Sorcerer (1796–1821) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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 ...

. He ran mainly at Newmarket and won fifteen of his twenty-one races, including the October Oatlands Stakes in 1800. After retiring from racing he became a successful

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

and was the

leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of Horse racing, racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current (2023) cham ...

for three years. Amongst his progeny were

Morel ''Morchella'', the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales ( division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges ...

, Maid of Orleans, Wizard,

Soothsayer Soothsayer may refer to: * One practicing divination, including: ** Fortune-telling ** Haruspex ** Oracle ** Prophet ** Precognition Music * Soothsayers (band), a London-based Afrobeat and reggae group * '' The Soothsayer'', an album by Wayne Sh ...

Sorcery Sorcery commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Goetia, ''Goetia'', magic involving the evocation of spirits ** Witchcraft, the ...

Trophonius Trophonius (; Ancient Greek: Τροφώνιος ''Trophōnios'') was a Greek hero or daimon or god—it was never certain which one—with a rich mythological tradition and an oracular cult at Lebadaea (Λιβαδειά; ''Levadia'' or ''Livadei ...

Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; , ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. Cup-bearer of the god Dionysus, he was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr. His mythology occurs only in later antiquity. Duri ...

and Smolensko. He was bred and owned by Sir Charles Bunbury and died in 1821.

Background

Sorcerer was a

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 ...

colt bred by Sir Charles Bunbury and foaled in 1796. He grew to stand 16

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "han ...

inch The inch (symbol: in or prime (symbol), ) is a Units of measurement, unit of length in the imperial units, British Imperial and the United States customary units, United States customary System of measurement, systems of measurement. It is eq ...

high. He was sired by Trumpator, who raced mainly at Newmarket and won the

Claret Stakes The Claret Stakes was a flat horse race in Great Britain open to four-year-olds. It was run on the Ditch-In course at Newmarket over a distance of 2 miles (3,218 metres), and was scheduled to take place each year in early or mid April at the Cra ...

in 1786. Trumpator also became a successful

and was British Champion sire in 1803. He also sired

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

winner Didelot and the broodmares Pawn and

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and ...

. Sorcerer was the first foal of Young Giantess, a daughter of

Diomed Diomed (1777–1808) was an English Thoroughbred race horse who won the inaugural running of the Epsom Derby in 1780. Sold and imported to Virginia, he was subsequently a successful sire in the United States after the American Revolutionary War ...

, who also went on to produce

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

, Julia, Cressida and the Walton mare.

Racing career

1799: Three-year-old season

Sorcerer made his debut at the Newmarket Second October meeting. He started a Sweepstakes of 200

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

each for three-year-olds as the 2/1 favourite. In the two and a quarter mile race he finished second to Sir F. Standish's brother to Spread Eagle. Kite finished the race in third place and Rebel fourth. At the end of the month he beat Lord Clermont's Royala 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 five and a half

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 at Newmarket.

1800: Four-year-old season

On 28 April 1800 at Newmarket, Sorcerer lost a match race to Schedoni. Three days later he faced Chippenham in a match race over the Rowley Mile. Chippenham started as the 2/7 favourite, but Sorcerer won the 100 guineas race. In mid-May he beat Speculator in a one-mile race, again racing at Newmarket. Racing away from Newmarket for the first time, he won the King's Plate at Ipswich in July. The race was run in two two-mile heats, with Sorcerer winning both heats, beating a Pot-8-Os colt and Skyrocket. He returned to Newmarket for the July meeting, where he beat Cadet, Skyrocket and Gouty in the £50 race over two miles. After a few months off he returned to the track in October, when he lost a match race against

Symmetry Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is Invariant (mathematics), invariant und ...

at Newmarket. Later in the day he finished third behind winner Humbug in a 50 guineas race over the four-mile Beacon course. Two days later he finished as the runner-up to Worthy in the King's Plate, a race run over almost four miles. At Newmarket's Second October meeting he beat Surprise over two miles. He then contested the October Oatlands Stakes. Sorcerer started the one-mile race as the 11/5 favourite, with Georgiana at 4/1, Humbug at 5/1 and First Fruits at 7/1 also near the fore of the betting. Sorcerer won the race from Scrub, who finished second, with the other seven runners not being placed by the judge.

