Royal Charger
| Royal Charger | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Nearco |
| Grandsire | Pharos |
| Dam | Sun Princess |
| Damsire | Solario |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1942 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Sir John Jarvis |
| Owner | Sir John Jarvis Irish National Stud (1946 at stud) George D. Widener, Jr. (1953 at stud) |
| Trainer | Jack Jarvis |
| Record | 20: 6-7-2 |
| Earnings | £5,057[1] |
| Major wins | |
| Queen Anne Stakes (1946) Challenge Stakes (1946) Ayr Gold Cup (1946) | |
| Last updated on 23 November 2006 | |
Royal Charger (1942–1961) was a British Thoroughbred who was successful as a racehorse but much more important as a sire.
Background
Royal Charger was a chestnut horse sired by the important stallion Nearco. His dam, Sun Princess, was a descendant of the famous broodmare Mumtaz Mahal. He was owned by Sir John Jarvis and trained by his unrelated namesake Jack Jarvis at Newmarket, Suffolk.[2]
Racing career
Royal Charger failed to win as a two-year-old in 1944, but showed some promise when twice finishing second. As a three-year-old, he finished third in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on 9 May, beaten a neck and two lengths by Court Martial and Dante.[3] Later that year, he was placed in the Duke of York Stakes and won the Challenge Stakes.
As a four-year-old, Royal Charger won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Ayr Gold Cup (carrying 133 pounds).[4]
Stud career
Retired after his four-year-old racing season in 1946, Royal Charger was sold to the Irish National Stud for £52,000.[5] There, he sired a number of important horses before being purchased in 1953 by American George D. Widener, Jr., who brought him to stand at his Old Kenney Farm (now Green Gates Farm) in Lexington, Kentucky. A three-quarters brother to the important sire Nasrullah, who also was brought to Kentucky from England, Royal Charger sired more than 55 stakes winners. Among his Irish progeny was Turn-To, who also was sent to the U.S., where he was the leading Juvenile sire in 1958, notably through his colt First Landing. Other offspring included:
- Copenhagen, 4-time Leading sire in New Zealand
- Happy Laughter, winner of the 1953 1000 Guineas
- Idun, 1957 U.S. Champion 2-year-old filly and the 1958 U.S. Champion 3-year-old filly
- Mongo, the 1963 U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse
- Royal Duchy, Irish Champion 2-year-old filly
- Royal Native, the 1959 U.S. Champion 3-year-old filly, 1960 U.S. Champion Handicap Mare
- Royal Orbit, Preakness Stakes
- Royal Palm, Nunthorpe Stakes
- Royal Serenade, Nunthorpe Stakes, Hollywood Gold Cup
- Sea Charger, Irish Champion 3-year-old colt
- Sheila's Cabin, Irish Champion 2-year-old filly
In addition, Royal Charger was an important broodmare sire of more than 70 stakes winners, including Crowned Prince, the 1971 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt in England; the 1969 U.S. Champion Two Year Old Filly, Tudor Queen; and U.S. Hall of Famer Majestic Prince.
Royal Charger died in November 1961 and was buried at Old Kenney Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
Pedigree
| Sire Nearco |
Pharos | Phalaris | Polymelus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromus | |||
| Scapa Flow | Chaucer | ||
| Anchora | |||
| Nogara | Havresac | Rabelais | |
| Hors Concours | |||
| Catnip | Spearmint | ||
| Sibola | |||
| Dam Sun Princess |
Solario | Gainsborough | Bayardo |
| Rosedrop | |||
| Sun Worship | Sundridge | ||
| Doctrine | |||
| Mumtaz Begum | Blenheim | Blandford | |
| Malva | |||
| Mumtaz Mahal | The Tetrarch | ||
| Lady Josephine |
References
- ^ "Royal Charger's pedigree and racing stats". Pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
- ^ Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane’s. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
- ^ "Papers Past — Evening Post — 10 May 1945 — ENGLISH CLASSIC". Paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1945-05-10. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
- ^ Designing Speed in the Racehorse - Ken McLean - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
- ^ "Dáil Éireann - Volume 136 - 10 February, 1953 - Committee on Finance - Adjournment Debate—Purchase of Racehorse". Historical-debates.oireachtas.ie. Retrieved 2011-12-09.