Byerley Turk Explained

The Byerley Turk ([1]), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian).[2] [3]

Background

The biographical details of the stallion are the subject of much speculation. The entry in the General Stud Book simply states: "BYERLY TURK, was Captain Byerly's charger in Ireland, in King William's wars (1689, &c.)."[4] As for his earlier history, the most popular theory is that the horse was captured at the Battle of Buda (1686) along with the Lister Turk, who was brought to England by the Duke of Berwick. Other sources speculate he was one of three Turkish stallions captured at the Battle of Vienna. It is even possible he was bred in England from previously imported stock.[5] He was definitely the war horse and cavalry mount of Captain Robert Byerley, who was dispatched to Ireland in 1689 during King William's War and saw further military service in the Battle of the Boyne. According to early records, Captain Byerley was nearly captured while reconnoitering the enemy, "owing his safety to the superior speed of his horse".

As a general rule, the spelling of a name registered with the Jockey Club is considered definitive, even if it is an obvious error.[6] However, the original edition of the General Stud Book was compiled nearly a century after the fact (in 1791) and contains several errors that have been subsequently corrected. Most sources consider the correct spelling of the horse's name to follow the correct spelling of the owner's name, Byerley.

The Byerley Turk was a dark brown or black[1] horse of unknown breeding, but described in historic accounts as an Arabian.[7] At the time, Turkish horses were described as descended from "those of Arabia or Persia", but stated that they were longer in the body and of a larger size.[8] He was described as a horse of elegance, courage and speed.[7] Many of his offspring were also noted to have been either bay or black.[9]

Stud record

In 1692, Captain Byerley married his cousin, Mary Wharton (sole heir to the estate of Goldsborough, near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England) and moved to live with her at her family home of Goldsborough Hall. After Byerley retired (as Colonel Byerley), the Byerley Turk retired to stud, first at Middridge Grange, then, from 1697, at Goldsborough Hall.[7] The Byerley Turk died there in 1703 and it is believed he is buried close to the Hall. Goldsborough Hall is now a private family home that offers accommodation, which includes the commemorative Byerley suite.[10]

He did not cover many well-bred mares, but his most significant sons include:

The Byerley Turk also sired several highly influential daughters, most of whose names do not survive. They are generally classified by the female family that they belong to:

Byerley Turk sire line

The Byerley sire line persisted by producing a major sire every few generations, whose sons would create branches of their own. Most of these branches have died out over the course of time in the purebred Thoroughbred, but remain present in other horse breeds in which mares were bred to male descendants of the Byerley Turk. The line of descent to the present day is as follows:[19] [20] [21]

Thus, the continuation of the Byerley Turk sire line through Herod in the purebred Thoroughbred now largely depends on the descendants of Djebel, primarily through six descendants of his son Clarion (Captain Chop, Indian Haven, Linngari, Luck Money, Pearl Secret, and Total Gallary, via the Indian Ridge line),[35] [37] [38] [39] and secondarily through two descendants of his son My Babu (Bulleton via the Better Boy line, and Quite Fine via the Milesian line).[31] [33] [34] [32] [40] [41] [43]

Continuation of direct sire line through reporting errorRecent research from 2017[44] and 2019[45] has brought into question the lineage of the sire Galopin. The research suggests that Galopin descends, not from the Darley Arabian sire line, but from the Byerley Turk. This is due to the descendants of Galopin possessing the Y chromosome Tb-oB1 rather than Tb-d, which is found in descendants of the Darley Arabian.[46] This line of descent, which is a rare line via sire St. Simon (1881 – 1908), was found to exist as recently as 2023 in Saudi Arabia, from the sons of Pleasant Colony.[24]
Contining influence other than direct sire lineFocusing on the sire line may underestimate the ongoing influence of the Byerley Turk; detailed pedigree analysis shows that he has a higher percentage of blood in the modern Thoroughbred than either of his fellow foundation sires through other lines of descent.[47] Thormanby (1857–1875), a Byerley Turk descendant who sired almost 100 stakes winners, is present in the pedigrees of almost all modern Thoroughbreds through his daughter, Rouge Rose, who produced the Epsom Derby winner Bend Or (Darley Arabian line).[48] [49]

