Cinna (1917 – 1939) 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 ...

. She showed great promise as a juvenile in 1919 when she won a very competitive

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

on her debut before finishing second in the New Stakes and the Bretby Stakes. As a three-year-old 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 ...

and the

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...

and was narrowly beaten when favourite for the

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, ...

. She was retired from racing at the end of the year and went on to be a very successful broodmare. Three of her sons became leading sires in Australasia whilst several of her daughters became influential broodmares including the female-line ancestors of

Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Crown when he was defeated in the Belmont ...

and

Indian Ridge Indian Ridge (22 March 1985 – 17 October 2006) was an Irish-bred British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed promising but unexceptional form as a two-year-old in 1987 when he won twice from four starts in minor races. He established ...

Background

Cinna was a bay mare bred and owned by Sir Robert William Buchanan Jardine, 2nd Baronet. She was trained throughout her racing career by Tom Waugh Sr at the Meynell 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 sired by

Polymelus Polymelus (1902–1924) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for five years (1914, 1915, 1916, 1920, 1921). Among his most famous descendants are Secretariat and Northern Dance ...

, who won the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

in 1906, and went on to much greater success as a stallion. He sired the Derby winners

Pommern Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

Humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

and

Fifinella Fifinella was a female gremlin designed by Walt Disney for a proposed film from Roald Dahl's book ''The Gremlins''. During World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) asked permission to use the image as their official mascot, and ...

and through his son

Phalaris Phalaris ( el, Φάλαρις) was the tyrant of Akragas (now Agrigento) in Sicily, from approximately 570 to 554 BC. History Phalaris was renowned for his excessive cruelty. Among his alleged atrocities is cannibalism: he was said to have e ...

is the direct male-line ancestor of most modern Thoroughbreds. He was the

Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current champion is Frankel, who r ...

on five occasions. Cinna's dam Baroness La Fleche was winning daughter of the Fillies’ Triple Crown winner

La Fleche LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on Figure 8 ( ...

Racing career

1919: two-year-old season

Cinna began her racing career in May 1919 when she won the Norfolk Plate at

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 ...

, beating Woodrow into second place. Several other good horses came out of the race including the winners of 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 ...

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 ...

and Free Handicap. On her next appearance, the filly was sent to

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 ...

for the New Stakes in June and finished second to the

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

. After a break she returned to action at Newmarket in autumn and was runner-up behind

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

's filly Lemonade in the Bretby Stakes.

1920: three-year-old season

On 30 April Cinna started at odds of 4/1 second favourite behind Lemonade in a 21-runner field for the 107th running of the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. Ridden by Billy Griggs she took the lead soon after the start and was never seriously challenged, coming home three

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 ...

clear Cicerole with Valescure a length away in third. Cinna's winning time of was 1:40.4 was 2.6 seconds faster than the time set by

Tetratema Tetratema (27 April 1917 – July 1939) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from May 1919 until October 1921 he won thirteen of his sixteen races, include the all twelve of his ...

in the 2000 Guineas two days earlier. In the Oaks Stakes over one and a half miles 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 ...

on 4 May Cinna was partnered by Griggs' younger brother Walter and started the 2/1 favourite against sixteen opponents. She took the lead in the straight but was overtaken by the rallying Charlebelle in the final strides and was beaten a neck into second place, after what was described as a "most exciting struggle". Cinna was then dropped back in distance for the Coronation Stakes over one mile at Royal Ascot. She started at odds of 2/1 and produced a "very smooth performance" to win by a short-head from Redhead with La Dauphine in third. Her victory took her earnings for the year to £8,576. At

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in lat ...

she finished third behind Most Beautiful and Redhead in the ten-furlong

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong a ...

Assessment and honours

In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Cinna an "inferior" winner of the 1000 Guineas.

