| Orbit | |
|---|---|
 Racing silks of the Duke of Westminster | |
| Sire | Bend Or |
| Grandsire | Doncaster |
| Dam | Fair Alice |
| Damsire | Cambuscan |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1885 |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Owner | 1st Duke of Westminster |
| Trainer | John Porter |
| Record | 6 wins |
| Earnings | £12,679 [1] |
| Major wins | |
| Craven Stakes (1888) Eclipse Stakes (1888) | |
Orbit (foaled 1885) was a Thoroughbred racehorse. He was trained at Kingsclere by John Porter for the 1st Duke of Westminster. As a three-year-old he won the Eclipse Stakes.
Orbit was the son of Epsom Derby and Champion Stakes winner Bend Or. His dam was Fair Alice, a daughter of July Stakes winner Cambuscan. [2]
Orbit won three races as a two-year-old; the Criterion Nursery Handicap at Newmarket, the Kempton Park Champion Nursery Handicap and the Daveridge Stakes. [3] Orbit started his three-year-old career by winning the Craven Stakes at Newmarket by ¾ length from Cotillon. [4] His next race came in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Friar's Balsam started as the 1/3 favourite for the race, with Ayrshire at 100/12 and Orbit at 100/8. Orbit ran on well in the closing stages to finish in third place. Ayrshire won the race by two lengths from Johnny Morgan, who was a head in front of Orbit. [5] After winning the 2000 Guineas win Ayrshire started as the 5/6 favourite for The Derby and Orbit was second favourite at 11/2. Orbit could only finish in fifth place, over seven lengths behind winner Ayrshire. [6] He then finished second in the Triennial Stakes at Ascot. [1] Orbit started as the 9/4 favourite for the Eclipse Stakes and in the final 100 yards of the race Orbit gradually edged away from stablemate Ossory and beat him by a length. [7]
After retiring from racing Orbit was exported to Argentina to stand at stud. He was a successful stallion there and his progeny included Olascoaga [8] and Old Man, who won 18 of his 19 races. [9] Such was his success at stud he was given the nickname "Stockwell Sudamericano" meaning "South American Stockwell" and referring to the British sire Stockwell. [8]
| Sire Bend Or ch. 1877 | Doncaster ch. 1870 | Stockwell ch. 1849 | The Baron |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas | |||
| Marigold ch. 1860 | Teddington | ||
| Ratan mare | |||
| Rouge Rose ch. 1865 | Thormanby ch. 1857 | Windhound | |
| Alice Hawthorn* | |||
| Ellen Horne br. 1844 | Redshank | ||
| Delhi | |||
| Dam Fair Alice br. 1873 | Cambuscan ch. 1861 | Newminster b. 1848 | Touchstone |
| Beeswing | |||
| The Arrow b. 1850 | Slane | ||
| Southdown | |||
| Young Alice b. 1865 | Young Melbourne br. 1855 | Melbourne | |
| Clarissa | |||
| Sweet Hawthorn br. 1858 | Sweetmeat | ||
| Alice Hawthorn* |
Note: b. = Bay, br. = Brown, ch. = Chestnut
* Orbit was inbred 4x4 to Alice Hawthorn. This means that the mare appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.
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