Wheel of Fortune (1876 – November 1903) 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 ...

. In a career that lasted from July 1878 to August 1879 she ran eleven times and won ten races. She was the best British two-year-old of either sex in 1878, when she went unbeaten in six races. The following year she won 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 ...

, The Oaks, the

Prince of Wales's Stakes The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 met ...

and the

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 fu ...

before being injured when suffering her only defeat. She was retired from racing at the end of 1879 and became a modestly successful broodmare. Wheel of Fortune was regarded by contemporary experts as one of the best racemares of the 19th century.

Background

Wheel of Fortune was a small but "beautiful" bay filly standing just over 15

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

high, bred at

Mereworth Mereworth is a village and civil parish near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle. Mereworth is pronou ...

by her owner

Evelyn Boscawen, 6th Viscount Falmouth Evelyn Boscawen, 6th Viscount Falmouth (18 March 1819 – 6 November 1889), was a breeder of race horses and the winner of many classic races. Personal life His parents were the Reverend Hon John Evelyn Boscawen, Canon of Canterbury, (1790� ...

. Her sire, Adventurer won the Gold Vase at

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

and two runnings of the City and Suburban Handicap at

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

. At stud, his other winners included the Fillies' Triple Crown winner Apology. Wheel of Fortune's dam, Queen Bertha, won the Oaks in 1863 and went on to become a successful and influential broodmare. Apart from Wheel of Fortune she also produced the 1000 Guineas winner

Spinaway Spinaway (foaled 1878 at Erdenheim Farm, Erdenheim Stud Farm near Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American Thoroughbred filly for whom the Graded stakes race, Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga ...

(the dam of

Busybody A busybody, do-gooder, meddler, or marplot is someone who meddles in the affairs of others. An early study of the type was made by the ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus in his typology, ''Characters'', "In the proffered services of the bus ...

) and was the direct female ancestor of many good horses including The Derby winners

My Babu My Babu (1945–1970) was a French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who became one of the most influential sires in American breeding of show jumpers, eventers and hunters. His descendants include Bruce Davidson's former eventing mount JJ Babu, ...

and Larkspur and the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

winner Celtic Ash. Falmouth sent the filly to be trained at Heath House stable by

Mathew Dawson Mathew Dawson (1820–1898) was a British racehorse trainer. In a career which lasted from 1840 until his death in 1898 he trained the winners of twenty-eight British Classic Races, a figure surpassed by only two other men. He was significan ...

. She was ridden in most of her races by

Fred Archer Fred or Frederick Archer may refer to: * Fred Archer (jockey) (1857–1886), English jockey * Fred R. Archer (1889–1963), photographer and co-inventor of the photographic Zone System * Frederick Scott Archer (1813–1857), inventor of the photogr ...

the thirteen times Champion Jockey. At Dawson's stables, Wheel of Fortune was noted for her enormous appetite and particular fondness for oranges, nuts and meat-pies.

Racing career

1878: two-year-old season

Wheel of Fortune made her first appearance in July when she was sent to Goodwood for the

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

over six furlongs. In this race she competed against colts as she was to do in all her starts in 1878. Ridden by Archer she led from the start and soon had her eleven opponents struggling as she won "very easily" from Peter Flat and the

Woodcote Stakes The Woodcote Stakes is a conditions flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 6 furlongs and 3 yards (1,210 metres) at Epsom Downs ...

winner Cadogan. The beaten horses included Peter, who went on to win the

Middle Park Stakes The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...

. In August she won the Prince of Wales's Stakes at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

by half a length from Falmouth 'leading to her being described as "the premier two-year-old of the day". In September she added another prize without having to race as she walked over to win the Wentworth Produce Stakes at

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

. At Newmarket in autumn she won the Buckenham Stakes on 1 October and the Triennial Produce Stakes later at the same meeting. On her final start of the year at the Newmarket Houghton meeting she carried a seven pound weight penalty in the

Dewhurst Stakes The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), ...

. She was settled behind the leaders before moving to the front a furlong from the finish and winning "in magnificent style" by a length from the colt Flavius. She finished the season undefeated in six races, having won more than £7,665 in prize money. She was regarded by press commentators as by far the best juvenile of either sex to have run in Britain that year.

1879: three-year-old season

Wheel of Fortune made good physical progress over the winter and her performance in training was impressive: according to one rumour she had defeated the 1877

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 Silvio and the 1878 Oaks and

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 d ...

winner Jannette in a private trial, and she was reported to be at least ten pounds superior to her stable companion Charibert, 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 ...

