Basto was a brown horse, sired by the
Byerley Turk, out of
Bay Peg, a daughter of the
Leedes Arabian. His breeder,
Sir William Ramsden, sold the horse to the
Duke of Devonshire while he was still young. In his racing career at the home of British racing in
Newmarket, he won at least five match races (possibly more, since he raced before records were reliably kept) against some of the leading horses of the time. At the Duke of Devonshire's stud, he sired several important racemares and broodmares including the dams of
Old Crab,
Blacklegs and
Snip. Other offspring included Brown Betty, Coquette and Soreheels. ==Race record==