Alycidon
| Alycidon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sire | Donatello II (FR) |
| Grandsire | Blenheim (GB) |
| Dam | Aurora (GB) |
| Damsire | Hyperion |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1945 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby |
| Owner | Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby |
| Trainer | Walter Earl |
| Record | 17: 11-2-4 |
| Earnings | £37,206 |
| Major wins | |
|
Princess of Wales's Stakes (1948) Jockey Club Stakes (1948) King George VI Stakes Ormonde Stakes (1949) Ascot Gold Cup (1949) Goodwood Cup (1949) Doncaster Cup (1949) |
|
| Awards | |
|
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland (1955) Timeform rating 138 |
|
| Honours | |
|
Alycidon Stakes at Goodwood Deltic locomotive 55009 was named Alycidon |
|
| Last updated on 11 January 2010 | |
Alycidon (1945–1963) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was described as "one of the greatest stayers in history". In a career which lasted from the autumn of 1947 until September 1949 he ran seventeen times and won eleven races. He was the second best British three-year-old of his generation, when he finished second to Black Tarquin in the St. Leger Stakes. He was undefeated in his remaining seven races, defeating Black Tarquin in the 1949 Ascot Gold Cup and going on to win the Stayers' Triple Crown. After his retirement from racing he became the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland in 1955, despite having low fertility and a relatively short career at stud.
Alycidon was a chesnut horse bred by his owner the 17th Earl of Derby. He was sired by the outstanding racehorse and useful sire, Donatello II out of the 1,000 Guineas runner-up Aurora, a daughter of Hyperion. In addition to Alycidon, Aurora also produced Acropolis who ran third in the Epsom Derby, Agricola (Newmarket Stakes, leading sire in New Zealand), Borealis (sire of stakes winners) and others. Her other descendants include the Epsom Derby winner Larkspur and the Belmont Stakes winner Celtic Ash. Alycidon was inbred in the third and fourth generations (3x4) to Swynford.
The colt was sent into training with Walter Earl at Lord Derby's private Stanley House stable. Earl's stable jockey was Doug Smith, but Smith suffered from ill health and was not always available to ride Alycidon. Earl was also in failing health and died in 1950.
Alycidon was extremely slow to mature and was not hurried by Earl. He made only two appearances, finishing unplaced in minor races over seven furlongs.
Lord Derby died in February 1948 and the ownership of Alycidon passed to his grandson Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby. As the family was in mourning, Alycidon was officially registered as being owned by Brigadier Fairfax-Ross for the early part of the season. On Alycidon's three-year-old debut he was ridden by Eph Smith in the Christopher Wren takes at Hurst Park Racecourse. The colt whipped around at the start (starting stalls were not used in Britain until 1965) and took no part in the race. After this display, Alycidon always raced in blinkers, although there appeared to be nothing irresolute about his racing. Two weeks after his "run" at Hurst Park, Alycidon recorded his first victory in the one mile Classic Trial Stakes at Thirsk Racecourse in which he was ridden by a stable lad named Shaw. In May he finished third in the Chester Vase and then won the Royal Standard Stakes at Manchester Racecourse.
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