Serjeant (horse)
| Serjeant | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Eclipse |
| Grandsire | Marske |
| Dam | Aspasia |
| Damsire | Herod |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1781 |
| Country | Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Dennis O'Kelly |
| Owner | Dennis O'Kelly |
| Trainer | John Scott |
| Record | 16:8-3-3 |
| Major wins | |
|
Epsom Derby (1784) Sion Stakes (1784) 1200 Guineas Stakes (1786) Matches against Cantator, Mousetrap, Balloon |
|
Serjeant (1781 – after 1787) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career that lasted from spring 1784 to autumn 1787 he ran sixteen times and won eight races. In 1784 he won the fifth Epsom Derby, the first running of the race under its current name and distance. He stayed in training for a further three seasons, winning several important races at Newmarket, but disappeared from official records after his retirement from racing and does not appear to have been found a place at stud.
Serjeant was bred by his owner, Colonel Dennis O'Kelly. He was sired by O'Kelly's horse Eclipse, the dominant racehorse of his time who was undefeated in eighteen races before becoming one of the most important and influential stallion in the history of Thoroughbred racing. Serjeant was the second of three foals produced by the mare Aspasia, making him a brother to Dungannon, who won nineteen races and finished second to Saltram in the 1783 Derby.
Serjeant made his first appearance at the Second Spring meeting at Newmarket in 1784. He started 1/3 favourite a 200 guinea Sweepstakes over ten furlongs and won beating Lord Clermont's colt Cantator.
At Epsom on 28 May, Serjeant started the 3/1 favourite for the Derby in a field of eleven runners. Ridden by John Arnull he won from the 20/1 outsider Carlo Khan, with Lord Derby's colt Dancer finishing third. The race was the first Derby run over the modern distance of one and a half miles: the four previous runnings had been held over one mile.
After a break of more than four months, Serjeant returned for two races at Newmarket's Second October meeting. The order in which these two races took place is not clear from the records. In a two-mile match race over the "Ditch In" course he started 1/4 favourite, but was beaten by Dancer for a prize of 500 guineas. Racing over the same course and distance he won the Sion Stakes, carrying six pounds more than his three opponents who included Dancer and Carlo Khan.
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