Tudor Minstrel
Encyclopedia
Tudor Minstrel was a British-bred
Champion Thoroughbred
racehorse
. He was sired by Owen Tudor
, the 1941 Epsom Derby
winner.
Ridden by Gordon Richards
, in 1947 Tudor Minstrel won the 1 mile long 2,000 Guineas by 8 lengths, the largest winning margin in the race since 1900. A heavy favourite going into the 1½ mile Epsom Derby
, the distance was too much and he finished a tired fourth. Back racing at a distance of 1 mile in the St. James's Palace Stakes
, Tudor Minstrel easily won.
British rating company Timeform
have Tudor Minstrel ranked equal second among post-war European racehorses, level with Brigadier Gerard and behind only Sea Bird II
.
Retired for breeding purposes, Tudor Minstrel was successful at stud
, siring numerous winners including the 1959 Kentucky Derby
winner Tomy Lee
. Other sons included Sing Sing, Tudor Melody and Will Somers, all three of whom were primarily an influence for speed. Sing Sing sired Song, who in turned sired the brilliant sprinting mare and 1993 European Horse of the Year Lochsong
. Tudor Melody was the sire of British champion older horse Welsh Pageant, who had his own success at stud as the damsire of champions Celtic Swing
and Ouija Board. The continuation of the Tudor Minstrel male line now depends on the Will Somers line, via the sons of European champion sprinter Cadeaux Genereux.
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...
Champion 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 racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. He was sired by Owen Tudor
Owen Tudor (horse)
Owen Tudor was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1940 to 1942 he ran twelve times and won six races. His most important win came as a three-year-old in the summer of 1941 when he won the “New Derby” at Newmarket...
, the 1941 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...
winner.
Ridden by Gordon Richards
Gordon Richards
Sir Gordon Richards was an English jockey, and is often considered the world's greatest ever jockey. He remains the only jockey to have been knighted....
, in 1947 Tudor Minstrel won the 1 mile long 2,000 Guineas by 8 lengths, the largest winning margin in the race since 1900. A heavy favourite going into the 1½ mile 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...
, the distance was too much and he finished a tired fourth. Back racing at a distance of 1 mile in 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....
, Tudor Minstrel easily won.
British rating company Timeform
Timeform
Timeform Publications is a publishing company in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans, bettors, and others involved in the horse racing industry...
have Tudor Minstrel ranked equal second among post-war European racehorses, level with Brigadier Gerard and behind only Sea Bird II
Sea Bird II
Sea Bird II is considered by many to be the greatest post-war European flat racehorse. His Timeform rating of 145 is still the highest ever flat figure awarded by that publication. Sea Bird II is most famous for his breathtaking victories in two of Europe's most prestigious races: the Epsom Derby...
.
Retired for breeding purposes, Tudor Minstrel was successful at stud
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...
, siring numerous winners including the 1959 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...
winner Tomy Lee
Tomy Lee
Tomy Lee was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1959 Kentucky Derby defeating Sword Dancer, First Landing, Royal Orbit and the filly Silver Spoon....
. Other sons included Sing Sing, Tudor Melody and Will Somers, all three of whom were primarily an influence for speed. Sing Sing sired Song, who in turned sired the brilliant sprinting mare and 1993 European Horse of the Year Lochsong
Lochsong
Lochsong is a bay Thoroughbred filly who twice won the Cartier Award as Top European Sprinter and was voted 1993 European Horse of the Year....
. Tudor Melody was the sire of British champion older horse Welsh Pageant, who had his own success at stud as the damsire of champions Celtic Swing
Celtic Swing
Celtic Swing is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse. He was owned by Peter Savill, bred by Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk and trained by her daughter Lady Herries in Sussex. Unfashionably bred, he was by the American horse Damister and out of the British horse Celtic Ring...
and Ouija Board. The continuation of the Tudor Minstrel male line now depends on the Will Somers line, via the sons of European champion sprinter Cadeaux Genereux.