| Eclipse | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Eclipse (byGeorge Stubbs) | |
| Sire | Marske |
| Grandsire | Squirt |
| Dam | Spilletta |
| Damsire | Regulus |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1 April 1764 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Duke of Cumberland |
| Owner | William Wildman Dennis O'Kelly Lewis Burwell |
| Trainer | Sullivan |
| Record | 18 starts, 18 wins (plus 7 heats)[1] |
| Earnings | 2,149guineas |
| Major wins | |
| Winchester King's Plate (1769) Salisbury King's Plate (1769) Canterbury King's Plate (1769) Lewes King's Plate (1769) Lichfield King's Plate (1769) Match race againstBucephalus (1770) Newmarket First Spring King's Plate (1770) Guilford King's Plate (1770) Nottingham King's Plate (1770) York King's Plate (1770) 6yo+ Great Subscription Purse (1770) Lincoln Heath King's Plate (1770) Newmarket October King's Plate (1770) | |
| Honours | |
| Eclipse Stakes atSandown Park (GB) Prix Eclipse atMaisons-Laffitte (France) TheEclipse Awards (USA) | |
| Last updated on 29 October 2012 | |
Eclipse (1 April 1764 – 26 February 1789) was an undefeated 18th-centuryBritishThoroughbredracehorse who won 18 races, including 11 King's Plates. He raced before the introduction of theBritish 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.
After retiring from racing, he became a very successfulsire, whose offspring included three Epsom Derby winners:Young Eclipse,Saltram andSerjeant. He was also a successful sire of sires, and his sire line has become dominant in the modern Thoroughbred worldwide through descendants such asNorthern Dancer,Mr. Prospector andSunday Silence.
Eclipse was foaled during and named after thesolar eclipse of1 April 1764, at Keats Gore, nearEast Ilsley in Berkshire, not at theCranbourne Lodge stud of his breeder,Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, as many believe.[2][3] This commonly recorded error is because of the prestige of Cranbourne Lodge. It was at Cranbourne that hissire, theJockey Club Plate winnerMarske (bySquirt from The Ruby Mare) stood. His dam,Spilletta (foaled 1749), was byRegulus, who was by theGodolphin Arabian. Eclipse's male-line great-grandsire wasBartlett's Childers, and his male-line great-great-grandsire wasDarley Arabian. Eclipse was a brother to the successful broodmareProserpine. They were inbred to Snake in the fourth generation(4m x 4f) of theirpedigree. After the death of Prince William in 1765, Eclipse was sold for 75guineas to asheep dealer fromSmithfield, William Wildman.
Eclipse was a bright chestnut with a narrowblaze running down his face. He had a white stocking on his right hind leg. Eclipse was a big horse for his time, just over 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm), and was an inch higher at the rump than at the withers. He was strong, sound and fast. He was sometimes criticized for having a large, unattractive head. His difficult temperament was well documented, and might have led to him being gelded.[4] Instead he was turned over to a rough-rider, who worked him hard all day, and at night as well on poaching expeditions if the stories are to be believed. This treatment, rather than souring his disposition, settled Eclipse enough to allow him to be raced, although his jockeys never attempted to hold him.[5]
Before Eclipse's first start at the age of five, a trial was arranged atEpsom (although the location has also been given asMickleham[6]). Bookmakers, trying to verify whether rumours about the horse were true, showed up but were too late — the trial had already been run. On their way home, though, they encountered an old woman who told them she had seen a horse with a white leg being chased by another, who she did not think would catch the horse with the white leg, even if he pursued him to the end of the world. Accordingly, when Eclipse started in his first race onMay 3 1769, a £50 Plate for horses who had never won, he was4/1 on favourite.[6] The race consisted of three heats of four miles each. Eclipse won easily.[7]
After his second victory in a race in May 1769,Dennis O'Kelly purchased Eclipse in two stages.(50 percent in June 1769 for 650 guineas, 50 percent in April 1770 for 1,100 guineas).[8][9] Supposedly, at this time O'Kelly used the famous phrase "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere", before making his bets for this race, although some sources[6] have him saying this for the second heat of the horse's debut. At that time, a horse that was more than 240 yards behind the lead was said to benowhere. Hisjockey was John Oakley, supposedly the only jockey who could handle Eclipse's temperamental manner and running style of holding his nose very close to the ground.[10]: 2 Eclipse won the race and covered O'Kelly's bet.[8]
His toughest challenge was a match race versus the highly regardedBucephalus in April 1770. Bucephalus was game, but Eclipse was the easy winner.[7] In August, he took on top class horses Tortoise and Bellario in theGreat Subscription Purse atYork, but at odds of 20/1 on, routed both of them, being over a furlong in front after two miles, and winning in a canter.[6]
Eclipse won 18 races, including 11 King's Plates, supposedly without ever being fully extended and proving far superior to all competition.[8] During his racing career, Eclipse ran over63 miles and walked 1,400 miles to race meetings across England.[1]
Eclipse is still remembered in the phrase "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere",snowcloned as "[name of competitor] first and the rest nowhere", referring to any dominating victory. This phrase is occasionally seen in American print media (most often in newspaper sport sections) but is more common in Britain.
