Sailor (1817–1820) 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. In a brief racing career in the spring and summer of 1820 he won both of his races including
The Derby. He collapsed and died on the Newmarket gallops shortly after his Derby win.
Background
Sailor was a tall, leggy chestnut horse
sired by Scud out of the mare Goosander. Goosander was a highly successful broodmare who also produced
The Oaks winner Shoveler and was a sister to the dam of the Derby winner
Sam. Sailor was trained by William Chifney and ridden in the Derby by Chifney’s younger brother,
Sam Chifney, Jr. Chifney was one of the outstanding jockeys of his era, and one of the first to hold horses up in the early stages of a race before finishing strongly: he became famous for this tactic which became known as the "Chifney Rush".
Racing career
Sailor was one of the leading fancies for the 1820 Derby before he appeared on a racecourse: in November 1819 he was being offered at odds of 15/1 for the race by British
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 ...
. Sailor won a sweepstakes at
Newmarket on his debut in spring 1820. The Derby was run in extremely difficult conditions 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 Sailor's birthday on 18 May. A violent storm on the eve of the race demolished many of the tents and booths which had been set up on the downs and left the ground very soft, which suited Sailor.
He started the second favourite at odds of
4/1 in a field of fifteen runners.
In a fast-run race, Sailor won the Derby easily by two lengths from Abjer, with the favourite
Pindarrie
Pindarrie (foaled 1817) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced five times and won the Riddlesworth Stakes and 2000 Guineas Stakes. He was owned by George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, and trained by Robert Robson. He only raced in 1820 ...
finishing fifth.
In the autumn of 1820, Sailor was being exercised on Newmarket Heath when he stumbled, staggered for two hundred yards and collapsed. He died on the spot from what was subsequently determined to be a burst blood vessel in his chest.
Pedigree
Sailor 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 ...
3S x 3D to the stallion
King Fergus
King Fergus (1775–1801) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He won several races, but achieved greater success as a sire. He was British Champion sire in 1797 and his progeny included St Leger Stakes winner Hambletonian, who was only defe ...
, meaning that he appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and third generation on the dam side of his pedigree.
Sailor is inbred 3S 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 third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.
^ Sailor is inbred 4S x 4S x 5S x 5D x 5D to the stallion
Herod, meaning that he appears fourth generation twice and fifth generation once (via Herod mare)^ on the sire side of his pedigree and fifth generation twice (via Highflyer and
Florizel)^ on the dam side of his pedigree.
Sailor is inbred 4S x 4S 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 fourth generation twice on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation once on the dam side of his pedigree.
References
{{Epsom Derby Winners
1817 racehorse births
1820 racehorse deaths
Epsom Derby winners
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Undefeated racehorses
Thoroughbred family 6-c