Eclipse (1 April 1764 – 26 February 1789) was an undefeated 18th-century
British Thoroughbred racehorse who won 18 races, including 11 King's Plates. He raced before the introduction of the
British Classic Races, at a time when four-mile heat racing was the norm. He was considered the greatest racehorse of his time and the expression, "Eclipse first, the rest nowhere" entered the English vernacular as an expression of dominance.
After retiring from racing, he became a very successful sire, whose offspring included three Epsom Derby winners:
Young Eclipse,
Saltram and
Serjeant. He was also a successful sire of sires, and his sire line has become dominant in the modern Thoroughbred worldwide through descendants such as
Northern Dancer,
Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector (January 28, 1970 – June 1, 1999) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who became an outstanding breeding stallion and notable sire of sires. A sprinter whose career was cut short by repeated injuries, he won seven of his 14 starts, i ...
and
Sunday Silence.
Breeding
Eclipse was foaled during and named after the
solar eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six mo ...
of 1764, at the
Cranbourne Lodge stud of his breeder,
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.
[Thoroughbred Bloodlines: Eclipse](_blank)
Retrieved on 2011-08-21 It was at this stud that his sire, the Jockey Club Plate winner
Marske (by
Squirt from The Ruby Mare) stood. His dam,
Spilletta
Spilletta (1749 – 1776) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She only raced once and is best known for being the dam of the undefeated Eclipse.
Background
Spilletta was a bay filly bred by the Sir Robert Eden and foaled in 1749. She w ...
(foaled 1749), was by
Regulus, who was by the
Godolphin Arabian. Eclipse's male-line great-grandsire was
Bartlett's Childers, and his male-line great-great-grandsire was
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 Alep ...
. Eclipse was a brother to the successful broodmare Proserpine. They were inbred to Snake in the fourth generation of their pedigree. After the death of Prince William in 1765, Eclipse was sold for 75
guineas to a sheep dealer from
Smithfield, William Wildman.
Eclipse was a bright chestnut with a narrow
blaze running down his face. He had a white stocking on his right hind leg. Eclipse was a big horse for his time, just over , and was an inch higher at the rump than at the withers. He was strong, sound and fast. He was sometimes criticized for having a large, unattractive head. His difficult temperament was well documented, and might have led to him being gelded.
Instead he was turned over to a rough-rider, who worked him hard all day, and at night as well on poaching expeditions if the stories are to be believed. This treatment, rather than souring his disposition, settled Eclipse enough to allow him to be raced, although his jockeys never attempted to hold him.
Racing career
Before Eclipse's first start at the age of five, a trial was arranged at
Epsom
Epsom is the principal town of 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 Saxon landowner. ...
(although the location has also been given as
Mickleham[). Bookmakers, trying to verify whether rumours about the horse were true, showed up but were too late — the trial had already been run. On their way home, though, they encountered an old woman who told them she had seen a horse with a white leg being chased by another, who she did not think would catch the horse with the white leg, even if he pursued him to the end of the world. Accordingly, when Eclipse started in his first race on 1769, a £50 Plate for horses who had never won, he was 4/1 on favourite.] The race consisted of three heats of four miles each. Eclipse won easily.
After his second victory in a race in May 1769, Dennis O'Kelly purchased Eclipse in two stages. in June 1769 for 650 guineas, 50 percent in April 1770 for 1,100 guineas).[Montgomery, E.S, "The Thoroughbred", Arco, New York, 1973 ] Supposedly, at this time O'Kelly used the famous phrase "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere", before making his bets for this race, although some sources[ have him saying this for the second heat of the horse's debut. At that time, a horse that was more than 240 yards behind the lead was said to be ''nowhere''. His jockey was John Oakley, supposedly the only jockey who could handle Eclipse's temperamental manner and running style of holding his nose very close to the ground. Eclipse won the race and covered O'Kelly's bet.]
His toughest challenge was a match race versus the highly regarded Bucephalus in April 1770. Bucephalus was game, but Eclipse was the easy winner. In August, he took on top class horses Tortoise and Bellario in the Great Subscription Purse
The Great Subscription Purses were a series of flat horse races in Great Britain run at York Racecourse, usually over a distance of 4 miles, that took place each year in August from 1751 to 1833. During the second half of the 18th century the ...
at York
York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...
, but at odds of 20/1 on, routed both of them, being over a furlong in front after two miles, and winning in a canter.[
Eclipse won 18 races, including 11 King's Plates, supposedly without ever being fully extended and proving far superior to all competition.] During his racing career, Eclipse ran over and walked 1,400 miles to race meetings across England.
Eclipse is still remembered in the phrase "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere", snowclone
A snowclone is a cliché and phrasal template that can be used and recognized in multiple variants. The term was coined as a neologism in 2004, derived from Journalese, journalistic clichés that referred to the number of Inuit words for snow.
