Steady Aim (1943 – after 1966) 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 and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

best known for her win in the 1946

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, ...

. After winning one minor race as a juvenile she showed improved form in the following spring to finish third in a very competitive trial race

Hurst Park Hurst Park Racecourse was a racecourse at Moulsey Hurst, West Molesey, Surrey, near the River Thames. It was first laid out in 1890 and held its last race in 1962. There was racing at nearby Hampton for many years until 1887. The first meeting a ...

and then came home an easy winner of the Oaks in June. Her racing career was ended by injury soon afterwards. As a broodmare she produced several good winners and was the female-line ancestor of the leading stallion Danzig.

Background

Steady Aim was a bay mare with a narrow white blaze and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on her right hind leg bred in England by her owner,

Sir Alfred Butt Sir Alfred Butt, 1st Baronet (20 March 1878 – 8 December 1962) was a British theatre impresario, Conservative politician and racehorse owner and breeder. During a fourteen-year tenure as manager of London's Palace Theatre, beginning in 1904, ...

. She was sent into training with

Frank Butters Frank Joseph Arthur Butters (1878–1957) was a racehorse trainer specialising in flat racing who trained in Austria, Italy and England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its wes ...

at the Fitzroy House 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 ...

. She was from one of the last crops of foals sired by

Felstead Felsted (sometimes spelt Felstead) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Bannister Green, Bartholomew Green, Causeway End, Coblers Green, Cock Green, Frenches Gree ...

who won 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 ...

in 1928. He was not a great success as a breeding stallion, but did sire the outstanding racemare

Rockfel Rockfel (1935 – November 1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, best known for winning two British Classic Races, Classics in 1938. In a career which lasted from July 1937 until May 1939 she ran thirteen times and won eight ...

. Steady Aim's dam Quick Arrow was a French-bred mare who raced with modest success in France and England and was bought by Alfred Butt for 700

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 ...

in 1941. Her dam Quick Change was an influential broodmare whose other descendants included

Kris Kin Kris Kin (5 March 2000 – 31 August 2012) was a thoroughbred race horse and active sire. He was bred in the United States but was trained in England during his racing career. In a career that lasted just over a year, from October 2002 to October ...

and the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

winner Topyo.

Racing career

1945: two-year-old season

Steady Aim made little impact as a two-year-old in 1945 but she did record one success in a minor race.

1946: three-year-old season

In April 1946 Steady Aim contested the Katheryn Howard Stakes over seven

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 ...

and finished third behind Neolight and

Hypericum ''Hypericum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae (formerly considered a subfamily of Clusiaceae). The genus has a nearly worldwide distribution, missing only from tropical lowlands, deserts and polar regions. Many ''Hype ...

. Her performance looked much more creditable after 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 ...

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 ...

, which saw Hypericum win by one and a half

lengths 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 Intern ...

with Neolight in second place. On 7 of June at

Epsom Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...

Steady Aim was ridden by

Harry Wragg Harry Wragg (10 June 1902 – 20 October 1985) was a British jockey and racehorse trainer, who gained the nickname "The Head Waiter" due to his "come from behind" riding style. In a 27-year riding career, Wragg rode over 1700 winners in Britain ...

and started at odds 7/1 for the 168th running of the Oaks Stakes over one and a half miles. The best of her nine rivals appeared to be Hypericum and the

Lingfield Oaks Trial The Oaks Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 133 yards () at Lingfield ...

winner Iona. Steady Aim won easily by three lengths from Iona with a gap of three lengths back to Nelia in third place and Hypericum in fourth. Steady Aim never raced again: she was being prepared for a run in 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 ...

when she sustained a training injury and was retired from racing.

Assessment and honours

In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Steady Aim an "average" winner of the Oaks.

Breeding record

At the end of her racing career, Steady Aim was retired to become a broodmare. She produced at least thirteen foal and eight winners. *King's Prize, a colt, foaled in 1949, sired by Big Game. Won two races. *Ashburton, colt (later

gelded A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, making th ...

), 1950, by Big Game. Failed to win a race. *Immortal, dark bay or brown colt, 1951, by

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

. Won five races including the Newbury Spring Cup. *Petitioner, bay filly, 1952, by

Petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

. Winner. Dam of Pas de Nom who in turn produced Danzig *Roman Conquest, colt (

), 1953, by

Nearco Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by ''Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...

. Won Cornwallis Stakes. *Objective, colt, 1954, by Nearco. Failed to win a race. *Legal Shot, colt, 1955, by Petition. Winner. *Nous Verrons, colt (gelded), 1957, by Nearco. Won three races. *Sure Shot, bay filly, 1958, by

Court Martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

. Won three races. *Aim High, colt, 1960, by

Grey Sovereign Grey Sovereign (1948–1976) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a racehorse he was a successful sprinter but not a champion, recording his biggest success when he won the Richmond Stakes as a two-year-old in 1950. His career wa ...

. Failed to win a race. *First Dawn, filly, 1962, by High Treason. Unraced. *Telling, brown filly, 1963, by High Treason. Winner. *Quick Aim, bay filly, 1966, by Pardal. Failed to win a race.

Pedigree

References

{{Epsom Oaks Winners 1943 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 7-a Epsom Oaks winners