Grey Sovereign (1948–1976) 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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

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 ...

. As a racehorse he was a successful sprinter but not a champion, recording his biggest success when he won 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 ...

as a two-year-old in 1950. His career was compromised by his difficult and unpredictable temperament. After his retirement from racing he became a successful and influential breeding stallion.

Background

Grey Sovereign was a grey horse bred by the bookmaker William Hill. He was sired by Nasrullah who was the

Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of Horse racing, 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 (2023) cham ...

in 1951 and went on went on to become the

Leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading Father, sire of Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to Stallio ...

on five occasions. Grey Sovereign's dam, Kong, was a sprinter whose victories included the Wokingham Stakes 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 ...

. Kong also produced Grey Sovereign's three-quarter brother Nimbus (sired by Nasrullah's sire Nearco) who won the

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each yea ...

and The Derby in 1949. As a yearling Grey Sovereign was offered for sale. George Colling, who had trained Nimbus, was interested in the colt but was deterred from buying him by his fractious behaviour in the sales ring. He was bought for 6,700

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

by J K Measures and sent into training with George Beeby.

Racing career

As a racehorse, Grey Sovereign was described as "brilliant but hot-tempered". He recorded his most important success as a two-year-old when he won the Richmond Stakes over six

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s at

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in l ...

. In the same year he finished third to Belle of All and Royal Serenade in the National Breeders' Produce Stakes after having been left behind at the start, and was the beaten favourite in the

Coventry Stakes The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...

. In the following year he finished second to Hard Sauce in the Challenge 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 ...

. As a four-year-old, Grey Sovereign won the Festival Stakes at Birmingham Racecourse in June, beating Royal Serenade by a head. He was narrowly beaten by Royal Serenade in 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 ...

, but returned to win the Union Stakes at Birmingham in September.

Stud career

At the end of his racing career, Grey Sovereign was retired to stud where he became a very successful breeding stallion. He was the leading sire of two-year-olds in Britain in 1958 and 1961 and the leading sire of two-year-olds in France in 1967. Grey Sovereign was retired from stud duty in 1972 and died on 4 January 1976. Grey Sovereign's offspring included: *Don, winner of the

Poule d'Essai des Poulains Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan languages, Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in :id:Molof, Senggi, Keerom, Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency. Classification Stephen Wurm, Wurm (1975) placed it a ...

*Fortino, sire of

Caro Caro may refer to: Places * Caro, Michigan, United States * Caro, Morbihan, France * Çaro, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France Other uses * Caro (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Caro (surname), including a list of peo ...

*Grey Monarch, winner of the

Saratoga Special Stakes The Saratoga Special Stakes is an American grade II thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six furlongs on the dirt. With its first ru ...

*Gustav, winner of the

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

* La Tendresse, top-rated European two-year-old *Raffingora, winner of the Temple Stakes and King George Stakes *Sovereign Lord, winner of the Gimcrack Stakes *Sovereign Path, winner of the

Lockinge Stakes The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at New ...

and

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II 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 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...

, sire of Humble Duty *Young Emperor, winner of 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 ...

* Zeddaan, winner of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and a successful sire

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1948 racehorse births 1976 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 6-f Chefs-de-Race