Shannon (horse)
Encyclopedia
Shannon named Shannon II in America, was an outstanding Australia
n Thoroughbred
racehorse
who was inducted into the Hall of Fame
. He created new racecourse records in Australia before he was sold to an American buyer who exported him to California in 1948. There Shannon equalled the world record of 1:47 for the nine furlong
s (1,800 metres) in winning the Forty Niner Handicap Stakes, then one week later equalled the world record of 1:59 for a mile and a quarter (2,000 metres). Shannon was named the 1948 American Co-Champion Older Male Horse. At stud in America he proved to be a good sire.
, Midstream (GB) (sire of 39 stakes-winners that won 120 stakes races) from the race-winner, Idle Words by the good sire, Magpie (GB). Idle Words was the dam of 12 foals, of which 11 raced with 8 winners, including three stakes-winners: Bernbrook (by Midstream), won AJC Doncaster Handicap
etc, exported to US; Defame (by Delville Wood) dam of a stakes-winner; and Lysander (by Midstream), won City Tattersall's Cup.
Shannon was owned and trained by Peter Riddle who selected him from the Kia-Ora stud yearlings and paid £367 for him at the Sydney yearling sales.
Two-year-old Handicap, the AJC Kirkham Stakes and the 1944 AJC Sires' Produce Stakes over seven furlongs. During the season he had seven race starts for three wins, three seconds and one unplaced run.
from a very good field before he finished unplaced in the Rosehill Guineas
and AJC Derby. Shannon did not have another race start for ten months.
at even weights in the Tattersalls NSW Tramway Handicap. His win in the STC Hill Stakes
made him the favourite for the AJC Epsom Handicap
. After a good race, Shannon was the winner by a neck from Melhero, and Silent the same distance away in third place. After four starts and four wins for the season Flight relegated him into second place in the Craven Plate
. Shannon was then spelled (rested) during the autumn and winter.
. Shannon is probably best remembered for not winning the Epsom Handicap that season, when he appeared to be unbeatable. As a short-priced favourite for the 1946 Epsom Handicap, Shannon missed the start and did not move from his starting position until the rest of the field had travelled about a hundred metres. Despite the setback his jockey, Darby Munro took off after the field and failed only by half a head to catch the winner Blue Legend, and just past the post he was in front. On his return to scale Munro was given a hostile reception for his ride in the race, it was later disclosed that the starter had failed to see that Shannon was not facing up.
Two days later, he won the George Main Stakes
in an Australasian record time of 1.34½ by six lengths from Flight with Magnificent a further four lengths away in third place. The next Saturday, Shannon defeated Flight in the King's Cup which included Russia, who won the Melbourne Cup
four weeks later.
ed in Sydney and purchased by W.J. Smith for £27,300. Shannon only raced four more times in Australia, in the next spring to register two wins, in the Canterbury Stakes and George Main Stakes, and a second in the Warwick Stakes. Shannon was again sold again in early 1948, this time to America
n Neil McCarthy
for a reported £52,000. His last start in Australia ended in defeat with him finishing second to Russia
in the 1947 AJC Craven Plate
.
Shannon was one of the best middle-distance horses to race in Australia with a tally of 25 starts in Australia for 14 wins including prominent wins in the AJC George Main Stakes
and the AJC Sires Produce Stakes
.
, entrusted Shannon's race conditioning to trainer William Molter. At Hollywood Park Racetrack in June, Shannon won the Argonaut Handicap
and then, on 17 July, won the most prestigious race of his American career: the Hollywood Gold Cup
. At Golden Gate Fields
on 17 October 1948, Shannon equalled the world record of 1:47 for the nine furlongs (1,800 metres) in winning the Forty Niner Handicap Stakes, then just one week later at the same track equalled the world record of 1:59 for a mile and a quarter (2,000 metres) while capturing the Golden Gate Handicap. In America he was second to Citation
with Shannon being the leading money earner in his division. In November he won his last race, the San Francisco Handicap at Tanforan Racetrack
.
300,000 to a breeding
syndicate led by Leslie Combs II, Shannon was retired to stud
duty and stood alongside another Australian champion Bernborough
at Combs' Spendthrift Farm
in Lexington, Kentucky
, where he had a successful career as a sire. Eleven of his first crop yearlings averaged $11,755 each. The best of his progeny were Clem
($535,681) who defeated Round Table
in track record time in the Washington Park Handicap
, and Sea O Erin ($407,259), who won the Citation Handicap
and 18 other races. Shannon sired the winners of more than $4 million while he was at stud in Kentucky.
In 1955, Shannon broke a leg and was humanely euthanized
. He is buried in an unmarked grave at Green Gates Farm, which was formerly part of Spendthrift Farm
.
, in 1948.
He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame
on 4 July 2006. The Shannon Stakes
named in his honour is held annually at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Thoroughbred
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
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
who was inducted into the Hall of Fame
Australian Racing Hall of Fame
The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
. He created new racecourse records in Australia before he was sold to an American buyer who exported him to California in 1948. There Shannon equalled the world record of 1:47 for the nine furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s (1,800 metres) in winning the Forty Niner Handicap Stakes, then one week later equalled the world record of 1:59 for a mile and a quarter (2,000 metres). Shannon was named the 1948 American Co-Champion Older Male Horse. At stud in America he proved to be a good sire.
