Favonius (horse)
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Favonius (1868–1877) 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 1871 to 1873, he ran ten times and won five races. In June 1871 he won The Derby on his second racecourse appearance. He went on to prove himself a top class stayer, winning the
Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3 ...
in 1872. Favonius was regarded by contemporary observers as one of the best English-trained horses of his era. At the end of the 1873 season he was retired to stud but had little chance to make an impact as a stallion before his death four years later. Favonius’s Derby win was one of the highlights of what became known as “The Baron’s Year”, in which his owner, Baron Meyer de Rothschild won four of the five
British Classic Races The British Classics are five long-standing Group 1 horse races run during the traditional flat racing season. They are restricted to three-year-old horses and traditionally represent the pinnacle of achievement for racehorses against their ow ...
.


Background

Favonius was bred by his owner, Baron Meyer de Rothschild. He was sired by Parmesan, a male-line descendant 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, ...
. Parmesan won the Gold Vase at
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 ...
and became a highly successful stallion siring, in addition to Favonius, the 1871 Derby winner Cremorne. Favonius’s dam Zephyr, was a full sister to Hannah, who won the Fillies’ Triple Crown in “The Baron’s Year”. Rothschild sent the colt to his private trainer Joseph Hayhoe at his Palace House stables at
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 ...
. Until 1946, British racehorses were allowed to race without being officially named, and until shortly before his Derby win, Favonius was known as “The Zephyr Colt”.


Racing career


1871: three-year-old season

The Zephyr Colt was slow to mature and did not race as a two-year-old. He made his debut in the spring of 1871 in a Biennial Stakes at Newmarket. He was beaten a head by Albert Victor. In mid-May Hayhoe tried the colt in a private trial race against Hannah, which convinced him that the colt was sixteen pounds superior to the filly. In the Derby at Epsom, the newly named colt started at odds of 9/1 in a field of seventeen runners, with Bothwell being made the 2/1 favourite. The appearance of the name "Favonius" on the race card reportedly caused some confusion among racegoers who were unaware that the Baron had decided to name the Zephyr Colt after the personification of the West Wind. The crowd included the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
who viewed the race from a private stand near the judge's chair. Ridden by Tom French, Favonius made little show in the early stages, but moved up to track the leaders entering the straight. He made steady progress to take the lead inside the final furlong and won easily by one and a half lengths from Albert Victor and King of the Forest who dead-heated for second place. The win was extremely popular with the huge crowd, and the Baron, identifiable by his white hat was mobbed by wellwishers as he attempted to return to his carriage. Rothschild was reported to have given £1,000 to Tom French for his ride on Favonius, with an additional £200 annuity for life. In July, Favonius won the Midsummer Stakes at Newmarket. On 27 July he ran in a much anticipated race for the
Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3 ...
in which he has matched against the French-trained
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 Mortemer. Favonius defeated the French horse, but was beaten half a length in a "most sensational race" by the 50/1 outsider Shannon to whom he was conceding ten pounds The very slow pace at which the race was run in the early stages led some commentators to consider the result a "fluke". In the Brighton Cup over two miles, Favonius started 4/6 favourite and won easily by three lengths. Favonius had not been entered for 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 ...
and did not race again until October when he appeared at Newmarket. In the Cambridgeshire Handicap he finished unplaced carrying a weight of 123 pounds. He walked over at Newmarket later in the month, after only rival, Sterling, was withdrawn to pursue a match against the American champion Harry Bassett. Favonius's winning prize money of £5,900 contributed towards Baron Rothschild being the leading owner of 1871.


1872: four-year-old season

In 1872, Favonius was aimed at the major staying races. Early in the year, Rothschild had reportedly turned down an offer of £12,000 for the colt. On his first start of the year he easily defeated Dutch Skater in a two-mile race at Newmarket in May. At Ascot in June he started 2/5 favourite for the Gold Cup in front of a crowd which included the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
and many other members of the British aristocracy. He looked impressive in the paddock and took the lead in the straight but was beaten by the French colt Henry. Two days later he ran in the Alexandra Plate over three miles and finished fourth behind
Musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...
In July he ran in his second Goodwood Cup and produced one of his best performances, taking the lead early in the straight and drawing clear to win by ten lengths from Albert Victor.


1873: five-year-old season

In his only race as a five-year-old, Favonius ran in the Goodwood Cup for a third time. He finished second to Flageolet, with Cremorne finishing tailed-off in third.


Assessment

In May 1886 ''
The Sporting Times ''The Sporting Times'' (founded 1865, ceased publication 1932) was a weekly British newspaper devoted chiefly to sport, and in particular to horse racing. It was informally known as ''The Pink 'Un'', as it was printed on salmon-coloured paper ...
'' carried out a poll of one hundred racing experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th century. Favonius was ranked thirty-third, having been placed in the top ten by seven of the contributors. He was the third highest-placed Derby winner of the 1870s and the sixth highest British horse of his decade behind Isonomy.


Stud career

Favonius was retired to his owner’s Mentmore stud. He stood for only four seasons before his death from a form of "Typhoid fever" in August 1877 when he was valued at £12,000. His most notable offspring was
Sir Bevys Sir Bevys (1876–1896) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1878 to 1879 he ran six times and won two races. His most important success came in the 1879 Epsom Derby: his only other win was in a selling ra ...
, who won the Derby in 1879.


Sire line tree

*FavoniusByerley Turk Line
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/ref>
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/ref> **Favo ***Primrose League **
Sir Bevys Sir Bevys (1876–1896) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1878 to 1879 he ran six times and won two races. His most important success came in the 1879 Epsom Derby: his only other win was in a selling ra ...
Talk of the Day
/ref> ***Aladdin ***Banter ***Bevil ***The Vicar ***Mountain Knight ***Country Boy ***Beaver ***Theodore ***The Rector ***Morglay ***Chilton Boy **Eusebe ***Le Torpilleur


Pedigree


References

{{Epsom Derby Winners 1868 racehorse births 1877 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Epsom Derby winners Thoroughbred family 3-c Byerley Turk sire line