He is attested to have covered 83 feet per second at top speed, and covered 25 feet in a single stride.[5]
| Date | Race name[5] | Distance | Course | Prize | Odds | Runners | Place | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 1769 | £50 Race | 4 mile heats | Epsom Downs | 050 £50 | 0.25 1/4 | 5 | 1 | Gower |
| 29 May 1769 | £50 Plate | 2 mile heats | Ascot | 050 £50 | 0.125 1/8 | 2 | 1 | Crême de Barbade |
| 13 June 1769 | King's Plate | 4 mile heats | Winchester | 105100 gns | 1.25 5/4 | 5 | 1 | Turner's Slouch |
| 15 June 1769 | 50 Guinea Plate | Winchester | 05350 gns | N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover | |
| 28 June 1769 | King's Plate | Salisbury | 105100 gns | N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover | |
| 29 June 1769 | City Silver Bowl | 4 mile heats | Salisbury | 03130 gns | 0.1 1/10 | 3 | 1 | Sulphur |
| 25 July 1769 | King's Plate | Canterbury | 105100 gns | N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover | |
| 27 July 1769 | King's Plate | 4 miles | Lewes | 105100 gns | 0.1 1/10 | 2 | 1 | Kingston |
| 19 September 1769 | King's Plate | 3 miles | Lichfield | 0.05 1/20 | 2 | 1 | Tardy | |
| 17 April 1770 | Match race | Newmarket | 0.67 4/6 | 2 | 1 | Bucephalus | ||
| 18 April 1770 | King's Plate | 3.5 mile heats | Newmarket | 420400 gns | 0.1 1/10 | 4 | 1 | Diana |
| 5 June 1770 | King's Plate | Guildford | N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover | ||
| 3 July 1770 | King's Plate | Nottingham | N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover | ||
| 20 August 1770 | King's Plate | York | N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover | ||
| 23 August 1770 | Subscription Purse | 4 | York | 319£319 | 0.05 1/20 | 3 | 1 | Tortoise |
| 3 September 1770 | King's Plate | Lincoln Heath | 105100 gns | N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover | |
| 3 October 1770 | 150 Guineas Race | Newmarket | 157150 gns | 0.014 1/70 | 2 | 1 | Corsican | |
| 4 October 1770 | King's Plate | Newmarket | N/A | 1 | 1 | Walkover |
In ten of the King's Plates, Eclipse carried 12st, or 168 pounds, the highest weight (by one pound) that was carried by a winner in England up to 1840.[5]
In 1771, Eclipse was retired to stud after a racing career of about 17 months due to lack of competition as nobody was betting on rival horses. Initially he stood at O'Kelly's Clay Hill Stud, near Epsom (Surrey), for a fee of 10 guineas which rose rapidly to 25 and then to 50 guineas a mare. During 1788, he was relocated to Cannons Stud, Edgware (Middlesex).[8]
Overall, Eclipse sired 344 winners of more than £158,000[12] (although the number varies with different reports, ranging from 325 to 400).[8]
| Foaled | Name | Sex | Major Wins |
| 1772 | Planet | s | Jockey Club Plate, Weights and Scales Plate,1200 Guineas Stakes |
| 1773 | Potoooooooo (Pot-8-Os) | s | 1200 Guineas Stakes, Clermont Cup (x3), Jockey Club Plate (x3), Newmarket Whip (x2), Craven Stakes[13] |
| 1774 | Jupiter | s | 100 guineas sweep at Newmarket[14] |
| 1774 | Satellite | s | Guildford King's Plate, Winchester King's Plate[15] |
| 1775 | King Fergus | s | 500 guineas sweep at Bath[16] |
| 1778 | Joe Andrews | s | Stand Plate at York[3] |
| 1778 | Mercury | s | Lewes King's Plate[17] |
| 1778 | Young Eclipse | s | Epsom Derby[3] |
| 1780 | Dungannon | s | Craven Stakes[18] |
| 1780 | Saltram | s | Epsom Derby[3] |
| 1780 | Volunteer | s | 1200 Guineas Stakes, Cumberland Subscription Stakes[19] |
| 1781 | Serjeant | s | Epsom Derby,[3]1200 Guineas Stakes |
| 1782 | Alexander | s | Ran at Newmarket in the late 1780s[20] |
| 1784 | Annette | m | Epsom Oaks[3] |
