| Wizard | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Wizard byBenjamin Marshall | |
| Sire | Sorcerer |
| Grandsire | Trumpator |
| Dam | Precipitate mare |
| Damsire | Precipitate |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1806 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Mr. Goodison |
| Owner | Christopher Wilson |
| Trainer | Tom Perren |
| Record | 10: 7-2-0 |
| Earnings | 3850gs |
| Major wins | |
| Sweepstakes of 100 gs atNewmarket (1809) 2000 Guineas Stakes (1809) Match againstPope (1810) Sweepstakes of 100 gs at Newmarket (1811) Match against Middlethorpe (1811) | |
Wizard (1806 – 30 June 1813) was aBritishThoroughbredracehorse. He won seven of his ten races, with all his wins coming atNewmarket. In 1809 he won the2000 Guineas Stakes, before finishing second in theDerby Stakes. The following year he won amatch race against his Derby conquerorPope. Throughout his racing career he was owned by Christopher Wilson andtrained by Tom Perren. Wizard only stood as astallion for two years before dying in an accident in 1813. His son Young Wizard won theRiddlesworth Stakes and was the runner-up in the Derby in 1817.
Wizard was achestnutcolt foaled in 1806 and bred by Mr. Goodison.[1] He wassired bySorcerer, a successful racehorse and three-timeChampion sire in Britain. Amongst Sorcerer's other progeny were2000 Guineas andDerby winnerSmolensko,St. Leger winnerSoothsayer and theOaks winnersMorel,Maid of Orleans andSorcery.[2] Wizard'sdam was a daughter of Precipitate. Wizard was the second of her tenfoals.[1] He was trained by Tom Perren.[3]
Wizard did not race as a two-year-old and he made his debut on 3 April 1809 in a sweepstakes of 100guineas each at theNewmarket Craven meeting.[4]Ridden by William Clift, he started the race as the6/5 favourite and won it easily from Chryseis.[5] Cock Robin finished third, with three others behind him.[4] Two weeks later he started 4/5 favourite for the2000 Guineas Stakes over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket.[6] This was the first running of the 2000 Guineas.[3] Also near the front of the betting were Japan at 10/3, Robin at 6/1 and Fair Star at 7/1. Eight runners started the race, which Wizard won from Robin. Fair Star finished third and Japan fourth.[6]
Wizard then went toEpsom Downs for theDerby Stakes, where he was again ridden by Clift, as he had been in his previous two races.[7] He started as the odds-on favourite, priced at about 8/11.[8] Fair Star was the second favourite, with Salivator third in the betting. Salivator took the lead and held it until the field turned into the finishing straight, where Wizard overtook him. Wizard was in front until a few yards from the finish, where he was passed byPope, a 20/1 outsider. Pope won the race by aneck from Wizard with Salivator in third and Fair Star in fourth.[7] In his last race of the season Wizard finished fourth in theSt. Leger Stakes atDoncaster. The race was won byAshton, who had started as favourite.[9] The St. Leger was the first time Wizard had not been ridden by William Clift, withFrancis Buckle riding him.[10]
Wizard did not reappear as a four-year-old until October, when he defeated Derby winner Pope over1+1⁄4 miles at Newmarket. Pope had started the race as the 1/2 favourite.[11] The following day, Wizardwalked over for one-third of a subscription of 25 guineas each.[12] These were his only two appearances in 1810.
Wizard's first race as a five-year-old was a sweepstakes of 100 guineas each on 20 April at Newmarket. He faced three opponents and won the race from odds-on favourite Spaniard.[13] He was then intended to face 1810 Derby winnerWhalebone at Newmarket in early May, but Whalebone's owner, the4th Duke of Grafton, paid a forfeit and the race never took place.[14] He beat Middlethorpe at Newmarket after Middlethorpe unseated hisrider in the early stages of the race. The match against Middlethorpe won him 500 guineas.[15] The following day he beat Anthonio over5+1⁄2 furlongs.[16] He faced Middlethorpe again in September when he felllame and Middlethorpe beat him. This was his final race and he was retired tostud.[17] Throughout his racing career Wizard earned 3850 guineas.