Byerley Turk line in crossbreds

United StatesThe Byerley Turk sire line has carried on in other horse breeds through his direct male descendants such as Diomed (American Quarter Horse and Standardbred),[50] [51] [52] [53] Denmark (American Saddlebred),[54] and Justin Morgan (Morgan horse).[55] Denmark, Justin Morgan, Sir Archy (son of Diomed),[56] are key foundation sires for their breeds.[54] [55]
EuropeThe Kisbér Félvér of Hungary has a direct sire line link to the Byerley Turk. The lineage can be traced to the German-born Thoroughbred stallion Fenék (b. 1883), who was by the British stallion Buccaneer - a descendant of Herod (b. 1758) through Herod's son, Highflyer (b. 1774) - out of the mare Hélène Triomphante, of the Godolphin Arabian line. Fenék was transferred to the Kisbér Stud in Hungary in 1894, where he had a stud fee of £30 for foreign-owned mares, and £20 for Hungarian-owned mares.[57] [58]

In the Trakehner, the Byerley Turk also had a major influence. Of the English Thoroughbred stallions who stood at the stud at Trakehnen, some were Byerley Turk sire line descendants, including Snyders (b. 1833), a male-line descendant of Herod (b. 1758); and Perfectionist, a member of the disputed Galopin line. The German Thoroughbred stallion Lehnsherr (b. 1927), a Byerley Turk male-line descendant through Atlantic (1871–1891) through his son, the French Thoroughbred stallion Le Sancy (b. 1884), would also become an influential sire in the Trakehner breed.[59] Chamant (b. 1874), another Byerley Turk descendant, also influenced the Trakehner and the Westphalian.[60]

The Byerley Turk sire line also lives on in Poland through the Anglo-Arabian stallion Ramzes (b. 1937), who was sired by the gray Belgian Thoroughbred stallion Rittersporn (b. 1917) out of the Shagya Arabian mare Jordi. Rittersporn was a male-line descendant of the English Thoroughbred racing stallion Herod (b. 1758) through Herod's son, Woodpecker (b. 1773), and Woodpecker's son, Buzzard (b. 1787). Ramzes was an influential warmblood sire of show jumping and dressage horses who stood at various studs, including the Janów Podlaski Stud Farm in Poland, and would go on to have a strong influence on the Westphalian, Holsteiner, and other German warmblood breeds.[61]

The Grand Prix and 1996 Olympic dressage team stallion Rubinstein I (1986 – 2000), a Westphalian, was one of Ramzes' most influential descendants among German warmblood and sport horse breeders, siring 89 state premium mares and 66 approved stallions.[62] Rubinstein I sired over 400 mares in different German warmblood registries, as well as numerous sons recognized as Oldenburg and Hanoverian stallions.[63] The performances of his get placed him 4th on the dressage index for older stallions.[64]

Another influential Hanoverian stallion of the Byerley Turk line includes Bolero (1975 – 1987), by the Thoroughbred stallion Black Sky (b. 1966) of the Djebel line, out of the Hanoverian/Thoroughbred mare Baronesse (b. 1970).[65] One of Bolero's best-known female descendants was the Hanoverian mare Brentina (1991 – 2021),[66] the first American horse to take the FEI World Cup Final in 2003; made the shortlist for the 2004 Summer Olympics; and was named to the 2006 World Equestrian Games team, earning a bronze medal for the United States.[67]

