For the Greek statesman of this name, see Timoleon.
| Timoleon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sire | Sir Archy |
| Grandsire | Diomed |
| Dam | Saltram mare (A24) (1801) |
| Damsire | Saltram (GB) |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1813 or 1814 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Benjamin Jones |
| Owner | J.J. Harrison Colonel William Wynn |
| Record | about 15 starts for 13 wins, 2 seconds |
| Last updated on 2 October 2010 | |
Timoleon (foaled in either 1813 or 1814, depending on source*), was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and notable sire.
A chestnut horse whose only marking was a small white star and standing 15 hands 3 inches high, Timoleon was bred by Benjamin Jones in Greensfield County, Virginia. He was described as "a red sorrel, with a star in his forehead, and no other mark. His limbs are clean and hoofs firm and deep. He is very stout and of great length and remarkable for the proximity of his hips to the point of his shoulder. The bridge of his nose, though bony, is too large for elegance; and his ears, when pricked, are too near a horizontal position agreeable to the notion of beauty; but a better moth, nostril, trottle or eye can't be found on any animal of the species...His form, his appearance, nay, everything about him, evince that he is genuine." [1] He was by one of America's greatest foundation stallions and a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee, Sir Archy. Timoleon's dam was the Saltram mare (A24) (1801) by the imported British stallion, Saltram, from the Wildair mare (1795) by Syme's Wildair. In 1800, when Saltram was 20 years old he was imported to Virginia, then the heart of Thoroughbred breeding in the United States, by the Virginian "gentleman," William Lightfoot. Through this pedigree Timoleon combined the blood of the three Thoroughbred sirelines: Eclipse, Herod and Matchem.
At three, Timoleon was purchased by William Wynn of Petersburg, Virginia who seems to have regretted his purchase because Timoleon was rapidly sold on to Robert R. Johnson. Wynn then went through an immediate change of heart. Ten days after selling the horse, he offered to buy him back for a thousand dollars more than his selling price, saying he was, "...superior to any race horse that ever turned a gravel on any race course in the United States". [2] Of his racing career at age three, it is known that he won the colt purse at Petersburg in straight heats, covering the mile in 1:47 and 1:48, distancing the field in the second heat. Earlier that same day, he had won a half mile match against a Potomac colt. Later that same year, he lost the Post Stake at Petersburg to Reality, winning the first heat in 3:46 before losing the next two "for want of strength in the rider." [1]
Timoleon was the "Pride of Virginia." But racing so long ago, the actual statistics on his career on the track are hard to trace. It seems he might have started 15 times and that he won 13 of those starts, which were over the then-usual distances of three or four miles. It also seems he might have won all fifteen if he'd been entered in better form. [3] Four of his wins were "walk-overs." In his day if a horse like Timoleon was scheduled to compete but no horse could be found to challenge him, then he (or she) would be allowed to canter the course, winning the purse and the race. It is certain he defeated some of the best horses of his time. He defeated the two best daughters of Sir Archy: Reality and Lady Lightfoot, who were both highly regarded. [2] The only horses that ever beat him were the aforementioned Reality and the highly regarded mare Transport.
His final race took place in February 1818. He'd suffered with equine distemper (also called Strangles) a week before, was still entered, but had to be pulled up with respiratory problems, his second and last defeat. [3]
Timoleon then stood briefly at stud at the farm of Johnson and Wynn's stables in North Carolina. In 1819 he was sold to Colonel David Dancy who took him first to General Hunter's plantation in Madison County, Alabama, and then, in 1829, to Nashville, Tennessee and one year later, to Charles City County, Virginia. [3] He stood there for $50, compared to the $75 stud fee for Leviathan, then the most expensive stallion standing in America. [1]
Timoleon proved to be a good sire, even if only by producing Boston who sired the outstanding sire Lexington. He also sired:
He died in 1836, at the age of 23 years. [1]
Eclipse was an undefeated 18th-century British Thoroughbred racehorse who won 18 races, including 11 King's Plates. He raced before the introduction of the British Classic Races, at a time when four-mile heat racing was the norm. He was considered the greatest racehorse of his time and the expression, "Eclipse first, the rest nowhere" entered the English vernacular as an expression of dominance.
