Ninety-three (foaled 1790) 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 ...

best known for winning 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 ...

St Leger Stakes 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 ...

in 1793. He was one of the least successful of classic winners, with the St Leger being his only victory in a six race career which lasted from May 1793 until September 1794. After his retirement from racing he does not appear to have been used as a breeding stallion. His name has also been rendered as Ninety three, Ninety Three and Ninety-Three.

Background

Ninety-three was a

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horse bred by John Clifton. He was sired by Florizel, a successful racehorse whose other offspring included The Derby winners Diomed and Eager, as well as the St Leger winner Tartar. Ninety-three was the third of twelve foals produced by his dam Nosegay, a mare bred by the

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. Before he appeared for his first race, the colt appears to have been sold to Thomas Vernon and then sold again to John Hutchinson.

Racing career

1793: three-year-old season

''Mr. Hutchinson's ch c. Ninety three, by Florizel, bought of Mr. Vernon'' made his first appearance on 30 May at

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. In a one and a half mile sweepstakes he finished fourth of the seven runners behind a

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

named Hornet. During the summer of 1793 the colt was bought back by his breeder and reappeared at

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 flat races, the St Leger ...

in autumn in Clifton's

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. On 24 September he was one of eight three-year-olds to contest the St Leger, and started a 15/1 outsider. Ridden by William Peirse, he won the classic by outpacing Foreigner, with the 2/1 favourite Hornet in third place. On the following afternoon he ran in the

weight-for-age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rou ...

Gold Cup over four miles and finished third of the seven runners behind Hutchinson's colt Oberon.

1794: four-year-old season

Ninety-three failed to win in three races as a four-year-old in 1794, although he finished first in two preliminary heats. He made his first appearance of the season on 9 July at

Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture ...

when he raced in a sweepstakes run in a series of three-mile heats, with the prize going to the first horse to win twice. He defeated his only opponent a six-year-old named Tommy in the first heat, but was beaten in the next two. In this race he was incorrectly described by the Racing Calendar as being a

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colt. At Preston, two weeks later (described as a

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) he contested another race in heats for a prize donated by the

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. He finished second, first and third before finishing third again in the deciding heat. In September, he returned to the scene of his St Leger victory for a second attempt at Doncaster's Gold Cup. He finished fourth of the seven runners behind the 1794 St Leger winner Beningbrough.

Stud career

Ninety-three never appeared on the lists of stallions whose services were advertised in the ''Racing Calendar'', and he has no offspring listed in the ''General Stud Book''. He may have died of natural causes or been euthanised after his final race, although it is possible that he was gelded and used as a

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Pedigree

* Ninety-three 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 ...

2S x 3D to the stallion Herod, meaning that he appears second generation on the sire side of his pedigree and third generation on the dam side of his pedigree. * Ninety-three is inbred 4D x 3D to the stallion Snap, meaning that he appears fourth and third generation once each dam side of his pedigree.

References

{{St Leger Winners 1790 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain Thoroughbred family 3 Byerley Turk sire line St Leger winners