Breeding
He was by the leading sireLeading sire in Australia
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in Australia for each season since 1883–84. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
, Midstream (GB) (sire of 39 stakes-winners that won 120 stakes races) from the race-winner, Idle Words by the good sire, Magpie (GB). Idle Words was the dam of 12 foals, of which 11 raced with 8 winners, including three stakes-winners: Bernbrook (by Midstream), won AJC Doncaster Handicap
Doncaster Handicap
The Doncaster Mile is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney. Although the race has traditionally been held on Easter Monday, the race is now run on the third Saturday in April. The race is contested over 1,600 metres . The prizemoney in 2010 was A$1,510,000...
etc, exported to US; Defame (by Delville Wood) dam of a stakes-winner; and Lysander (by Midstream), won City Tattersall's Cup.
Shannon was owned and trained by Peter Riddle who selected him from the Kia-Ora stud yearlings and paid £367 for him at the Sydney yearling sales.
At two years: 1943-1944
He won the 1943 AJCAustralian Jockey Club
The Australian Jockey Club was founded in January 1842. It morphed from the former Australian Racing Committee set up in May 1840 to set the standards for racing in the colony...
Two-year-old Handicap, the AJC Kirkham Stakes and the 1944 AJC Sires' Produce Stakes over seven furlongs. During the season he had seven race starts for three wins, three seconds and one unplaced run.
At three years: 1944-1945
In his first three-year-old start Shannon was unplaced in the STC Flying Handicap, but then won the Hobartville StakesHobartville Stakes
The Hobartville Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race, for three-year olds at set weights, over a distance of 1400 metres. It is held at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney every February...
from a very good field before he finished unplaced in the Rosehill Guineas
Rosehill Guineas
The Rosehill Guineas is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race run annually in March at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney. A race for three-year-olds at set weights, it is contested on turf over a distance of 2000 metres .-Distance:...
and AJC Derby. Shannon did not have another race start for ten months.
At four years: 1945-1946
He started as a four-year-old, with 9 stone 1 pound (57.5 kg) in the AJC Campbelltown Handicap over 6 furlongs, which he won at long odds. Next he met and defeated the great mare FlightFlight (horse)
Flight was an Australian Thoroughbred racemare that was the highest stakes winning mare in Australasia. Her courageous efforts made her a crowd favourite during the post World War II era and she had victories over some of the great horses of the time including Shannon, Bernborough, Royal Gem and...
at even weights in the Tattersalls NSW Tramway Handicap. His win in the STC Hill Stakes
Hill Stakes
The Hill Stakes is a STC Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at run at Weight for Age over a distance of 1900 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Sydney in September.-Past winners:*2011 - Trusting *2010 - Descarado *2009 - Miss Marielle...
made him the favourite for the AJC Epsom Handicap
Epsom Handicap
The Epsom Handicap is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held over 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse. It is one of the major races of the Sydney Spring Carnival. Many great milers have won the race, including Chatham, Gunsynd, and Super Impose, who was also a dual winner of the...
. After a good race, Shannon was the winner by a neck from Melhero, and Silent the same distance away in third place. After four starts and four wins for the season Flight relegated him into second place in the Craven Plate
Craven Plate
The Craven Plate is an AJC Group 3 Australian Thoroughbred horse race run over 2,000 metres, under Weight for Age conditions for horses aged three-year-old and upwards, at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in October. Total prize money for the race is A$125,000....
. Shannon was then spelled (rested) during the autumn and winter.
At five years: 1946-1947
As a five-year-old Shannon repeated his Campbelltown Handicap win carrying 9 st. 11 lbs (62 kg) and at his next start had a win in the Theo Marks Quality HandicapTheo Marks Stakes
The Theo Marks Stakes is a Sydney Turf Club Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred quality handicap horse race, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1300 metres. It is held annually at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney in September...
. Shannon is probably best remembered for not winning the Epsom Handicap that season, when he appeared to be unbeatable. As a short-priced favourite for the 1946 Epsom Handicap, Shannon missed the start and did not move from his starting position until the rest of the field had travelled about a hundred metres. Despite the setback his jockey, Darby Munro took off after the field and failed only by half a head to catch the winner Blue Legend, and just past the post he was in front. On his return to scale Munro was given a hostile reception for his ride in the race, it was later disclosed that the starter had failed to see that Shannon was not facing up.
Two days later, he won the George Main Stakes
George Main Stakes
The George Main Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1600 metres at RandwickRacecourse, Sydney in September. Total prize money for the race is A$303,300....
in an Australasian record time of 1.34½ by six lengths from Flight with Magnificent a further four lengths away in third place. The next Saturday, Shannon defeated Flight in the King's Cup which included Russia, who won the Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
four weeks later.
