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Apology (1871–1888) was a British
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
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who was the third winner of the Fillies' Triple Crown, winning The Oaks,
1,000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...
and
St. Leger Stakes 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 ...
in 1874. Apology was bred and owned by the Reverend John William King, the vicar of
Ashby de la Launde Ashby de la Launde is a small village, part of the civil parish of Ashby de la Launde and Bloxholm, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated just west of Digby, and east of the A15 and B1191 roads. In ...
, whose ownership of the mare caused a minor scandal in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
after Apology won the St. Leger Stakes. King ultimately had to resign his clerical appointments due to the scandal and died shortly thereafter of a chronic illness. Apology raced until she was five years old, winning the
Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup 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 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4 ...
in 1876. She was retired from racing at the end of 1876 to become a
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 ...
initially for the widow of John King, and then for Clare Vyner. Apology was euthanised in 1888 after an extended illness.


Background

Apology was bred by the Reverend John William King, who owned her during her racing career. King was the vicar of
Ashby de la Launde Ashby de la Launde is a small village, part of the civil parish of Ashby de la Launde and Bloxholm, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated just west of Digby, and east of the A15 and B1191 roads. In ...
and had inherited his father Colonel Neville King's Thoroughbred stud and racing stables at the death of his elder brother. Rev. King lived at Ashby Hall in
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
and raced his horses under the ''
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'' "Mr. Launde" from 1861 until his death in 1875. Apology's sire, Adventurer, was a good runner over long distances, winning the City and Suburban Handicap and Ascot Gold Vase as a four-year-old. Adventurer also sired the Classic winners
Pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimat ...
and Wheel of Fortune. Apology's dam, Mandragora, was bred by W. H. Brook in 1860 and was sired by the
Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup 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 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4 ...
and
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 m ...
winner Rataplan. Mandragora was the first foal produced by Manganese and was a full sister to the mare Mineral, the dam of the St. Leger winner Wenlock and Derby winner Kisber. Mandragora was a small chestnut mare and was not a successful racehorse at two or three years old. Her racing prowess deemed "not good enough to win a bridle at a fair", she was retired from racing to become a broodmare at Ashgill. Apology was Mandragora's sixth foal and one of four sired by Adventurer. Apology's full sister Agility was a successful racehorse, winning the York Cup twice and the Park Hill Stakes. Another unraced full sister, Analogy, was exported to France and became the dam of the good French long-distance runner Elf. Apology's half-siblings include the good colt Mandrake. Apology was described by ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' as "a fine looking, powerful chestnut filly, and though a little hollow backed, has very muscular hind quarters, which made her appear somewhat short of work." Her name, "Apology", may have been a
tongue in cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...
reference to Reverend King's involvement with the turf despite being a member of the clergy, as he did also name his 1875 Derby contender, "Holy Friar".


Racing career

Apology was trained at Ashgill stables near
Middleham Middleham ( ; meaning "middle ''ham''", i.e. "middle village") is a market town and civil parish in the district and county of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, on the south side of the valley, upstream fr ...
in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
by the Osborne brothers: William, Robert and John. Apology was the third filly, after
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and Hannah, to win The Oaks,
St. Leger Stakes 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 ...
and
1,000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...
, a series of races now designated as the Fillies Triple Crown.


1873: two-year-old season

At Goodwood on 29 July, Apology finished third to Lord Falmouth's colt
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
and Mr. Lefevre's colt Regal in the three quarters of a mile Ham Produce Stakes. A few weeks later at Stockton, Apology was beaten by the colt De Cambis in the £260 Lambton Plate. At
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, Apology finished second to Mr. Merry's colt Sir William Wallace in the North of England Biennial Stakes. Apology finished second and last to the future
Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...
winner George Frederick by half a length in the Municipal Stakes run at
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
. In her final start of the year, Apology won the Home-bred Stakes at the Newmarket-Houghton Meeting, beating Lord Falmouth's Blanchefleur and Lord Ailesbury's Aventurière.


1874: three-year-old season


Spring

On 8 May, Apology ran in the
1,000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...
against a field of nine horses. The race favourites were Apology, La Coureuse, and Lady Bothwell. At the start of the race, the runners broke evenly and continued in a line for the first 200 yards, when La Coureuse took the lead at the Bushes-hill. Apology took the lead on the ascent up the Abingdon Mile Bottom, overtaking the leaders halfway up the hill and winning the race by a margin of three quarters of a
length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit for length is chosen, ...
. The second-place finisher La Coureuse and third place horse Blanchefleur were separated by the same distance.


Summer

On 17 June, Apology won 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 sche ...
, beating Blanchefleur. In July at Epsom, Apology won The Oaks against a field of 11 horses. The race was deemed "over" after Apology took the lead at the mile-post, beating Miss Toto and Lady Patricia while running at a canter. In August at the York meeting, Apology finished second by a head to the colt Trent in the Great Yorkshire Handicap after maintaining the lead throughout the race and carrying five extra pounds.


