The Byerley Turk (c. 1680 – c. 1703), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three

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 ...

s that were the founders of the modern

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 ...

horse racing 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 ...

bloodstock (the other two are the

Godolphin Arabian The Godolphin Arabian (–1753), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse who was one of three stallions that founded the modern Thoroughbred (the others were the Darley Arabian and the Byerley Turk). He was named after his best ...

and the

Darley Arabian The Darley Arabian (foaled c. 1700) was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. The other two founders were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Aleppo, ...

).Ahnert, Rainer L. (editor in chief), “Thoroughbred Breeding of the World”, Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970

Background

The biographical details of the stallion are the subject of much speculation. The entry in the ''

General Stud Book The ''General Stud Book'' is a breed registry for horses in Great Britain and Ireland. More specifically it is used to document the breeding of Thoroughbreds and related foundation bloodstock such as the Arabian horse. Today it is published e ...

'' simply states: ''"BYERLY TURK, was Captain Byerly's charger in Ireland, in King William's wars (1689, &c.)''." As for his earlier history, the most popular theory is that the horse was captured at the

Battle of Buda (1686) The siege of Buda (1686) ( hu, Buda visszafoglalása, lit=Recapture of Buda) was fought between the Holy League and the Ottoman Empire, as part of the follow-up campaign in Hungary after the Battle of Vienna. The Holy League retook Buda (modern ...

along with the Lister Turk, who was brought to England by the Duke of Berwick. Other sources speculate he was one of three Turkish stallions captured at the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna; pl, odsiecz wiedeńska, lit=Relief of Vienna or ''bitwa pod Wiedniem''; ota, Beç Ḳalʿası Muḥāṣarası, lit=siege of Beç; tr, İkinci Viyana Kuşatması, lit=second siege of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mo ...

. It is even possible he was bred in England from previously imported stock. He was definitely the war horse of Captain

Robert Byerley Robert Byerley (1660–1714), of Middridge Grange, Heighington, County Durham, and Goldsborough, Yorkshire, was an English soldier and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1685 and 1714. He is credited ...

, who was dispatched to Ireland in 1689 during

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand Alli ...

and saw further military service in the

Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ga, Cath na Bóinne ) was a battle in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II of England and Ireland, VII of Scotland, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and J ...

. According to early records, Captain Byerley was nearly captured while reconnoitering the enemy, "owing his safety to the superior speed of his horse". As a general rule, the spelling of a name registered with the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, a ...

is considered definitive, even if it is an obvious error. However, the original edition of the ''General Stud Book'' was compiled nearly a century after the fact (in 1791) and contains several errors that have been subsequently corrected. Most sources consider the correct spelling of the horse's name to follow the correct spelling of the owner's name, Byerley. The Byerley Turk was a dark

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model ...

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

horse of unknown breeding, but described in historic accounts as an

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

. At the time, Turkish horses were described as descended from "those of Arabia or Persia", but stated that they were longer in the body and of a larger size. He was described as a horse of elegance, courage and speed. Many of his offspring were also noted to have been either bay or black.

Stud record

In 1692, Captain Byerley married his cousin, Mary Wharton (sole heir to the estate of Goldsborough, near

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenar ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...

, England) and moved to live with her at her family home of Goldsborough Hall. After Byerley retired (as Colonel Byerley), the Byerley Turk retired to stud, first at Middridge Grange, then, from 1697, at Goldsborough Hall. The Byerley Turk died there in 1703 and it is believed he is buried close to the Hall. Goldsborough Hall is now a private family home that offers accommodation, which includes the commemorative Byerley suite. He did not cover many well-bred mares, but his most significant sons include: Crofts Partner (GB)

* Black Hearty, black colt born c. 1695, "a famous Horse of Sir George Fletcher" * Grasshopper or Bristol Grasshopper, c. 1695, won the Town Plate at Nottingham under 10 stone * Jigg, c. 1701, a bay colt of middling ability who became the sire of Partner, a four-time leading sire. Partner sired Tartar, who was the sire of Herod (1738). Herod founded one of the three sire lines from which all modern Thoroughbreds descend, the other lines being founded by

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 c ...