| 1784 | Don Quixote | s | |
| 1784 | Pegasus | s | Macaroni Stakes[21] |
Eclipse's daughters include Horatia, one of only twelve mares to produce two Derby winners:Archduke andParis.[7] She also produced two-time Doncaster Cup winner Stamford. Other daughters of Eclipse produced Derby winnersJohn Bull andSkyscraper, and St. Leger winnersTartar,Remembrancer and Phoenomenon. Chanticleer, Haphazard, and Weasel are also noted as important runners out of Eclipse mares.[4][22]
Eclipse was never theleading sire in Great Britain and Ireland, although he finished in second place 11 times, usually behindHerod. A book published in 1970 stated that theRoyal Veterinary College had determined that nearly 80% of Thoroughbredracehorses had Eclipse in theirpedigree.[1] That percentage has naturally increased with time and the inevitable inbreeding in the Thoroughbred population. More recently it has been estimated that Eclipse is not onlysomewhere in the pedigree, but atail-male ancestor of "95pc of contemporary thoroughbreds"[23] or of "nearly every living thoroughbred."[3]
This modern dominance comes mainly through a sire line established byPotoooooooo, although King Fergus would also found another successful branch leading toRibot.[24] Potoooooooo's grandsonWaxy would lead the sire list in 1811, and Waxy's grandsonBirdcatcher in turn led the sire list in 1852 and 1856. Birdcatcher's grandsonStockwell outdid them both, becoming leading sire seven times. Stockwell's grandsonBend Or founded a line that led four generations later toPhalaris[25] The Phalaris line has several branches, notably throughNearco andNative Dancer.
In Great Britain and Ireland, the Eclipse sire line includes modernleading sires such asSadler's Wells,Danehill andGalileo.In North America, leading sires in his line includeBold Ruler (sire ofSecretariat),Mr. Prospector (ancestor ofAmerican Pharoah),Danzig,Storm Cat,A.P. Indy,Giant's Causeway andTapit. In Japan, Eclipse's sire line includesleading siresSunday Silence,King Kamehameha andDeep Impact, while in Australialeading sires from his line includeRedoute's Choice,Encosta De Lago andFastnet Rock.
* Asire line is the term given to the bloodlines and male descendants from a single stallion.
Descendants of the Eclipse (click to show) |
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Eclipse died due to an attack ofcolic on27 February 1789, at the ageof 24. His skeleton is now housed at theRoyal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire, in the Learning Resource Centre named after him, although it cannot be said for certain whether all the bones displayed are really from Eclipse.[152] Hishooves were made intoinkstands, although the fact that there are at least five Eclipse-hoof inkstands casts some doubt on the authenticity of some. Hairs from his tail have also been used for decorations.[153]
Anecropsy on Eclipse byCharles Vial de Sainbel[154] found that he had an abnormally large heart, weighing 14 pounds (6.4 kg). This trait has been referred to in the context of thoroughbreds as the "X Factor" Theory.[155] While the theory has yet to be proven, it has gained popularity due to the large hearts seen occasionally in his descendants, includingSecretariat andPhar Lap.
TheEclipse Awards are American Thoroughbred horse-racing awards named after Eclipse. They honour the champions of the sport, and are sponsored by theNational Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA),Daily Racing Form and theNational Turf Writers Association, who select all finalists at the end of the year. The most prestigious of these Awards is theEclipse Award for Horse of the Year title.
