Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled t ...

* Sweetsauce (1857) won

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 ...

Sire line tree

*SweetmeatByerley Turk Line
/ref>
/ref>
/ref> **Muscovado ***

Lantern A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

**Comquot **Plumb Pudding ***Billy Pitt ***Grand National **ParmesanParmasan
/ref> *** Favonius ****Favo ****

Sir Bevys Sir Bevys (1876–1896) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1878 to 1879 he ran six times and won two races. His most important success came in the 1879 Epsom Derby: his only other win was in a selling rac ...

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/ref> *****Alladin *****Country Boy *****Beaver *****Theodore *****The Rector *****Banter *****Chilton Boy *****The Vicar *****Coolshannagh *****Morglay *****Ben Shie *****Mountain Knight *****Bevil *****Lucerna ****Eusebe *****Le Torpilleur *** Cremorne ****Thurio ****Voluptuary ****St. George *****Woodson ******Red Bud ***Stracchino **Spicebox **Sweetsauce **

***MacGregor ****Craig Royston *****Royston Crow ****

Scot Free Scot and lot is a phrase common in the records of English, Welsh and Irish medieval boroughs, referring to local rights and obligations. The term ''scot'' comes from the Old English word ''sceat'', an ordinary coin in Anglo-Saxon times, equivalen ...

***Macaroon ****MacDuff *****

MacBeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

**Saccharometer ***Shifnal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetmeat (Horse) 1842 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 21-a Byerley Turk sire line