Eager (horse)
| Eager | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Florizel |
| Grandsire | Sir Hercules |
| Dam | Matchem mare |
| Damsire | Matchem |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1788 |
| Country | Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | 5th Duke of Bedford |
| Owner | Duke of Bedford |
| Trainer | Matthew Stephenson |
| Record | 22:10-7-1 |
| Major wins | |
|
Epsom Derby (1791) Match with Vermin (1791) Fortescue Stakes (1792) Jockey Club Plate (1792) |
|
Eager (1788 – after 1795) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career that lasted from April 1791 to July 1795 he ran twenty-two times and won ten races. In 1791 he proved himself one of the best British colts of his generation, by winning the Epsom Derby and four other races. Eager won a further four races in 1792, but the level of his form declined thereafter and he won only one race in his last three seasons. Towards the end of his racing career he was gelded.
Eager was a brown colt bred by his owner the 5th Duke of Bedford. His sire, Florizel won several important races at Newmarket between 1772 and 1774 and went on to become a successful stallion, siring the 1780 Derby winner Diomed (later an important sire in the United States) and two winners of the St Leger. He was the sixth of sixteen foals produced by his dam an unnamed mare by Matchem who had previously produced Fidget, a successful racehorse and sire. The Duke sent the colt into training with his private trainer Matthew Stephenson who also rode him in some of his races, including the Derby.
Until 1913 there was no requirement for British racehorses to be named, and in the late eighteenth century it was common for horses to be known by their owner, colour, sex and pedigree rather than by an official name. The horse who would later become known as Eager raced unnamed as a three-year-old in 1791, being usually referred to as the "brother to Fidget." Later publications refer to the horse as "Eager" when describing the events of the 1791 Derby.
On 25 April "D.of Bedford's brother to Fidget, by Florizel" made his first appearance in a Sweepstakes over ten furlongs ("Across the Flat") at Newmarket. He started the 1/4 favourite and won from his only opponent, a filly named Wagtail.
At Epsom on 9 June "D.of Bedford's br c by Florizel out of Fidget's dam" started the 5/2 second favourite for the Derby in a field of nine runners. Ridden by his trainer Matthew Stephenson, he won from Lord Foley's colt Vermin, the 5/4 favourite, with Proteus third and the Prince of Wales's colt St David in fourth. A month after his Derby win, the brother to Fidget raced at where he had two engagements. On 7 July he was allowed to walk over in a one-mile Sweepstakes when the other six horses entered were withdrawn by their owners. On the following day he started 1/3 favourite for a ten furlong Sweepstakes and won from his only opponent, Hector.
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