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Windsor Lad (1931–1943) 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. As a three-year-old in 1934, he won both The Derby and 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 ...
in record time. In 1935, he won the
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 the
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 ...
before his career was ended by injury.


Background

Windsor Lad was sired by the three-time Champion sire
Blandford Blandford Forum ( ) is a market town in Dorset, England, on the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour, north-west of Poole. It had a population of 10,355 at the United Kingdom 2021 census, 2021 census. The town is notable for its Georgian archit ...
out of the 1926
Epsom Oaks 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 ya ...
runner-up Resplendent. He was described as "a good, hard bay, level of back, with a well-placed shoulder and broad hips" who possessed a "resolute and calm" temperament. As a yearling he was sent to the sales by his Irish breeder, Dan Sullivan, where he was sold for 1,300 gns to the Indian Maharaja of Rajpipla. Windsor Lad was sent into training with
Marcus Marsh Marcus Maskell Marsh (1904–1983) was an English racehorse trainer. He was the son of the trainer Richard Marsh. His British Classic wins included The Derby and St. Leger with Tulyar (1952) and Windsor Lad (1934) as well as the 2,000 Guin ...
at
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 ...
and accompanied his trainer when he relocated to
Lambourn Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of r ...
after the 1933 season. Windsor Lad was ridden in most of his races by Charles "Charlie" Smirke, a controversial figure who was returning after being "warned off" (banned) for five years after he was suspected of "stopping" a horse.


Racing career


1933: two-year-old season

Windsor Lad won two races as a juvenile including the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket in October, but was slow to mature and was not among the leaders of his generation.


1934: three-year-old season

In 1934, Windsor Lad emerged as a Derby candidate by winning two trial races, 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 ...
on 8 May and the Newmarket Stakes. In The Derby he started at 15/2 joint second favourite, in a field of nineteen, with the undefeated
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 ...
winner
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starting favourite. The race was run of fast ground in front of a crowd estimated at between 300,000 and 500,000. Ridden by Charlie Smirke, Windsor Lad was second turning into the straight before taking the lead a furlong out. He was strongly challenged by Easton and Colombo but ran on strongly to win by a length and a neck. The winning time of 2:34.0 equalled the race record set by Hyperion the previous year. The Maharaja celebrated with a lavish party at the Savoy Hotel which featured a performing elephant arrayed in his purple and cream racing colours. Windsor Lad started favourite for his first race against older horses in the
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 ...
at
Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, England. The neighbouring resort of Shanklin and the settlement of Lake, Isle of Wight, Lake are sited just to the south of t ...
in July. Smirke held the colt up but became "jammed against the rail" in the straight. By the time he had extricated the Derby winner, the race was effectively over and although Windsor Lad finished strongly he finished only third, beaten half a length and the same by the four-year-olds King Salmon and Umidwar. During the summer of 1934, there were proposals for special international race at either
Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...
or
Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...
between Windsor Lad, the American champion
Cavalcade A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass distance ride by a company of riders. Sometimes the focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display and the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. ...
and the leading French colt Admiral Drake ( Brantôme, probably the best three-year-old of 1934 was a sick horse during the summer) but the plans did not come to fruition. After the Eclipse Stakes, Windsor Lad was sold for a sum of £50,000 to the bookmaker Martin H. Benson. Windsor Lad won the Great Yorkshire Stakes and in the St Leger at Doncaster the colt returned to his best form. He started at odds of 4/9 with the connections of his rivals conceding that they had little prospect of upsetting the favourite. In front of a crowd estimated at a quarter of a million, Smirke tracked the leader before moving the colt in to the lead three furlongs from the finish. Windsor Lad was never challenged and won going away by two lengths from Tiberius in a record-equalling time of 3:01.6. As of 2012, the record remains unsurpassed. After the race he was described as "one of the finest horses the English turf has seen in many seasons."


1935: four-year-old season

Windsor Lad was unbeaten as a four-year-old. After winning the Burwell Stakes he faced Easton in the
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 ...
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 ...
. The race was much anticipated, and was seen as being a match between Easton's speed and Windsor Lad's stamina. Windsor Lad prevailed in the race, beating Easton by a length and a half. He won the Rous Memorial Stakes over furlongs 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 ...
and was then sent to Sandown for a second attempt at the Eclipse Stakes. In the Eclipse he started at odds of 4/7 and led from the start to win by three quarters of a length from Theft and
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. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
. He broke down during the race and won what had already been announced as his last racecourse appearance despite sustaining an injury.


Assessment

In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Windsor Lad the nineteenth best horse of the 20th century and the sixth best Derby winner, behind
Sea Bird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adaptation, adapted to life within the marine ecosystem, marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent ...
, Hyperion,
Mill Reef Mill Reef (23 February 1968 – 2 February 1986) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a three-year career from 1970 to 1972, he won twelve of fourteen races and finished second in the other two. The horse w ...
, Nijinsky and Shergar.


Stud career

Windsor Lad suffered from ill health during his stud career and made little impact as a stallion. He developed severe sinus trouble and was put down on 14 December 1943. His most notable offspring was the Irish Triple Crown winner Windsor Slipper.


Pedigree


References


External links


Newsreel of 1935 Eclipse Stakes
{{St Leger Winners 1931 racehorse births 1943 racehorse deaths Epsom Derby winners Thoroughbred family 19-b St Leger winners