and Matchem. * Basto, a nearly black colt born c. 1704, who won several match races from 1708 to 1710. Basto sired Old Ebony, the foundation mare of family #5. The Byerley Turk also sired several highly influential daughters, most of whose names do not survive. They are generally classified by the female family that they belong to: * Byerley Turk mare, a black or brown daughter out of Tarfollet Barb mare, through whom all modern members of family #1 descend. Family 1 is estimated to account for 15% of all thoroughbreds, and has been divided into several sub-families for ease of reference. For example, family 1-k, the family of

Frankel Frankel is the surname of: * Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer * Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality * Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philosopher, known for Charles Frankel Prize ...

among many others, traces back through several branches to family 1-a, Bonny Lass, a grand-daughter of the Byerley Turk mare. As of 2010, there were 33

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 Surre ...

winners, 31 St. Leger winners, and 40 winners of The Oaks Stakes listed in family 1 as descendants of the Byerley Turk mare * Bowes' Byerley Turk mare, the "Dam of the Two True Blues", the taproot of family 3. Though not as widespread as family 1, many classic winners around the world trace back to family 3. As of 2010, there were 25 Derby winners, 26 Oaks winners and 20 St Leger winners from family 3 * The Byerley Turk mare out of Bustler Mare, the taproot of family 8, which has produced 7 Oaks winners, 11 Derby winners, and 15 St Leger winners including Nijinsky * The Byerley Turk mare that was the taproot of family 17, which has produced 2 Oaks and 3 St Leger winners * The Byerley Turk mare that was the taproot of family 41Wentworth, Lady, “Thoroughbred Racing Stock”, George Allen & Unwin Ltd, London, 1960, Warne & Co, London & New York, 1960

Byerley Turk sire line

The Byerley sire line persisted by producing a major sire every few generations, whose sons would create branches of their own. Most of these branches have died out over the course of time. The line of descent to the present day is as follows:Morris, Simon; ''Tesio Power 2000 – Stallions of the World'', Syntax Software * The Byerley Turk (~1680) sired Jigg in 1705, who sired Partner in 1718, who sired

Tartar Tartar may refer to: Places * Tartar (river), a river in Azerbaijan * Tartar, Switzerland, a village in the Grisons * Tərtər, capital of Tartar District, Azerbaijan * Tartar District, Azerbaijan * Tartar Island, South Shetland Islands, A ...

in 1743, who sired Herod in 1758. Herod 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 ...

from 1777 to 1784 * Herod sired

Highflyer Highflyer, highflier or high flyer may refer to: * Highflyer (horse), a British Thoroughbred racehorse * High flyer (fishing), a vertical floating pole used to locate fishing lines * HMS ''Highflyer'', various Royal Navy ships * Yamhill High Fly ...

in 1774, leading sire in Great Britain from 1785-1796. Highflyer's line persisted for many generations but died out in the first half of the 20th century * Herod also sired Florizel born in 1768, who sired Diomed (1777). Diomed would become a foundation sire of the American turf. In turn, Diomed sired Sir Archy who was the first great "sire of sires" in the United States. A few generations later through Sir Archy's line came

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

who became the

leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to stallions which are based in ...

sixteen times in the mid-19th century, but his sire line died out in the late 20th centuryAmerican Classic Pedigrees (1914-2002)
/ref> Sultan (GB)

* Herod's line continued through

Woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions ...

, foaled in 1773, who sired Buzzard (1787). Buzzard founded several sire lines that flourished in the 19th century, most of which withered away in the 20th century *Buzzard's sire line continued through Selim, foaled in 1802, who was leading sire of 1814. Selim produced yet another flourishing sire line, most of which died away by the mid 20th century * Selim's sire line continued through

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

, born in 1816. Sultan was leading sire 6 times

* Sultan in turn sired Bay Middleton (1833), who was leading sire in 1844 and 1849. Bay Middleton sired several sire sons but most of his line died out by the middle of the 20th century. * Bay Middleton's sire line continued through The Flying Dutchman, born in 1846. The Flying Dutchmen sired several sons whose lines gradually died out over the course of the 20th century. * The Flying Dutchman's line continued through Dollar in 1860, who sired Androcles in 1870, who sired Cambyse in 1884, who sired Gardefeu in 1895, who sired Chouberski in 1902, who sired Bruleur in 1910, who sired