| Date | Race name | Distance | Course | Prize | Odds | Runners | Place | Winner/Runner-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 April 1809 | Sweepstakes of 100gs | 1 mile 2f | Newmarket | 0700 700 gs | 01.206/5 | 6 | 1 | Chyrseis | [4] |
| 18 April 1809 | 2000 Guineas Stakes | 1 mile | Newmarket | 1450 gs | 00.804/5 | 8 | 1 | Robin | [6] |
| 18 May 1809 | Derby Stakes | 1 mile 4f | Epsom Downs | 1050 gs | 00.738/11 | 10 | 2 | Pope | [8] |
| 25 September 1809 | St. Leger Stakes | 2 miles | Doncaster | 1250 gs | 10.0010/1 | 14 | 4 | Ashton | [9] |
| 1 October 1810 | Match againstPope | 1 mile 2f | Newmarket | 0200 200 gs | 02.00 | 2 | 1 | Pope | [11] |
| 2 October 1810 | Sweepstakes of 25 gs | 2 miles ½f | Newmarket | 0125125 gs | 00.00N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover | [11] |
| 20 April 1811 | Sweepstakes of 100 gs | 1 mile7+1⁄2f | Newmarket | 0450450 gs | 03.507/2 | 4 | 1 | Spaniard | [13] |
| 17 May 1811 | Match against Middlethorpe | 4 miles1+1⁄2f | Newmarket | 0500500 gs | 01.00 | 2 | 1 | None | [15] |
| 18 May 1811 | Match against Anthonio | 5+1⁄2 furlongs | Newmarket | 0200200 gs | 00.835/6 | 2 | 1 | Anthonio | [16] |
| 30 September 1811 | Match against Middlethorpe | 1 mile7+1⁄2f | Newmarket | 0200200 gs | 00.574/7 | 2 | 2 | Middlethorpe | [17] |
Wizard was astallion at Elmsal Lodge nearFerrybridge,Yorkshire. In 1812 his stud fee was ten guineas plus half a guinea for thegroom.[18] He also stood at Emsal, for the same fee, in 1813.[19] He only stood as a stallion for these two seasons[20] and died on 30 June 1813 at Elmsal Lodge two days after running into a post. He broke threeribs and an iron bar attached to the post became so lodged in hisbackbone that it took two men to remove it.[21] Wizard sired three winners of eleven races.
His winning progeny were:
Wizard's descendants include 1963Irish 2000 Guineas and 1964Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Linacre[26][27][28] and 1940Gran Premio di Milano winner Sirte.[29][30] Through 1948Prix Edmond Blanc winner Menetrier he is an ancestor of multiple time Canadian Champion sire andHall of Fame inducteeVice Regent and his brotherViceregal and their many descendants (which includeDeputy Minister,Victory Gallop andTrempolino), as well asCanadian Horse of the YearCanebora and 1979Prix du Jockey Club winner Top Ville.[30][31][32] All these were descended through another unnamed daughter foaled in 1813, as was Hyacinthus, who won the 1940Middle Park Stakes.[33][34] This unnamed daughter of Wizard was never trained to race as she was crippled.[1]
Through his 1814 daughter Wizardess his descendants include 1928Grand Prix de Paris winner Cri de Guerre[35][36] and his descendants (including 1972Bay Shore Stakes winner Explodent and 1983Phoenix Stakes winner King Persian).[37]
| Sire Sorcerer (GB) bl. 1796 | Trumpator (GB) blk. 1782 | Conductor ch. 1767 | Matchem* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snap mare* | |||
| Brunette br. 1771 | Squirrel | ||
| Dove | |||
| Young Giantess (GB) b. 1790 | Diomed ch. 1777 | Florizel | |
| Spectator mare | |||
| Giantess b. 1769 | Matchem* | ||
| Molly Long Legs | |||
| Dam Precipitate mare (GB) 1795 | Precipitate (GB) ch. 1787 | Mercury ch. 1778 | Eclipse |
| Tartar mare | |||
| Herod mare b. 1779 | Herod | ||
| Maiden | |||
| Lady Harriet (GB) b. 1783 | Mark Anthony b. 1767 | Spectator | |
| Rachel | |||
| Georgiana b. 1771 | Matchem* | ||
| Snap mare* |
Note: b. =Bay, bl. =Black, br. =Brown, ch. =Chestnut
* Wizard isinbred 4S × 4S x 4D to the stallionMatchem, meaning that he appears fourth generation twice on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation once on the dam side of his pedigree.
* Wizard is inbred 4S × 4D to the mareSnap mare, meaning that he appears fourth generation once on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation once on the dam side of his pedigree.