| Ormonde | |
 |
|
| Sire | Bend Or |
|---|---|
| Grandsire | Doncaster (1870) |
| Dam | Lily Agnes |
| Damsire | Macaroni |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1883 |
| Country | Great Britain  |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | 1st Duke of Westminster |
| Owner | 1st Duke of Westminster |
| Trainer | John Porter |
| Record | 16: Undefeated |
| Earnings | ₤28,465[1] $142,325 |
| Major wins | |
| Dewhurst Stakes (1885) 2,000 Guineas (1886) Epsom Derby (1886) St. Leger Stakes (1886) St. James's Palace Stakes (1886) Champion Stakes (1886) Hardwicke Stakes (1886 & 1887) Imperial Gold Cup (1887) |
|
| Awards | |
| 4th U.K. Triple Crown Champion | |
| Honours | |
| British Horseracing Hall of Fame Ormonde Stakes at Chester Racecourse |
|
| Infobox last updated on: 19 May 2009. | |
Ormonde (1883-1904) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse, an unbeaten Triple Crown winner, generally considered to be one of the greatest racehorses ever. He was a bay colt, born in 1883.
Bred at Eaton Stud in Cheshire, Ormonde's sire was the Derby winner Bend Or, while his dam, Lily Agnes, was sired by another Derby winner, Macaroni.
Ormonde was trained at Kingsclere by the great John Porter for the 1st Duke of Westminster. As a two-year-old, Ormonde did not race until the end of the season when he won the Post Stakes, the Criterion Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes in quick succession.
At three he won firstly the 2,000 Guineas, beating the strongly fancied and previously unbeaten Minting. He went on to beat The Bard (also previously unbeaten) in the Epsom Derby and followed up by winning the St. James's Palace Stakes and the Hardwicke Stakes, both at Ascot Racecourse, and then completed the Triple Crown by winning the Doncaster St. Leger Stakes in a canter. He ended a triumphant season with wins in the Great Foal Stakes, the Champion Stakes, the Free Handicap and a walkover in a Private Sweepstakes. Throughout the season his breathing had become progressively louder until he was labelled a roarer.[1]
Despite fears that his career might be over he came out at four with an easy win in the Rous Memorial Stakes at Ascot. The very next day in the Hardwicke Stakes he was made to struggle for the first time and only beat Minting by a neck - his breathing now so loud that it was heard all over the racecourse. His final race was the Imperial Gold Cup at Newmarket.
As a sire he was not very fertile, but he produced Orme in Britain, sire of another Triple Crown winner, Flying Fox. Ormonde was then exported to Argentina after only two seasons. He was then sent to California where he sired 16 offspring[1] including Ormondale who sired Purchase. He died in 1904 at age 21 at Rancho Wikiup in Santa Rosa, California. His disarticulated skeleton/skull were later returned to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London.
Ormonde may have been the model for the fictional horse Silver Blaze in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story of the same name.
See also
References
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