Ninety-three (horse) facts for kids

Ninety-three (born in 1790) was a famous British racehorse. He was a special type of horse called a Thoroughbred. He is best known for winning a very important race called the St Leger Stakes in 1793. Even though he won this big race, it was his only win in his whole racing career. He raced six times between May 1793 and September 1794. After he stopped racing, he didn't become a father to other racehorses. His name has been spelled in a few ways, like Ninety three or Ninety Three.

About Ninety-three

Ninety-three was a beautiful chestnut horse, meaning he had a reddish-brown coat. He was born in 1790 and was bred by a person named John Clifton. His father was a successful racehorse named Florizel. Florizel also had other famous children, including Diomed and Eager, who won the Epsom Derby, and another horse named Tartar, who won the St Leger.

Ninety-three's mother was a mare (female horse) named Nosegay. She was bred by the Duke of Cumberland. Ninety-three was the third of twelve foals (baby horses) that Nosegay had. Before he ran his first race, Ninety-three was sold to Thomas Vernon. Then, he was sold again to John Hutchinson.

Ninety-three's Racing Career

Ninety-three's racing career was short, lasting only about a year and a half. He ran in six races in total.

Racing as a Three-Year-Old (1793)

Ninety-three started his racing career on May 30, 1793, at York Racecourse. He was owned by Mr. Hutchinson at this time. In his first race, a sweepstakes (where the prize money comes from entry fees), he finished fourth out of seven horses. The race was about one and a half miles long. A filly (young female horse) named Hornet won that race.

Later that summer, Ninety-three was bought back by his original breeder, John Clifton. He then raced in Clifton's racing silks (the special colors worn by the jockey) at Doncaster Racecourse in the autumn.

Winning the St Leger Stakes

On September 24, 1793, Ninety-three competed in the St Leger Stakes. This is one of the most important horse races in Britain, known as a "classic" race. There were eight three-year-old horses in the race. Ninety-three was not expected to win; he was a 15/1 outsider, meaning most people thought he had little chance.

However, with jockey William Peirse riding him, Ninety-three surprised everyone! He won the classic race by running faster than Foreigner, who came in second. The favorite horse, Hornet (who had beaten him earlier), finished third.

Doncaster Gold Cup

The very next day, Ninety-three ran in another big race called the Doncaster Gold Cup. This race was much longer, about four miles. He finished third out of seven horses. Another horse owned by Hutchinson, named Oberon, won this race.

Racing as a Four-Year-Old (1794)

In 1794, when Ninety-three was four years old, he raced three more times but didn't win any of them. However, he did finish first in two "preliminary heats" in some of these races. Races run in heats mean horses have to win multiple short races to win the overall prize.

Races in 1794

• Nantwich Race: On July 9, he raced at Nantwich. This race was run in three-mile heats. He beat his only opponent, a six-year-old horse named Tommy, in the first heat. But he lost the next two heats and didn't win the overall race.
• Preston Race: Two weeks later, he raced at Preston. This was another race with heats for a prize given by the Earl of Derby. He finished second in one heat, first in another, and then third in two more heats, so he didn't win the main prize.
• Doncaster Gold Cup (Again): In September, he returned to Doncaster, where he had won the St Leger. He tried to win the Gold Cup again. He finished fourth out of seven horses. The winner of that race was Beningbrough, who had won the St Leger in 1794.

After Racing: Stud Career

After his last race in September 1794, Ninety-three stopped racing. He never became a breeding stallion, which is a male horse used to have foals. His name doesn't show up on lists of stallions that were available for breeding. Also, there are no records of him having any offspring in the official horse breeding books.

It's possible he passed away naturally after his racing career ended. Another possibility is that he was gelded (meaning he could no longer have foals) and used for other purposes, like a hack (a riding horse) or a hunter (a horse used for hunting).

Ninety-three's Family Tree

This section shows Ninety-three's family tree, also known as his pedigree. It lists his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

* Ninety-three is inbred 2S x 3D to the stallion Herod. This means that Herod appears twice in Ninety-three's family tree. He is in the second generation on his father's side (2S) and in the third generation on his mother's side (3D).

* Ninety-three is inbred 4D x 3D to the stallion Snap. This means Snap appears twice on his mother's side of the family tree. He is in the fourth generation (4D) and the third generation (3D) on his mother's side.