Compton Place (20 April 1994 – 21 September 2015) 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, best known for his 50/1 upset victory in the 1997

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 me ...

. As a juvenile in 1996 he won two minor races and finished second in both the

Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Colt (horse), colts and geldings. It is run at York Racecourse, Yor ...

and the

Flying Childers Stakes The Flying Childers Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 5 furlongs and 3 yards (1,008 metres), and it is sch ...

. In the following year he was beaten in his first two starts before defeating a strong field including Royal Applause and

Bahamian Bounty Bahamian Bounty (10 February 1994 – 2 March 2020) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He was named Cartier Champion Two-year-old Colt, European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt at the 1996 Cartier Racing Awards. In his ch ...

to win the July Cup. He failed to display his best form in four subsequent races and was retired in August 1998. He later became a successful breeding stallion.

Background

Compton Place was a chestnut horse with a white blaze and three white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

bred in England by R. J. Turner. He was sired by Indian Ridge, a sprinter who won the

King's Stand Stakes The King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King's Stand Stakes) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 fu ...

in 1989, before becoming a successful breeding stallion best known for siring the outstanding filly Ridgewood Pearl. Indian Ridge was a representative of the

Byerley Turk The Byerley Turk (), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three Stallion (horse), stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian).Ahnert, ...

sire line, unlike more than 95% of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the

Darley Arabian The Darley Arabian (–1730) 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, Syria ...

. Compton Place's dam, Nosey, won three races as a two-year-old in Ireland in 1983. She was a great-great granddaughter of Benane who was a half-sister of 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 ...

winner

Turkhan Turkhan (1937 – after 1952) was a British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire, who raced during World War II and was best known for winning the British Classic Races, classic St Leger in 1940. He showed ...

and 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 Ujiji. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the ...

, the colt was sent to the Goffs sale in Ireland in October 1995 and was bought for

IR£ The pound ( Irish: ) was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or £Ir for distinction.) The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin circulation until ...

92,000 by the bloodstock agent Charles Gordon-Watson. Compton Place entered the ownership of

Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire (2 January 1920 – 3 May 2004), styled Lord Andrew Cavendish until 1944 and Marquess of Hartington from 1944 to 1950, was a British peer and politician. He was a minister in the government ...

and was sent into training with James Toller in

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge. In 2021, it had a population of 16,772. It is a global ...

. The colt was named after

Compton Place Compton Place is a English country house, mansion house in the parish of Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. It was rebuilt from 1726 by Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, Sir Spencer Compton (later 1st Earl of Wilmington), to the design of t ...

, a country house in

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

owned by the Dukes of Devonshire.

Racing career

1996: two-year-old season

Compton Place never contested a

maiden race In horse racing, a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...

, making his debut in a minor stakes event over five furlongs at

Bath Racecourse Bath Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue on Lansdown Hill, about northeast of Bath, Somerset, England. It is owned and operated by Arena Racing Company. The racecourse is a left-handed oval track of 1 mile 4 furlongs and 25 yard ...

on 15 June and winning by a head from Ride Sally Ride. W J O'Connor rode the horse on this occasion but

Seb Sanders Seb Sanders (born 25 September 1971 in Birmingham, England) is a former flat race jockey. Sanders was British Champion Flat Jockey in 2007, a title he shared with Jamie Spencer. Early life Born in Birmingham, Sanders' father, a plumber introduc ...

partnered him in all his subsequent races. Three weeks later, Compton Place was moved up in class for the Listed Dragon Stakes at

Sandown Park Racecourse Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt racing, National Hunt races and one Group One, Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Sta ...

and was beaten a head into second place by the

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 ...

Vax Star. On 1 August, the colt started 5/4 favourite against three opponents in a minor race at Salibury. After pulling hard in the early stages he took the lead at half way and won by two lengths from Dalmeny Dancer. Three weeks after his win at Salisbury, Compton Place was moved up in class for the Group Two

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...

