Archduke (1796 – after 1814) 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 ...
racehorse and
sire
Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French.
The words "sire" an ...
. In a career that lasted from April to October 1799 he ran four times and won two races. On his second racecourse appearance he won
The Derby defeating his more fancied stable companion, Eagle. Archduke was beaten in two races at Newmarket later that year and did not race again. He was later exported to stand at
stud
Stud may refer to:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
* The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco
* ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
Background
Archduke was a brown horse bred by his owner
Sir Frank Standish of
Duxbury
Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 ...
. Archduke's sire,
Sir Peter Teazle
Sir Peter Teazle (1784 – 18 August 1811) was a good British bred Thoroughbred racehorse, a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland nine times, and carried on the sire line of Herod.
Breeding
Sir Peter Teazle was a brown horse bred and own ...
(or simply "Sir Peter") won the Epsom Derby in 1787 and became the most successful stallion of the time, winning the title of
Champion sire on ten occasions between 1799 and 1809. Archduke was the tenth foal
of Horatia, a highly successful
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 ...
, who had previously produced the double
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 Stamford and went on to produce the 1806 Derby winner
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, both sired by Sir Peter .
Racing career
1799: three-year-old season
Until 1946 British racehorses did not have to be given an official name when racing
and the colt who later became Archduke was unnamed for his debut on 10 April 1799. Running as "Sir F. Standish's
c. by Sir Peter out of Horatia", he ran in a 100
guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
Sweepstakes at the
Newmarket Craven meeting. He was made
6/4 favourite and won from
Lord Grosvenor's
John Bull
John Bull is a national personification of England, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter-of-fact man. He originated in satirical works of ...
filly
A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use:
*In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old.
*In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States
...
and two others.
The colt was officially named Archduke when he appeared at
Epsom
Epsom is a town in 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 Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...
for the Derby on 9 May. His stable companion, Sir Frank Standish's "Brother to
Spread Eagle" (later named Eagle) was the even money favourite, while Archduke was a relative outsider at odds of 12/1 in a field of eleven runners. Ridden by the veteran jockey John Arnull, Archduke won from
Lord Egremont's Precipitate colt, with Eagle only third and Vivaldi fourth. The result was similar to the 1796 race, in which Standish's
Didelot won the race with his favoured stablemate Mr. Teazle unplaced.
After a break of well over four months, Archduke returned for the autumn meetings at Newmarket, where he had three engagements. On 30 September he started favourite for a Sweepstakes over the two mile "Ditch In" course, but finished third of the four runners behind Chippenham and Buzzard. Eagle finished last. Two days later, Archduke ran in the Town Plate over the same course and finished last of the three runners behind Hornby Lass and Humbug. This proved to be his last racecourse appearance: he was withdrawn from a valuable Sweepstakes on 14 October (won by Eagle), and from a scheduled
match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.
In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams cons ...
against Mr Heathcote's horse Schedoni at Newmarket the following April.
Stud career
After two seasons at stud in England, Archduke was sold in 1803 to John Hoomes and exported to stand as a stallion in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. Before he was exported he sired Roseden, who became a successful sire in Ireland. After the death of Hoomes in 1805, Archduke was sold and stood in 1807 in
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a County (United States), county located just south of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The county's borders are primarily defined by the James River to the north an ...
for Thomas Branch.
Pedigree
Archduke is
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 an ...
4S x 3D to the stallion
Blank
Blank or Blanks may refer to:
*Blank (archaeology), a thick, shaped stone biface for refining into a stone tool
*Blank (cartridge), a type of gun cartridge
*Blank (Scrabble), a playing piece in the board game Scrabble
*Blank (solution), a solutio ...
, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and third generation on the dam side of his pedigree.
^ Archduke is inbred 5S x 4S x 4D to the stallion
Regulus
Regulus is the brightest object in the constellation Leo (constellation), Leo and one of the List of brightest stars, brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation designated α Leonis, which is Latinisation of names, ...
, meaning that he appears fifth and fourth generation once each on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation once on the dam side of his pedigree.
~ Archduke is inbred 5S x 6S x 5S x 5D x 4D to the stallion
Godolphin Arabian
The Godolphin Arabian (–1753), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse ( , DIN 31635, DMG ''al-ḥiṣān al-ʿarabī'') is a horse breed, breed of horse with historic roots on the Arabian Peninsul ...
, meaning that he appears fifth generation twice and sixth generation once on the sire side of his pedigree and fifth and fourth generation once each on the dam side of his pedigree.
References
{{Epsom Derby Winners
1796 racehorse births
Epsom Derby winners
Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain
Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain
Thoroughbred family 30
Byerley Turk sire line