Captain Cuttle

Last updated
Captain Cuttle
Captain Cuttle.jpg
Captain Cuttle in a photograph by Frank Griggs.
Sire Hurry On
Grandsire Marcovil
DamBellavista
Damsire Cyllene
Sex Stallion
Foaled1919
Country United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Colour Chestnut
Breeder Lord Woolavington
Owner Lord Woolavington
Trainer Fred Darling
Record6: 4-1-1
Earnings£
Major wins
Epsom Derby (1922)
St James's Palace Stakes (1922)

Captain Cuttle was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He ran only six times in a career which was restricted by chronic injury problems. He was the outstanding British colt of his generation, winning The Derby and the St James's Palace Stakes in 1922. He retired after winning his only race as a four-year-old in 1923.

Contents

Background

Captain Cuttle, an exceptionally good-looking chestnut horse with a broad white blaze and three white socks, was bred by his owner Lord Woolavington. [1] He was from the first crop of foals sired by the unbeaten champion, Hurry On, making him a representative of the Godolphin Arabian sire line. [2] Apart from Captain Cuttle, Hurry On sired the winners of seven Classics including the Derby winners Coronach and Call Boy. His most influential son was the Ascot Gold Cup winner Precipitation, who sired four classic winners.

Captain Cuttle was named after the character in Dickens' novel Dombey and Son . Like his sire, Captain Cuttle was trained throughout his career by Fred Darling at Beckhampton in Wiltshire, [3] and was ridden in his most important races by the leading British jockey of the era Steve Donoghue. [4] The colt was particularly devoted to his trainer, following him "like a pet dog." [5]

Racing career

1921: two-year-old season

Captain Cuttle was a slow-maturing colt and was not highly tried at two. He made only one appearance on the racecourse, finishing second in a minor race at Doncaster. Captain Cuttle's heavy physique and immaturity put a strain on his forelegs, leading Darling to treat him very carefully, riding the colt himself in most of his exercise work. [6]

1922: three-year-old season

Captain Cuttle began his three-year-old season in the Wood Ditton Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse, which he won by six lengths. He became ill after the race [7] and had not fully recovered by the time he ran in the 2000 Guineas. He finished third in the Newmarket Classic, beaten a total of seven lengths, behind St Louis and Pondoland.

There were doubts concerning the colt's stamina, and he started at odds of 10/1 in a field of thirty for the Epsom Derby four weeks later. Captain Cuttle missed the parade for the Derby after a delay caused by a shoeing accident. Allegations were later made in the Daily Express that Captain Cuttle had been illegally injected with cocaine, to combat lameness caused by the incident. Lord Woolavington responded by instituting legal proceedings against the newspaper for libel. [8] Ridden by Donoghue, Captain Cuttle was prominent from the start before moving into the lead entering the straight. He was soon clear and won easily by four lengths from Tamar in a race record time of 2:34.6. [9]

The colt was reported to be lame after the race and there were rumours that his career was over [10] but he appeared to have recovered in time for Royal Ascot where he won the St James's Palace Stakes over a mile. He then suffered a tendon injury which forced him out for the rest of the season.

1923: four-year-old season

On his 1923 debut, Captain Cuttle won the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Kempton. He was being prepared for the Ascot Gold Cup [5] when his tendon problems recurred and he was retired to stud.

Assessment

In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Captain Cuttle the seventy-third best British horse of the 20th Century and the second best Derby winner of the 1920s . [11]

Stud career

Captain Cuttle retired to his owner's stud at Lavington, West Sussex. He had some success, siring the 1000 Guineas winner Scuttle but did not live up to expectations and was sold for a reported £40,000 to stand in Italy in 1927. He died at the Mirafiori stud, near Turin in March 1932 after breaking his back in a freak accident. [12]

Sire line tree

Pedigree

Pedigree of Captain Cuttle (GB), chestnut stallion, 1919
Sire
Hurry On (IRE)
1913
Marcovil
1903 
Marco Barcaldine
Novitiate
Lady VillikinsHagioscope
Dinah
Toute Suite
1904 
Sainfoin Springfield
Sanda
StarThurio
Meteor
Dam
Bellavista (GB)
1904
Cyllene
1895 
Bona Vista Bend Or
Vista
Arcadia Isonomy
Distant Shore
Emotion
1897 
NunthorpeSpeculum
Matilda
Emita Galopin
Burgundy (Family: 22-c)

Name

The name "Captain Cuttle" was taken from a character in Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, Captain Edward Cuttle. It was subsequently applied to an LNER Class A3 locomotive, No. 2745 (BR number 60091), many of which class were named for racehorses.