Sire line tree

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Byerley Turk Horse Pedigree. www.pedigreequery.com. June 2, 2016.
  2. Ahnert, Rainer L. (editor in chief), "Thoroughbred Breeding of the World", Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970
  3. 10.1046/j.1365-2052.2001.00785.x. 11736806. Microsatellite diversity, pedigree relatedness and the contributions of founder lineages to thoroughbred horses. Animal Genetics. 32. 6. 360–364. 2001. Cunningham . E. P.. Dooley . J. J.. Splan . R. K.. Bradley . D. G..
  4. General Stud Book, Vol., I, p. 389
  5. Book: Byles. Tony. 101 Interesting Facts on the History of Horse Racing. January 14, 2015. Apex Publishing Limited.
  6. Web site: Hoppert. Melissa. So, Who Misspelled American Pharoah?. The New York Times. 21 February 2017. 22 May 2015.
  7. Web site: Byerley Byerly Turk. www.bloodlines.net. June 3, 2016.
  8. Web site: History of the British Turf: from the earliest history to the present day. Whyte, James Christie. July 1840. 2 June 2016. openlibrary.org.
  9. Web site: Peters. Anne. Byerley Turk. www.tbheritage.com. June 3, 2016.
  10. Web site: Goldsborough Hall History. www.goldsboroughhall.com. 5 June 2016.
  11. Web site: Basto Horse Pedigree. www.pedigreequery.com. 3 June 2016.
  12. Web site: Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Tregonwell's Natural Barb Mare - Family 1. www.bloodlines.net. 3 June 2016.
  13. Web site: Family 1. www.tbheritage.com. 3 June 2016.
  14. Web site: Bowes' Byerley Turk Mare - Family 3 Index. www.bloodlines.net. 3 June 2016.
  15. Web site: Family 3 - Dam of the Two True Blues. www.tbheritage.com. 5 June 2016.
  16. Web site: Family 8. www.tbheritage.com. 5 June 2016.
  17. Web site: Byerley Turk Mare - Family 41. www.bloodlines.net. 3 June 2016.
  18. Wentworth, Lady, "Thoroughbred Racing Stock", George Allen & Unwin Ltd, London, 1960, Warne & Co, London & New York, 1960
  19. Morris, Simon; Tesio Power 2000 – Stallions of the World, Syntax Software
  20. Churchill, Jennifer, Australia and New Zealand – Sires for '87, Racetrack Magazine
  21. Web site: Foundation Sire Lines. www.bloodlines.net. 4 June 2016.
  22. Web site: Highflyer Sire Line. www.bloodlines.net. 21 February 2017.
  23. https://horseracingtoday.net/the-meaning-of-the-death-of-midnight-bourbon/ The Meaning of the death of Midnight Bourbon
  24. https://horseracingtoday.net/the-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia-has-four-horses-from-the-nearly-dead-st-simon-sire-line/ The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Has Four Horses From The Nearly Dead St. Simon Sire Line
  25. Web site: Herod / Diomed sire line. www.bloodlines.net. 21 February 2017.
  26. Book: Hunter, Avalyn . American Classic Pedigrees (1914-2002) . 2003 . Eclipse Press . 978-1-58150-095-0 . en.
  27. Web site: Buzzard Sire Line. www.bloodlines.net. 21 February 2017.
  28. Web site: Selim's Sire Line. www.bloodlines.net. 21 February 2017.
  29. Web site: Sire Lines Bay Middleton. www.bloodlines.net. 4 June 2016.
  30. https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/4046/northern-dancer-and-turf-soon-only-few-other-sire-lines-may-effectively-exist/ Northern Dancer and turf: soon only a few other sire lines may effectively exist
  31. https://www.horsedeals.com.au/listings/bulleton-ce9791b7-2297-4814-9d0b-3d505969510e Horse deals: Bulleton
  32. https://www.pedigreequery.com/quite+fine Quite Fine Pedigree
  33. Web site: トウカイテイオー後継種牡馬プロジェクト・クワイトファイン種牡馬入りへの道 . 2023-04-30 . camp-fire.jp . ja.
  34. Web site: トウカイテイオーの血を令和に繋ぎたい!ファンの支援が後継種牡馬を送り出す - スポニチ Sponichi Annex ギャンブル . 2023-04-30 . スポニチ Sponichi Annex . ja.
  35. https://paulickreport.com/news/bloodstock/foundation-byerley-turk-sire-line-drying-up-in-australia-and-beyond/ Foundation Byerley Turk Sire Line Drying Up In Australia And Beyond
  36. http://werkhorse.com/whoshotwhosnot/index.php/2021/02/06/texas-breeder-responds-to-shrinking-man-o-war-line/ Texas breeder responds to shrinking Man o’ War line
  37. https://www.etalons-galop.com/en/etalons/captain-chop-thoroughbred-bay,27.html THE FRENCH STALLION BOOK: CAPTAIN CHOP
  38. https://www.pedigreequery.com/progeny/pearl+secret Pearl Secret Progeny
  39. https://www.pedigreequery.com/progeny/captain+chop Captain Chop Progeny
  40. https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/226882/toward-a-single-bloodline-in-stallions Toward a single bloodline in stallions
  41. https://www.tdnausnz.com.au/edition/2021-07-02/the-byerley-turk-line-set-to-vanish-from-australia The Byerley Turk line set to vanish from Australia
  42. https://www.racingpost.com/bloodstock/news/chapel-stud-announces-death-of-byerley-turk-line-sire-and-irish-2000-guineas-winner-indian-haven-at-23-af5pW3L4JphC/ Chapel Stud announces death of Byerley Turk line sire and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Indian Haven at 23
  43. https://equicross.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Herods-Vanishing-Sire-Line.pdf Herod’s Vanishing Sire Line
  44. https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/222753/turkoman-sires-at-the-root-of-thoroughbred-male-lines Turkoman Sires at the Root of Thoroughbred Male Lines
  45. Felkel . Sabine . Vogl . Claus . Rigler . Doris . Dobretsberger . Viktoria . Chowdhary . Bhanu P. . Distl . Ottmar . Fries . Ruedi . Jagannathan . Vidhya . Janečka . Jan E. . Leeb . Tosso . Lindgren . Gabriella . McCue . Molly . Metzger . Julia . Neuditschko . Markus . Rattei . Thomas . 2019 . The horse Y chromosome as an informative marker for tracing sire lines . Scientific Reports . en . 9 . 1 . 6095 . 10.1038/s41598-019-42640-w . 2045-2322. 6465346 .
  46. https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/241170/galopin-new-research-and-an-answer-to-an-old-question Galopin - New Research and an answer to an old question
  47. Web site: On Herod and Matchem but not Eclipse. cs.bloodhorse.com. 2 June 2016.
  48. Web site: Patricia Erigero . Thormanby . Tbheritage.com . 2012-01-07.
  49. Web site: Bend Or Sire Line . Bloodlines.net . 2012-01-10.
  50. Web site: Copperbottom . 2019-10-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191026145237/http://quarterhorserecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Copperbottom.pdf . 2019-10-26 . dead .
  51. Web site: Lost Bloodline . 2019-10-26 . 2019-10-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191028170709/http://horsesonly.com/pednotes/WL/copperb.htm . dead .
  52. http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Duroc.html Duroc
  53. Web site: American Star . 2019-10-26 . 2012-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120403151147/http://www.classicfamilies.net/HorseDetails.aspx?HorseID=10017790 . dead .
  54. https://books.google.com/books?id=x7O_A_e-TAkC&dq=Harrison+Chief+Saddlebred&pg=PA11 Kentucky's Saddlebred Heritage
  55. https://www.morganhorse.com/about_morgan/history/ Origin of the Morgan Horse
  56. https://www.aqha.com/-/the-bloodlines-chart The Bloodlines Chart
  57. https://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Buccaneer.html Portrait: Buccaneer
  58. http://equiworld.net/breeds/kisberfelver/index.htm The Kisber Felver
  59. Web site: Von Velsen . Eberhard . The Trakehner Breed & The Thoroughbred . American Trakehner Association . Trakehner Hefte . 28 December 2023.
  60. Web site: Chamant . Thoroughbred Heritage Portraits . 28 July 2024.
  61. Web site: Ramzes . The Horse Magazine . 17 October 2014 . 13 July 2023.
  62. Web site: Rubinstein I (Archived) . Superior Equine Sires, Inc. . 14 July 2023.
  63. Web site: Rubinstein . Global Equine Sires . 13 January 2017 . 14 July 2023.
  64. Web site: Germany's Favourite Sire "Rubinstein I" passed away . EuroDressage . 14 July 2023.
  65. Web site: The Hanoverian . Hanoverian Horse Society of Australia . 14 July 2023.
  66. Web site: Debbie McDonald's Career Making Horse, Brentina, Passed Away . 18 July 2023 . Eurodressage .
  67. Web site: USEF Announces Short List For 2004 Olympic Dressage Team . The Chronicle of the Horse . 18 July 2023.
  68. http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/ByerleyTurk.html Byerley Portraits
  69. http://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/ByerlyTurk.htm Byerley Turk
  70. http://www.galopp-sieger.de/galoppsieger/stammtafel_html?startPferd=Byerley%20TurkByerley%20Ba&fart=&ftype=&tiefe=765&suchePferd=Byerl&efil= Byerley Turk Tree
  71. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/SireLineschts/SireLineBT.html Byerley Turk Line
  72. http://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Sirelines/ByerleyTurk.htm Byerley Sirelines
  73. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresJ.html#Jigg Foundation Sire: Jigg
  74. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html#OldPartner Foundation Sire: Old Partner
  75. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Partner.htm Biography: Partner
  76. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html Foundation Sires: P
  77. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresS.html#Sedbury Foundation Sire: Sedbury
  78. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Sedbury.htm Biography: Sedbury
  79. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyB.htm Studbook: Early B
  80. https://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresT.html#Tartar Foundation Sire: Tartar
  81. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios2/Tartar.htm Biography: Tartar
  82. https://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresT.html#OldTrav Foundation Sire: Old Traveller
  83. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios2/TravellerOld.htm Biography: Traveller
  84. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyXYZ.htm Studbook: Early XYZ
  85. https://www.morganhorse.com/about/museum/the-life-and-times-of-figure/ The Life and Times of Figure
  86. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresB.html#Basto Foundation Sire: Basto
  87. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Basto.htm Biography: Basto
  88. https://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresS.html#Soreheels Foundation Sire: Soreheels