Tartar (horse) facts for kids

Tartar was a famous British Thoroughbred racehorse born in 1789. He was also known as Toy later in his life. Tartar is most famous for winning a big race called the St Leger Stakes in 1792. This was a very special win because he was one of the smallest horses ever to win such a major race. He even won the St Leger the very first time he ever raced! He won two more races the next year.

About Tartar

Tartar was a chestnut horse, which means he had a reddish-brown coat. He was born in 1789 and stood about 14.1 hands tall. To give you an idea, 14.1 hands is about 145 centimeters or 4 feet 9 inches. This made him quite small for a racehorse.

Tartar's Family

Tartar's father was a successful racehorse named Florizel. Florizel also had other famous children who won big races. These included Diomed and Eager, who both won the Epsom Derby. Another one of Florizel's children, Ninety-three, also won the St Leger Stakes. Tartar's mother was a mare named Ruth. She had eight foals, and Tartar was her sixth.

The Name "Tartar"

The name "Tartar" was used for several other horses before this Tartar. One very important horse named Tartar was born in Yorkshire. He was the father of a famous horse named Herod. This means the older Tartar was the great-great-grandfather of our Tartar!

Racing Career

Tartar had an interesting racing career. He started racing when he was three years old.

1792: Three-Year-Old Season

Back in the 1700s, racehorses didn't always have official names right away. So, in 1792, Tartar was known as "Lord A. Hamilton's chestnut colt by Florizel out of Ruth." This simply meant he was a male horse owned by Lord A. Hamilton, with a chestnut coat, and his parents were Florizel and Ruth.

Tartar's first race was the St Leger Stakes. This important race was held at Doncaster Racecourse on September 25. It was a long race, about two miles. Eleven horses competed, including eight male horses (colts) and three female horses (fillies).

Even though Tartar was a 25/1 outsider (meaning most people didn't expect him to win), he surprised everyone! Ridden by his trainer, John Mangle, the unnamed colt won the race. A filly named Skypeeper came in second, and Adonis was third. Winning the St Leger on his very first race was a huge achievement!

1793: Four-Year-Old Season

Before the 1793 racing season began, Tartar was sold to a new owner, Mr. Leonard Jewison. He still didn't have an official name when he raced for the first time as a four-year-old. This race was at Newcastle-under-Lyme Racecourse on July 2.

This race was a bit different. It was a £50 race run in "heats." This means horses raced multiple times, and the first horse to win two heats won the prize. Tartar won the first heat against two other horses. His opponents then dropped out, so he won the whole race!

The very next day, Tartar raced again in another £50 heat race. He finished third in the first heat but then won the next two heats. This secured him another victory!

On August 20, Tartar finally raced under the name "Tartar" at York. This was a "give and take" race. In these races, horses were given different weights to carry based on how tall they were. Tartar, being 14 hands and 1 inch tall, was the favorite to win. However, he finished second in the first heat and was then taken out of the race.

Tartar's last recorded race in 1793 was on October 2 at Boroughbridge Racecourse. He raced in another £50 heat race, finishing second, fourth, and fifth in the three heats.

1794: Five-Year-Old Season

In 1794, Tartar had another new owner, Mr. Thompson. He also had a new name: Toy. On June 13, at Manchester Racecourse, Toy finished second in the first heat of an £80 race. Racing records from that year confirmed that Toy was indeed the horse previously known as Tartar.

Life After Racing

After his racing career, Tartar was sold to Count Vorontsov. Count Vorontsov was a minister from Russia. Tartar was then sent to Russia, along with another famous horse named Daedalus, who had won the Derby in 1794.

Pedigree

*^ Tartar's family tree shows that he is "inbred" to a famous stallion called Godolphin Arabian. This means Godolphin Arabian appears multiple times in Tartar's family history, on both his father's and mother's sides.