Related Research Articles

Papyrus (1920–1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from spring 1922 to October 1924, he ran eighteen times and nine races. He was a leading two-year-old in 1922 and, in the following year, he gained his most important success when he won The Derby. Later that season, he gained international attention when he was sent to New York for an unsuccessful match race against the Kentucky Derby winner Zev. This was the earliest example of a British horse being sent across the Atlantic for a single race. After running four times without winning, in 1924, he was retired to stud, where he had limited success until his death in 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurry On</span> British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Hurry On was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire that revived the Matchem sire line. English trainer Fred Darling called Hurry On the best horse he ever trained.

Sunstar (1908–1926) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from June 1910 to May 1911 he ran nine times and won six races. He won the 2000 Guineas Stakes and followed with a win in The Derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barcaldine (horse)</span> Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Barcaldine (1878) was an outstanding, undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He succeeded in carrying on the Matchem sire-line, which would have died out in Europe without his sons and grandsons. In the US, Matchem passed on his sire-line through Man o' War via the exported Australian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairway (horse)</span> British Thoroughbred racehorse

Fairway (1925–1948) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Fairway was the best horse of his generation in Britain at two, three and four years old, winning the St Leger Stakes, the Champion Stakes (twice) and the Eclipse Stakes. He retired as a five-year-old in 1930 and went on to become a successful and influential sire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronach (horse)</span> British Thoroughbred racehorse

Coronach was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was a champion two-year-old who went on to become only the third horse to complete The Derby, Eclipse Stakes and St Leger treble as a three-year-old in 1926, a year in which he also won the St James's Palace Stakes. He won the Coronation Cup at four, but was beaten in his two remaining starts by his long-standing rival Colorado

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humorist (horse)</span> British Thoroughbred racehorse

Humorist (1918–1921) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a leading two-year-old in 1920 and finished third in the 1921 2000 Guineas before winning the Derby at Epsom. Less than three weeks after the Derby, Humorist died in his stable from a lung haemorrhage caused by a tubercular condition.

Lemberg (1907–1928) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won seventeen times in a career that lasted from 1909 until 1911, taking major races at two, three and four years of age. Lemberg won his most important victory as a three-year-old in 1910 when he won The Derby. His career was marked by his rivalries, first with the fast and precocious Neil Gow and later with the outstanding middle-distance runner Swynford. Lemberg went on to have a successful career at stud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameronian (horse)</span> British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Cameronian (1928–1955) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won the 2000 Guineas Stakes and the Derby in 1931 but finished unplaced in the St. Leger in his attempt to win the English Triple Crown. He returned as a four-year-old to win the Champion Stakes in 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tagalie</span> British Thoroughbred racehorse

Tagalie (1909–1920) was British Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of only six fillies to win The Derby, and was also the second of only four greys to have won the race. She achieved this feat as a three-year-old in 1912, a year in which she had already won the 1000 Guineas. Although her Derby win was easy and impressive, she failed to reproduce her winning form in her three subsequent races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Call Boy (horse)</span> British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Call Boy (1924–1939) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from July 1926 to June 1927, he ran seven times winning four races. His most notable success came in the 1927 Epsom Derby, which he won in record time. Partly because of the death of his owner, Call Boy never ran again after his win at Epsom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manna (horse)</span> Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Manna (1922–1939) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from summer 1924 until September 1925, Manna ran eight times, winning four races. As a three-year-old in 1925 he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and The Derby by a record margin of eight lengths. Manna was retired after breaking down in his bid to win the Triple Crown in the St. Leger at Doncaster. He later had a successful career at stud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airborne (horse)</span> Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Airborne was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After showing little worthwhile form as a two-year-old, Airborne improved to become one of the leading three-year-olds in Britain in 1946. He won five successive races including two Classics: the Derby at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster. He was the most recent of four greys to have won the Epsom Classic. Airborne went on to have a stud career of limited success.

