| Whalebone | |
|---|---|
 Whalebone in a painting byJohn Frederick Herring, Sr., c. 1820 | |
| Sire | Waxy |
| Grandsire | Potoooooooo |
| Dam | Penelope |
| Damsire | Trumpator |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1807 (1807) |
| Died | 6 February 1831 (aged 23–24) |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Duke of Grafton |
| Owner | 1)3rd Duke of Grafton 2)4th Duke of Grafton 3) Mr. Ladbroke 4) Lord Egremont |
| Trainer | Robert Robson |
| Record | 20:14-2-3 |
| Major wins | |
| Epsom Derby (1810) | |
| Honours | |
| Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland (1826 and 1827) | |
Whalebone (1807 – 6 February 1831) was a BritishThoroughbred racehorse that won the 1810Epsom Derby and was a successful sire of racehorses and broodmares in the 1820s. Whalebone and his full-brotherWhisker were produced by the prolific and importantbroodmare Penelope, and they contributed to the perpetuation of the genetic line (tail-male) of their sireWaxy and grandsireEclipse into the 20th century. Whalebone raced until he was six years old and was retired to stud atPetworth in 1815. Whalebone sired the Derby winnersLap-dog,Spaniel and may have been the sire ofMoses. Other notable sons areSir Hercules andCamel, the sire ofTouchstone. Whalebone died in 1831 at the age of 24 of hemorrhage aftercovering a mare.
Whalebone was bred by theDuke of Grafton in 1807 at hisEuston Hall stud farm nearNewmarket. He was sired by the 1793Epsom Derby winnerWaxy out of the mare Penelope (foaled in 1798), both owned by the Duke. As a racehorse, Penelope was a contemporary of the 1801 Derby-winning fillyEleanor, beating her several times, and was half-sister to 1809 Derby winnerPope and the maresPope Joan (both sired by Waxy),Parasol (Partisan's dam) and Prudence.[1] Penelope was a prolific and influential broodmare, producing eight full-siblings to Whalebone that achieved success on the turf. She produced 13 foals between 1806 and 1823, all with names beginning with the letter W. Whalebone was her second foal and his full-siblings include Web, Woful, Wilful, Wire,Whisker, Wildfire and Windfall. Penelope died in 1824.[2]
Whalebone was a mottled bay or brown colt that stood 15.2hands high[3] with "short legs, high-bred nostrils and very prominent eyes."[4] He was a "plainish looking"[3] horse with a "Turkish-pony look"[5] and thick neck and body that were not as well-proportioned as those of his full-brother Whisker. Whalebone was reportedly one of the smallest horsesWaxy ever produced.[4] In the words of his groom, Dryman, "he was the lowest and longest, and most-double jointed horse, with the best legs—eight and a half below the knee—and worst feet I ever saw in my life."[5]
Whalebone's first career start occurred on 9 May atNewmarket where Whalebone ran adead heat and won the 50-guinea Newmarket Stakes, beating the colts Brother to Burleigh (Treasurer) and Eccleston while carrying 119 pounds.[6]
On 7 June at Epsom, Whalebone won theDerby Stakes, beating The Dandy, Eccleston and a field of eight other horses after leading from the start in a race where he "was never headed." He was the race favorite at 5 to 2, and his Derby win was a consecutive victory for theDuke of Grafton who had won the race the previous year with his coltPope.[7] Pope was also sired byWaxy and was out of Whalebone's maternal grandamPrunella.[1]
At the First October Meeting at Newmarket, Whalebone received a forfeiture of 60 guineas from Mr. Shakespear's colt Nuncio[8] andwalked over for a 25-guinea subscription stakes.[9] On 29 October atHoughton, Whalebone was beaten in amatch race by the colt Treasurer while carrying seven more pounds than his opponent.[10] A few days later at the same meeting Whalebone secured two wins in match races, beating Major Wheatley's colt Sir Marrinel while carrying eight pounds more than his opponent[11] and beating the colt Thorn a day later.[12] He also received forfeitures of 100 guineas from Mr. Shakespear's Knave of Clubs[13] and an unspecified amount fromG. H. Cavendish's colt Florival.[14]
