The Colonel (horse)

The Colonel
The Colonel, by Richard Gilson Reeve (1803–1889)
Sire	Whisker
Grandsire	Waxy
Dam	Delpini mare (My Lady's dam)
Damsire	Delpini
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1825
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	Edward Petre
Owner	Edward Petre George IV William IV
Trainer	John Scott
Record	15:10-3-1
Major wins
Champagne Stakes (1827) St Leger Stakes (1828) Epsom Craven Stakes (1830, 1831) Great Park Stakes (1830) Northampton Gold Cup (1830)

The Colonel (1825–1847) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for running a dead heat in the Epsom Derby and winning the St Leger Stakes in 1828. In a racing career which lasted from 1827 until 1831, The Colonel ran fifteen times and won ten races at distances ranging from six furlongs to three miles. Apart from the St Leger, his most notable successes came in the Champagne Stakes, the Epsom Craven Stakes (twice), the Great Park Stakes at Ascot and the Northampton Gold Cup. He was also placed in both the Ascot Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup.

Originally trained in Yorkshire by John Scott, The Colonel later moved to the royal stable and won races for two British monarchs. Following his retirement from racing he stood as a breeding stallion in Britain and Germany with moderate results, although some of his descendants achieved success in Australia.

The Colonel was a "compact"chestnut horse with a broad white blaze standing 15.2 hands high. He was owned and bred by Edward Petre (1794–1848), a free-spending sportsman and gambler, who was a younger son of Robert Petre, 9th Baron Petre. The Colonel was sired by the Duke of Grafton's horse Whisker who won the 1815 Epsom Derby before becoming a successful breeding stallion. His dam, an unnamed daughter of Delpini also produced My Lady, an influential broodmare whose modern descendants include Midway Lady and Eswarah. Like the rest of Edward Petre's horses, The Colonel was trained by John Scott, who sent out the winners of 41 classics, from his Whitewall Stables at Malton in North Yorkshire. The colt was ridden in most of his early races by his trainer's younger brother Bill Scott.