Octavius (horse)
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Octavius (1809–1831) 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. In a racing career that lasted from April 1812 to May 1814 he ran thirteen times and won four races. He recorded his most important success when winning the
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
. Octavius remained in training for two more seasons, his best subsequent performance coming when he won the Epsom Gold Cup as a four-year-old in 1813. At the end of 1814 Octavius was retired to stud where he had moderate success as a sire of winners.


Background

Octavius was sired by Orville a successful staying racehorse who excelled over extreme distances. At stud he was Champion sire in 1817 and 1822 and sired the Classic winners Emilius (Derby), Charlotte (
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 ...
), Zoë (1000 Guineas) and Ebor ( St Leger). Octavius's dam, Marianne, went on to produce Caroline, the winner of the 1820
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 ...
. Octavius was owned during his racing career by his breeder, the banker Robert Ladbroke, a friend of the
Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...
and Lord Egremont, whose horses were trained by Richard Boyce at
Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge. In 2021, it had a population of 16,772. It is a global ...
.


Racing career


1812: three-year-old season

Unraced as a two-year-old, Octavius made his first appearance at the 1812 Newmarket Craven meeting. On 30 March he started at odds of 5/1 in a 100
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Sweepstakes over the Abingdon Mile course and won from an unnamed gelding by Beningbrough. Just over two weeks later, Octavius contested 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 started 4/1 second favourite. He finished third of the seven runners behind Cwrw and Cato. On 14 May at
Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...
Octavius was fourth choice in the betting for the Derby at odds of 7/1 in a field of fourteen runners. Ridden by Bill Arnull, Octavius moved up to dispute the lead on the turn into the straight with the favourite Comus and Lord Egremont's unnamed Gohanna colt. Comus dropped back inside the last quarter mile leaving Octavius and the Gohanna colt to contest the finish "in desperate style", with Octavius prevailing by half a neck. The
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 ...
Manuella, who started second favourite, was believed to have been "pulled" (deliberately prevented from winning) by her jockey Sam Chifney in order to lengthen her odds for The Oaks on the following day. Octavius's next run came on 26 August at
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Racecourse where he carried top weight of 122 pounds in the Magna Charta Stakes. He started the 2/5 favourite but finished last of the four runners behind the Duke of York's colt Pointers.


1813: four-year-old season

Octavius's first run as a four-year-old came in a division of the Oatlands Stakes at Newmarket on 21 April. Carrying 114 pounds and starting 4/1 second favourite, he finished unplaced behind Mantidamun. At the next Newmarket meeting on 5 May, Octavius started favourite for the Port Stakes over two miles and finished second of the six runners behind Aquarius, with Pointers third. On 3 June Octavius returned to the scene of his most important success to contest the Epsom Gold Cup. He was last of the four runners in the early stages, but moved up to join the leaders on the turn into the straight and recorded his first win in a year by winning the two mile race from Sorcery and Defiance after an "extremely spirited" race . At Ascot two weeks later Octavius ran twice without success. In the Swinley Stakes he ran a dead heat with the three-year-old Aladdin, but was beaten in a run-off after what the ''Sporting Magazine'' described as "a fine race". On the following day, he was beaten by the six-year-old Offa's Dyke, his only opponent in a one mile Sweepstakes. On 16 July, Octavius ran in his second dead-heat of the summer when he tied with the four-year-old Jesse in a one and a half mile race at Stockbridge Racecourse. On this occasion Ladbroke agreed to divide the prize with Jesse's owner without a deciding heat.


1814: five-year-old season

As in the previous season, Octavius began 1814 with an unsuccessful run in a division of the Oatlands Stakes in April, finishing unplaced behind Pericles. At Newmarket's First Spring meeting on 28 April, he ran in a King's Plate, a three mile staying race in which he carried 154 pounds and finished second to Aquarius. On 26 May Octavius returned to Epsom for the third time, but on this occasion he was unsuccessful, finishing unplaced behind Aquarius and Mantidamun in the Epsom Gold Cup. He was then put up for sale at
Tattersalls Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founding It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. ...
where he was bought for 630 guineas by Lord Egremont and retired from racing.


Stud career

Octavius began his breeding career in 1815 at Lord Egremont's stud at Petworth. His stud fee of five and a half guineas made him a cheaper alternative to the other Petworth stallions Gohanna (20 guineas) and Canopus (10 guineas). Octavius was not a great success as a stallion, but he did sire the
Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4 ...
winner Sir Huldibrand, the good stayer Black-and-all-black (who was
black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
) and Little John, who in turn sired the 1839 Derby winner Frederick. He died at Petworth in 1831.


Sire line tree

*OctaviusSire Line: Beningbrough
/ref>
/ref> **Little John *** Frederick ***Little John ****Forester ****Egremont ****Merry Monarch **Black-and-all-black **Sir Huldibrand **Cricketer


Pedigree

* Octavius 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 4S x 4D x 4D to the stallion Herod, meaning that he appears fourth generation twice on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation twice on the dam side of his pedigree.


References

{{Epsom Derby Winners 1809 racehorse births 1831 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Epsom Derby winners Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 23-a