Turcoman (1824 – 12 April 1846) was a British

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 notable for winning the

2000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...

in 1827.

Background

Turcoman was sired by

Selim Salim, Saleem or Selim may refer to: People *Salim (name), or Saleem or Salem or Selim, a name of Arabic origin *Salim (poet) (1800–1866) *Saleem (playwright) (fl. 1996) *Selim I, Selim II and Selim III, Ottoman Sultans * Selim people, an eth ...

, who had won the Craven Stakes and the Oatlands Stakes at Newmarket. Selim was British champion sire in 1814, siring the classic winners Azor (

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 ...

), Medora (Oaks), Nicolo (

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 ...

), and the

filly by Selim The Filly by Selim (1812 – 26 May 1815) was an unnamed British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the second running of the classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket Racecourse in 1815. The filly was killed after falling in the Oaks Stakes, her only o ...

( 1000 Guineas) as well as the British Champion sire Sultan. Turcoman's dam,

Pope Joan Pope Joan (''Ioannes Anglicus'', 855–857) was, according to legend, a woman who reigned as pope for two years during the Middle Ages. Her story first appeared in chronicles in the 13th century and subsequently spread throughout Europe. The ...

, was a successful broodmare that also produced Tontine (1000 Guineas) and his full-sister Turquoise (Oaks), among many other winners. Turcoman was Pope Joan's tenth foal out of 14 offspring produced before her death in 1830.

Racing career

1828: four-year-old season

Turcoman was sold to Lord Henry Seymour, the founder of the French Jockey Club and the second son of the Marquess of Hertford, in 1828 and was briefly exported to France. Lord Henry bought Turcoman and the colt Link Boy (winner of the 1827

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,2 ...

) specifically to race against the five-year-old French mare Vittoria (sired by Milton out of Geane), owned by the Duke of Guiche. Vittoria later produced the winners Romulus ( Prix du Jockey Club),

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(

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and three-time Prix du Cadran) and Vegogne (

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 met ...

). Turcoman won a 2000-meter match race on the Champ-de-Mars against the horse Flamingo, but the win was disputed. Lord Henry sold Turcoman to Mr. Payne two days before he received notice of a rematch race from Guiche. Payne returned Turcoman to Great Britain for the 1829 season.

Breeding career

After returning from France, Turcoman stood at Finnebrogue House, near

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be th ...

for much of the 1830s and 40s, commanding a fee of between four and five guineas. Turcoman died of a kidney ailment on 12 April 1846 while under the ownership of a Mr. Stanier, who lived at Horton, near Wem, Shropshire.

References

{{2000 Guineas Winners 1824 racehorse births 1846 racehorse deaths 2000 Guineas winners