TheEclipse Stakes is aGroup 1 flat race in the United Kingdom for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of 1¼ miles and 7 yards (2,018 metres) atSandown Park.
Eclipse Press is the book-publishing division ofBlood-Horse Publications, an international publishing house for top Thoroughbred and general equine magazines, books, videos, CD-ROMs and annual references.
Sheffield-basedEclipse tools, now part ofSpear & Jackson, took their name and theirEclipse first... slogan in 1909 from the horse.
The life story of Eclipse inspired the novelO'Kelly's Eclipse by screenwriterArthur Weiss.
Nicholas Clee'sEclipse: The Story of the Rogue, the Madam and the Horse That Changed Racing[23] is a biography of Eclipse and of the people connected to him, among them the gambler Dennis O'Kelly and the brothel madamCharlotte Hayes. Other biographies of Eclipse include Michael Church'sEclipse: The Horse, The Race, The Awards (2000), and Theodore Cook's 1907 bookEclipse and O'Kelly.[156]
Contrary to popular belief, theMitsubishi Eclipse was named for the racehorse, and not for the natural phenomenon.[157]
At the time of Eclipse's birth, stud records were maintained by the individual breeder with no central authority. Record-keeping was somewhat haphazard, compounded by spelling and transcription errors, and the fact that the names of mares were often not recorded. In 1791, James Weatherby and William Sydney Towers pieced together theGeneral Stud Book, which is the source of the pedigree shown below. However, there are still several debated entries of interest to pedigree experts. Details of the issues can be found in Appendix 2 of Nicholas Clee's book on Eclipse. The most notable issues are summarized below.[158]
According to all official records, Eclipse's sire wasMarske (written as 'Mask' in a 1764 entry in the Royal Stud Book). Marske was a moderately successful racehorse who had little early success in the breeding shed. His stud fee at the time of Eclipse's conception was only half a guinea, though it subsequently grew to 30 guineas. During Eclipse's lifetime, however, it was rumoured that his real sire was Shakespeare, who was a somewhat better racehorse than Marske and was said to resemble Eclipse more closely. According to a contemporary source, Eclipse's dam was covered in 1763 first by Shakespeare and later by Marske, and paternity was based on Eclipse's foaling date corresponding to the date of the second breeding session. Since both Marske and Shakespeare were great-grandsons of the Darley Arabian, Eclipse would still descend from that stallion.[158]
Eclipse's dam was Spilletta, who is shown as a bay in the General Stud Book but recorded as a chestnut in the personal records of her second owner, the Duke of Ancaster. There is again confusion over her breeding: The General Stud Book shows her sire as the undefeated Regulus (by the Godolphin Arabian) but a 1754 racing calendar shows her sire as Sedbury (by the Byerley Turk). Spilletta's dam was Mother Western, whose paternity is subject to similar confusion between Scarborough Colt and Easby Snake.[158] Spilletta raced only once, finishing last in a field of three. In her first eight years as a broodmare, Spilletta produced only one live foal. In 1760, she was bred to Markse for the first time with no issue. Three years later, they were mated again: Eclipse was the result.[159]
| Sire Marske (GB) br. 1750 | Squirt ch. 1732 | Bartlett's Childers b. 1716 | Darley Arabian b.c1700 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betty Leedes | |||
| Sister to Old Country Wench* | Snake* | ||
| Grey Wilkes | |||
| The Ruby Mare | Blacklegs | Hutton's Bay Turk | |
| Coneyskins mare | |||
| Bay Bolton mare | Bay Bolton | ||
| Fox Cub mare | |||
| Dam Spilletta (GB) b. 1749 | Regulus ch. 1739 | Godolphin Arabian b.c.1724 | (unknown) |
| (unknown) | |||
| Grey Robinson | Bald Galloway | ||
| Sister to Old Country Wench* | |||
| Mother Western | Easby Snake | Snake* | |
| Akaster Turk mare | |||
| Old Montagu mare | Old Montagu | ||
| Hautboy mare (Family: 12)[160] |
Note: b. =Bay, ch. =Chestnut, br. =Brown
* Eclipse isinbred 3S x 4D to the mareOld Country Wench, meaning that she appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.
*^ Eclipse is inbred 4S x 5D x 4D to the stallionSnake, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fifth generation (viaOld Country Wench)^ and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.
