Chapeau d'Espagne

Chapeau d'Espagne
Sire	Doctor Syntax
Grandsire	Paynator
Dam	Chapeau de Paille
Damsire	Rubens
Sex	Mare
Foaled	1834
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Bay
Breeder	John Clifton
Owner	John Barham Day Lord George Bentinck
Trainer	John Barham Day
Record	22:8-8-2
Major wins
Criterion Stakes (1836) 1000 Guineas (1837) Salisbury Gold Cup (1838) Devonshire Stakes (1838) Abingdon Cup (1838)

Chapeau d'Espagne (1834 – circa 1858) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket Racecourse in 1837. Chapeau d'Espagne was one of the best two-year-old fillies of 1836, when she won the Criterion Stakes and was placed in both the Molecomb Stakes and the Clearwell Stakes. In the following year she won the 1000 Guineas and finished second in the Oaks Stakes. After failing to win again in 1837 she returned as a four-year-old to win four more races. In all she ran twenty-two times between July 1836 and October 1838, winning eight races. After her retirement from racing she had some success as a broodmare.

Chapeau d'Espagne was a bay mare bred by John Clifton. During the first two years of her racing career she was described as being owned by John Barham Day who trained the filly at Danebury in Hampshire. Lord George Bentinck was registered as owning her from 1838 and may have been her owner throughout her career: the exact details of the ownership of the Danebury horses was somewhat obscure. Chapeau d'Espagne was sired by Doctor Syntax a horse who won thirty-two races most of them over long distances in the north of England. At stud, Doctor Syntax was best known as the sire of the outstanding racemare Beeswing.

According to the New Sporting Magazine Chapeau d'Espagne's name was pronounced Chapeau Despag-ny, by the "jockey boys".

Chapeau d'Espagne raced five times as a two-year-old in 1836, winning twice. She made her first appearance at Goodwood Racecourse on 29 July when she finished third of the four runners in the Molecomb Stakes. She did not appear again until the autumn, when she ran four times at Newmarket. At the Second October meeting she finished second, beaten a head by Colonel Peel's unnamed filly in the Clearwell Stakes and was unplaced in the Prendergast Stakes three days later. Two weeks later, she appeared at the Newmarket Houghton meeting, which only went ahead after the course was cleared of snow by a team of a hundred men. The Criterion Stakes was one of only three races possible on the opening day, and Chapeau d'Espagne, ridden by her trainer's brother Samuel Day started at odds of 7/4 against eight opponents. In what was described as a "hammer and tongs" finish, Chapeau d'Espagne won by a head from Fantastic. Three days later the filly won a Sweepstakes over the Abington Mile course, beating two rivals at odds of 1/4.

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