Pont l'Eveque (horse)
| Pont l’Eveque | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Barneveldt |
| Grandsire | The Winter King |
| Dam | Ponteba |
| Damsire | Belfonds |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 25 May 1937 |
| Country | Britain |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Henry E. Morriss |
| Owner | Fred Darling |
| Trainer | Fred Darling |
| Record | 7: 3-2-1 |
| Earnings | £ |
| Major wins | |
| New Derby (1940) | |
Pont l’Eveque (1937– after 1957) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career that lasted from 1939 until 1940 he ran seven times and won three races. His most important success came in 1940 when he won the “New Derby”, a wartime substitute for the Epsom Derby run at Newmarket. He had not been thought good enough to be included among the original Derby nominations, but was allowed to enter when the race was rearranged. He was retired to stud at the end of the season and exported to Argentina in 1942.
Pont l’Eveque was a very late foal, born at the end of the breeding season on 25 May, making him probably the youngest horse to win the Derby. He had conceived in France but imported to England “in utero” by his breeder and first owner, the Shanghai-based bullion-broker Henry E. Morriss. He was a small bay horse who was never particularly striking or attractive, being described as looking “plain” and “mean”. Pont l’Eveque’s sire was Barneveldt, a leading racehorse in France, who won the Grand Prix de Paris in 1931. His dam, Ponteba produced no other runners of any consequence, but was a half sister of the 1935 Royal Hunt Cup winner Priok.
Partly because of his unprepossessing appearance and lack of size it was not considered worthwhile in entering him for the Classics. Pont l’Eveque was sent into training as a two-year-old with Fred Darling (who eventually came to own the colt) at Beckhampton, in Wiltshire.
Pont l’Eveque showed little ability as a two-year-old, running twice without success. He was unplaced on his debut and then ran second in the Beaufort Handicap, a minor event at Newmarket. He was far inferior to his stable companion Tant Mieux, who was the highest-rated two-year-old of the season. Henry Morriss was managing his business interests in China, leaving his wife to manage his string of racehorses. At the end of 1939, Mrs Morriss decided to reduce the number of horses she had in training and Pont l’Eveque was one of those considered surplus to requirements. Fred Darling failed to find a buyer for the colt and eventually decided to the buy the colt himself for 500 guineas.
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