Aimwell facts for kids

Aimwell was a famous British racehorse born in 1782. He was a Thoroughbred, which is a special breed of horse known for racing. Aimwell had a short but successful racing career. He ran eight times and won five races. His biggest win was the Epsom Derby in 1785. This is one of the most important horse races in the world. He also won three races at Newmarket, another famous racecourse. Aimwell stopped racing after 1786.

Aimwell's Family History

Alcock's Arabian, an ancestor of Aimwell

Aimwell was a brown horse. He was named after a character in a play called The Beaux' Stratagem. A man named Mr. Carteret bred Aimwell. Later, Lord Clermont owned him during his racing days.

Most modern Thoroughbred horses come from three main male ancestors. But Aimwell was different. His male family line came from a grey horse called Alcock's Arabian. Even though Alcock's Arabian's direct male line ended, his genes are still important. He is likely why some modern Thoroughbreds have a grey coat color.

Aimwell's father was a horse named Mark Anthony. Mark Anthony was a very good racer himself. He won twenty races at Newmarket in the 1770s. Aimwell's mother was a mare (female horse) known as "sister to Postmaster." She was bred by Mr. Carteret and later owned by Lord Clermont.

Aimwell's Racing Career

Aimwell was a strong competitor on the race track. He raced for about two years, showing his speed and skill.

Racing as a Two-Year-Old (1784)

Aimwell started his racing career in late 1784. This was at a race meeting in Newmarket. He won a race worth 150 guineas. A guinea was an old British gold coin. He beat another horse named Archer in this race. The race was about six furlongs long. A furlong is about 200 meters. Archer was the favorite to win, but Aimwell proved stronger.

Racing as a Three-Year-Old (1785)

In the spring of 1785, Aimwell raced Archer again at Newmarket. Aimwell won another 100 guineas. He carried more weight than Archer in this race, but still won easily.

Later, Aimwell raced in the Prince's Stakes. He finished third in this race. The winner was a horse named Balloon.

Winning the Epsom Derby

On May 5, 1785, Aimwell competed in the famous Epsom Derby at Epsom. He was not the top favorite to win. His odds were 7 to 1, meaning for every 1 pound bet, you would win 7 pounds if he won. There were ten horses in the race. Aimwell was ridden by a jockey named C. Hindley. He ran a great race and won the Derby! This was his biggest victory.

After a break, Aimwell raced three more times at Newmarket in the autumn. He won a "match race" over four miles. In a match race, only two horses compete against each other. He won 300 guineas by beating a horse named Mousetrap.

Aimwell then finished second in another race. Two weeks later, he won another match race. He beat a horse named Blacklock and won 100 guineas.

Racing as a Four-Year-Old (1786)

Aimwell raced only once when he was four years old. This was at Newmarket. He raced against Balloon, the horse that had beaten him earlier. Aimwell tried to give Balloon a weight advantage, but he lost this two-mile race.

Aimwell's Life After Racing

After his last race in 1786, we don't know much about what happened to Aimwell. He was not listed as a "stallion," which is a male horse used for breeding. He also didn't have any foals (baby horses) officially recorded.

Aimwell's Family Tree

* Aimwell's family tree shows that he is "inbred" to a stallion named Partner. This means Partner appears on both his father's side and his mother's side of the family tree.