Bayuda (1916 – 1929) 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

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 ...

. As a two-year-old in 1918 she won the

Cheveley Park Stakes The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) and is ...

and was placed in several other races against male opposition. In the following year she was beaten in 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 ...

before recording an upset victory in 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 ya ...

. Her racing career was ended by injury later that year. As a broodmare she produced very few foals, but exerted an enduring influence on the breed as the female-line ancestor of

Sharpen Up Sharpen Up (17 March 1969 – 2 March 1992) was a British racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He was one of the leading European two-year-olds of his generation, winning all five of his races including the Seaton Delaval Stakes and the Middle Park ...

Background

Bayuda was a "small", but "handsome" bay mare bred in England by Lady James Douglas, who owned her during her racing career. Born Martha Lucy Hennessy, Lady James Douglas was the widow of Lord James Douglas, a younger son of the 8th Marquess of Queensberry. The filly was sent into training with by

Alec Taylor, Jr. Alec Taylor Jr. (1862–1943), known as the Wizard of Manton, was a British Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who followed in the footsteps of his highly successful father, Alec Taylor Sr. Family His father, Alec Taylor Sr., was a successful ho ...

Manton, Wiltshire Manton is a suburb of the town of Marlborough in Wiltshire, England, just off the A4 Bath Road. History A settlement of twelve households and an estate held by Miles Crispin were recorded at ''Manetone'' in the 1087 Domesday Book. In the 17th ...

. She was sired by Bayardo, the best British racehorse of his era whose wins included the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown ...

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 ...

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 1 furlong a ...

and

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 ...

. As a breeding stallion his other progeny included the Triple Crown winners

Gay Crusader Gay Crusader (1914–14 September 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 to October 1917 he ran ten times and won eight rac ...

and

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, Saskatchewan, Ca ...

. Bayuda's dam Jessica was a granddaughter of Bayolia, a half-sister to 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 ...

winner Morion.

Racing career

1918: two-year-old season

Bayuda was one of the best British two-year-old fillies of her year. When matched against male opposition in the Autumn Stakes 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 ...

in September, she finished 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, ...

second to the season's best juvenile colt The Panther with Galloper Light (later to win the

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), an ...

) in third. In October, ridden by

Joe Childs Joseph Childs (1884–1958) was a French-born, British-based flat racing jockey. He won fifteen British Classics in a 35-year career, the last ten years of which were spent as jockey to King George V. He was known for riding a slow, waiting ra ...

, she started the 11/10 favourite for Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs at the same track and reportedly won "in a canter", from Beresina and Mapledurham. In her two other races that year she raced against colts, finishing fourth in the Soltikoff Stakes (to Grand Parade) and third in the Free Handicap.

1919: three-year-old season

In May 1919, Bayuda ran in the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. Starting the 7/2 second choice in the betting she led till half way but then faded and finished fourth behind

Roseway ''Roseway'' is a wooden gaff-rigged schooner launched on 24 November 1925 in Essex, Massachusetts, Essex, Massachusetts. She is currently operated by World Ocean School, a non-profit educational organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, Bos ...

, Britannia and Glaciale. On 6 of June Bayuda contested the 141st running of the Oaks Stakes over one and a half miles at

Epsom Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near 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 has a crowd capacity of 130,000 includin ...

. With Childs in the saddle she started at odds of 100/7 (just over 14/1) in a ten-runner field headed by Roseway, who went off at odds of 4/7. After racing towards the rear of the field in the early stages as Britannia set the pace from Lady Pergrine, Beresina and Roseway, but began to make rapid progress approaching the final turn. Bayuda took the lead a furlong out and won the race by one and a half lengths from Roseway with Mapledurham the same distance away in third. Her winning timeof 2:37.2 was a new record for the race. On her next appearance Bayuda ran in the St George Stakes over eleven furlongs at Liverpool Racecourse in July. She was beaten a head by

Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869), known as Lord Stanley from 1834 to 1851, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served three times as Prime Minister of the United K ...

's colt Rothesay Bay, to whom she was conceding 21 pounds in weight. Bayuda was being prepared for a run in the

St Leger 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 ...

when she broke down in training and was retired from racing.

Assessment and honours

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

Breeding record

After her retirement from racing Bayuda became a broodmare. She proved to be very difficult to get in foal and produced very few foals before her death in 1929. Her issue included: * Hajibibi, a bay filly, foaled in 1921, sired by

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

. Female-line ancestor of

. * Bayonet, by Verdun. Winner.

Pedigree

References

{{Epsom Oaks Winners 1916 racehorse births 1929 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 5-i Epsom Oaks winners