Saddlers' Hall (26 May 1988 – 9 April 2008) was an Irish-bred, British-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 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 ...

. After finishing fifth in his only race as a juvenile he developed into a high class staying colt in 1991, winning the

King Edward VII Stakes The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 m ...

and finishing second the

St Leger 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 ...

. He reached his peak in the first half of the following season, winning four consecutive

Group races Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Trio ...

: the

John Porter Stakes The John Porter Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs ( ...

Ormonde Stakes The Ormonde Stakes is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 5&n ...

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...

and

Princess of Wales's Stakes The Princess of Wales's Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Thoroughbred horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Cour ...

. He was retired to stud at the end of the year and had some success as a breeding stallion, siring the St Leger winner

Silver Patriarch Silver Patriarch (8 May 1994 – 11 October 2009) was a racehorse, winner of the 1997 St Leger and of seven other races. He was ridden by Pat Eddery in all but three of his races. The horse was bred in Ireland, by Saddlers' Hall and out of the ...

. He died in 2008 at the age of twenty.

Background

Saddlers' Hall was a bay horse with a white blaze and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

on his left hind leg bred in Ireland by the

Ballymacoll Stud Ballymacoll Stud is a Thoroughbred stud farm of 300 acres in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballymacoll, approximately two miles from the village of Dunboyne and four miles (6 km) from the town of Maynooth. Under t ...

. He was from the third crop of foals sired by

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...

, who won the

Irish 2,000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it ...

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown ...

and

Irish Champion Stakes The Irish Champion Stakes ( Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2 ...

in 1984 went on to be the Champion sire on fourteen occasions. Saddlers' Hall's dam, Sunny Valley, also bred at Ballymacoll, had previously produced the outstanding racemare

Sun Princess Sun Princess may refer to: * ''Sun Princess'' (ship), various ships * Sun Princess (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse * Sun Princess, the title given to the second place winner of the Sun and Salsa Festival pageant See also * Princess Sun Prin ...

and was the direct female ancestor of the St Leger winner

Millenary Millenary is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He won the St. Leger Stakes in 2000, and, unusually for a Classic winner, stayed in training until the age of eight, winning many important races over middle and long dist ...

and the double

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

winner

Conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit cur ...

. Saddlers Hall raced in the colours of Ballymacoll's owner

Arnold Weinstock Arnold Weinstock, Baron Weinstock, Kt., OMRI, FSS (29 July 1924 – 23 July 2002) was an English industrialist and businessman known for making General Electric Company one of Britain's most profitable companies. The City (London) criticized ...

and was trained throughout his racing career by

Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...

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 ...

. The colt was named after the London base of the

Worshipful Company of Saddlers The Worshipful Company of Saddlers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. A Guild of Saddlers, the Company's predecessor, is thought to have been an Anglo-Saxon Craft Guild – it certainly existed at some point in the eleventh ...

Racing career

1990 & 1991: two & three-year-old season

On his only appearance as a two-year-old, Saddlers' Hall started 11/10 favourite against ten opponents (including several previous winners) in the Houghton Stakes over seven

furlongs 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 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains, or approximately 201 metres. It is no ...

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

on 20 October. Ridden by

Walter Swinburn Walter Robert John Swinburn (7 August 1961 – 12 December 2016) was a flat racing jockey and trainer who competed in Great Britain and internationally. Biography Swinburn was born in Oxford. He was the son of Wally Swinburn, who won t ...

he chased the leaders but was unable to accelerate in the closing stages and finished fifth behind Junk Bond. Saddlers' Hall began his second season by starting 7/4 favourite the May Stakes over ten furlongs at Newmarket on 2 May. Partnered by the veteran

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 ...

he took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by a neck from Adam Smith. Piggott was again in the saddle when the colt contested the

Glasgow Stakes The Glasgow Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Hamilton Park over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 15 yards (2,227 metres), and it ...

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...

two weeks later and finished second, beaten six lengths by the

Guy Harwood Guy Harwood (born 10 June 1939) is a retired British racehorse trainer. Background Harwood was born in Pulborough, West Sussex, in 1939. His father, Wally made the family fortune with his garage business, founded in 1931. Harwood began riding ...

-trained Cruachan. On 18 June at

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...

, Saddlers' Hall was stepped up in class for the Group Two King Edward VII Stakes. Corrupt, who had started joint-favourite for The Derby, headed the betting from the unbeaten Secret Haunt with Saddlers' Hall the 7/1 third choice alongside the French challenger Malmsey and Peking Opera (third in the

Chester Vase The Chester Vase is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 63 yards () at ...

). Piggott sent the colt into the lead from the start before drawing away in the straight to win "unchallenged" by six lengths from Secret Haunt. Saddlers' Hall was then stepped up to the highest class and matched against older horses for the first time to contest Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the

King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

at Ascot on 27 July. He took the lead after five furlongs and led the field into the straight but was overtaken two furlongs out and faded to finish sixth behind

Generous Generous is an adjective form of generosity. Generous may also refer to: * Generous (horse) Generous (8 February 1988 – 15 January 2013) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1991 won both the Epsom and the Irish ...