...
d as " ame of competitorfirst and the rest nowhere", referring to any dominating victory. This phrase is occasionally seen in American print media (most often in newspaper sport sections) but is more common in Britain.
He is attested to have covered 83 feet per second at top speed, and covered 25 feet in a single stride.
Race record
In ten of the King's Plates, Eclipse carried 12 st, or 168 pounds, the highest weight (by one pound) that was carried by a winner in England up to 1840.
Stud record
In 1771, Eclipse was retired to stud after a racing career of about 17 months due to lack of competition as nobody was betting on rival horses. Initially he stood at O'Kelly's Clay Hill Stud, near Epsom (Surrey), for a fee of 10 guineas which rose rapidly to 25 and then to 50 guineas a mare. During 1788, he was relocated to Cannons Stud, Edgware (Middlesex).
Overall, Eclipse sired 344 winners of more than £158,000[Barrie, Douglas M., The Australian Bloodhorse, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1956] (although the number varies with different reports, ranging from 325 to 400).
Notable progeny
''s = 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 ...
, m = mare
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 f ...
''
Eclipse's daughters include Horatia, one of only twelve mares to produce two Derby winners: Archduke
Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...
and Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
. She also produced two-time Doncaster Cup winner Stamford. Other daughters of Eclipse produced Derby winners John Bull
John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...
and Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...
, and St. Leger winners 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, Ant ...
, Remembrancer and Phoenomenon. Chanticleer, Haphazard, and Weasel are also noted as important runners out of Eclipse mares.[Morris, Simon; ''Tesio Power 2000 – Stallions of the World'', Syntax Software]
Eclipse was never 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 ...
, although he finished in second place 11 times, usually behind Herod. A book published in 1970 stated that the Royal Veterinary College
, mottoeng = Confront disease at onset
, established = (became a constituent part of University of London in 1949)
, endowment = £10.5 million (2021)
, budget = £106.0 million (20 ...
had determined that nearly 80% of Thoroughbred racehorses had Eclipse in their pedigree. That percentage has naturally increased with time and the inevitable inbreeding in the Thoroughbred population. More recently it has been estimated that Eclipse is not only ''somewhere'' in the pedigree, but a tail-male ancestor of "95pc of contemporary thoroughbreds" or of "nearly every living thoroughbred."
This modern dominance comes mainly through a sire line established by Potoooooooo, although King Fergus would also found another successful branch leading to Ribot. Potoooooooo's grandson Waxy
Waxy may refer to:
* a substance related to wax
* colloquially for a waxworm (particularly used by anglers)
* Waxy (band), an American stoner rock band
* Waxy (horse), a thoroughbred racehorse
* WAXY (AM), a radio station (790 AM) licensed to serv ...
would lead the sire list in 1811, and Waxy's grandson Birdcatcher in turn led the sire list in 1852 and 1856. Birdcatcher's grandson Stockwell
Stockwell is a district in south west London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It is situated south of Charing Cross. Battersea, Brixton, Clapham, South Lambeth, Oval and Kennington all border Stockwell.
History
The name S ...
outdid them both, becoming leading sire seven times. Stockwell's grandson Bend Or
Bend Or (1877–1903) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden.
N ...
founded a line that led four generations later to Phalaris The Phalaris line has several branches, notably through Nearco
Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by '' Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...
and Native Dancer
Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...
.
In Great Britain and Ireland, the Eclipse sire line includes modern leading sires such as Sadler's Wells, Danehill and Galileo. In North America, leading sires in his line include Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 11, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign that included wins in the Preakness Stakes and Trenton Handicap, in whic ...
(sire of Secretariat), Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector (January 28, 1970 – June 1, 1999) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who became an outstanding breeding stallion and notable sire of sires. A sprinter whose career was cut short by repeated injuries, he won seven of his 14 starts, i ...
(ancestor of American Pharoah
American Pharoah (foaled February 2, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first h ...
), Danzig, Storm Cat
Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North America in 1999 ...
, A.P. Indy, Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (5 km) northeast of ...
and Tapit. In Japan, Eclipse's sire line includes leading sires Sunday Silence, King Kamehameha and Deep Impact, while in Australia leading sires from his line include Redoute's Choice, Encosta De Lago and Fastnet Rock.
Death
Eclipse died due to an attack of colic
Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out. ...
on 1789, at the age . His skeleton is now housed at the Royal Veterinary College
, mottoeng = Confront disease at onset
, established = (became a constituent part of University of London in 1949)
, endowment = £10.5 million (2021)
, budget = £106.0 million (20 ...
