Macbeth II (foaled 1885 inKentucky) was a horse who was the winner of the 1888Kentucky Derby.^[1] He was the third gelding and one of only nine geldings to win the Kentucky Derby, with the others beingVagrant (1876),Apollo (1882),Old Rosebud (1914),Exterminator (1918), Paul Jones (1920), Clyde Van Dusen (1929),Funny Cide (2003), andMine That Bird (2009).^[2]

Macbeth was foaled at Lisland, the breeding farm of Rufus Lisle which was located two miles northwest ofLexington, Kentucky in an area called Leestown Pike.^[3] Lisle was widely known in the Thoroughbred racing circuit for refusing to pay for stud services, instead breeding his mares to stallions whose services he could obtain for free. This policy served him well because he consistently produced winners like Castaway II, 1890Brooklyn Handicap winner.^[4] Macbeth raced at a time when the Kentucky Derby was not as highly regarded as it is today.Gelded at a young age, he wassired by Macduff, the 1881Champagne Stakes winner and a son of the importedBritish stallion Macaroon.^[5] Macduff also sired the coltMcChesney, one of the top 3-year-olds in 1902, but was euthanized in 1899 after he lost popularity as a stud and no buyers could be found nor anyone willing to take him for free.^[6] Macbeth's dam was Agnes (by Gilroy), who also produced 1890Tennessee Derby winner and third-placeKentucky Derby runner Robespierre.

As a three-year-old, Macbeth stood 15.2 hands high.^[7]

Macbeth was owned as a two-year and three-year-old by the Chicago Stable, a partnership between horse trainer John Campbell and George Hankins, with Hankins becoming sole owner in October 1888.^[8] Hankins was a prominentChicago gambler who soared to fame in the 1880s and '90s, accumulating great wealth but losing it all by 1900.^[9]

Macbeth won one stakes race as a two-year-old, the Kimball Stakes atLatonia Race Track. Entering his three-year-old season, he was not well-regarded, and his first win was in a claiming race, despite being entered as not to be sold. He first became a serious Kentucky Derby contender at the 1888 Memphis spring race meeting, where he won two stakes races and set a new track record. However, his success was limited at the Nashville meeting that followed, leading to Macbeth going off at somewhat higher odds in the Kentucky Derby.^[7]

In the 1888 Kentucky Derby, Macbeth was not an obvious choice for the win, with Gallifet being the favorite. Gallifet and The Chevalier were clear contenders from the start of the race, with Macbeth not gaining a lead until a mile into the race. He won by alength over Gallifet at 6:1 odds, winning $4,740 for Hankins.^[5] Macbeth II, being a gelding with no possible career at stud, raced until he was eight years old. His performance later in his career may have been hampered by an illness in the winter of 1888–1889. As an older horse, he was used for training new exercise riders due to his gentleness.^[7] He was noted as running in an 1890claiming race atSheepshead Bay Race Track inNew York.^[10] In October 1890, Hankins dispersed his stable, after which Macbeth went through a succession of owners. He most notably won the 1891 New Year's Handicap at Clifton for William Angel. Macbeth was trained forsteeplechasing in 1894 after his flat-racing career, but never started over jumps.^[7][11]

A 1910Daily Racing Form article states that Macbeth was purchased as a saddle horse by a gentleman that lived inChicago and was often seen inLincoln Park with his new owner. He is reported to have died at an advanced age.^[12]

* MacBeth isinbred 4D × 4D to the stallionGlencoe, meaning that he appears fourth generation twice on the dam side of his pedigree.

• 1885 racehorse births
• Racehorses bred in Kentucky
• Racehorses trained in the United States
• Kentucky Derby winners
• Thoroughbred family A24
• Byerley Turk sire line

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