Macbeth II
Encyclopedia
Macbeth II was a horse who was the winner of the 1888 Kentucky Derby
He was the third gelding and one of only nine geldings to win the Kentucky Derby, with the others being Vagrant
(1876), Apollo
(1882), Old Rosebud
(1914), Exterminator
(1918), Paul Jones (1920), Clyde Van Dusen (1929), Funny Cide
(2003), and Mine That Bird
(2009).
in an area called Leestown Pike. Lisle was widely known in the Thoroughbred racing circuit for refusing to pay for stud services, instead breeding his mares to stallions whose services he could obtain for free. This policy served him well because he consistently produced winners like Castaway II, 1890 Brooklyn Handicap
winner. Macbeth was one of the not so illustrious ones, racing at a time when the Kentucky Derby was not as highly regarded as it is today. Gelded
at a young age, Macbeth was sire
d by Macduff, the 1881 Champagne Stakes
winner, a son of the imported British
stallion Macaroon. Macduff also sired the colt McChesney, which was one of the top 3-year-olds in 1902, but Macduff was euthanized in 1899 after he lost popularity as a stud. Macbeth's dam was Agnes (by Gilroy) who also produced 1890 Tennessee Derby
winner and third place Kentucky Derby
contender, Robespierre.
over Gallifet, at 6:1 odds winning a total of $4,740 for Hankins. Macbeth II, being a gelding with no career at stud, raced until he was eight years old, but his last publicized flat race was a September 1890 claiming race
at Sheepshead Bay Race Track
in New York
. Macbeth was trained for steeplechasing
in 1894 after his flat-racing career.
A 1910 Daily Racing Form
article states that Macbeth was purchased as a saddle horse by a gentleman that lived in Chicago and was often seen in Lincoln Park with his new owner. He is reported to have died at an advanced age.
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
He was the third gelding and one of only nine geldings to win the Kentucky Derby, with the others being Vagrant
Vagrant (horse)
Vagrant, was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that is best known for his 1876 Kentucky Derby win. Vagrant was the first of nine geldings to win the Kentucky Derby and was a white-stockinged bay colt sired by Virgil out of the mare Lazy . Virgil was notable for breeding successful nineteenth...
(1876), Apollo
Apollo (horse)
Apollo was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won 24 races in his career, including the 1882 Kentucky Derby.As of 2010, Apollo is the only horse to win the Kentucky Derby without having raced as a 2-year-old....
(1882), Old Rosebud
Old Rosebud (horse)
Old Rosebud was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose pedigree traced to the influential sire Eclipse, and through Eclipse to the founding stallion, the Godolphin Arabian. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine, Old Rosebud ranks 88th...
(1914), Exterminator
Exterminator (horse)
Exterminator was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 1918 Kentucky Derby, and in 1922 won Horse of the Year honors....
(1918), Paul Jones (1920), Clyde Van Dusen (1929), Funny Cide
Funny Cide
Funny Cide is a Thoroughbred race horse who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2003. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the first gelding to win since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.-Bloodlines:...
(2003), and Mine That Bird
Mine That Bird
Mine That Bird is a retired American racehorse. He is best known for being one of only nine geldings to win the Kentucky Derby, and the second gelding to win the race since 1929...
(2009).
Pedigree
Macbeth was foaled at Lisland, the breeding farm of Rufus Lisle which was located two miles northwest of Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
in an area called Leestown Pike. Lisle was widely known in the Thoroughbred racing circuit for refusing to pay for stud services, instead breeding his mares to stallions whose services he could obtain for free. This policy served him well because he consistently produced winners like Castaway II, 1890 Brooklyn Handicap
Brooklyn Handicap
The Brooklyn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to three-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt....
winner. Macbeth was one of the not so illustrious ones, racing at a time when the Kentucky Derby was not as highly regarded as it is today. Gelded
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
at a young age, Macbeth was sire
Sire
Sire may refer to:* Father, the counterpart of a dam, particularly in animal breeding. See also stallion* James W. Sire, author on worldviews* Sire Records, a record label* Sire Advertising, an advertising agency...
d by Macduff, the 1881 Champagne Stakes
Champagne Stakes
Champagne Stakes may refer to:*Champagne Stakes , a horse race held at Randwick Racecourse in Australia*Champagne Stakes , a horse race held at Doncaster Racecourse in Great Britain...
winner, a son of the imported British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
stallion Macaroon. Macduff also sired the colt McChesney, which was one of the top 3-year-olds in 1902, but Macduff was euthanized in 1899 after he lost popularity as a stud. Macbeth's dam was Agnes (by Gilroy) who also produced 1890 Tennessee Derby
Tennessee Derby
The Tennessee Derby was an American Thoroughbred horse race that was run annually from 1884 to 1886 and then 1890–1906 at the Montgomery Park racetrack located on the Memphis Fairgrounds in Tennessee. The Tennessee Derby rivaled the Kentucky Derby at the time for prestige and purse money, but was...
winner and third place Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
contender, Robespierre.
Racing career
Macbeth was owned as a two-year and three-year old by the Chicago Stable, a partnership between horse trainer John Campbell and George Hankins, with Hankins becoming sole owner in October 1888. Hankins was a prominent Chicago gambler that soared to fame in the 1880s and 90s, accumulating great wealth but ultimately losing it all by 1900. In the 1888 Kentucky Derby, Macbeth was not an obvious choice for the win, with a horse named Gallifet being the favorite. Gallifet and The Chevalier were clear contenders from the start of the race, with Macbeth not gaining a lead until a mile into the race. He won by a lengthLength (horse racing)
A horse length, or simply length, is a unit of measurement that refers to the length of a horse from nose to tail, approximately 8 feet, It is commonly used in Thoroughbred horse racing, where it describes the distance between horses in a race...
over Gallifet, at 6:1 odds winning a total of $4,740 for Hankins. Macbeth II, being a gelding with no career at stud, raced until he was eight years old, but his last publicized flat race was a September 1890 claiming race
Claiming race
A claiming race in thoroughbred horse racing is one in which the horses are all for sale for more or less the same price up until shortly before the race. Race types form a hierarchy in terms of the quality of horse they attract, with handicap races and graded stakes races attracting the "best"...
at Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track
Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Macbeth was trained for steeplechasing
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
in 1894 after his flat-racing career.
A 1910 Daily Racing Form
Daily Racing Form
The Daily Racing Form is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race horses as a statistical service for bettors on horse racing in the United States....
article states that Macbeth was purchased as a saddle horse by a gentleman that lived in Chicago and was often seen in Lincoln Park with his new owner. He is reported to have died at an advanced age.