, Hertfordshire, in the Learning Resource Centre named after him, although it cannot be said for certain whether all the bones displayed are really from Eclipse. His hooves were made into inkstand
An inkstand is a stand or tray used to house writing instruments, with a tightly-capped inkwell and a sand shaker for rapid drying. A penwiper would often be included, and from the mid-nineteenth century, a compartment for steel nibs, which replac ...
s, although the fact that there are at least five Eclipse-hoof inkstands casts some doubt on the authenticity of some. Hairs from his tail have also been used for decorations.
A necropsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough Physical examination, examination of a Cadaver, corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner o ...
on Eclipse found that he had an abnormally large heart, weighing . This trait has been referred to in the context of thoroughbreds as the " X Factor" Theory. While the theory has yet to be proven, it has gained popularity due to the large hearts seen occasionally in his descendants, including Secretariat and Phar Lap
Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion New Zealand–bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest racehorse ever. Achieving incredible success during his distinguished career, his initial u ...
.
Honours and analysis
The Eclipse Awards are American Thoroughbred horse-racing awards named after Eclipse. They honour the champions of the sport, and are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), ''Daily Racing Form
The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of raceho ...
'' and the National Turf Writers Association, who select all finalists at the end of the year. The most prestigious of these Awards is the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year title.
The Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furl ...
is a Group 1 flat race in the United Kingdom for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of 1¼ miles and 7 yards (2,018 metres) at Sandown Park.
Eclipse Press is the book-publishing division of Blood-Horse Publications, an international publishing house for top Thoroughbred and general equine magazines, books, videos, CD-ROMs and annual references.
Sheffield-based ''Eclipse'' tools, now part of Spear & Jackson, took their name and their ''Eclipse first...'' slogan in 1909 from the horse.
The life story of Eclipse inspired the novel ''O'Kelly's Eclipse'' by screenwriter Arthur Weiss.
Nicholas Clee's ''Eclipse: The Story of the Rogue, the Madam and the Horse That Changed Racing''[ is a biography of Eclipse and of the people connected to him, among them the gambler Dennis O'Kelly and the brothel madam Charlotte Hayes. Other biographies of Eclipse include Michael Church's ''Eclipse: The Horse, The Race, The Awards'' (2000), and Theodore Cook's 1907 book ''Eclipse and O'Kelly''.
Contrary to popular belief, the Mitsubishi Eclipse was named for the racehorse, and not for the natural phenomenon.
]
Pedigree
At the time of Eclipse's birth, stud records were maintained by the individual breeder with no central authority. Record-keeping was somewhat haphazard, compounded by spelling and transcription errors, and the fact that the names of mares were often not recorded. In 1791, James Weatherby and William Sydney Towers pieced together the General Stud Book, which is the source of the pedigree shown below. However, there are still several debated entries of interest to pedigree experts. Details of the issues can be found in Appendix 2 of Nicholas Clee's book on Eclipse. The most notable issues are summarized below.
According to all official records, Eclipse's sire was Marske (written as 'Mask' in a 1764 entry in the Royal Stud Book). Marske was a moderately successful racehorse who had little early success in the breeding shed. His stud fee at the time of Eclipse's conception was only half a guinea, though it subsequently grew to 30 guineas. During Eclipse's lifetime, however, it was rumoured that his real sire was Shakespeare, who was a somewhat better racehorse than Marske and was said to resemble Eclipse more closely. According to a contemporary source, Eclipse's dam was covered in 1763 first by Shakespeare and later by Marske, and paternity was based on Eclipse's foaling date corresponding to the date of the second breeding session. Since both Marske and Shakespeare were great-grandsons of the Darley Arabian, Eclipse would still descend from that stallion.
Eclipse's dam was Spilletta, who is shown as a bay in the General Stud Book but recorded as a chestnut in the personal records of her second owner, the Duke of Ancaster. There is again confusion over her breeding: The General Stud Book shows her sire as the undefeated Regulus (by the Godolphin Arabian) but a 1754 racing calendar shows her sire as Sedbury (by the Byerley Turk). Spilletta's dam was Mother Western, whose paternity is subject to similar confusion between Scarborough Colt and Easby Snake. Spilletta raced only once, finishing last in a field of three. In her first eight years as a broodmare, Spilletta produced only one live foal. In 1760, she was bred to Markse for the first time with no issue. Three years later, they were mated again: Eclipse was the result.
''Note: b. = Bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
, ch. = Chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.
The unrelate ...
, br. = 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 use ...
''
* Eclipse was inbred 4 × 4 to Snake. This means that the stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.
See also
* List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
References
29^ *
Bibliography
*
External links
Science News – Why Was The Racehorse Eclipse So Good?
BBC: DNA study of 'greatest racehorse'
BBC: 'Averageness' key to great racehorses
{{Authority control
1764 racehorse births
1789 racehorse deaths
Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain
Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain
Undefeated racehorses
Thoroughbred family 12