Ksar Ksar or qsar (Maghrebi Arabic: wiktionary:قصر, قصر ''qṣer'' or ڭصر ''gser'', plural ''qṣur''; Berber language, Berber: ⵉⴴⵔⵎ ''aghrem'' or ''ighrem'', plural: ''igherman''), plural ksars, qsars, ksour or qsour, is the Nor ...

in 1918. * Ksar was a two-time winner of the Arc de Triomphe and the

leading sire in France The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of racehorses in France for each year since 1887. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season. Due to the huge prize money of the Prix de l'Arc de T ...

for 1931. Ksar sired

Tourbillon In horology, a tourbillon (; " whirlwind") is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy. It was developed around 1795 and patented by the Swiss-French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet on June 26, 1801. In a tourb ...

in 1928 * Tourbillon was three-time leading sire in France. His son

Djebel : ''For mountains or other uses, see: Jabal.'' Djebel (1937–1958) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 15 of 22 races during 1939–1942 including the Prix d'Essai, 2000 Guineas and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was later a leading ...

, born in 1937, won the Arc de Triomphe and 2,000 guineas KSAR1921

* Djebel sired

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 ...

, who also won the 2000 Guineas. The My Babu sire line persisted for several generations, leading to Cirrus des Aigles, a Group 1 winner as late as 2014. Unfortunately, Cirrus des Aigles was gelded so the My Babu sire line is on the brink of extinction. * Djebel also sired Clarion, born in 1944, who, though less successful than My Babu on the track, is the best hope for the survival of the Byerley Turk sire line * Clarion sired Klairon in 1952, whose son Luthier would lead the french sire list four times. Luthier's sire line continued for a few generations but seems to have died out * Klairon also sired

Lorenzaccio ''Lorenzaccio'' is a French play of the Romantic period written by Alfred de Musset in 1834, set in 16th-century Florence, and depicting Lorenzino de' Medici, who killed Florence's tyrant, Alessandro de' Medici, his cousin. Having engaged in deba ...

in 1965, who in turn sired

Ahonoora Ahonoora (1975–1989) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1977 to 1979 he ran sixteen times and won seven races. Ahonoora was a sprinter who specialised in races over five and six furlongs, with his mos ...

in 1975 * Ahonoora proved a very successful sire, with offspring including: Don't Forget Me (2000 Guineas), Dr Devious (Epsom Derby), 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 ...

. * The Indian Ridge line has hopes in Canada via Legal Jousting,Legal Jousting Progeny
/ref> in the United States via Final Row,Final Row (GB) Standing at Ivy Rose Equestrian Center, TX
/ref>Final Row Progeny
/ref> in Ireland via

Indian Haven Indian Haven (21 February 2000 – 11 July 2023) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for his win in the 2003 running of the Irish 2,000 Guineas. After winning a minor race on his debut, he was well-beaten in better company ...

,Foundation Byerley Turk Sire Line Drying Up In Australia And Beyond
/ref> in England via Pearl Secret, and in France via Captain Chop.Texas breeder responds to shrinking Man o’ War line
/ref>STALLION INFO : CAPTAIN CHOP
/ref> * A minor Byerley-descended stallion was known to be in South America as recently as 2021, but isn’t covering many mares.The Byerley Turk line set to vanish from Australia
/ref> Thus the continuation of the Byerley Turk Thoroughbred sire line via Herod now largely depends on the descendants of

. Of special note, a direct male descendant by the name of Gem Twist, a three-time American Grand Prix Association champion Thoroughbred show jumper, had two clones producedClone of top jumper Gem Twist born
/ref>
/ref> that have successfully produced offspring as recently as 2012.Gem Twist, ET clones produce first foals
/ref> The clones and any offspring of them are not considered Thoroughbreds however, as the breed requires procreation by natural means. Focusing on the sire line underestimates the ongoing influence of the Byerley Turk: detailed pedigree analysis shows that he has a higher percentage of blood in the modern Thoroughbred than either of his fellow foundation sires through other lines of descent. Furthermore, the influence of the Byerley Turk has been felt through other horse breeds through his direct male descendants Diomed (

American Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at ...

and Standardbred),Lost Bloodline
/ref>
/ref>American Star
/ref>

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

(

American Saddlebred The American Saddlebred is a horse breed from the United States. This breed is referred to as the "Horse America Made". Descended from riding-type horses bred at the time of the American Revolution, the American Saddlebred includes the Narr ...

