Sayajirao (1944–1966) 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 ...
racehorse. A full brother to 1945
Epsom Derby winner,
Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...
, he was out of the
mare
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 fo ...
Rosy Legend and sired by the great
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 ...
who is described by ''
Thoroughbred Heritage'' 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 guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
, 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
The Derby Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 133 yards () ...
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 ...
. 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