Whisker (horse)

Whisker
Whisker by John Frederick Herring, Sr., c. 1820.
Sire	Waxy
Grandsire	Pot-8-Os
Dam	Penelope
Damsire	Trumpator
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1812
Country	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Duke of Grafton
Owner	1) Duke of Grafton 2) Lord Darlington
Trainer	Robert Robson
Record	20: 9-4-2
Major wins
Epsom Derby (1815) Port Stakes (1816)

Whisker (1812 – 11 March 1832) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1815 Epsom Derby and was a full-brother of the 1810 winner Whalebone. Whisker raced until he was a six-year-old, but did not race in 1817. Whisker was retired to stud in 1819, where he became a successful and influential sire. The offspring of Whisker and Whalebone continued the sire-line of Eclipse into the 20th century.

Whisker was bred by the Duke of Grafton and was foaled in 1812 at his Euston Hall stud farm near Newmarket. Whisker was sired by the 1793 Epsom Derby winner Waxy out of the mare Penelope (foaled in 1798), both owned by the Duke. As a racehorse, Penelope was a contemporary of the 1801 Derby-winning filly Eleanor, beating her several times, and was half-sister to 1809 Derby winner Pope and the mares Pope Joan (both sired by Waxy), Parasol (Partisan's dam) and Prudence. Penelope was a prolific and influential broodmare, producing eight full-siblings to Whisker that achieved success on the turf. She produced 13 foals between 1806 and 1823, all with names beginning with the letter W. Whisker was her seventh foal and his full-siblings include Whalebone (the 1810 Derby winner), Web, Woful, Wilful, Wire, Wildfire and Windfall. Penelope died in 1824.

The racing commentator "The Druid" described Whisker's physique "as near perfection as a horse could be" and his only fault was that he was "a little calf-kneed" but was "equally likely to get a racer, hunter, machiner or a hack." Whisker has been lauded as the "handsomest" of Waxy's offspring and his appearance was described more favorably than his brother Whalebone, who was short and had a "Turkish pony-look." All of Waxy's offspring reportedly inherited "short legs, high-bred nostrils and very prominent eyes" with Whisker inheriting his sire's "beautiful quarters."