Lexington was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame, however, came as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the leading sire in North America 16 times, and broodmare sire of many notable racehorses.
Boston (1833–1850) was an outstanding Thoroughbred racehorse and a leading sire in North America three times from 1851 to 1853. He started in about 45 races, winning 40, including 15 in succession. Boston was later one of the initial inductees into the Hall of Fame.
Diomed, foaled in 1777, was an English Thoroughbred race horse who won the inaugural running of the Derby in 1780. He was subsequently a successful sire in the United States.
American Eclipse (1814–1847) was an undefeated American Thoroughbred racehorse, who raced when three- to four-mile heats were common.
Herod was a Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the three foundation sires of the modern Thoroughbred racehorse, along with Matchem and Eclipse. Herod was the foundation sire responsible for keeping the Byerley Turk sire-line alive.
Sir Archy was an American Thoroughbred racehorse considered one of the best racehorses of his time and later one of the most important sires in American history. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1955.
Lady Lightfoot, was an American Thoroughbred racing mare.
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for 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.
Waxy was a British Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1793 Epsom Derby and was an influential sire in the late eighteenth and early part of the nineteenth century. Waxy was bred by Sir Ferdinando Poole and was foaled at Lewes in 1790. He was sired by Pot-8-Os, a son of the foundation stallion Eclipse, whose genetic lineage traced to the Darley Arabian. Waxy's dam, Maria, was sired by the influential stallion Herod and produced one full-brother to Waxy, who was named Worthy. Waxy derived his name from a variety of potato, a choice that was inspired by his sire's name. Trained by Robert Robson, Waxy won nine races out of 15 starts during his four-year racing career, retiring from racing at the age of seven in 1797 after sustaining an injury during his last start.
Aimwell was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career that lasted from autumn 1784 to spring 1786, he ran eight times and won five races. In 1785, he won the sixth running of the Epsom Derby as well as three races at Newmarket. He was beaten in his only race in 1786, and did not appear in any subsequent records.
Serjeant was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career that lasted from spring 1784 to autumn 1787 he ran sixteen times and won eight races. In 1784 he won the fifth Epsom Derby, the first running of the race under its current name and distance. He stayed in training for a further three seasons, winning several important races at Newmarket, but disappeared from official records after his retirement from racing and does not appear to have been found a place at stud.
Noble was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from May 1786 to May 1788 he ran at least three times and won two races. He won the seventh running of The Derby as a 30/1 outsider in what was probably his first race. His only other success came at Newmarket later that year. He was retired to stud where he stood as a stallion for several years but made little impact as a sire of winners.
Saltram (1780–1802) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from spring 1783 to May 1785 he ran eight times and won four races. In 1783 he won the fourth running of The Derby on his third racecourse appearance. He won one race in 1784 and was then sold to George, Prince of Wales for whom he won a race at Newmarket in 1785 before being retired to stud. After having some success as a stallion in England he was exported to the United States where he died in 1802.
Spilletta was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She only raced once and is best known for being the dam of the undefeated Eclipse.
Hollandoise, or alternatively Hollandaise, (1775–1782) was a grey British Thoroughbred mare that won the 1778 St. Leger Stakes, the first horse to win the event under its formal title. Raced sporadically from 1778 to 1782, Hollandoise won eight races in 14 starts. She died suddenly shortly after her last race in 1782 before producing any offspring.
Young Traveller was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1791. Bred and originally campaigned in Yorkshire he won two of his three races as an unnamed three-year-old in 1791. On the day after his classic victory he defeated an unusually strong field of older horse to become the first St Leger winner to also win the Doncaster Cup. In the following year he was sold, renamed and raced mainly in Scotland, winning a further five races before the end of his racing career. Young Traveller does not appear to have been used as a breeding stallion.
Black Allan or Allan F-1 was the foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse. He was out of a Morgan and Thoroughbred cross mare named Maggie Marshall, a descendant of Figure and the Thoroughbred racing stallion Messenger; and sired by Allandorf, a Standardbred stallion descended from Hambletonian 10, also of the Messenger line.
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(*Australian Stud Book says 1814. Bloodlines says 1813.)