Rhadamanthus (horse)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rhadamanthus (1787 – after 1795) 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 ...
. In a career that lasted from April 1790 to 1793 he ran nine times and won five races. In the summer of 1790 he proved himself one of the best British colts of his generation, winning The Derby while still undefeated. He raced until the age of six, winning three further races. All of his runs apart from the Derby were at Newmarket.


Background

Rhadamanthus, described as either a bay or brown horse, was bred by his owner Lord Grosvenor from his mare Flyer, who went on to produce the 1794 Derby winner
Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...
. Rhadamanthus and Daedalus were the most notable horses sired by Lord Grosvenor's horse Justice, who during his racing career had won two races at Newmarket.


Racing career


1790: three-year-old season

Rhadamanthus made his first racecourse appearance at Newmarket's First Spring meeting on 25 April, when he contested a division of the Prince's Stakes "Across the flat" (ten
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). He started the
even money Even money is a wagering proposition with even odds - the bettor stands to lose or win the same amount of money. Beyond gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stake ...
favourite and won from
Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869), known as Lord Stanley from 1834 to 1851, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served three times as Prime Minister of the United K ...
's Lee Boo and the
Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 for Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of Fran ...
's Thunderbolt. At the next Newmarket meeting he was withdrawn from a match race against Lord Egremont's colt Precipitate, with Lord Grosvenor paying a forfeit. Lord Grosvenor was strongly represented in the Derby 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 ...
on 22 May. Apart from Rhadamanthus, the 5/4 favourite, he was also represented by Asparagus, who was second in the betting at 4/1. Ridden by John Arnull (or Arnold), Rhadamanthus beat his stable companion to win the ten runner race, with Lee Boo finishing third. Rhadamanthus was off the racecourse for almost five months before returning for two races at Newmarket in autumn. On 19 October he ran in a
Sweepstakes In the United States, a sweepstake is a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcast ...
for three-year-olds over the two-mile "Ditch In" course. Starting at odds of 1/3 against six opponents, he won from the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
's colt Fitzwilliam. Rhadamanthus's unbeaten run came to an end on 1 November, when he finished second to Asparagus at level weights in a five-runner Sweepstakes Across the Flat.


1791: four-year-old season

Rhadamanthus was entered for the Claret Stakes on 13 May, but did not run. His first and only appearance in 1791 was at Newmarket's July meeting where he contested a Sweepstakes for four-year-olds over ten furlongs. He started the 5/4 favourite and won from Chanticleer, who was conceding eleven pounds, Old Gold and Caroline, earning 1,350 guineas for Lord Grosvenor.


1792: five-year-old season

Rhadamanthus's first run of 1792 came in the Oatlands Stakes, a handicap race at Newmarket over two miles on 7 April. With more than fifty subscribers paying 100 guineas to enter, the race's prize of 5,375 guineas made it far more valuable than any of the
Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...
– the Derby for instance attracted thirty-two entries at 50 guineas for a prize of 1,600 guineas. Rhadamanthus started the 5/2 favourite in a field of twenty runners but finished unplaced behind Mr Bullock's horse Toby. Later that month Lord Grosvenor claimed a prize of 1,200 guineas when Rhadamanthus was allowed to walk over in a Sweepstakes over Newmarket's Round Course, the other fifteen entries having been withdrawn Rhadamanthus made his only other start of the season at Newmarket in autumn. On 18 October he finished unplaced behind Mr Bullock's horse Halbert in a 60 guinea
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 ...
race over the Ditch In course.


1793: six-year-old season

Rhadamanthus ran only once in his final season. On 30 April he received eleven pounds from Mr Wilson's six-year-old Buzzard and was beaten in a
match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams cons ...
over the Rowley Mile course.


Stud career

By 1795, Radamanthus had been sold to William Frisby and was standing for one guinea and a half crown at various locations in
Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
, cycling throughout the week between
Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough District, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the United Kingdom census, 2021, 2021 census. It is the ad ...
, Stamford,
Uppingham Uppingham is a market town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. ...
, and
Oakham Oakham is a market town and civil parish in Rutland (of which it is the county town) in the East Midlands of England. The town is located east of Leicester, southeast of Nottingham and northwest of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,14 ...
. The only foals sired by "Rhadamanthus" in the General Stud Book were the progeny of another stallion of the same name who was foaled in 1815.


Pedigree


References

{{Epsom Derby Winners 1787 racehorse births Epsom Derby winners Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain Thoroughbred family 1-a Byerley Turk sire line