In May, Whalebone received 60 guineas forfeiture from Mr. Henry Vansittart's colt Gloster.[15] On 6 August atHuntingdon, Whalebone was third in the Portholme Stakes to the filly Barrosa and the colt Bolter.[16]
For the Newmarket Trial Stakes on 30 September, Whalebone was third to the colt Florival and the filly Sprightly.[17] Whalebone won the 100-guinea King's Plate a few days later,[18] and at the Second October Meeting, received a forfeit from major Wilson's colt Erebus[19] and was unplaced for the Cheveley Stakes.[20] In November he received 140 guineas forfeit from Mr. Shakespear's colt Tumbler.[21]
At the Newmarket-Craven Meeting, Whalebone was beaten in a match race by Major Wilson's colt Bolter.[22] In April at Newmarket, Whalebone won the 100-guinea King's Plate[23] and was third in a 300-guinea sweepstakes race to the colts Trophonius (not the2000 Guineas winner) and Invalid.[24] In July at Newmarket, he won a £50 race[25] and paid a 10-guinea forfeit for a handicap sweepstakes.[26] On 9 September atNorthampton, Whalebone won a 100-guinea gold cup race against four other horses.[27]
Whalebone was sold by theDuke of Grafton in October 1812 to Mr. Ladbroke for 700 guineas.[28] Whalebone's first start under Ladbroke's ownership was on 26 October at theHoughton meeting where he won a match race against Mr. Lake's two-year-old colt Turner.[29] Whalebone won an additional match race against theLord Sackville's horsePan at the same meeting.[30] Whalebone ran three times in 1813, winning the 100-guinea His Majesty's Plate on 8 June atGuildford against three other horses[31] and theLewes His Majesty's Plate on 5 August.[32] On 7 August, in what was ultimately the last start of Whalebone's racing career, he won the 60-guinea Ladies' Plate against Lord Somerset's colt Offa's Dyke.[33]
Ladbroke reportedly "took a dislike to Whalebone"[4] and sold him in 1814 for 510 guineas toLord Egremont.[34] Whalebone was initially thought to be a poor stud prospect due to his small stature and Lord Egremont put him back into training.[4] However, the seven-year-old horse had become "dangerous to ride," having "acquired the habit ofrearing to an alarming extent"[28] and would frequently "knock his hooves together like a pair ofcastanettes."[4] Consequently, he was permanently retired from racing and became a breeding stallion for Lord Egremont in 1815.
Whalebone began his stud career atPetworth in Sussex in 1815 for a fee of 10 guineas per mare and one guinea for the groom alongside the stallionsOctavius andCanopus.[35] His fee was 20 guineas per mare in 1830, the year preceding his death, and he stood at Petworth for the entirety of his 16-year stud career.[36] Whalebone siredThe Derby winnersLap-dog,Spaniel and may have been the sire ofMoses. Other notable sons areSir Hercules andCamel, the sire ofTouchstone.[28]
In his later years, Whalebone developed chronic foot problems due to his poor hoofconformation. His groom, Dryman, commented on his condition, "His feet were so contracted and high on the heel, and became so Chinese boot-like and full offever at last, that he never moved out of his box."[5]
Whalebone "broke a blood vessel" on 5 February 1831 while breeding the mare Ogress.[37] He died of this injury the following day on 6 February 1831. Ogress foaled a bay filly by Whalebone in 1832, later named Eleanor, the last foal sired by Whalebone.
| Sire Waxy (GB) Bay, 1790 | Pot-8-Os 1773 | Eclipse | Marske |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spilletta | |||
| Sportsmistress | Sportsman | ||
| Golden Locks | |||
| Maria 1777 | Herod | Tartar | |
| Cypron | |||
| Lisette | Snap | ||
| Miss Windsor | |||
| Dam Penelope (GB) Bay, 1798 | Trumpator 1782 | Conductor | Matchem |
| Snap Mare | |||
| Brunette | Squirrel | ||
| Dove | |||
| Prunella 1788 | Highflyer | Herod | |
| Rachel | |||
| Promise | Snap | ||
| Julia (Family 1-o) |