Favonius (horse)

Favonius
Engraving of Favonius
Sire	Parmesan
Grandsire	Sweetmeat
Dam	Zephyr
Damsire	King Tom
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1868
Country	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Colour	Chestnut
Owner	Meyer de Rothschild
Trainer	Joseph Hayhoe
Record	11: 5-4-0
Earnings	£
Major wins
Epsom Derby (1871) Goodwood Cup (1872)

Favonius (1868–1877) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1871 to 1873 he ran ten times and won five races. In June 1871 he won the Epsom Derby on his second racecourse appearance. He went on to prove himself a top class stayer, winning the Goodwood Cup in 1872. Favonius was regarded by contemporary observers as one of the best English-trained horses of his era. At the end of the 1873 season he was retired to stud but had little chance to make an impact as a stallion before his death four years later. Favonius’s Derby win was one of the highlights of what became known as “The Baron’s Year”, in which his owner, Baron Meyer de Rothschild won four of the five British Classic Races.

Favonius was bred by his owner, Baron Meyer de Rothschild. He was sired by Parmesan, a male-line descendant of the Byerley Turk. Parmesan won the Gold Vase at Royal Ascot and became a highly successful stallion siring, in addition to Favonius, the 1871 Derby winner Cremorne. Favonius’s dam Zephyr, was a full sister to Hannah, who won the Fillies’ Triple Crown in “The Baron’s Year”.

Rothschild sent the colt to his private trainer Joseph Hayhoe at his Palace House stables at Newmarket, Suffolk. Until 1946, British racehorses were allowed to race without being officially named, and until shortly before his Derby win, Favonius was known as “The Zephyr Colt”.

The Zephyr Colt was an slow to mature and did not race as a two-year-old. He made his debut in the spring of 1871 in a Biennial Stakes at Newmarket. He was beaten a head by Albert Victor. In mid-May Hayhoe tried the colt in a private trial race against Hannah, which convinced him that the colt was sixteen pounds superior to the filly.

In the Derby at Epsom, the newly named colt started at odds of 9/1 in a field of seventeen runners, with Bothwell being made the 2/1 favourite. The appearance of the name "Favonius" on the race card reportedly caused some confusion among racegoers who were unaware that the Baron had decided to name the Zephyr Colt after the personification of the West Wind. The crowd included the Prince of Wales who viewed the race from a private stand near the judge's chair. Ridden by Tom French, Favonius made little show in the early stages, but moved up to track the leaders entering the straight. He made steady progress to take the lead inside the final furlong and won easily by one and a half lengths from Albert Victor and King of the Forest who dead-heated for second place. The win was extremely popular with the huge crowd, and the Baron, identifiable by his white hat was mobbed by wellwishers as he attempted to return to his carriage. Rothschild was reported to have given £1,000 to Tom French for his ride on Favonius, with an additional £200 annuity for life.