Eclipse (horse) facts for kids

Eclipse (born April 1, 1764 – died February 26, 1789) was an amazing British Thoroughbred racehorse from the 1700s. He was truly special because he never lost a single race! Eclipse won all 18 of his races, including 11 important King's Plates. After he stopped racing, he became a very successful father to many other racehorses. Today, almost all modern Thoroughbred racehorses can trace their family tree back to Eclipse.

Early Life and Unique Looks

Eclipse was born on April 1, 1764, the same day as a solar eclipse. This is how he got his name! He was born at the Cranbourne Lodge stud, owned by his breeder, Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. His father was a famous horse named Marske, and his mother was Spilletta.

Eclipse was a bright chestnut horse with a white stripe (called a blaze) on his face. He also had a white "stocking" on his right back leg. He was quite a big horse for his time, standing over 16 hands tall. He was known for being strong, healthy, and incredibly fast. Some people thought his head looked a bit large, but his speed made up for it! Eclipse was also known for being a bit difficult to handle. Instead of being gelded (which means he couldn't have babies), he was given to a tough rider. This rider worked him hard, which surprisingly helped calm Eclipse down enough for him to race. His jockeys never tried to hold him back during races; they just let him run!

Racing Days: Always First

Before his first official race, Eclipse had a special practice run at Epsom. Bookmakers (people who take bets on races) heard rumors about how fast he was. They tried to see him run, but they were too late! However, an old woman told them she saw a horse with a white leg running so fast that no other horse could catch him, even if they chased him forever. Because of this, when Eclipse had his first race on May 3, 1769, he was the huge favorite to win. The race had three parts, each four miles long. Eclipse won easily.

After his second win in May 1769, a man named Dennis O'Kelly bought Eclipse. It's said that O'Kelly made a famous statement before one of Eclipse's races: "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere!" This meant he was so sure Eclipse would win that no other horse would even be close. At that time, if a horse was more than 240 yards behind the leader, they were considered "nowhere." Eclipse won the race, proving O'Kelly right. His jockey, John Oakley, was supposedly the only one who could handle Eclipse's unique running style, where he held his nose very close to the ground.

One of his toughest races was against a strong horse named Bucephalus in April 1770. Bucephalus tried hard, but Eclipse still won easily. In August, he raced against other top horses, Tortoise and Bellario, at York. Eclipse was so much faster that he was over a furlong (about 220 yards) ahead after just two miles, winning very easily.

Eclipse won all 18 of his races, including 11 King's Plates. He was so much better than his competition that he never even had to try his hardest! During his racing career, Eclipse ran over 63 miles in races and walked 1,400 miles to get to different race meetings across England.

People still use the phrase "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere" today to describe any victory where one competitor is far better than all the others. At his fastest, Eclipse could cover 83 feet per second and took strides that were 25 feet long!

A Champion Father: Eclipse's Legacy

In 1771, Eclipse stopped racing because no other horses could compete with him. He became a "stud" horse, meaning he was used to father many foals. At first, his fee was 10 guineas (an old British coin), but it quickly went up to 50 guineas per mare because he was so popular.

Eclipse fathered a huge number of winners, somewhere between 325 and 400! His children won over £158,000 in prize money.

Some of his most famous children include:

• Potoooooooo (also called Pot-8-Os): A very important son who won many races.
• Young Eclipse: He won the famous Epsom Derby race.
• Saltram: Another son who won the Epsom Derby.
• Serjeant: He also won the Epsom Derby.
• Annette: A daughter who won the Epsom Oaks race.

Eclipse's daughters were also very important. For example, his daughter Horatia had two sons who both won the Derby! Many other famous racehorses, like John Bull and Skyscraper, were also born from Eclipse's daughters.

Even though Eclipse himself was never the top fathering horse in Great Britain and Ireland (he was often second to a horse named Herod), his impact on horse racing is huge. Experts believe that nearly all modern Thoroughbred racehorses today can trace their family line back to Eclipse. This is mainly thanks to his son Potoooooooo, whose family line became incredibly successful.

Today, many of the top racehorses and their fathers around the world come from Eclipse's family tree. This includes famous names like Secretariat and American Pharoah in North America, Deep Impact in Japan, and Galileo in Great Britain.

The End of a Legend

This is the skeleton of Eclipse, displayed at the Royal Veterinary College.

Eclipse passed away on February 27, 1789, when he was 24 years old, due to a type of stomach pain called colic. His skeleton is now kept at the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire, England. People even made his hooves into inkstands, though there are so many that some might not be real! Hairs from his tail were also used for decorations.

When doctors examined Eclipse after he died, they found he had an unusually large heart, weighing 14 pounds! This trait has been seen in some of his famous descendants, like Secretariat and Phar Lap, who also had very large hearts. Some people believe this "X Factor" (a larger heart) might be a reason why certain horses are such amazing athletes, though it's still a theory.