St. Simon (horse)
| St. Simon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sire | Galopin |
| Grandsire | Vedette |
| Dam | St. Angela |
| Damsire | King Tom |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1881 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | Prince Gustavus Batthyany |
| Owner | Duke of Portland |
| Trainer | Mathew Dawson |
| Record | 9:9-0-0 |
| Earnings | £4,676 |
| Major wins | |
|
Ascot Gold Cup (1884) Goodwood Cup (1884) Epsom Gold Cup (1884) |
|
| Awards | |
|
Leading sire in Britain & Ireland (1890-1896 & 1900-1901) Leading broodmare sire in Britain & Ireland (1903-1907 & 1916) |
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| Honours | |
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| Last updated on 20 July 2006 | |
St. Simon (1881 – April 2, 1908) was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and one of the most successful sires in the history of the Thoroughbred. In May 1886 The Sporting Times' carried out a poll of one hundred experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th century. St. Simon was ranked fourth, having been placed in the top ten by 53 of the contributors.
St. Simon was bred by Prince Gustavus Batthyany of Hungary and foaled at William Barrow's Paddocks near Newmarket. He was by Galopin, also owned by Batthyany, who won 10 out of 11 races including the Epsom Derby. Retired to stud in 1876, Galopin was not an immediate success, covering only 12 mares in his first crop. His stud fee dropped as low as 50 guineas before the success of first Galiard in the 1893 2000 Guineas and then St. Simon established his reputation. Galopin eventually became the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1888, 1889, and 1898.
St. Simon's dam, St. Angela (by King Tom), was disappointing as a broodmare up to the time she produced St. Simon, her sixth foal, at age 16. Her other notable progeny was a full-sister to St. Simon named Angelica, who later became the dam of champion and major stallion Orme (1889 by Ormonde).
St. Simon was a brown colt with a small star on his forehead and a few white hairs on the inside of his pasterns and heels. Almost all the foals he sired were bay or brown, with the sole exception of a gray filly from a gray mare. His final height was 16 or 16.1 hands (65 inches, 165 cm) (sources differ), but his fine build made him look smaller. His offspring, especially his fillies, were usually slightly smaller than average. He had a fine head that was slightly dished, clean legs — although quite over at the knee — and a short back. He also had strong quarters and a very good shoulder, which according to the 1916 Bloodstock Breeders Review was "a study. So obliquely was [the shoulder] placed that it appeared to extend far into his back, making the latter look shorter." His girth was said to be 78 inches (2.0 m), and his cannon bone measured 8 1⁄2 inches (220 mm) around.
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