Potoooooooo
| Potoooooooo (Pot-8-Os) | |
|---|---|
 Potoooooooo, or Pot-8-Os | |
| Sire | Eclipse |
| Grandsire | Marske |
| Dam | Sportsmistress |
| Damsire | Regulus |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1773 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Willoughby Bertie |
| Owner | 1st Earl Grosvenor |
| Record | 40-34 wins[1] |
| Major wins | |
|
1200 Guineas Stakes (1778) Clermont Cup (1779, 1780, 1782) Jockey Club Plate (1780, 1781, 1782) October Cup (1780) Newmarket Whip (1781, 1783) Craven Stakes (1782) | |
Potoooooooo or Pot-8-Os (foaled in 1773) was a famous 18th-century Thoroughbred racehorse, known for his defeat of some of the greatest racehorses of the time and his later life as an influential sire.
Background
Pot-8-Os was a chestnut colt bred by Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon, in 1773. He was sired by Eclipse, his dam Sportsmistress traced to Thwaites' Dun Mare from the number 38 family and she was sired by Warren's Sportsman.[1] He was the first foal of Sportsmistress, who also produced the Epsom Derby winner Sir Thomas and the winners Jocundo, Roscius and Sulky.[2]
Pot-8-Os acquired the strange spelling of his nickname through a transliteration error, when a stable lad was asked to write the original name, "Potatoes", on a feed bin. The lad's version, Potoooooooo, was said to amuse his lordship so he kept it, and it appears in the General Stud Book.[1]
Racing career
He was a horse of quality and endurance, with many of his races being run over the Beacon Course, upwards of four miles. Pot-8-Os won thirty-four races over the span of seven years, including the Jockey Club Purse three times, and the Craven Stakes. In 1778 he was sold to Richard, 1st Earl Grosvenor, for 1,500 guineas (about £100,000 in 2014), plus an agreed percentage of Pot-8-Os' future winnings.[3]
Stud career
Pot-8-Os was retired in 1783 to stand at Oxcroft Farm near Balsham, Cambridgeshire, for a fee of 20 guineas, before being moved to Upper Hare Park near Newmarket in 1796. A great success in the stud, he sired 172 winners of £61,971 and three cups. His offspring included Champion, the first horse to win both the Derby and the St. Leger Stakes (in 1800); Waxy, who won the Derby Stakes in 1793 and ten other races (and later became the sire line's principal progenitor). Others were Asparagus (1787); Tyrant (1799, Derby winner); Parasol, who won many races and was a dam of Classic winners; and Mandane, dam of Manuella (1812 Oaks Stakes).[1]
Pot-8-Os died at Upper Hare Park in November 1800.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Ahnert, Rainer L. (editor in chief), Thoroughbred Breeding of the World, Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970
- ↑ Thoroughbred Bloodlines
- ↑ Thoroughbred Heritage: Pot-8-Os Retrieved 2009-10-25