| Straitlace | |
|---|---|
 Straitlace in 1924 with jockeyFrank O'Neill. | |
| Sire | Son-in-Law |
| Grandsire | Dark Ronald |
| Dam | Stolen Kiss |
| Damsire | Best Man |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | 1921[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Lady Sykes |
| Owner | Edward Hulton |
| Trainer | Dawson Waugh |
| Record | 16: 8-2-2 |
| Earnings | £24,130 |
| Major wins | |
| Epsom Oaks (1924) Coronation Stakes (1924) Nassau Stakes (1924) | |
Straitlace (1921 – after 1945) was a BritishThoroughbred racehorse andbroodmare. As a two-year-old she was one of the best fillies of her generation in England when she won five of her eight races. In the following year she finished third in the1000 Guineas before going on to win theEpsom Oaks,Coronation Stakes andNassau Stakes, as well as three other races. She earned more money than any other horse in Britain in 1924 and was retired after winning eight of her sister races. Straitlace was exported to France in 1925 and became a very successful and influential broodmare.
Straitlace was a small, but "beautifully proportioned"[2] bay mare with a whitestar bred at the Sledmere Stud inEast Yorkshire byLady Sykes. As ayearling she was offered for sale and bought for 2,100guineas by the newspaper proprietorEdward Hulton.[3] The filly was sent into training with Dawson Waugh (trainer ofTagalie) at his Somerville Lodge stable atNewmarket, Suffolk.[4]
She was sired by Son-in-Law, a top-class stayer, whose wins included theGoodwood Cup,Jockey Club Cup andCesarewitch. Straitlace's dam Stolen Kiss was a very successful sprinter who won nineteen races including thePortland Handicap in 1911. Her other foals included Kiss Again, a mare whose female-line descendants have includedHenbit,Dancing Brave,Jolypha,Delta Blues andLucky Debonair.[5]
Straitlace ran consistently against good competition as a two-year-old in 1923, recording five wins, two seconds and one third place from eight starts. After finishing second toMumtaz Mahal (also bred at Sledmere) atNewmarket Racecourse in May[3] she won the Stud Produce Stakes atSandown Park, the Great Surrey Foal Plate atEpsom Racecourse,[6] the Exeter Stakes at Newmarket, a Rous Memorial Stakes atGoodwood and the Autumn Breeders' Foal Plate atManchester.[7]
At Newmarket in October she finished second to Chronometer in theCheveley Park Stakes.[8] On her only other appearance she finished third to Eatonwick and Heverswool in a Rous Memorial Stakes at Newmarket.[9] By the end of the year she had earned at least £6,175 in prize money.[3]
On 9 May 1924, Straitlace was one of sixteen fillies to contest the Rowley Mile course atNewmarket Racecourse and finished third behindPlack andMumtaz Mahal, beaten twolengths by the winner.[7][10]
At Epsom on 6 of June, Straitlace faced a rematch with Plack in the 146th running of the Oaks Stakes. Thecontest was run in fine weather but attracted a smaller than usual crown, with many racegoers reportedly being discouraged by the appalling conditions which had prevailed for theEpsom Derby two days earlier.[2] Ridden byFrank O'Neill, she started at odds of100/30[10] second favourite in a twelve-runner field. Straitlace tracked Plack in the early stages before overtaking her rival approaching the straight and then opening up a clear advantage.[2] She won by one and a half lengths from Plack with the fast-finishing Mink a head away in third place.[9]
AtRoyal Ascot in June Straitlace was brought back in distance for the Coronation Stakes over one mile in which he was ridden byCharlie Elliott and won at odds of 3/1,[11] "in the style of a really good filly".[12] AtGoodwood, with Elliott again in the saddle she started 4/9 favourite and won the Nassau Stakes over ten furlongs.[11] The runner-up on this occasion was theAga Khan's four-year-old Charley's Mount, who went on to win theCesarewitch later that year.[13] She won three other races in 1924 and was retired at the end of the season having earned £17,965, making her the most financially successful horse in Britain that year.[14]
In their book,A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Straitlace an "average" winner of the Oaks.[10]
Straitlace was retired from racing to become a broodmare. After Edward Hulton's death in 1925 the mare was sold for 17,000guineas by Edward Esmond. She was exported to France, where she spent the rest of her life.[4] Her foals included:
| Sire Son-in-Law (GB) 1911 | Dark Ronald (IRE) 1905 | Bay Ronald (GB) | Hampton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Duchess | |||
| Darkie (GB) | Thurio | ||
| Insignia | |||
| Mother In Law (GB) 1906 | Matchmaker | Donovan | |
| Match Girl | |||
| Be Cannie | Jock of Oran | ||
| Reticence | |||
| Dam Stolen Kiss (GB) 1907 | Best Man (GB) 1890 | Ormonde | Bend Or |
| Lily Agnes | |||
| Wedlock | Wenlock | ||
| Cybele | |||
| Breach (GB) 1898 | Hagioscope | Speculum | |
| Sophia | |||
| Mitrailleuse | brother to Strafford | ||
| West Australian mare (Family 3-d)[5] |