. On 2 May, two days after Charibert's classic win at Newmarket, Wheel of Fortune began her three-year-old career in the 1000 Guineas at the same course. She started at odds of 8/13 against seven other fillies. Archer restrained the filly at the back of the field in the early stages before allowing her to move forward at half way. She moved through the field to take the lead a furlong from the finish and pulled clear to win very easily by four lengths from Abbaye with Reconciliation a further six lengths back in third. On 30 May at Epsom, Wheel of Fortune started at odds of 1/3 for the Oaks in a field of eight runners. Archer settled the favourite in third or fourth place on the inside as the Yorkshire-trained Coromandel made the running until the turn into the straight. Two furlongs from the finish Wheel of Fortune moved up alongside the leader and then went quickly clear to come home "the easiest of winners" by three lengths from Coromandel with Adventure finishing a distant third. Wheel of Fortune reappeared at Royal Ascot on 13 June in the

in which she conceded weight to a field of top class colts and fillies. She was held up by Archer until the straight, and then showed impressive acceleration to settle the race in a few strides and won easily by one and a half lengths from Adventure with

Rayon d'Or Rayon d'Or (1876–1896) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion sire in the United States. Bred by Frédéric Lagrange at his Haras de Dangu stud farm in Dangu, Eure, he was sired by Flageolet whose wins included the Prix Morny ...

in third. Wheel of Fortune was then aimed at the

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 d ...

and was made 6/4 favourite for the Doncaster race. In August Wheel of Fortune was sent to

where she won the

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 fu ...

and, despite signs of swelling in her left foreleg, she ran again two days later in the Great Yorkshire Stakes. In this race she tracked the colt Ruperra and the two pulled clear of the other runners in the closing stages, but when Archer attempted to send the filly past her rival she began to struggle and was beaten by a length. Wheel of Fortune returned from the race lame and after showing signs of improvement she pulled up lame again after exercise the following week. On 6 September she was scratched (withdrawn) from the St Leger which was won in her absence by Rayon d'Or.

Assessment

In May 1886 ''

The Sporting Times ''The Sporting Times'' (founded 1865, ceased publication 1932) was a weekly British newspaper devoted chiefly to sport, and in particular to horse racing. It was informally known as ''The Pink 'Un'', as it was printed on salmon-coloured paper ...

'' carried out a poll of one hundred racing experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th century. Wheel of Fortune was ranked in the top ten by eleven of the contributors, placing her twenty-sixth among all horses and making her the fifth highest-rated filly or mare behind

Virago A virago is a woman who demonstrates abundant masculine virtues. The word comes from the Latin word ''virāgō'' ( genitive virāginis) meaning vigorous' from ''vir'' meaning "man" or "man-like" (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix ''-ā ...

Plaisanterie Plaisanterie (1882–1906) was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Bred by the Comte de Dauger, she was sold in England for FF825 at the Tattersalls September yearling sale. She was purchased by trainer Thomas Carter, Jr., a member o ...

Crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

and

Blink Bonny Blink Bonny (1854–1862) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career that lasted from 1856 to 1858, she ran twenty times and won fourteen races. She was the leading British two-year-old of 1856, when she won eight races ...

was reported to have considered her the best filly or mare he ever rode.

Stud career

Wheel of Fortune was retired to stud by her owner at the end of 1879. In early 1884 Lord Falmouth abandoned his interest in racing and sold off all his horses. Wheel of Fortune was bought for 5500

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 ...

by the

Duke of Portland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

and was moved to the Duke's stud at

Welbeck Abbey Welbeck Abbey in the Dukeries in North Nottinghamshire was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order in England and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a country house residence of the Dukes of Portland. It is one ...

where she was still living in 1900. As a broodmare her record was initially disappointing, although she did produce Oberon, the winner of the Lincolnshire Handicap in 1887. Through her daughter Donna Fortuna, however, she became the direct ancestor of many good German Thoroughbreds including the

Deutsches Derby The Deutsches Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Hamburg-Horn over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to tak ...

winners Zauberer and Navarino. Wheel of Fortune died in November 1903.

Pedigree

References

{{Epsom Oaks Winners 1876 racehorse births 1903 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 1-w 1000 Guineas winners Epsom Oaks winners