Frederick (horse)

Frederick
Frederick and John Forth. Painting by John Frederick Herring, Sr.
Sire	Little John
Grandsire	Octavius
Dam	Phantom mare
Damsire	Phantom
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1826
Country	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Colour	Bay
Breeder	G. W. Gratwicke
Owner	G. W. Gratwicke
Trainer	John Forth
Record	5:1-0-1
Major wins
Epsom Derby (1829)

Frederick (1826–1837) also known as "Frederic", was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from June 1829 to August 1831 he ran five times and won once. His only win came on his racecourse debut, when he recorded an upset victory in the 1829 Derby ridden by his sixty-year-old trainer John Forth. Frederick failed to reproduce his Derby-winning form, finishing no better than third in four subsequent races.

Frederick was a bay horse bred by his owner, William Gratwicke of Ham Manor, near Angmering in Sussex. He was the one of several good horses produced by Gratwicke's unnamed Phantom mare, including The Margravine who in turn produced the 1845 Derby winner The Merry Monarch. The Phantom mare (sometimes referred to as Frederica) had been Gratwicke's first thoroughbred– he had bought her as a hunter– and Frederick was the second horse he bred from her. Frederick's sire Little John had little success as a stallion of racehorses being primarily known as a sire of hunters. He was owned by Gratwicke's neighbour Lord Egremont.

Frederick was sent into training with the Yorkshire-born John Forth in Sussex, either at Mitchell Grove or at a Goodwood training stable owned by the Duke of Richmond.

Frederick made his racecourse debut on 4 June 1829 in the Epsom Derby in which he started at odds of 40/1 in a field of seventeen runners with the 2000 Guineas winner Patron starting 6/5 favourite. According to the Sporting Review, the huge crowd included all ranks of society, from the Queen of Portugal to the "bare-footed tramp." Forth, who was at least sixty years old at the time, elected to ride the horse himself, while the stable's other runner The Exquisite, which was owned by Forth, was ridden by Frank Buckle Jr. Although The Exquisite was widely regarded as the stable's best horse and was better fancied in the betting, Forth had asked his bookmaker to shift all his bets onto Frederick on the day before the race. His bookmaker, William Crockford agreed, observing that Forth could "ride both of them for what he cared", as neither had "a ghost of a chance". The ground on Derby day was unusually fast, with one source describing it as being "as hard as Regent-street on a Summer's day". In the race the favourite, Patron, was soon struggling and a horse named Lazarus led the field in the straight. The two Forth runners both appeared to be moving strongly and moved past Lazarus a furlong from the finish, with the race apparently between them. The Exquisite took the lead and looked the likely winner, but Forth produced Frederick with a "Chifney rush" in the last strides to win by a head. Forth became the oldest jockey to win a Derby and was credited with having ridden a fine tactical race.