Penelope (horse) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Penelope |
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Painting of Penelope
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| Sire | Trumpator |
| Grandsire | Conductor |
| Dam | Prunella |
| Damsire | Highflyer |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | 1798 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | 3rd Duke of Grafton |
| Owner | 3rd Duke of Grafton 4th Duke of Grafton |
| Record | 25: 16-7-1 |
| Major wins | |
| Sweepstakes of 100 gs at Newmarket (1801) Ipswich King's Purse (1801) October Oatlands Stakes (1801) One-third Subscription of 25 gs (1803) First Class of Oatlands Stakes (1804) Newmarket King's Plate for mares (1804) £50 Subscription at Newmarket (1804) Jockey-Club Plate (1804) |
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| Honours | |
| Prix Penelope at Saint-Cloud Racecourse | |
Penelope (born 1798, died 1824) was a famous British Thoroughbred racehorse. She won 16 out of 24 races during her career. Her wins included important races like the Oatlands Stakes and the Jockey-Club Plate. She even beat another famous horse named Eleanor, who had won the Epsom Oaks and Derby races!
Penelope was bred and owned by the 3rd Duke of Grafton. After her racing career, she became a very important mother horse (called a broodmare). Her children included Derby winners Whalebone and Whisker. She also had a daughter, Whizgig, who won the 1000 Guineas race.
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Penelope's Family History
Penelope was a bay colored female horse, called a filly. She was born in 1798. Her breeder was Augustus FitzRoy, the 3rd Duke of Grafton.
Her Father: Trumpator
Penelope's father was a horse named Trumpator. He had won the Claret Stakes race. After he stopped racing, Trumpator became the best father horse in Great Britain and Ireland in 1803. This meant many of his children were excellent racehorses. Some of his other famous children included Sorcerer and Didelot, who won the Epsom Derby.
Her Mother: Prunella
Penelope's mother was a horse named Prunella. She was also a very successful mother horse. Prunella was the daughter of an unbeatable horse named Highflyer. Prunella won three races herself, including a big Sweepstakes race at Newmarket.
Prunella had many famous children. These included Derby winner Pope and Oaks winner Pelisse. All of Prunella's daughters who had foals became important mother horses. Her daughters like Parasol, Pledge, and Pope Joan all had children who won major races. Penelope was Prunella's second foal.
Penelope's Racing Career
Penelope had a very successful racing career, winning many races over several years.
Racing as a Three-Year-Old (1801)
Penelope's first race was on April 22, 1801, at Newmarket. She won a Sweepstakes race, beating two other horses. She then won another £50 race at Newmarket in May. Eleven horses competed in that race.
In July, Penelope raced away from Newmarket for the first time. She won the King's Purse at Ipswich. This race had two-mile "heats," and Penelope won both of them. She returned to Newmarket and won two more Town Plate races later that year. Her last race of the season was the October Oatlands Stakes, which she also won.
Racing as a Four-Year-Old (1802)
In April 1802, Penelope was defeated for the first time. She finished third in the Oatlands Stakes. She was supposed to race against a horse named Informer, but Informer pulled out and paid a fee.
In May, Penelope won a Sweepstakes race at Newmarket. Later in the year, she finished second in another Sweepstakes race. She also raced against Epsom Derby winner Eleanor and finished second to her. Penelope's last race of 1802 saw her finish fifth in the October Oatlands Stakes.
Racing as a Five-Year-Old (1803)
Penelope started her 1803 season by winning a match race against Duxbury. She then finished second in two other races at Newmarket.
In October, she won a Subscription race, beating several other horses. At a later meeting, she beat both Eleanor and Malta to win a race. Eleanor was favored to win, but Penelope proved stronger. At the end of October, Penelope won another match race against Whirligig.
Racing as a Six-Year-Old (1804)
In April 1804, Penelope won the first class of the Oatlands Stakes. She was the favorite and won against five other horses. She was supposed to race Eagle, but Eagle withdrew.
Penelope then beat Eleanor again in the King Plate for mares. This was a long race, over three miles. The next day, she won a £50 race against St. Leger winner Quiz. Penelope was the favorite and won the Jockey-Club Plate in May. She lost a match race in October but later beat Bobtail in another match race.
Racing as a Seven-Year-Old (1805)
Penelope's last race was in April 1805. She lost a match race to a horse named Walton. After this race, Penelope retired from racing. She went to the Duke of Grafton's stud to become a mother horse.
Penelope's Life as a Mother Horse
As a mother horse, Penelope had 13 foals (baby horses). Many of them became very famous.
- Whalebone (born 1807): A brown male horse (called a stallion). He won the Newmarket Stakes and the Epsom Derby in 1810. Whalebone later became a Champion father horse, meaning many of his children were great racers.
- Web (born 1808): A bay female horse (called a mare). She had children who won important races, including Derby winner Middleton.
- Woful (born 1809): A bay stallion. He won several races and had classic-winning daughters like Arab and Augusta.
- Whisker (born 1812): A bay stallion. He won the Derby in 1815 and the Port Stakes. He also had children who won the St. Leger race.
- Waterloo (born 1814): A bay male horse (called a colt). He won the Newmarket St. Leger.
- Whizgig (born 1819): A chestnut mare. She won the 1000 Guineas race in 1822. She was also the mother of Oaks winner Oxygen.
Penelope's daughters were so important that she is known as the "foundation mare" of a major horse family, called family 1-o. Many other important horse families can be traced back to her. Penelope died in early 1824.
