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Birmingham (horse)

Birmingham
Birmingham (horse).jpg
'Birmingham', the Winner of the Great St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster, 1830 by John Frederick Herring, Sr.
Sire Filho da Puta
Grandsire Haphazard
Dam Miss Craigie
Damsire Orville
Sex Stallion
Foaled 1827
Country United Kingdom
Colour Brown
Breeder Mr Lacey
Owner John (or William) Beardsworth
Trainer Thomas Flintoff
Record 38: 23-6-1
Major wins
Chillington Stakes (1829)
Palatine Stakes (1830)
Ludford Stakes (1830)
Guy Stakes (1830, disqualified)
Avon Stakes (1830)
St Leger Stakes (1830)
Grosvenor Stakes (1831, 1832)
Chester Stand Cup (1831, 1832)
Liverpool Tradesman's Cup (spring 1832)
Liverpool Stand Cup (1832)
Burton Gold Cup (1832)
Fitzwilliam Stakes (1832)

Birmingham (foaled 1827) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1830. A cheaply bought foal, who almost died before he ever appeared on a racecourse, Birmingham developed into a "celebrated racer" finishing first in twenty-four races from thirty-nine starts between July 1829 and June 1833.

At a time when British horse racing was centred on a small number of major racecourses, Birmingham was campaigned at relatively minor courses in the English Midlands before defeating the Epsom Derby winner Priam to record a 15/1 upset in the St Leger. Birmingham remained in training for a further three seasons after his classic success, winning four times in 1831, six times in 1832, and once in 1833. At the end of his racing career, Birmingham was sold and exported to Russia, where he had limited success as a sire of winners.

Birmingham was a large, powerful brown horse standing between 16.2 and 17.0 hands, bred by Mr Lacy. As a foal, he was sold for 45 guineas to William Beardsworth, who built up a reputation in the early 1830s for winning important races with cheaply bought horses. The horse was named after Beardsworth's home town of Birmingham.

Birmingham was sired by Filho da Puta, a horse who won the St Leger in 1815 before becoming a successful breeding stallion. He was the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1828, although Birmingham was his only classic winner. His dam, Miss Craigie, had previously produced Hedgeford, a horse who had some success as a sire of winners in the United States.

Before he was sent into full training with Thomas Flintoff (or Flintoft), Birmingham sustained a serious injury and was ordered to be destroyed but Beardsworth's wife pleaded for the horse's life and tended to him during his recovery. Birmingham grew up to be an unusually gentle and affectionate horse, becoming particularly attached to Mrs Beardsworth, who regarded him as her pet.


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