Breeding record

Cinna was a prolific broodmare, producing at least fifteen foals between 1922 and 1939: *Gay Shield, a bay colt, foaled in 1922, sired by

Gay Crusader Gay Crusader (1914–1932) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won a wartime version of the English Triple Crown in 1917. In a career which lasted from September 1916 and October 1917 he ran ten times and won eight races, includ ...

*Buckler, brown colt, 1923, by

Buchan Buchan is an area of north-east Scotland, historically one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by th ...

*Life Belt, chestnut filly, 1925, by

Hurry On Hurry On (7 May 1913 – 1936) was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire that revived the Matchem sire line.Leicester, Sir Charles, "Bloodstock Breeding", J.A. Allen & Co, London, 1969 English trainer Fred Darling called Hurry On ...

. Female-line ancestor of

and Fraise du Bois (

Irish Derby 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 ...

). *Belle Mere, brown filly, 1926, by

Son-in-Law Son-in-Law (22 April 1911 – 15 May 1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses. The National Horseracing Museum says Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this count ...

. Female-line ancestor of

Gold and Black Gold and Black (1972−1999) was a New Zealand-bred racehorse which was ridden by John Duggan to win the 1977 Melbourne Cup for the "Cups King" Bart Cummings. Bart Cummings bought the horse for $4,000 in New Zealand for his Adelaide clients, ...

and

Dulcify Dulcify (14 October 1975– 6 November 1979) was a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. His British-bred sire was the 1970 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Decies (GB), a grandson of Pharis (FR), the very important French sire whom ''Thoroughb ...

. *Beau Pere, brown colt, 1927, by Son-in-Law. Three-time

Leading sire in Australia The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in Australia for each season since 1883–84. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season. List * 2021/22 – I Am Invincible (1) * 20 ...

. and twice Leading sire in New Zealand. *Hot Haste, chestnut colt, 1928, by Hurry On *Buchna, bay filly, 1929, by Buchan. Female-line ancestor of

Nicer The Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) is a NASA telescope on the International Space Station, designed and dedicated to the study of the extraordinary gravitational, electromagnetic, and nuclear physics environments embodied by ...

. *Sunset, chestnut filly, 1930, by

Solario Solario (1922–1945) was a successful United Kingdom, British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and influential Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. Background Bred in Ireland by the Windham Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, ...

*Mr Standfast, bay colt, 1931, by Buchan. Champion stallion in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. *Cineraria, bay filly, 1932, by

Diomedes Diomedes (Jones, Daniel; Roach, Peter, James Hartman and Jane Setter, eds. ''Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary''. 17th edition. Cambridge UP, 2006.) or Diomede (; grc-gre, Διομήδης, Diomēdēs, "god-like cunning" or "advised by ...

*Italian Bomber, brown colt (later gelded), 1933, by

Nothing Venture ''Nothing Venture'' is a 1948 British comedy family film directed by John Baxter and starring The Artemus Boys, Terry Randall, Patric Curwen and Michael Aldridge.Murphy p.41 Cast * The Artemus Boys as Themselves * Terry Randall as Diana Chaice ...

*Dink, bay colt, 1934, by Nothing Venture *Cinnabell, bay filly, 1937, by Nothing Venture *Celebrity, chestnut filly, 1938, by Nothing Venture. Female-line ancestor of Sky Chase (

Rosehill Guineas The Rosehill Guineas is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights run over a distance of 2000 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia annually in March. Total prize money for t ...

) and Show A Heart (

The T J Smith The J. J. Atkins, registered as the T.J. Smith Stakes, is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds run at set weights over a distance of 1600 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane in June during the Queensland W ...

). *Balloch, brown colt, 1939, by Obliterate. Twice Leading sire in New Zealand. Cinna was euthanised in 1939.

Pedigree

*Cinna was

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 ...

3 × 3 to both Hampton and Quiver, meaning that both of these horses appeared twice in the third generation of her pedigree.

References

{{1000 Guineas Winners 1917 racehorse births 1939 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 3-e 1000 Guineas winners