Galcador

Last updated
Galcador
Sire Djebel
Grandsire Tourbillon
DamPharyva
Damsire Pharos
Sex Stallion
Foaled1947
Country France
Colour Chestnut
Breeder Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard
Owner Marcel Boussac
Trainer Charles Semblat
Record4: 3-1-0
Earnings 913,400 & £17,010
Major wins
Prix Daphnis (1950)
Epsom Derby (1950)
Last updated on January 10, 2010

Galcador (19471970) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from autumn 1949 to June 1950 he ran four times and won three races. In 1950 he won England's most prestigious race, The Derby. He never raced after his win at Epsom and was retired to stud where he made no impact as a sire of winners. he was eventually exported to Japan where he died in 1970.

France Republic with mainland in Europe and numerous oversea territories

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million. France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

Thoroughbred Horse breed developed for racing

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 considered "hot-blooded" horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit.

Horse racing Equestrian sport

Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been unchanged since at least classical antiquity.

Contents

Background

Galcador, a chestnut horse with a white blaze and one white foot, was bred by his owner Marcel Boussac. Boussac also bred the colt's parents, the stallion Djebel and the mare Pharyva. As a son of Djebel, he was a representative of the Byerley Turk sire-line [1] unlike the vast majority of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the Darley Arabian. [2] Pharyva never won a race, but bred several winners and was a descendant of Zariba, the dam of Corrida. Galcador was trained by Charles Semblat, a former jockey who was responsible for Boussac's horses between 1944 and 1954.

Horse markings Colored areas, usually white, on a horse that differ from the body color

Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life. Most markings have pink skin underneath most of the white hairs, though a few faint markings may occasionally have white hair with no underlying pink skin. Markings may appear to change slightly when a horse grows or sheds its winter coat, however this difference is simply a factor of hair coat length; the underlying pattern does not change.

Marcel Boussac was a French entrepreneur best known for his ownership of the Maison Dior and one of the most successful thoroughbred race horse breeding farms in European history.

A colt is a male horse, usually below the age of four years.

Racing career

As a two-year-old in 1949, Galcador won his only race, the Prix de Saint-Firmin over 1000m at Longchamp.

Longchamp Racecourse horse racing venue

The ParisLongchamp Racecourse is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tracks and a famous hill that provides a real challenge to competing thoroughbreds. It has several racetracks varying from 1,000 to 4,000 metres in length with 46 different starting posts. The course is home to more than half of the group one races held in France, and has a capacity of 50,000. The highlight of the calendar is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Held on the first weekend in October, the prestigious event attracts the best horses from around the world.

On his three-year-old debut he won the 1600m Prix Daphnis at Le Tremblay, after which he was identified as Boussac's main Derby contender, and was then moved up to the highest class for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains at Longchamp on 14 May. He finished second, beaten half a length by Tantieme after the two colts had raced together throughout the closing stages. [3] The winner went on to win the next two runnings of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

The Prix Daphnis is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres, and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.

The Poule d'Essai des Poulains is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres at Longchamp in May.

Tantième (1947–1966) was a French Thoroughbred horse racing champion and prominent sire who twice won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, France's most prestigious horse race. He also won several other important conditions races including the Grand Critérium in 1949, the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Prix Lupin and his first Arc de Triomphe in 1950. Racing as a four-year-old, in 1951 Tantième won the Prix Ganay plus his second Arc de Triomphe and in England he captured the Coronation Cup.

The Derby was run in fine weather ten days later at Epsom Downs Racecourse. Galcador, ridden by the Australian jockey Rae Johnstone, started at odds of 100/9 (11/1) in a field of twenty-five runners with the American-bred and owned Prince Simon being made favourite. A colt named Pewter Platter took an early lead but Prince Simon took over after two furlongs and was two lengths clear on the turn into the straight. Johnstone had Galcador in fourth place on the final turn and produced the French colt with a sustained run on the outside. Inside the final furlong, Galcador caught Prince Simon and went almost a length in front only for the American colt to rally strongly in the final strides. On the line Galcador won the Derby by a rapidly diminishing margin of a head. [4] The first prize of £17,010 was the largest awarded up to that time. [5] Commenting on his victory, Johnstone described Galcador as "essentially a miler" and only the fourth best colt in the Semblat stable. [6]

Epsom Downs Racecourse horse racing venue in England

Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs.

William Raphael "Rae" Johnstone, was an Australian flat-race jockey. After enjoying considerable success in his native country he relocated to Europe in 1932 and spent most of the rest of his life in France. He won thirteen British Classic Races and two Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes. On his retirement in 1957 he was described as "one of the greatest international jockeys of modern times". He died of a heart attack in 1964.

Furlong A unit of length equal to 220 yards still used widley in horse racing

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, or 10 chains.

Assessment

In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Galcador an “average” Derby winner. [7]

Timeform awarded Galcador a rating of 133 in 1950, three pounds behind the top-rated three-year-old Tantieme. [8] A rating of 130 is considered the mark of an above average European Group One winner.

Stud career

Retired to stud, Galcador stood at Boussac's breeding operation from 1951 through 1959. Sold to breeders in Japan for the 1960 season, he stood there until his death in 1970. His offspring met with limited success in racing.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Galcador (FR), chestnut stallion, 1947 [9]
Sire
Djebel (FR)
1937
Tourbillon
1928
Ksar Bruleur
Kizil Kourgan
Durban Durbar
Banshee
Loika
1926
Gay Crusader Bayardo*
Gay Laura
Coeur a Coeur Teddy
Ballantrae
Dam
Pharyva (FR)
1936
Pharos
1920
Phalaris Polymelus
Bromus
Scapa FlowChaucer
Anchora
Souryva
1930
Gainsborough Bayardo*
Rosedrop
L'Esperance Pommern
Zariba (Family: 9-e) [10]

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References

  1. "Byerley Turk Line". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
  2. "95% of thoroughbreds linked to one superstud". New Scientist. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
  3. "Tantieme wins French 2,000 Guineas". Indian Express. May 18, 1950. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  4. "Thrilling Derby To Galcador STAFF CORRESPONDENT". Sunday Herald (Sydney). 28 May 1950. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  5. "- "Togo" Johnstone on Galcador Wins His Second Derby". Canberra Star. 29 May 1950. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  6. "Johhnstone on Galcador Beat Derby Favourite". The Mercury (Hobart). 29 May 1950. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  7. Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press. ISBN   1-901570-15-0.
  8. Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1990). Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions(Third Edition). Guinness Publishing. ISBN   0-85112-902-1.
  9. "English Derby Winner: Galcador". Chef-de-race.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  10. "Maid of Masham - Family 9-e". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-02-23.