Owen Tudor (1938–1966) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1940 to 1942 he ran twelve times and won six races. His most important win came as a three-year-old in the summer of 1941 when he won the “New Derby” at Newmarket. During the Second World War many British racecourses were closed either for safety reasons or because the land was needed for military use. Epsom Downs Racecourse was used throughout the war for an anti-aircraft battery, leading to the creation of a substitute or “New” version of the race. Owen Tudor went on to win a substitute “Ascot Gold Cup” at Newmarket in 1942. At the end of that season he was retired to stud where he had considerable success as a sire of winners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Game (horse)</span> British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Big Game (1939–1963) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from April 1941 to October 1942, the colt, who was owned by King George VI, ran nine times and won eight races. He was the best British two-year-old colt of his generation in 1941 when he was unbeaten in five starts. Two further wins the following spring including the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket took his unbeaten run to seven, but he suffered his first defeat when odds-on favourite for the wartime "New Derby". He won his only other race in the Champion Stakes before being retired to stud. Big Game's royal connections and racecourse success made him one of the most popular horses of his time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamossaire (horse)</span> British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Chamossaire (1942–1964) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1945 and siring the Derby winner Santa Claus. After winning twice as a two-year-old, Chamossaire contested all three legs of the Triple Crown in 1945. He finished fourth in both the 2000 Guineas and the Derby before winning the St Leger. He was retired to stud where he proved to be a successful sire of winners. Chamossaire died in 1964.

Commotion was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who raced during World War II and was best known for winning the classic Oaks Stakes in 1941. After racing over sprint distances, she was stepped up in distance the substitute "New Oaks" over one and a half miles at Newmarket Racecourse. On her next appearance she won the Falmouth Stakes and was then retired from racing. She later became a very successful broodmare.

Toboggan was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed very promising form as a juvenile in 1928 when she won three of her four races including the Dewhurst Stakes. In the following year she finished third in the 1000 Guineas and went on to win the Epsom Oaks, Coronation Stakes and Jockey Club Stakes. She had some success as a broodmare producing the top-class winner Bobsleigh and Hydroplane, the dam of Citation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scuttle (horse)</span> British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Scuttle was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed considerable promise as a two-year-old in 1925 when she won three races including the Cheveley Park Stakes as well as finishing second in the Queen Mary Stakes. In the following spring she won on her seasonal debut and then recorded a popular and impressive victory in the 1000 Guineas. In her subsequent races she finished second in the Epsom Oaks, third in the Coronation Stakes and second in the Nassau Stakes. She was then retired to become a broodmare but died in 1934 at the age of nine. She was the first and only classic winner owned by King George V.

Cresta Run was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. As a two-year-old in 1926 she showed steady improvement, winning two of her i races including the valuable Imperial Produce Stakes. On her three-year-old debut she recorded a very impressive win in the 1000 Guineas but failed to reproduce her form in two subsequent races over longer distances. She had little immediate success as a broodmare but had a long-term influence on the breed though her daughter Gold Race.

References

  1. "1st Baron James Woolavington". Horseracinghistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  2. "Godolphin Arabian Line". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  3. "Frederick Darling". Horseracinghistory.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  4. "Horseracing History Online – Person Profile : Stephen Donoghue". Horseracinghistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  5. 1 2 "Horseracing History Online – Horse Profile : Captain Cuttle". Horseracinghistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  6. Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN   0-354-08536-0.
  7. Patricia Erigero Thoroughbred Heritage (1957-03-09). "Hurry On". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  8. "CAPTAIN CUTTLE". 1922-08-19. Retrieved 2011-11-02 via Papers Past.
  9. "Captain Cuttle if equine hero". Morning Leader. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  10. "ENGLISH DERBY". 1923-06-05. Retrieved 2011-11-02 via Papers Past.
  11. Randall, J and Morris, T. . Portway Press, 1999, p. 128
  12. "CAPTAIN CUTTLE KILLED". 1932-03-29. Retrieved 2011-11-02 via Papers Past.
  13. Portraits: Hurry On