Autumn

In the weeks before the St. Leger, the race had been built up as a match between the "north country mare" Apology and the south country contender George Frederick. On the morning of the running, George Frederick was withdrawn from competition due to injury. Rumours had also begun to circulate the day before the race that Apology had gone lame after a practice gallop and that her leg had been soaked the entire night in a bucket of cold water. Allegedly, John Osborne had sent John King a telegram about potentially withdrawing the mare from competition with King wiring back, "She must start, if it's only on three legs" due to the large sums of money the public had wagered on the mare. Another version of the tale holds that Osborne did not receive King's reply in time for the race and acted on his own judgement, deciding to run Apology after noting the filly's lameness had greatly improved overnight. After a false start, the 13 horses broke well from the starting line, with Boulet taking the lead until crossing the road that ran across the course. Leolinus and
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
closely followed Boulet until Atlantic broke a blood vessel at the mile post. Boulet ceded the lead to Apology (ridden by her trainer John Osborne) at the Red House, with Apology moving to the centre of the course flanked on the rail by Leolinus and on the outside by Trent. Apology won the St. Leger by a length and a half "amidst the greatest excitement ever witnessed on the Town Moor" in a time of three minutes and 16 seconds, setting a new race record.


Scandal

After Apology's highly publicised win in the St. Leger,
Christopher Wordsworth Christopher Wordsworth (30 October 180720 March 1885) was an English intellectual and a bishop of the Church of England. Life Wordsworth was born in London, the youngest son of Christopher Wordsworth (divine), Christopher Wordsworth, Master ...
, the
Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of Nort ...
, learnt that "Mr. Launde" was actually a vicar within his authoritative oversight. Greatly displeased with a clergyman being actively involved in a profession that facilitated gambling, the Bishop wrote to Reverend King in October 1874 demanding that King either give up racing Thoroughbreds or resign his position with the Church. In his letter, the Bishop stated he would use all the powers at his disposal, including legal if necessary, to compel King to relinquish the trade: At the time, the 82-year-old Reverend King was seriously ill due to a thigh bone fracture he had sustained some months previously and a condition described as "
gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...
in the stomach". While King did tend to his racehorses personally, he had only been seen three times in his life on a racecourse, never wagered, and had largely retired from his clerical duties, instead employing a curate to do most of his parochial work. One of King's friends defended his actions by stating that the breeding of Thoroughbreds was all but expected of a man of property and the "Squire of Ashby". Reverend King agreed to relinquish his clerical position and wrote to the Bishop of Lincoln:


1875–1876: four and five-year-old seasons

Reverend King died on 9 May 1875 shortly after resigning his clerical position. At King's death, all of Apology's racing engagements for 1875 were declared forfeit. Ownership of the filly was retained by King's widow, Annie Maria King, who raced the mare under the pseudonym "Mr. Seabrook". The pseudonym was derived from the name of King's friend and will executor Dr. W. H. Brook's son, C. Brook being responsible for managing King's stable. Apology did not recover her three-year-old form, finishing fourth in the Goodwood Cup and fifth in the Great Ebor Handicap Stakes at the York August meeting. During the remainder of the year, Apology was fourth in the Doncaster Cup, fifth in the Cesarwitch Stakes and second in the Jockey Club Cup. As a five-year-old in 1876, Apology was unplaced in the Ebor Handicap and won three races: the Queen's Plate at Manchester, the
Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup 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 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4 ...
and the Newcastle Queen's Plate. In the Gold Cup, Apology won "without much effort" from the 1875 St Leger winner Craig Millar. Apology injured her leg before the Goodwood meeting and was retired from racing.


Breeding career

Apology was retired in 1876 and initially was retained as a broodmare by King's widow. In September 1880, Apology was sold to Clare Vyner for 3,200 guineas and relocated to his Fairfield Stud. Apology became ill during the later part of 1887 and was ultimately euthanised in April 1888 after foaling a filly sired by The Lambkin. Her veterinarian, Mr. Snarry, described finding small, wart-like growths covering most of her organs.


Full progeny list

Apology produced five colts and three fillies between 1878 and her death in 1888. While Apology did not produce offspring as good at racing as she was, her colts, Esterling and Aperse, were successful on the turf. * Ability (1878), chestnut filly sired by Scottish Chief * Chestnut filly (1880) by Scottish Chief * Juventus (1881), bay colt by Wild Oats, Juventus was sent to Spain in 1884 * Esterling (1882), chestnut colt by Sterling, Esterling won the Craven Stakes and was second in the Kempton Grand Park Prize in 1885 * Aperse (1885), chestnut colt by Camballo, Aperse won 12 races during his career and was a breeding stallion at the Fairfield Stud * Apologist (1886), chestnut colt by Camballo * Bidston (1887), chestnut colt by Rosebery, Bidston was sent to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
in 1889 * Filly (1888) by The Lambkin, this filly died before racing age


Pedigree


References

{{St Leger Winners 1871 racehorse births 1888 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 4-d St Leger winners 1000 Guineas winners Epsom Oaks winners