Ditto (horse) facts for kids

Ditto (born 1800, died 1821) was a famous British Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced from May 1803 to April 1807. During this time, he ran only six races but won four of them. In 1803, he became one of the best young horses of his time by winning the important Epsom Derby race. He also won two big races at Newmarket and a special King's Plate race at Guildford. After his racing days, Ditto became a sire, meaning he fathered other racehorses. Some of his offspring became winners too.

Meet Ditto: A Champion Horse

The name of this famous horse sometimes caused confusion. When he won the Derby in 1803, he was called Ditto Ditto. Later, his name was shortened to just Ditto. In horse family records, he was often called Williamson's Ditto. This helped people know which horse they were talking about. The word "ditto" was also used a lot in old horse books to mean "the same as before."

Ditto's Look and Family

Ditto was a bay horse, which means he had a reddish-brown body and a black mane and tail. People said he was "great size" and had a "fine temper." This means he was a big horse and had a good, calm personality. His owner, Sir Hedworth Williamson, was also his breeder.

Ditto came from a very famous horse family. His father was Sir Peter Teazle, who won the Epsom Derby in 1787. Sir Peter Teazle was one of the most successful fathers of racehorses of his time. He was named the Champion sire ten times!

Ditto's mother was a mare named Arethusa. She was owned by the Prince of Wales. Arethusa was also a very successful mother horse. Besides Ditto, she gave birth to other champions. These included Walton, who became a leading sire, and Pan, another Derby winner.

Ditto's Amazing Races

1803: Winning the Derby!

Ditto's very first race was the Derby at Epsom on May 26, 1803. Even though he had never raced before, he was a popular choice. He was the second favourite among six horses.

Ditto was ridden by Bill Clift. He won the race easily, taking home a prize of 1,650 guineas. His owners even said he won "in a trot," meaning he won without much effort. The second and third place horses in this race were also sons of Sir Peter Teazle, just like Ditto!

1804: More Victories

Ditto didn't race again for over ten months. He returned to the track in April 1804 at the Craven meeting in Newmarket. On April 17, he ran in the Claret Stakes. This race was about two miles long.

Ditto was the favourite to win. He showed his Derby-winning form again, beating two other horses. He won the first prize of 1,200 guineas. After this win, Ditto took another long break from racing for a whole year.

1805: Tough Challenges

Ditto came back to race in April 1805. He ran in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket. This race was for horses of all ages and was about ten furlongs (about 1.25 miles) long. He finished first, beating ten other horses.

Just three days later, Ditto raced again. This time it was a special "match race" against a horse named Sir Harry Dimsdale. In this race, Ditto had to carry seven pounds more weight than his opponent. He was the favourite, but he lost for the first time.

On June 4, Ditto ran in a King's Plate race at Guildford Racecourse. King's Plates were tough races where horses carried heavy weights. They also ran in a series of "heats," and the first horse to win two heats was the champion. Ditto carried 160 pounds. He easily won the first four-mile heat against his only rival, a mare named Gipsy. Gipsy was then taken out of the second heat, so Ditto won the prize.

1807: Final Race

Ditto didn't race at all in 1806. He returned in 1807, now owned by Mr. Wilson. On April 29, Ditto ran in a handicap race at Newmarket. In handicap races, horses carry different weights to make the race fair. Ditto carried the most weight, 131 pounds, and was the favourite. However, he did not finish among the top horses.

Later that same day, Ditto was supposed to run another match race. But his opponent, Hedley, was pulled from the race. This meant Ditto won a small prize without even running. After this, Ditto retired from racing for good.

Ditto's Life as a Sire

After his racing career, Ditto became a stallion (a father horse). From 1810 to 1814, he lived at Snitterfield in Warwickshire. Owners could bring their mares to him for a fee of 10 guineas for thoroughbreds. By 1815, he had moved to Bildeston and his fee went up to 12 guineas.

Ditto's most famous son was a horse named Luzborough. Luzborough won twenty-five races! He was later sent to the United States, where he also became a very successful sire. Ditto was also the grandfather of Sultan, who was a leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland six times. Ditto's last known foals (baby horses) were born in 1821. Ditto himself died in 1821, when he was 21 years old.

Sire line tree