1801: Five-year-old season

Sorcerer returned to the track again in April 1801 at the Newmarket Craven meeting. He won a Subscription plate of £50, beating three rivals after starting as the odds-on favourite. He them collected a 50 guinea forfeit from Richmond, whom he was due to race at the First Spring meeting. At the same meeting he beat Sir Harry and Ploughboy to win a £50 Subscription, run over almost four miles. Two days later he faced Worthy and a Sir Peter colt in the King's Plate over 3 miles, furlongs. Worthy and Sorcerer finished in a

dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

and the race had to be decided in a run-off, which was won by Worthy. A further two days later, on the last day of the meeting, Sorcerer beat Richmond in a two-mile match race. The two horses met again in July, this time over four miles, with Sorcerer again coming out on top. The following day Sorcerer walked over for a £50 race over the two-mile Ditch-in course. At Oxford he beat Cordovan in both of the two three-mile heats to win £50 given by the

Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was a British army officer and statesman. From a gentry family, he ...

. On 29 July he walked over for King's Plate at Burford. His final race came on 15 August, when he beat Rebel for a Subscription of 10 guineas each over four miles at Lewes. He was then retired to

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

Stud career

Sorcerer stood as a stallion at

Great Barton Great Barton is a large village and civil parish in the West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, about East of Bury St Edmunds on the A143.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket, Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. In 1805 his stud fee was ten guineas and half a guinea for the

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and Groomsman, ...

. He was the

in 1811, 1812 and 1813. His most notable progeny were: *

(1805) – won a number of races, including the

Oaks Stakes 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 y ...

in 1808. * Maid of Orleans (1806) – won the Oaks in 1809. * Wizard (1806) – won 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 finished second in the 1809 Derby. He later beat Derby winner

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

in a match race in 1810. * Gramarie (1807) – was the dam of Derby winner Prince Leopold. *

(1808) – won the

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 ...

and Doncaster Stakes in 1811 and later beat Derby winner

Phantom Phantom, phantoms, or the phantom may refer to: * Spirit (metaphysics), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phanto ...

in 1813. He later became a Champion sire, producing 2000 Guineas winner

Interpreter Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the translation of a written text, which can be more deliberative and make use o ...

and Derby winner

Tiresias In Greek mythology, Tiresias (; ) was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, Greece, Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes (mythology), Everes and the nymph ...

along with many good broodmares. *

(1808) – won the Oaks and foaled Derby winner

Cadland Cadland (1825–1837) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In a career that lasted from April 1828 to 1831 he ran twenty-five times and won fifteen races, with several of his wins being walkovers in which al ...

. *

(1808) – won the 2000 Guineas in 1811. * Truffle (1808) – won many races at Newmarket and sired Abjer and

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 Champignon. *

(1809) – won the

. He sired 2000 Guineas winner

Grey Momus Grey Momus (1835 – 1856) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from August 1837 to 1839 he competed twenty-one times and won fourteen races. Grey Momus first attracted attention as a two-year-old when he re ...

and St. Leger winners

Reveller Reveller was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. His most significant win came in the 1818 St Leger Stakes, but he remained in training until 1823, winning numerous races in the North of England. He had a long rivalry with another northern ...

and

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Mathilda (gastropod), ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae * Matilda (horse) (1824–1 ...

. * Smolensko (1810) – won the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the

Newmarket Stakes The Newmarket Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) on ...

. After retiring from racing he sired Oaks winner Gulnare and St. Leger winner

Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (play), a 1914 American play ...

. * Sorcerer mare (1810) – was the dam of St. Leger winner

Jack Spigot Jack Spigot (4 May 1818 –June 1843) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1821 St. Leger Stakes and was a sire in the early 19th century. His paternity is attributed to either Ardrossan or Marmion. His mother was a blind mare w ...

. Sorcerer died in 1821, aged 25.

Sire line tree

*SorcererFoundation Sires: T
/ref>
/ref> **Thunderbolt ***Hymettus ** Wizard ***Warlock ***Young Wizard **

***Interpreter ***Welbeck ***

****Bud **

**Truffle ***Champignon ***Abjer **

***

***The Juggler ***Humphrey Clinker **** Rockingham ****Melbourne ***** Sir Tatton Sykes ***** West Australian *****Young Melbourne *****Emigrant ***Trinculo ***

****Seal ** Smolensko ***

****Tomboy *****Nutwith *****Trueboy ****Clearwell ****Jeremy Diddler ****Jericho *****The Promised Land **Bourbon ***Toss **ClavilenoBlack Hawk Pedigree
/ref> ***Captain Absolute

Pedigree

''Note: b. =

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

, bl. =

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 ...

, br. =

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

, ch. =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

'' * Sorcerer 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 × 3D to the stallion

Matchem Matchem (1748 – 21 February 1781), sometimes styled as Match 'em, was a Thoroughbred racehorse who had a great influence on the breed, and was the earliest of three 18th century stallions that produced the Thoroughbred sire-lines of today, in ...

, meaning that he appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and third generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em 1796 racehorse births 1821 racehorse deaths British Champion Thoroughbred Sires Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain Thoroughbred family 6-a Godolphin Arabian sire line