Meadow Court (1962-c. 1982) was a British-bred, Irish-trained

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 ...

. He won the Irish Derby and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1965.

Background

He was bred by the American heiress Elisabeth Ireland Poe who owned Shawnee Farm in Harrodsburg, Kentucky as well as a racing and breeding operation in Ireland. Meadow Court was sired by Court Harwell, and out of the mare Meadow Music. His grandsire was Prince Chevalier, the Leading sire in France in 1960, and his damsire the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee,

Tom Fool Tom Fool (March 31, 1949 – August 20, 1976) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1953 American Horse of the Year and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Racing Hall of Fame. He sired the champi ...

. Meadow Court was owned by

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

businessman Max Bell and Frank McMahon, the owners of Golden West Farms, and the famous American singer,

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

Racing career

Meadow Court had the bad luck to be born the same year as the great colt,

Sea-Bird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adaptation, adapted to life within the marine ecosystem, marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent ...

, behind whom he finished second in the 1965

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

. However, that year Meadow Court went on to win the Irish Derby. In the winner's circle at the Curragh, Bing Crosby sang '' When Irish Eyes Are Smiling'' for the crowd. Meadow Court then gave

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

Lester Piggott Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and horse trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the grea ...

his first win in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In the autumn, starting at long odds on, Meadow Court ran second to Provoke in the St. Leger Stakes on a rain-soaked Town Moor (Doncaster). A month later, the horse travelled over to Paris to contest the Prix l'Arc de Triomphe. His pacemaker, Khalife, was unable to get to the front and Meadow Court finished a distant ninth to Sea Bird.

Stud career

Retired to stud duty, Meadow Court's offspring met with modest success. The product of his last mating was born in 1981.

References

Video at YouTube of Meadow Court in the 1965 Epsom Derby

Meadow Court's pedigree and partial racing stats
{{King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Winners 1962 racehorse births Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Irish Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 11-f King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners