Godolphin Arabian Explained

Godolphin Arabian
Foaled:c. 1724
Color:-->
Owner:Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin
Racing Colors:-->
Honours:Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland (1738, 1745, 1747)

The Godolphin Arabian (–1753), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse who was one of three stallions that founded the modern Thoroughbred (the others were the Darley Arabian and the Byerley Turk). He was named after his best-known owner, Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin.

Origins

The Godolphin Arabian was foaled about 1724 in Yemen and moved several times before reaching England. At some early age, he was exported, probably via Syria, to the stud of the bey of Tunis. From there he was given to Louis XV of France in 1730. It is believed he was a present from monarch to monarch. Not valued by his new French owner, it is believed he was used as a carthorse.

The horse was then imported from France by Edward Coke and sent to his stud at Longford Hall, Derbyshire, where he remained until the death of his owner in 1733.

He was bequeathed to Roger Williams, "proprietor of the St. James's Coffee House", who inherited Coke's stallions. He was bought by the 2nd Earl of Godolphin, and placed at his stud at Babraham, Cambridgeshire, until his death on Christmas Day 1753. A stone marks his grave under the archway of the stable block of Wandlebury House.

Appearance

The Godolphin Arabian was a bay colour with some white on the off heel behind. He stood at and was distinguished by an unnaturally high crest, which is noticeable from portraits of the horse. Most of his immediate offspring were also bay.

The veterinary surgeon Osmer described the Godolphin Arabian in the following manner,

Breed controversy

Controversy exists over the ancestry of this horse; some writers referred to him as a Barb, but Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth of the Crabbet Arabian Stud concludes that it is most widely believed that he was an Arabian or had primarily Arabian lineage.[1]

"Barb" is a reference to his believed country of origin, Tunisia, on the Barbary Coast. Whyte in the 1840 History of the British Turf, refers to the horse as "The Godolphin Barb, or as he has been improperly called, the Godolphin Arabian" (emphasis added) before further clarifying, "he was long considered an Arabian, although his points resembled more those of the highest breed of Barbs." However, portraits showing a horse with a high-carried tail and dished profile, features that differentiate the two types, lead modern experts to believe he was more likely an Arabian. The confusion is understandable, but while the breeds have some characteristics in common and are distantly related, their phenotypes are quite distinct. There was also an argument raised that he was actually a Turkomen, merely called an Arabian in order to raise the stud fee.

The Earl of Godolphin referred to the horse as an Arabian, and he was described as such by the painter George Stubbs. Lord Godolphin later bought a second stallion in 1750. This one he clearly called a "barb". Both were of a similar bay colour, but the Barb had a star. Godolphin later bought a grey Barb, which has also caused some confusion over the years.

Recent DNA studies disprove the theory that he was a Barb, as his descendants' Y-DNA traces to the same general haplotype as the Darley Arabian, though to different sub-groups and there are relatively few male-line descendants of the Godolphin Arabian today.[2] This group may have been of Turkoman horse or Arabian origins, as modern horses of both breeds have been linked to this haplotype.[3]

Breeding career

The Godolphin Arabian was the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1738, 1745 and 1747.

Originally, this small stallion was considered inferior to the larger European horses of the time and was not meant to be put to stud. Instead he was used as 'teaser', a stallion used to gauge the mare's receptiveness. This changed when Lady Roxana, a mare brought to the stud specifically to be bred to a stallion called Hobgoblin, rejected her intended mate, and so the Godolphin Arabian was allowed to cover her instead.

The result of this mating was Lath, the first of his offspring, who went on to win the Queen's Plate nine times out of nine at the Newmarket races. The second colt from this pair was Cade, and the third was Regulus. All three were the same gold-touched bay as their sire, with the same small build and high-crested conformation. All were exceptionally fast on the track, and went on to sire many foals themselves. This was the start of the Godolphin Arabian's prowess as a racing stud, and he spent the rest of his days as the Earl of Godolphin's prize stallion, bred to England's finest mares.

The American connection began with the filly Selima (born in 1745 out of Shireborn). She was purchased by Benjamin Tasker Jr. of the Province of Maryland in Colonial America, carried to the new world, and raced between 1750 and 1753. She won the biggest prize of the era, 2,500 pistoles at Gloucester, Virginia which marked "the beginning of the remarkable racing contests between the rival colonies of Maryland and Virginia." After this, she became a successful broodmare at the Belair Stud in Collington, Maryland.

The Godolphin Arabian died on the Gog Magog Hills, Cambridgeshire in 1753, aged around 29. The horse's grave in the stable block of Wandlebury House can be visited. When he was interred, the occasion was marked with ale and cake.

Legacy

See also: Darley Arabian and Conquérant (trotter horse). Although today the majority of Thoroughbred horses’ sire lines trace to the Darley Arabian, several famous North American horses of the past trace their sire line back to the Godolphin Arabian. These include Seabiscuit, Man o' War, and War Admiral. Today, the sire line is primarily supported by descendants of Relaunch and his son Cee's Tizzy through dual Breeders' Cup Classic winner Tiznow.

In Europe, his influence survives mainly through the 2,000 Guineas winner Known Fact, and his son, the champion miler Warning. This line has produced outstanding sprinters such as Diktat (Haydock Sprint Cup), Avonbridge and Dream Ahead. The Derby has not been won by a sire line descendant of the Godolphin Arabian since Santa Claus in 1964 and is nowadays dominated by descendants of the Darley Arabian.

The major Thoroughbred sire Eclipse traces in his sire line to the Darley Arabian, but his dam was a daughter of Regulus and thus also traces to the Godolphin Arabian. This pattern continues to be seen today, with the Godolphin Arabian more heavily represented in dam lines and in the "middle" of pedigrees (as opposed to direct sire lines).

Conquérant trotter horse also belonged to the male lineage of the founding Thoroughbred stallion Godolphin Arabian.

In fiction

King of the Wind (Chicago: Rand McNally, 1948) is a fictional biography of the Godolphin Arabian by American author Marguerite Henry. She wrote many books about horses for children, and perhaps is best known for Misty of Chincoteague and its sequels. She won the Newbery Medal for King of the Wind, recognizing it as the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children".[4] Misty became a film in 1961, but King of the Wind had to wait till 1990 for its adaptation, with Navin Chowdhry as the Arabian's lifetime stable boy Agba.[5]

In the novel, the Godolphin Arabian was foaled in Morocco and was called Sham. He came to Europe as a diplomatic gift to King Louis XV of France but, due to his poor condition on arrival and relatively small size, was given to the cook as a cart horse. He was soon sold to a woodcarter in Paris, where he was treated poorly and then purchased by the Quaker Edward Coke of Holkham Hall, older brother of the 1st Earl of Leicester 5th Creation, then sold to Francis, Earl of Godolphin, who maintained a stud in Suffolk, near the racing town of Newmarket.

Sire line tree

See also

References

Citations

External links

Notes and References

  1. Wentworth, Judith Anne Dorothea Blunt-Lytton. The Authentic Arabian Horse, 3rd ed. George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1979.
  2. Wallner. Barbara. Palmieri. Nicola. Vogl. Claus. Rigler. Doris. Bozlak. Elif. Druml. Thomas. Jagannathan. Vidhya. Leeb. Tosso. Fries. Ruedi. Tetens. Jens. Thaller. Georg. Metzger. Julia. Distl. Ottmar. Lindgren. Gabriella. Rubin. Carl-Johan. Andersson. Leif. Schaefer. Robert. McCue. Molly. Neuditschko. Markus. Rieder. Stefan. Schlötterer. Christian. Brem. Gottfried. Y Chromosome Uncovers the Recent Oriental Origin of Modern Stallions. Current Biology. July 2017. 27. 13. 2029–2035.e5. 10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.086. 28669755. free. 2017CBio...27E2029W .
  3. Wallner. Barbara. Vogl. Claus. Shukla. Priyank. Burgstaller. Joerg P.. Druml. Thomas. Brem. Gottfried. Ellegren. Hans. Identification of Genetic Variation on the Horse Y Chromosome and the Tracing of Male Founder Lineages in Modern Breeds. PLOS ONE. 3 April 2013. 8. 4. e60015. 10.1371/journal.pone.0060015. 3616054. 23573227. 2013PLoSO...860015W. free.
  4. http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present"
  5. . Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  6. http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/GodolphinArabian.html Godolphin Portraits
  7. http://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/GodolphinArabian.htm Godolphin Arabian
  8. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/SireLineschts/SireLineGA.html Godolphin Arabian Line
  9. http://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Sirelines/GodolphinArabian.htm Goldolphin Sirelines
  10. https://www.michaelchurchracingbooks.com/the-godolphin-arabian/ The Godolphin Arabian & his descendants
  11. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios2/Lath.htm Biography: Lath
  12. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresL.html#Lath Foundation Sire Line: Lath
  13. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyD.htm Studbook Early: D
  14. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresC.html Foundation Sires: C
  15. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Cade.htm Biography: Cade
  16. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresL.html#LeSang Foundation Sire: Le Sang
  17. http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Matchem.html Portraits: Matchem
  18. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Matchem.htm Biography: Matchem
  19. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresXYZ.html Foundation Sires: XYZ
  20. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresC.html#Conductor Foundation Sire: Conductor
  21. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresI.html#Imperator Foundation Sire: Imperator
  22. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html#Pantaloon Foundation Sire: Pantaloon
  23. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html#Pumpkin Foundation Sire: Pumpkin
  24. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresA.html#Alfred Foundation Sire: Alfred
  25. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyH.htm Studbook Early H
  26. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresW.html#Wildair Foundation Sire: Wildair
  27. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyW.htm Studbook Early W
  28. https://sporthorse-data.com/pedigree/churchs-wildair?mode=d Church's Wildair
  29. https://sporthorse-data.com/offspring?horse_id=10539310 Church's Wildair Offspring
  30. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresN.html#Northumberland Foundation Sire: Northumberland
  31. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyT.htm Studbook Early T
  32. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresS.html Foundation Sires: S
  33. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html Foundation Sires: P
  34. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyM.htm Studbook Early M
  35. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresM.html Foundation Sires: M
  36. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresJ.html#JollyRoger Foundation Sire: Jolly Roger
  37. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresW.html#Whistlejacket Foundation Sire: Whistlejacket
  38. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyW.htm Studbook Early W
  39. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Babraham.htm Biography: Babraham
  40. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresB.html#Babraham Foundation Sire: Babraham
  41. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresA.html#Alcides Foundation Sire: Alcides
  42. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresA.html#Atlas Foundation Sire: Atlas
  43. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios2/CardinalPuff.htm Biography: Cardinal Puff
  44. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresD.html#Dormouse Foundation Sire: Dormouse
  45. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Dormouse.htm Biography: Dormouse
  46. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyIJK.htm Studbook Early J
  47. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresJ.html#Janus Foundation Sire: Janus
  48. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresJ.html#LittleJanus Foundation Sire: Little Janus
  49. https://www.aqha.com/-/the-bloodlines-chart The Bloodlines Chart
  50. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresR.html#Regulus Foundation Sire: Regulus
  51. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Regulus.htm Biography: Regulus
  52. https://ilovehorses.net/history-2/who-was-the-godolphin-arabian/ Who was the Godolphin Arabian
  53. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresS.html#South Foundation Sire: South
  54. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresC.html#WarrensCareless Foundation Sire: Careless
  55. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/CarelessWarrens.htm Biography: Careless
  56. http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Fearnought.html Portraits: Fearnought
  57. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html#Prophet Foundation Sire: Prophet
  58. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresM.html#MorwickBall Foundation Sire: Morwick Ball
  59. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresB.html#Bajazet Foundation Sire: Bajazet
  60. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Bajazet.htm Biography: Bajazet
  61. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresB.html#Blank Foundation Sire: Blank
  62. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Blank.htm Biography: Blank
  63. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresA.html#Antinous Foundation Sire: Antinous
  64. Web site: Olive Horse Pedigree .
  65. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html#Pacolet Foundation Sire: Pacolet
  66. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Citizen.htm Biography: Citizen
  67. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html#Paymaster Foundation Sire: Paymaster
  68. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresG.html#GowerStallion Foundation Sire: Gower Stallion
  69. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyG.htm Studbook Early G
  70. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresS.html#GowerSweepstakes Foundation Sire: Sweepstakes
  71. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyS.htm Studbook Early S
  72. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresT.html#Trentham Foundation Sire: Tentram
  73. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresD.html#EgDriver Foundation Sire: Driver
  74. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyNO.htm Studbook Early N+O
  75. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresO.html Foundation Sires: O
  76. http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Skewball/Skewball1.html Portraits: Skewball
  77. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyB.htm Studbook Early B
  78. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresB.html#Buffcoat Foundation Sire: Buffcoat
  79. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresW.html#Whitenose Foundation Sire: Whitenose
  80. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Whitenose.htm Biography: Whitenose
  81. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresT.html#Tarquin Foundation Sire: Tarquin
  82. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresI.html Foundation Sires: I
  83. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Studbook/EarlyC.htm Studbook Early C
  84. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresT.html#Cripple Foundation Sire: Cripple
  85. http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Gimcrack.htm Portraits: Gimcrack
  86. https://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/Gimcrack.htm Biography: Gimcrack
  87. http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Medley.html Portraits: Medley
  88. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresT.html#Tantrum Foundation Sire: Tantrum
  89. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresL.html#Lofty Foundation Sire: Lofty
  90. http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/FoundationSires/FoundSiresP.html#Pyrrhus Foundation Sire: Pyrrhus

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