. Starting a 12/1 outsider in a nine-runner field he led for most of the way before being overtaken in the closing stages and beaten half a length by Abou Zouz. The favourite The West finished third ahead of the

Richmond Stakes The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sche ...

winner Easycall. At

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 flat races, the St Leger ...

in September, Compton Place started 9/4 favourite for the Group To

over five furlongs. He led from the start but was headed by Easycall inside the final furlong and finished second, beaten a length and a half by the winner.

1997: three-year-old season

Compton Place began his second season in the Achilles Stakes over five furlongs at

Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a alcohol licensing laws of the United Kingdom, licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London; it is 13 miles ...

on 31 May. He started joint-favourite and raced prominently but was beaten two and a half lengths into second place by the four-year-old Almaty. Three weeks later, the colt was sent to

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...

to contest the

over five furlongs on good to soft ground. After leading in the early stages he faded badly in the final furlong and finished twelfth of the eighteen runners behind the French-trained outsider Don't Worry Me. On 10 July, Compton Place started a 50/1 outsider for the July Cup over six furlongs on firm ground 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 ...

. The 11/10 favourite was Royal Applause whilst the other contenders were

, Blue Goblin, Indian Rocket (

Mill Reef Stakes The Mill Reef Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-olds. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled ...

), Coastal Bluff (

Ayr Gold Cup The Ayr Gold Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ayr over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled ...

, Stewards' Cup), Easycall, Lucayan Prince (

Jersey Stakes The Jersey Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ea ...

) and Rambling Bear (

King George Stakes The King George Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is ...

). The field initially split into two groups with Compton Place being restrained by Sanders behind Indian Rocket and Coastal Bluff who set the pace for the group on the far side (the left side from the jockey's viewpoint) whilst Royal Applause led on the stands side. At half way the two groups came together and Compton Place began to make rapid progress. He went to the front approaching the final furlong and won by one and three quarter lengths from Royal Applause, with Indian Rocket three lengths back in third. On his only other start of the season, Compton Place started favourite for the

Nunthorpe Stakes The Nunthorpe Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is sc ...

in August. He started poorly and never looked likely to win, finishing fourteenth of the fifteen runners. He did not race again in 1997 as his connections waited for firm ground, which did not materialise.

1998: four-year-old season

Compton Place remained in training as a four-year-old in 1998 but failed to recover his best form. On his first appearance of the year he finished sixth behind Bolshoi in the

Temple Stakes The Temple Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled ...

and at Royal Ascot he finished last of the twelve runners in the

Cork and Orrery Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. Three-year-olds foaled in the Southern Hemisphere are also eligible. It i ...

. On his only other run he attempted to repeat his 1997 success in the July Cup as the Duke of Devonshire was determined to show that his upset win was not a "fluke", but he finished unplaced behind Elnadim. His retirement from racing was announced in August. Toller said "There is nothing worse than seeing a horse carrying on racing if he is not showing his best form... His July Cup form was the best last year by a sprinter. He was the only horse able to beat Royal Applause over six furlongs on grass. It's just a pity we weren't able to do it once more, to keep everyone quiet".

Stud record

Compton Place was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion at the Whitsbury Manor Stud in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. He has had considerable success as a sire of sprinters with his offspring including

Deacon Blues "Deacon Blues" is a song by the American rock band Steely Dan, written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen in 1976 for the band's sixth album, '' Aja'' (1977). It peaked at number 19 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 17 on the US ''Cas ...

, Borderlescott, Pearl Secret (

), Intrepid Jack ( Hackwood Stakes), Godfrey Street (Flying Childers Stakes), Boogie Street ( Achilles Stakes), Passified (

San Clemente Handicap The San Clemente Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one mile on the turf course scheduled annually in late July or early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event ...

) and Fortune Knight ( Taranaki Stakes).

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 1994 racehorse births 2015 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 6-d Byerley Turk sire line