St. Simon

St. Simon
Sire	Galopin
Grandsire	Vedette
Dam	St. Angela
Damsire	King Tom
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1881
Country	Great Britain
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Prince Gustavus Batthyany
Owner	Duke of Portland
Trainer	Matthew Dawson
Record	9:9-0-0
Earnings	£4,676
Major wins
Ascot Gold Cup (1884) Goodwood Cup (1884) Epsom Gold Cup (1884)
Awards
Leading sire in Britain & Ireland (1890-1896 & 1900-1901) Leading broodmare sire in Britain & Ireland (1903-1907 & 1916)
Honours
British Horseracing Hall of Fame #4 - Top 10 GB. Racehorses of the 19th Century St. Simon Stakes at Newbury
Infobox last updated on: 20 July 2006.

St. Simon (1881 - April 2, 1908) was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and one of the most successful sires in the history of the Thoroughbred. In The Sporting Times' ranking of the Top 10 Great Britain Racehorses of the 19th Century (1886), St. Simon was ranked fourth.

Pedigree

Foaled at William Barrow's Paddocks near Newmarket, St. Simon was by the good racehorse and sire, Galopin. Galopin won 10 out of 11 races, including the Epsom Derby, and was a Leading Sire three times, and his get included the dams of Triple Crown winner Flying Fox, and Bayardo. At the time of St. Simon's birth, however, he had not produced his best stock.

St. Simon's dam, St. Angela (by King Tom) was quite disappointing as a broodmare up to the time she had her sixth foal, St. Simon, at 16. However, she did produce the sisters to St Simon, Simonne II and Angelica (both by Galopin), dam of the stallion Orme (1889 by Ormonde).

Conformation

St. Simon with jockey up

St. Simon was a dark brown colt, with a small star on his forehead and a few white hairs on the inside of his pasterns and heels. He also tended to produce bay or brown foals, with the exception of his final foal, a grey filly. His final height was 16 or 16.1 hands (1.63 or 1.65 m) (sources differ in opinion), but his fine build made him look even smaller. His offspring also were usually slightly smaller than average. He had a fine head that was slightly dished, clean legs—although quite over at the knee—and a short back (another trait his offspring tended to inherit). However, he was most certainly built for racing, with strong quarters and a very good shoulder, quoted as being "a study. So obliquely was it placed that it appeared to extend far into his back, making the latter look shorter" by the 1916 Bloodstock Breeders Review. His girth was said to be 78 inches (1.98 m), and his cannon bone 8½ inches (215 mm) around.

St. Simon was quite hot, excitable, and nervous and was known to attack grooms and even kill barn cats. His offspring would also prove to have this same temperament, usually quite difficult to work with.^{[citation needed]}

Racing career

The death of his owner in May 1883 led to a dispersal sale of all his stock, where he was purchased for only 1,600 guineas by the 25-year-old Duke of Portland, and moved to Heath House stables at Newmarket. The colt began his racing career under jockey Fred Archer, at the five furlong Halnaker Stakes at Goodwood, winning by six lengths, and the following day he won the six furlong Maiden Plate (for which he was eligible because he was a maiden at the time of his entry) by a length, carrying 9st 7lb (133 lb.) He then easily won a five furlong race against Clochette and Fleta, the five furlong Devonshire Nursery Plate (against 19 other horses, carrying 8st 12lb [124 lb]) by two lengths at a canter, and the seven furlong Princes of Wales's Nursery Plate (Doncaster) carrying 9st (126 lb or 57 kg) and winning by eight lengths against 21 other horses. St. Simon followed this by a win in a six furlong match against Duke of Richmond, to end his two-year-old year considered the best of his age, despite never having won a major stakes race.

At three, St. Simon won by walk over at the 10 furlong Epsom Gold Cup. He then won the 2½ mile Ascot Gold Cup by an incredible 20 lengths, despite having trailed in the beginning of the race, to beat Tristan (the best older horse of the year) and Faugh-a-Ballagh, and was so strong that it took almost a whole lap for his jockey to pull him up. At the one-mile Newcastle Gold Cup, he beat his only other competitor, Chiselhurst, by eight lengths, but suffered some damage due to the hard ground. He then beat former St. Leger winner Ossian by 20 lengths in the 2½ mile Goodwood Cup. Additionally, St. Simon had easily beaten The Lambkin (who would win that year's St. Leger), that year's 2,000 Guineas Stakes winner, Scot Free, and St. Gatien, who had dead-heated for the win a the Derby, showing he had the talent to win the Triple Crown had he ever had the chance to pursue that route.

The Newcastle Cup running caught up to him, producing serious leg problems, and he never raced again. However, he was kept in training, so did not begin his breeding career until he was five.

Breeding record

St. Simon was a very successful sire and was the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland nine times. He sired 10 classic winners including Diamond Jubilee (winner of England's Triple Crown), La Fleche (Fillies' Triple Crown) and Persimmon (great sire, winner of Derby, 2,000 Guineas and Ascot Gold Cup). His skeleton belongs to the British Museum of Natural History. Secretariat is one of his descendants.

The foals

• 1893: Persimmon (Epsom Derby, St.Leger, Ascot Gold Cup, Champion Sire four times)
• 1889: La Fleche (Fillies' Triple Crown, Ascot Gold Cup, Champion Stakes, Cambridgeshire Handicap, 2nd Epsom Derby, dam of John O'Gaunt)
• 1897: Diamond Jubilee (Triple Crown, Eclipse Stakes, Argentina Champion Sire four times)
• 1893: St.Frusquin (2,000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes, 2nd Epsom Derby, Champion Sire twice)
• 1887: Memoir (Epsom Oaks, St.Leger)
• 1887: Semolina (1,000 Guineas Stakes)
• 1887: Signorina (dam of Signorino, Signorinetta)
• 1888: Simonian (Leading sire in France twice)
• 1890: Mrs Butterwick (Epsom Oaks)
• 1890: Soult (NZ Champion Sire five times)
• 1891: Amiable (1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks)
• 1893: Roquebrune (dam of Rock Sand)
• 1896: Desmond (Champion Sire)
• 1897: La Roche (Epsom Oaks)
• 1897: Winifreda (1,000 Guineas)
• 1898: Pietermaritzburg (Jockey Club Stakes, Argentina Champion Sire)
• 1898: William the Third (Ascot Gold Cup, Doncaster Cup)
• 1900: Chaucer (successful broodmare sire)
• 1900: Rabelais (French Champion Sire three times)

Pedigree

See also

• List of Undefeated horses

References

• JaWikipedia - St. Simon
• Bloodlines - St. Simon
• Thoroughbred Heritage - St. Simon