Sayajirao (1944–1966) was a British
Thoroughbred 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 ...
. A full brother to 1945
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,
Dante, he was out of the
mare Rosy Legend and sired by the great
Nearco who is described by ''
Thoroughbred Heritage
The National Sporting Library & Museum or NSLM (formerly the National Sporting Library) is a research library and art museum in Middleburg, Virginia in the United States.
History
The National Sporting Library was founded in 1954 in the personal ...
'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." Nearco was not only unbeaten in racing, but also the patriarch of the most dominant sire line in Thoroughbred history.
Overview
Sayajirao was purchased as a yearling by
HH Maharaja of Baroda for what at the time was the very substantial sum of 28,000
guineas, the then equivalent of
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
117,600.
Racing at age three, Sayajirao won the
Lingfield Derby Trial and the
Irish Derby Stakes
The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...
. He ran third in both
The Derby and the 2,000 Guineas Stakes then won the third leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing#English Triple Crowns, English Triple Crown, the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse.
''New York Times'' - 14 September 1947
/ref>
As a sire
Retired to stud in 1949, Sayajirao sired the winners of 410 races. His daughters foaled the winners of 261 races. Among those he sired were:
* Dark Issue (b. 1952) - won the Irish 1,000 Guineas
* Gladness (horse), Gladness (b. 1953) - winner of the 1958 Ascot Gold Cup
* Lynchris (b. 1957) - Yorkshire Oaks, Irish Oaks, Irish St. Leger, Beresford Stakes
* Zenobia (horse), Zenobia (b. 1957) - won the Irish 1,000 Guineas
* Indiana (horse), Indiana (b. 1961) - wins included St. Leger Stakes, Great Voltigeur Stakes, Chester Vase, Ormonde Stakes
* The Spaniard (b. 1962) - won the Scottish Grand National
* I Say (b.1962) - won the Coronation Cup and finished 3rd in the Epsom Derby to Sea Bird
References
External links
Sayajirao's pedigree and partial racing stats
{{St Leger Winners
1944 racehorse births
1965 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Irish Classic Race winners
Thoroughbred family 3-n
St Leger winners