),Kentucky's Saddlebred Heritage
/ref> and

Justin Morgan Justin Morgan (February 28, 1747 – March 22, 1798) was a U.S. horse breeder and composer. He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and by 1788 had settled in Vermont. In addition to being a horse breeder and farmer, he was a teacher of ...

(

Morgan horse The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation sire Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served many roles in 19th-century American hi ...

).Origin of the Morgan Horse
/ref> In fact, Denmark and Justin Morgan are key foundation sires for their respective breeds. Therefore, the Byerley Turk overall sire line lives on today more prominently through the American Saddlebred and Morgan horse than the Thoroughbred.

Sire line tree

*Byerley Turk
/ref>
/ref>Byerley Turk Tree
/ref>
/ref>
/ref> **Byerley Gelding **Jigg (Halloway) **Archer **Black Hearty **Grasshopper **Sprite **TurkTurk Pedigree
/ref> ** Jigg *** Partner ****Sly (Bumper) ****Pembed ****Partner (Grisewood) ****Partner (Moore) *****Grey Spot *****Ploughboy *****Partner ****Plunder ****Barforth ****Cato ****Little John *****Freeholder *****Achilles *****Little John (Constable) ****Spectre ****SedburySedbury
/ref> *****Soldier *****Alfred *****Tantivy ****Bumper *****Stilts *****Badsticks ****Golden Ball *****Skeleton ****Looby ****Merry Andrew ****Stroker ****White Stockings ****Badger *****Badger (Sedley) *****Dart *****Baboon *****Mettle *****Mixbury ****Bedlam ****Little John (Croft) ****Pompey ****True Blue ****Cheshire Tom ****

*****Lucifer *****Miner *****Beaufremont *****Favourite ***** Herod — The Byerley Turk's sire line continues through sons of Herod as described above *****Nimrod *****Smiling Ball *****Tartar (Wildman) *****Venture ****Tom Jones ****Traveller *****Young Traveller (Coatsworth) *****Skim *****Dainty Davy *****Young Traveller (Fermor) *****

Squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. ...

****Snail ****Traveller (Morton) *****Ariel *****Partner (Lightfoot) *****Norval *****Nonpareil *****Yorick *****Apollo *****Bellair *****Silverlegs *****Tristram Shandy *****Traveller (Burwell) *****Lycurgus *****Traveller (Lloyd) ***Jigg (Heneage) ***Sprightly Turn Post ***Conquerer ***Robinson Crusoe ****Hopewell ****Look About You ****Poor Robin ****Bonny Widower ****Arthur O'Bradley ***Sqirrel ***Midge ****Young Midge ***Better Luck ***Spavins ***Drunkin Jigg ***Shock ****Shock (Meredith) ****Ginger ****Shock (Baylor) ****Easby Miller ****Bolton ****Marcellus ****Silvertail ***Saucebox ****Silvertail ****Midas ** Basto ***Soreheels ****Grey Soreheels ***Dimple ***Little Scar

References

Sire line for 15 generations

Bibliography

*''The Byerley Turk'' by Jeremy James, publ. Merlin Unwin Books, is a fictionalized account of the life of the Byerley Turk. It describes the

and the

, with a Turkish perspective. *{{cite book , last=Whyte , first=James Christie , title=History of the British turf, from the earliest period to the present day, Volume I , year=1840 , publisher=H. Colburn , location=

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, ol=6544990M *''The Horse as a Cultural Icon: The Real and the Symbolic Horse in the Early Modern World'' edited by Peter Edwards, Karl A E Enenkel and Elspeth Graham, publ. BRILL 14 Oct 2011. The chapter by Richard Nash ''Beware a Bastard Breed - Notes Towards a Revisionist History Of The Thoroughbred Racehorse'' details Nash's research into the origins of the Byerley Turk.

External links

International Museum of the Horse
Arabian racehorses Individual Arabian and part-Arabian horses 17th-century individual animals Foundation horse sires