Captain Cuttle
Encyclopedia
Captain Cuttle was a British Thoroughbred
racehorse an sire. He ran only six times in a career which was restricted by chronic injury problems. He was the outstanding British colt of his generation, winning the Epsom Derby
and the St. James's Palace Stakes
in 1922. He retired after winning his only race as a four-year-old in 1923.
and three white socks, was bred by his owner Lord Woolavington
. He was from the first crop of foals sired by the unbeaten champion, Hurry On
, making him a representative of the Godolphin Arabian
sire line. Apart from Captain Cuttle, Hurry On sired the winners of seven Classics including the Derby winners Coronach
and Call Boy. His most influential son was the Ascot Gold Cup
winner Preciptation, who sired four classic winners.
Captain Cuttle was named after the character in Dickens'
novel Dombey and Son
. Like his sir, Captain Cuttle was trained throughout his career by Fred Darling at Beckhampton in Wiltshire
, and was ridden in his most important races by the leading British jockey
of the era Steve Donoghue
. The colt was particularly devoted to his trainer, following him "like a pet dog."
. Captain Cuttle's heavy physique and immaturity put a strain on his forelegs, leading Darling to treat him very carefully, riding the colt himself in most of his exercise work.
, which he won by six lengths. He became ill after the race and had not fully recovered by the time he ran in the 2000 Guineas. He finished third in the Newmarket Classic, beaten a total of seven lengths, behind St Louis and Pondoland.
There were doubts concerning the colt’s stamina, and he started at odds of 10/1 in a field of thirty for the Epsom Derby four weeks later. Captain Cuttle missed the parade for the Derby after a delay caused by a shoeing
accident. Allegations were later made in the Daily Express
that Captain Cuttle had been illegally injected with cocaine
, to combat lameness caused by the incident. Lord Woolavington responded by instituting legal proceedings against the newspaper for libel. Ridden by Donoghue, Captain Cuttle was prominent from the start before moving into the lead entering the straight. He was soon clear and won easily by four lengths from Tamar in a race record time of 2:34.6.
The colt was reported to be lame after the race and there were rumours that the his career was over but he appeared to have recovered in time for Royal Ascot where he won the St James’s Palace Stakes over a mile. He then suffered a tendon injury which forced him out for the rest of the season.
. He was being prepared for the Ascot Gold Cup
when his tendon problems recurred and he was retired to stud.
, West Sussex
. He had some success, siring the 1000 Guineas winner Scuttle but did not live up to expectations and was sold for a reported £40,000 to stand in Italy in 1927. He died at the Mirafiori stud, near Turin
in 1932 after breaking his back in a freak accident.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse an sire. He ran only six times in a career which was restricted by chronic injury problems. He was the outstanding British colt of his generation, winning the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
and the St. James's Palace Stakes
St. James's Palace Stakes
The St. James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
in 1922. He retired after winning his only race as a four-year-old in 1923.
Background
Captain Cuttle, an exceptionally good-looking chestnut horse with a broad white blazeHorse markings
Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life...
and three white socks, was bred by his owner Lord Woolavington
James Buchanan, 1st Baron Woolavington
James Buchanan, 1st Baron Woolavington, GCVO, JP , known as Sir James Buchanan, Bt, between 1920 and 1922, was a British businessman, philanthropist and racehorse owner/breeder.-Background:...
. He was from the first crop of foals sired by the unbeaten champion, Hurry On
Hurry On
Hurry On was an outstanding, undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire that revived the Matchem sire line. For a trainer who conditioned as many top winners as the Englishman Fred Darling, the observation that Hurry On was the best horse he ever trained is high praise indeed.-Breeding:He...
, making him a representative of the Godolphin Arabian
Godolphin Arabian
The Godolphin Arabian , also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse who was one of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock...
sire line. Apart from Captain Cuttle, Hurry On sired the winners of seven Classics including the Derby winners Coronach
Coronach (horse)
Coronach was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was a champion two-year-old who went on to complete a then unique treble by winning the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes and the St Leger as a three-year-old in 1926, a year in which he also won the St. James's Palace Stakes...
and Call Boy. His most influential son was the Ascot Gold Cup
Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
winner Preciptation, who sired four classic winners.
Captain Cuttle was named after the character in Dickens'
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
novel Dombey and Son
Dombey and Son
Dombey and Son is a novel by the Victorian author Charles Dickens. It was first published in monthly parts between October 1846 and April 1848 with the full title Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation...
. Like his sir, Captain Cuttle was trained throughout his career by Fred Darling at Beckhampton in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, and was ridden in his most important races by the leading British jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
of the era Steve Donoghue
Steve Donoghue
Steve Donoghue was a leading English flat-race jockey in the 1910s and 1920s. He was Champion Jockey 10 times between 1914 and 1923 and was one of the most celebrated horse racing sportsmen after Fred Archer, arguably only Sir Gordon Richards eclipsing him.-Background:Born in Warrington, Cheshire,...
. The colt was particularly devoted to his trainer, following him "like a pet dog."
1921: two-year-old season
Captain Cuttle was a slow-maturing colt and was not highly-tried at two. He made only one appearance on the racecourse, finishing second in a minor race at DoncasterDoncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
. Captain Cuttle's heavy physique and immaturity put a strain on his forelegs, leading Darling to treat him very carefully, riding the colt himself in most of his exercise work.
1922: three-year-old season
Captain Cuttle began his three-year-old season in the Wood Ditton Stakes at Newmarket RacecourseNewmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
, which he won by six lengths. He became ill after the race and had not fully recovered by the time he ran in the 2000 Guineas. He finished third in the Newmarket Classic, beaten a total of seven lengths, behind St Louis and Pondoland.
There were doubts concerning the colt’s stamina, and he started at odds of 10/1 in a field of thirty for the Epsom Derby four weeks later. Captain Cuttle missed the parade for the Derby after a delay caused by a shoeing
Farrier
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves...
accident. Allegations were later made in the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
that Captain Cuttle had been illegally injected with cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, to combat lameness caused by the incident. Lord Woolavington responded by instituting legal proceedings against the newspaper for libel. Ridden by Donoghue, Captain Cuttle was prominent from the start before moving into the lead entering the straight. He was soon clear and won easily by four lengths from Tamar in a race record time of 2:34.6.
The colt was reported to be lame after the race and there were rumours that the his career was over but he appeared to have recovered in time for Royal Ascot where he won the St James’s Palace Stakes over a mile. He then suffered a tendon injury which forced him out for the rest of the season.
1923: four-year-old season
On his 1923 debut, Captain Cuttle won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at KemptonKempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles from the city centre. The site is set in of land....
. He was being prepared for the Ascot Gold Cup
Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
when his tendon problems recurred and he was retired to stud.
Assessment
In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Captain Cuttle the seventy-third best British horse of the 20th Century and the second best Derby winner of the 1920s .Stud career
Captain Cuttle retired to his owner’s stud at LavingtonEast Lavington
East Lavington is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located six kilometres south of Petworth, west of the A285 road....
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. He had some success, siring the 1000 Guineas winner Scuttle but did not live up to expectations and was sold for a reported £40,000 to stand in Italy in 1927. He died at the Mirafiori stud, near Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
in 1932 after breaking his back in a freak accident.