Rock Sand
| Rock Sand | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sire | Sainfoin |
| Grandsire | Springfield |
| Dam | Roquebrune |
| Damsire | St. Simon |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1900 |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | Sir James Miller |
| Owner | Sir James Miller August Belmont, Jr. (at stud) |
| Trainer | George Blackwell |
| Record | 20: 16-1-3 |
| Earnings | £47,913 |
| Major wins | |
|
Woodcote Stakes (1902) Coventry Stakes (1902) Champagne Stakes (1902) Dewhurst Stakes (1902) 2,000 Guineas (1903) Epsom Derby (1903) St. Leger Stakes (1903) St. James's Palace Stakes (1903) Hardwicke Stakes (1904) Princess of Wales's Stakes (1904) Jockey Club Stakes (1904) |
|
| Awards | |
| 10th U.K. Triple Crown Champion (1903) | |
| Last updated on 28 September 2006 | |
Rock Sand (1900–1914) was a British Thoroughbred race horse and sire. In a career which lasted from the spring of 1902 until October 1904 he ran twenty times and won sixteen races. After being a leading British two-year-old of his generation he became the tenth winner of the Triple Crown in 1903, winning the 2,000 Guineas Stakes the Epsom Derby and the St. Leger Stakes. He won another series of major races as a four-year-old before being retired to stud, where he had success in both Europe and North America.
Rock Sand was a small brown horse bred by his owner Sir James Miller at his Hamilton Stud in Newmarket. Rock Sand was sired by Sainfoin, the winner of the 1890 Derby, who was bred by Queen Victoria. He was the first foal of Roquebrune by St. Simon who won two races and was a half-sister to Epsom Oaks winner Seabreeze. Rock Sand was trained throughout his career by George Blackwell at Newmarket, Suffolk.
Rock Sand was a notably bad mover in his slower paces: those unfamiliar with his gait frequently assumed that he was lame when he trotted or cantered to the start before his races. He was also criticised early in his career by some observers who felt that he was too small to be a Derby winner.
As a two-year-old, Rock Sand began his racing career by winning the Bedford Stakes at the Newmarket Spring meeting. He then won the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Chesterfield Stakes at Newmarket on July 17 and the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster in September, ridden on each occasion by the American Danny Maher. By the end of summer he was being described as the best two-year-old of the season. At Newmarket on October he suffered his first defeat when beaten as the even money favourite for the Middle Park Stakes. The race was won by his stable companion Flotsam (ridden by Maher) with Greatorex second and Rock Sand, ridden on this occasion by William Lane third. Two weeks later Rock Sand defeated the King's colt Mead by three lengths to win the Dewhurst Stakes with Greatorex third. As the horses went into the winter break, Rock Sand was 4/1 favourite for the following year's Derby, with Flotsam the second choice.
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