Middleton (1822 – 1847), also known as Chestnut Middleton, 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 ...

. His racing career consisted of a single race: a win in the 1825

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 ...

. Training problems prevented him from racing again, and he was retired undefeated to stud. He was exported to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in 1833.

Background

Middleton was a big, heavily built chestnut horse with a white blaze bred by his owner

George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey, GCH, PC (19 August 1773 – 3 October 1859), previously George Villiers and styled Viscount Villiers until 1805, was a British courtier and Conservative politician from the Villiers family. He adde ...

at his stud at

Middleton Stoney Middleton Stoney is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about west of Bicester, Oxfordshire, England. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 331. The parish measures about north–s ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. His sire, Phantom won the Derby in 1811 and went on to be Champion sire on two occasions. Middleton's dam, Web, was a half-sister of the Derby winner Whisker and became an extremely successful broodmare, her descendants including the

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

winners Glencoe, Cobweb (

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 ya ...

), Charlotte West (

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile ...

) and Riddlesworth (

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 ...

Racing career

Middleton was slow to mature and did not run as a two-year-old. In early 1825, however, he performed well in private trial races. Despite never having raced in public, he became the leading fancy for The Derby and was the subject of much heavy betting for the race, with Lord Jersey and the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

among the biggest gamblers. On the morning of the race, Middleton was the target of a plan by

bookmakers A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out gambling, bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Harry Ogden, stood at Newmarket Racecourse, Newmark ...

to prevent him winning the race. A stable lad was bribed to allow the colt to drink several buckets of water, leaving him bloated. Edwards responded by giving Middleton a four-mile exercise walk after which he professed himself satisfied with the colt's condition. Middleton started at odds of 7/4 against seventeen opponents and won cleverly, from Rufus, with Hogarth third. Both Jersey and Wellington reportedly claimed over £1,000 in winning bets. In autumn, Middleton was entered in several match races but did not run after either he or his opponent was withdrawn. Middleton began to suffer from

Navicular Disease Navicular syndrome, often called navicular disease, is a syndrome of lameness problems in horses. It most commonly describes an inflammation or degeneration of the navicular bone and its surrounding tissues, usually on the front feet. It can lead ...

which caused chronic lameness. It proved impossible to run him again, and he was retired to stud with an unbeaten record.

Stud career

Middleton stood as a stallion at the Horse Bazaar,

Portman Square Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal gardens. It mar ...

, London, where he had little success. In 1833, he was sold and exported to Russia. Middleton died in 1847.

Pedigree

* Middleton is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...

4S x 4D to the stallion

Highflyer Highflyer, highflier or high flyer may refer to: * Highflyer (horse), a British Thoroughbred racehorse * High flyer (fishing), a vertical floating pole used to locate fishing lines * HMS Highflyer, HMS ''Highflyer'', various Royal Navy ships * Yamh ...

, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree. ^ Middleton is inbred 5S x 6S x 4D x 5D to the stallion Herod, meaning that he appears fifth (via Highflyer) and sixth generation (via

Diomed Diomed (1777–1808) was an English Thoroughbred race horse who won the inaugural running of the Epsom Derby in 1780. Sold and imported to Virginia, he was subsequently a successful sire in the United States after the American Revolutionary War ...

) on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth and fifth generation (via Highflyer) on the dam side of his pedigree. ^ Middleton is inbred 5S x 4D to the stallion

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...

, meaning that he appears fifth generation (via

Saltram Saltram House is a grade I listed George II era house in Plympton, Devon, England. It was deemed by the architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner to be "the most impressive country house in Devon". The house was designed by the architect Ro ...

) on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

References

{{Epsom Derby Winners 1822 racehorse births 1847 racehorse deaths Epsom Derby winners Undefeated racehorses Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 1-s Byerley Turk sire line