Formosa (horse)

Formosa
Formosa in an 1868 painting by Harry Hall.
Sire	Buccaneer
Grandsire	Wild Dayrell
Dam	Eller
Damsire	Chanticleer
Sex	Mare
Foaled	1865
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Dark Chestnut
Breeder	James Cookson
Owner	William Graham
Trainer	Henry Woolcott
Record	15: 7-3-1
Earnings	£17,100 ($95,326)
Major wins
Epsom Oaks (1868) St. Leger Stakes (1868) 1,000 Guineas Stakes (1868) 2,000 Guineas Stakes (1868)(dh)
Honours
1st Fillies Triple Crown (1868)

Formosa (1865–1881) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse that was the first winner of the English Fillies Triple Crown in addition to running a dead heat with the colt Moslem for the 2,000 Guineas Stakes. Formosa was bred by James Cookson and was foaled in 1865 at his Neasham Hall stud farm. Formosa was sold to William Graham (who raced under the pseudonym G. Jones) in 1866 and raced her entire three-year racing career under his ownership. After her racing career ended in 1871, she became a broodmare for Graham until his death in 1876. Formosa was exported to France in 1879 and died there in February 1881. While she did not produce offspring that excelled at racing, her daughters that were exported to Germany and New Zealand did produce descendants that were successful racers.

Formosa was foaled in 1865 in Neasham at the farm of her breeder James Cookson. Her sire, Buccaneer, was considered to "be the best horse of his year", winning the Mottisford Stakes as a two-year-old and the Royal Hunt Cup as a four-year-old. He had a difficult temperament and was branded as a "savage" before he was exported to Austria at the end of the 1865 breeding season. Formosa's dam, Eller, was a grey mare bred by Admiral Harcourt in 1856 and was a half-sister of Ellerdale, the dam of Epsom Derby winner Ellington and Epsom Oaks winner Summerside. Eller was a mediocre racehorse, winning one race during her career and finishing sixth to Summerside in the 1859 Epsom Oaks.

Formosa was purchased for 700 guineas at Doncaster in the autumn of 1866 by William Graham who had won the 1865 Oaks with Regalia and would win the 1870 Oaks with Gamos. William Graham (1808-1876) was born in Dufton Wood and was a successful wrestler in the 1820s and 1830s and was a part owner of a gin distillery. An account of the Doncaster yearling sale in The Sportsman relates that Cookson initially retained Formosa with a bid of 700 guineas, thought better of his decision to keep the filly, and approached Graham (who had been the second highest bidder at 690 guineas) about purchasing Formosa while Graham was eating breakfast. Graham reportedly "signed a cheque for 700 guineas without more ado, and then resumed his egg."