Tudor Minstrel (1944–1971) was a British-bred Champion

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic ...

. In a career which lasted from the spring of 1946 until September 1947 he ran ten times and won eight races. He was unbeaten in four races in 1946, a year in which he was the highest-rated two-year-old in Britain, despite ending his season in July. The following year he won the

2,000 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 (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year ...

St. James's Palace Stakes The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards (1,603 metres). It is sched ...

and Knights Royal Stakes over one mile but was beaten in his two attempts at longer distances, most notably when starting odds-on favourite for the 1947

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey ...

Background

Tudor Minstrel was a handsome, powerfully built brown horse bred by his owner John Athur Dewar. Dewar inherited his thoroughbred racehorses from his uncle, the Scottish

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...

distiller

Thomas Dewar, 1st Baron Dewar Thomas Robert "Tommy" Dewar, 1st Baron Dewar (6 January 1864 – 11 April 1930) was a Scottish whisky distiller who, along with his brother John Dewar, built their family label, Dewar's, into an international success. They blended their whisk ...

. These horses included Lady Juror, who became a successful broodmare, producing

Fair Trial A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

and Sansonnet. Sansonnet in turn produced the

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is sched ...

winner Neolight before becoming the dam of Tudor Minstrel, who was sired by

Owen Tudor Sir Owen Tudor (, 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Background O ...

, the 1941

winner.

Racing career

1946: two-year-old season

Tudor Minstrell began his racing career by winning races at Bath and

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

in the spring of 1946. He was then sent to

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...

where he won the

Coventry Stakes The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ea ...

by four lengths. In July he won the National Breeders Produce Stakes at Sandown Park by four lengths and was then retired for the season. At the end of the year, Tudor Minstrel was given a weight of 133 pounds in the Free Handicap, a rating of the best British two-year-olds, making him the leading juvenile of the season.

1947: three-year-old season

Tudor Minstrel began his 1947 by winning a minor race at Bath and then started 11/8 favourite for 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 (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year ...

at Newmarket. Ridden by Gordon Richards, Tudor Minstrel won the one mile 2,000 Guineas by eight lengths, from Saravan, with Sayajirao in third. The winning margin was the biggest recorded in the race in the 20th century. Richards eased the colt down in the final furlong, leading contemporary observers to believe that Tudor Minstrel could have won the race by twenty lengths. In the aftermath of his Guineas win, he was described as the "horse of the century". In the Derby, Tudor Minstrel started at odds of 4/7 at Epsom on a cold, wet day in front of an estimated 400,000 spectators including the

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and

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

. Doubts about his stamina were countered by those who pointed out that his pedigree contained many good stayers, with one observer stating that Tudor Minstrel could win the race even if he were hitched to a cart. He failed to settle in the early stages and tired in the straight, finishing fourth behind Pearl Diver. Later in June, Tudor Minstrel returned to one mile for the

and won easily. In July, the colt was again tried over middle distances in the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furl ...

at Sandown but finished second behind Migoli. In Autumn, Tudor Minstrel appeared for the final time and won the Knight's Royal Stakes at Ascot, a race which was the forerunner of the

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...

, beating a field which included

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and the leading sprinter The Bug.

Assessment

British rating company

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

have Tudor Minstrel ranked equal third among post-war European racehorses, level with

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but behind Sea-Bird and

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Stud career

Retired for breeding purposes, Tudor Minstrel was successful at stud, siring numerous winners including the 1959

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...

winner Tomy Lee. Other sons included

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north ...

, Tudor Melody and Will Somers, all three of whom were primarily an influence for speed. Sing Sing sired Song, who in turn sired the brilliant sprinting mare and 1993 European Horse of the Year Lochsong. Tudor Melody was the sire of British champion older horse Welsh Pageant, who had his own success at stud as the damsire of champions Celtic Swing and Ouija Board. The continuation of the Tudor Minstrel male line now depends on the Will Somers line, via the sons of European champion sprinter Cadeaux Genereux.

Pedigree

References

{{2000 Guineas winners 1944 racehorse births 1971 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 9-c Chefs-de-Race 2000 Guineas winners