At six years: 1947-1948
When his owner-trainer died he was auctionAuction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
ed in Sydney and purchased by W.J. Smith for £27,300. Shannon only raced four more times in Australia, in the next spring to register two wins, in the Canterbury Stakes and George Main Stakes, and a second in the Warwick Stakes. Shannon was again sold again in early 1948, this time to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n Neil McCarthy
Neil S. McCarthy
Neil Steere McCarthy was an American corporate and film industry lawyer, and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. A third-generation Los Angeles native, he graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in law...
for a reported £52,000. His last start in Australia ended in defeat with him finishing second to Russia
Russia (horse)
Russia was a hardy Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1946 Melbourne Cup and other staying races.-Breeding:He was a chestnut stallion foaled in 1940 by the unplaced, but good sire, Excitement from the unraced Lady March by the useful broodmare sire, Bonnement . Lady March also had...
in the 1947 AJC Craven Plate
Craven Plate
The Craven Plate is an AJC Group 3 Australian Thoroughbred horse race run over 2,000 metres, under Weight for Age conditions for horses aged three-year-old and upwards, at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in October. Total prize money for the race is A$125,000....
.
Shannon was one of the best middle-distance horses to race in Australia with a tally of 25 starts in Australia for 14 wins including prominent wins in the AJC George Main Stakes
George Main Stakes
The George Main Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1600 metres at RandwickRacecourse, Sydney in September. Total prize money for the race is A$303,300....
and the AJC Sires Produce Stakes
AJC Sires Produce Stakes
The AJC Sires Produce Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horserace for two year olds at set weights run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April. The race was first run over one mile in 1867 and won by Glencoe...
.
Racing in the United States
In 1948 new owner Neil McCarthy of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, entrusted Shannon's race conditioning to trainer William Molter. At Hollywood Park Racetrack in June, Shannon won the Argonaut Handicap
Argonaut Handicap
The Argonaut Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1940 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. A one mile race on dirt, it was open to horses age three and older....
and then, on 17 July, won the most prestigious race of his American career: the Hollywood Gold Cup
Hollywood Gold Cup
The Hollywood Gold Cup is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions...
. At Golden Gate Fields
Golden Gate Fields
Golden Gate Fields is an American horse racing track straddling both Albany, California and Berkeley, California along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay adjacent to the Eastshore Freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area...
on 17 October 1948, Shannon equalled the world record of 1:47 for the nine furlongs (1,800 metres) in winning the Forty Niner Handicap Stakes, then just one week later at the same track equalled the world record of 1:59 for a mile and a quarter (2,000 metres) while capturing the Golden Gate Handicap. In America he was second to Citation
Citation (horse)
Citation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
with Shannon being the leading money earner in his division. In November he won his last race, the San Francisco Handicap at Tanforan Racetrack
Tanforan Racetrack
Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno, California was a thoroughbred horse racing facility that operated from September 4, 1899 to July 31, 1964. Tanforan was constructed to serve a clientele from the nearby city of San Francisco. The facility was named after Toribio Tanforan, the grandson-in-law of Jose...
.
Stud record
Sold for US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
300,000 to a breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
syndicate led by Leslie Combs II, Shannon was retired to stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
duty and stood alongside another Australian champion Bernborough
Bernborough
Bernborough was an outstanding Australian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed from 1941 to 1946. He carried heavy weights to victory in a sequence of 15 consecutive wins that included the Doomben 10,000 carrying 10 stone 5 pounds....
at Combs' Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, 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...
, where he had a successful career as a sire. Eleven of his first crop yearlings averaged $11,755 each. The best of his progeny were Clem
Clem (horse)
Clem was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by MGM Studios boss, Louis B. Mayer, he was purchased and raced by Adele Rand....
($535,681) who defeated Round Table
Round Table (horse)
Round Table was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. He is considered the greatest turf horse in American racing history. He was foaled at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, on the night of April 6, 1954...
in track record time in the Washington Park Handicap
Washington Park Handicap
The Washington Park Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of September at Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Heights, Illinois. A Grade III event open to horses age three and older, it is contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt over a distance of a...
, and Sea O Erin ($407,259), who won the Citation Handicap
Citation Handicap
The Citation Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Raced in late November, it is open to horses age three-years-old and up. Contested on turf over a distance of 1 1/16 miles, the event currently offers a purse of $250,000...
and 18 other races. Shannon sired the winners of more than $4 million while he was at stud in Kentucky.
In 1955, Shannon broke a leg and was humanely euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
. He is buried in an unmarked grave at Green Gates Farm, which was formerly part of Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm
Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...
.
Honours
Shannon was the American Co-Champion Older Male Horse, along with CitationCitation (horse)
Citation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
, in 1948.
He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame
Australian Racing Hall of Fame
The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
on 4 July 2006. The Shannon Stakes
Shannon Stakes
The Shannon Stakes is a Sydney Turf Club Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred quality handicap horse race, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1500 metres. It is held annually at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney in September...
named in his honour is held annually at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
The Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is located in the Western Sydney suburb of Rosehill, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is home of the Sydney Turf Club. Rosehill holds horse races for thoroughbred gallopers on a grass surface. It is one of the two premier racecourses in Sydney, the...
.