Tarrare (1823 – 1847) 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 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 ...

.Tarrare
''Sporthorse-Data'', retrieved June 21, 2010. He is known for winning the 1826

Doncaster St. Leger 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 ...

Background

Tarrare was a dark bay horse, standing 16.1

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high, bred by his owner

Richard Lumley-Saunderson, 6th Earl of Scarbrough Richard Lumley-Saunderson, 6th Earl of Scarbrough (16 April 1757 – 17 June 1832), styled The Honourable Richard Lumley-Saunderson until 1807, was a British peer and politician. Background Scarbrough was a younger son of Richard Lumley-Saunders ...

. He was sired by Catton a noted racing

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

. His bloodline also included

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

Matchem Matchem (1748 – 21 February 1781), sometimes styled as Match 'em, was a Thoroughbred racehorse who had a great influence on the breed, and was the earliest of three 18th century stallions that produced the Thoroughbred sire-lines of today, in ...

, and Herod.

Racing career

Tarrare made his first and only appearance in 1826 in the Great St Leger 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 ...

in September. The race was the first after the course had been altered by being slightly shortened and the starting gate widened. Starting at odds of 20/1 he won from Lord Fitzwilliam's colt Mulatto, also a son of CattonCatton
''Thoroughbred Heritage'', retrieved June 21, 2010. Tarrare was ridden in the St. Leger by

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

George Nelson. Tarrare reappeared at

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...

in August 1827. He started odds on favourite for a two-mile sweepstakes but was beaten by

Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

, the 1824 St Leger winner. At the same meeting he won a similar event without having to race when he was allowed a

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. In September he returned to the site of his St Leger victory and finished unplaced behind Mulatto in the

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 ...

Stud record

Tarrare began his career as a stallion at

Stockwell Stockwell is a district in south west London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It is situated south of Charing Cross. Battersea, Brixton, Clapham, South Lambeth, Oval and Kennington all border Stockwell. History The na ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, where he stood at a fee of ten

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 1829. He was later exported to France where he sired his best runner, a filly named Cavatine who finished runner-up in the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

and won the race now known as the

Prix Gladiateur The Prix Gladiateur is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs), and it ...

. Tarrare died in France in 1847.

References

{{St Leger Winners

External links

Tarrare
extended pedigree
The New Sporting Magazine
an extended article on the 1826 St. Leger Race 1823 racehorse births 1847 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 6 St Leger winners