Fortina (1941–1968) was a French-bred

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 who won the 1947

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlon ...

. He was and remains the only entire horse to win the race. After establishing himself as a top-class steeplechaser in France he was sent to England and won the Gold Cup on his second British start. He was then retired to become a breeding stallion and became a very successful sire of

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horses.

Background

Fortina was a

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

horse bred in France. He was the best horse sired by Formor, a French bred stallion and 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. Fortina's dam Bertina was a daughter of the leading French stallion La Farina and a female-line descendant of the influential Hungarian broodmare Kunst.

Racing career

Fortina began his racing career in France. He won four steeplechases and finished second to Lindor as a five-year-old in the 1946 Grand Steeplechase de Paris. In the autumn of 1946 he was bought by Lord Grimthorpe and brought to England to be trained by Hector Christie in

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and made a successful British debut in the Lancashire Chase. The winter of 1946/47 was exceptionally severe and many National Hunt fixtures, including the Cheltenham Festival, were either cancelled or postponed. The 20th running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup was eventually staged on 12 April with Fortina starting at odds of 8/1 in a twelve-runner field. The 3/1 favourite was

Dorothy Paget Dorothy Wyndham Paget (21 February 1905 – 9 February 1960) was a British racehorse owner and sponsor of motor racing. Early life Paget was the daughter of Almeric Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough, Lord Queenborough and Pauline Payne Whitney of ...

's eight-year-old Happy Home whilst the other leading contenders appeared to be Coloured Schoolboy (ridden by

Fred Rimell Thomas Frederic Rimell (24 June 1913 – 12 July 1981), better known as Fred Rimell, was a British champion National Hunt racing jockey and horse trainer. He was champion jockey three times and leading trainer five times. Rimell was the f ...

) and Prince Blackthorn. Ridden by the amateur Richard Black, Fortina raced in second place behind Chaka before taking the lead on the second circuit. He quickly went clear and was never in any danger of defeat, winning by ten lengths from Happy Home, with six lengths back to Prince Blackthorn in third. In the 1947/1948 National Hunt season Fortina was beaten by Silver Fame in the Emblem Chase and then finished unplaced behind Rowland Roy in the

King George VI Chase The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a dis ...

. He was then retired to stud.

Stud record

At the end of his racing career Fortina became a breeding stallion at the Grange Stud at

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,700 people. It is located in the barony (Ir ...

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. He proved to be a very successful National Hunt sire, with his offspring including

Fortria Fortria (foaled 1952) was an Ireland, Irish National Hunt horse best known as the first dual winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Champion Chase and winner of the inaugural Mackeson Gold Cup. Although very successful over two miles, he also ...

, Fort Leney (Cheltenham Gold Cup), Glencaraig Lady (Cheltenham Gold Cup), Brasher (

Scottish Grand National The Scottish Grand National is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of ab ...

), Flying Cottage ( Carolina Cup), Olympia (

Irish Grand National The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5, ...

) Splash (Irish Grand National) and Fort Devon (

Maryland Hunt Cup The Maryland Hunt Cup is a Timber race, which is an American Steeplechase. It was first run on May 26 1894 and won by Johnny Miller. Eight horses have won the race three times but no horse has won it four times. It is considered one of the mos ...

). He was also the only Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horse to sire another Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horse. Died on 13 May 1968

Assessment and honours

In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by th ...

rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Fortina an "average" Gold Cup winner. Fortina's name is remembered in Fortina Close, a residential street in Cheltenham.

Pedigree

References

{{Cheltenham Gold Cup winners 1941 racehorse births 1968 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 4-e Byerley Turk sire line Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Cheltenham Festival winners National Hunt racehorses