. In August Saddlers' Hall was dropped in class and started favourite for the

Great Voltigeur Stakes The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and ...

at York but was beaten into second place by Corrupt, to whom he was conceding three pounds in weight. In the

St Leger 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 ...

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 ...

on 14 September Saddlers' Hall and Corrupt met again and started the 13/2 joint third favourites behind the French-trained

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

and the undefeated Micheletti. Ridden by John Reid he took the lead three furlongs out and opened up a clear advantage over his rivals but was overtaken by Toulon inside the final furlong and finished second, beaten one and a half lengths. On his final appearance of the season he was sent to the United States for the

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

on 2 November and made no impact, finishing tenth of the twelve runners behind

Miss Alleged Miss Alleged (1987–2008) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who was a Champion in the United States and one of only two fillies to ever win the Breeders' Cup Turf. Background Foaled in Kentucky, she was out of the mare, Miss Tusculum. Her ...

1992: four-year-old season

Saddlers' Hall began his third season in the

John Porter Stakes The John Porter Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs ( ...

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's List of ...

on 11 April in which he was ridden for the first time by

Pat Eddery Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...

. Starting the 9/4 favourite in an eleven-runner field he took the lead approaching the final furlong and pulled away to win by ten lengths from

Shambo Shambo ( c. 2001 – 26 July 2007) was a black Friesian bull living in the interfaith Skanda Vale Temple near Llanpumsaint in Wales who had been adopted by the local Hindu community as a sacred animal. He came to public attention in April ...

. On 7 May Saddlers' Hall started odds-on the favourite for the Ormonde Stakes at

Chester Racecourse Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, is a racecourse located in Chester, England. The horse racing venue is officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the "oldest racecourse still in operation". Horse racing in Chester dates ...

and won by ten lengths from Arcadian Heights in a "canter". Swinburn regained the ride when Saddlers' Hall started 5/4 favourite or the Group One Coronation Cup at

Epsom Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 includin ...

on 4 June. His eight rivals included

Subotica Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...

, Rock Hopper (twice winner of the

Hardwicke Stakes The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), an ...

Snurge Snurge (12 March 1987 – November 2006), was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from September 1989 until September 1994, he ran thirty-four times and won seven races. He recorded his most im ...

Terimon Terimon (20 April 1986–16 September 2008) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. His most successful year was 1991, when he won the International Stakes at York and was named European Champion Older Horse at the inaugural Cartier Raci ...

and the Stoute stable's

pacemaker A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...

Mellaby. Saddlers' Hall turned into the straight in fourth place behind Mellaby, took the lead a quarter mile from the finish and held on under strong pressure to win by three quarters of a length from Rock Hopper with Terimon, Subotica and Always Friendly close behind. The win saw him regarded as probably the best middle-distance horse of his time in the United Kingdom. On 7 July Saddlers' Hall recorded his fourth consecutive Group race success when he started odds-on favourite for the Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket and won by three lengths from Luchiroverte with Mashaallah in third. At the end of the month Saddlers' Hall ran for the second time in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes in which he was ridden by Willie Carson and started second favourite. He proved no match for the Irish-trained three-year-old

St Jovite St Jovite (11 March 1989 – 9 January 2016) was an American bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse bred and owned by Virginia Kraft Payson. He was sired by Pleasant Colony, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His dam ...

but stayed on to take second ahead of his stablemate

Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

. After a break of over two months Saddlers' Hall returned for an autumn campaign but failed to recover his best form. In the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...

on 4 October he led for most of the way but faded badly in the straight and finished fifteenth of the eighteen runners behind Subotica. Two weeks later he was sent to

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

for the

Canadian International Stakes The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses from three years of age and upwards on Turf. It is held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is . History The Cana ...

and finished fifth behind Snurge.

Stud record

Saddlers' Hall was retired from racing and became a breeding stallion at the

Cheveley Park Stud Cheveley Park Stud is a thoroughbred racehorse ownership and breeding operation in Newmarket, Suffolk, UK, which has bred and owned many notable horses. It is the oldest stud in Newmarket, the "capital" of British racing, with evidence of h ...

in Newmarket. He joined the

Coolmore Stud Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is the headquarters of one of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champio ...

in 2000 and was sent to Ireland where he was based at the Castlehyde Stud and later moved to Grange Stud. He died of a heart attack when covering a mare on 9 April 2008. His most successful flat runners were the

St Leger 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 ...

winner

and Endless Hall who won the

Gran Premio di Milano The Gran Premio di Milano is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Milan over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June. The event ...

and

Singapore Airlines International Cup The Singapore Airlines International Cup was a Group 1 flat horse race in Singapore open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It was run at Kranji over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), in May each year. It was discontinued from ...

. He also had some success as a sire of

National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...

performers including Teaatral whose victories included the

Rendlesham Hurdle The Rendlesham Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ a ...

and the Grosvenor Casinos Long Distance Hurdle.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1988 racehorse births 2008 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 1-l