Eclipse (horse)

Eclipse was foaled during and named after the solar eclipse of 1764, at Keats Gore, near East Ilsley in Berkshire, not at the Cranbourne Lodge stud of his breeder, Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, as many believe. This commonly recorded error is because of the prestige of Cranbourne Lodge. It was at Cranbourne that his sire, the Jockey Club Plate winner Marske (by Squirt from The Ruby Mare) stood. His dam, Spilletta (foaled 1749), was by Regulus, who was by the Godolphin Arabian. Eclipse's male-line great-grandsire was Bartlett's Childers, and his male-line great-great-grandsire was the Darley Arabian. Eclipse was a brother to the successful broodmare Proserpine. They were inbred to Snake in the fourth generation of their pedigree. After the death of Prince William in 1765, Eclipse was sold for 75 guineas to a sheep dealer from Smithfield, William Wildman. Eclipse was a bright chestnut with a narrow blaze running down his face. He had a white stocking on his right hind leg. Eclipse was a big horse for his time, just over , and was an inch higher at the rump than at the withers. He was strong, sound and fast. He was sometimes criticized for having a large, unattractive head. His difficult temperament was well documented, and might have led to him being gelded. Instead he was turned over to a rough-rider, who worked him hard all day, and at night as well on poaching expeditions if the stories are to be believed. This treatment, rather than souring his disposition, settled Eclipse enough to allow him to be raced, although his jockeys never attempted to hold him. ==Racing career==

Before Eclipse's first start at the age of five, a trial was arranged at Epsom (although the location has also been given as Mickleham The race consisted of three heats of four miles each. Eclipse won easily. After his second victory in a race in May 1769, Dennis O'Kelly purchased Eclipse in two stages. in June 1769 for 650 guineas, 50 percent in April 1770 for 1,100 guineas). Supposedly, at this time O'Kelly used the famous phrase "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere", before making his bets for this race, although some sources His jockey was John Oakley, supposedly the only jockey who could handle Eclipse's temperamental manner and running style of holding his nose very close to the ground. Eclipse won the race and covered O'Kelly's bet. His toughest challenge was a match race versus the highly regarded Bucephalus in April 1770. Bucephalus was game, but Eclipse was the easy winner. In August, he took on top class horses Tortoise and Bellario in the Great Subscription Purse at York, but at odds of 20/1 on, routed both of them, being over a furlong in front after two miles, and winning in a canter. Eclipse won 18 races, including 11 King's Plates, supposedly without ever being fully extended and proving far superior to all competition. During his racing career, Eclipse ran over and walked 1,400 miles to race meetings across England. Eclipse is still remembered in the phrase "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere", snowcloned as "[name of competitor] first and the rest nowhere", referring to any dominating victory. This phrase is occasionally seen in American print media (most often in newspaper sport sections) but is more common in Britain. He is attested to have covered 83 feet per second at top speed, and covered 25 feet in a single stride. ==Race record==

In ten of the King's Plates, Eclipse carried 12 st, or 168 pounds, the highest weight (by one pound) that was carried by a winner in England up to 1840. ==Stud record==

In 1771, Eclipse was retired to stud after a racing career of about 17 months due to lack of competition as nobody was betting on rival horses. Initially he stood at O'Kelly's Clay Hill Stud, near Epsom (Surrey), for a fee of 10 guineas which rose rapidly to 25 and then to 50 guineas a mare. During 1788, he was relocated to Cannons Stud, Edgware (Middlesex). (although the number varies with different reports, ranging from 325 to 400). Eclipse was never the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland, although he finished in second place 11 times, usually behind Herod. A book published in 1970 stated that the Royal Veterinary College had determined that nearly 80% of Thoroughbred racehorses had Eclipse in their pedigree. or of "nearly every living thoroughbred." Potoooooooo's grandson Waxy would lead the sire list in 1811, and Waxy's grandson Birdcatcher in turn led the sire list in 1852 and 1856. Birdcatcher's grandson Stockwell outdid them both, becoming leading sire seven times. Stockwell's grandson Bend Or founded a line that led four generations later to Phalaris The Phalaris line has several branches, notably through Nearco and Native Dancer. In Great Britain and Ireland, the Eclipse sire line includes modern leading sires such as Sadler's Wells, Danehill, Galileo and Frankel. In North America, leading sires in his line include Bold Ruler (sire of Secretariat), Mr. Prospector (ancestor of American Pharoah), Danzig, Storm Cat, A.P. Indy, Giant's Causeway and Tapit. In Japan, Eclipse's sire line includes leading sires Sunday Silence, King Kamehameha and Deep Impact, while in Australia leading sires from his line include Redoute's Choice, Encosta De Lago and Fastnet Rock. Sire line tree A sire line is the term given to the bloodlines and male descendants from a single stallion. • Eclipse • Planet • Potoooooooo • Coriander • Alderman • Asparagus • Teddy the Grinder • Waxy • The Dandy • Prendergast • Starch • Canteen • Sligo • Trumpeter • Mount Eagle • Skylark • The Cardinal • Crispin • Whalebone • Waverley • Peter Fin • Chateau Margaux • Defence • Merman • The Exquisite • Cetus • Spaniel • Vestris • The Sea • Woful • Theodore • Wanton • Quinola • Whisker • Abron • Caccia Patti • Mustachio • Swiss • Catterick • Memnon • The Colonel • Emancipation • Lawrie Todd • Perion • Tyrant • Vespasian • Ganymede • Thunderbolt • Jupiter • King Fergus • Honest Tom • Overton • Cockboat • Cockfighter • Gilliver • Merryfield • John O'Groat • Rolla • Alonzo • Poor Jack • Young Traveller • Ormond • Beningbrough • Ashton • Blue Devil • Harefoot • Orville • Octavius • Muley • Belville • Dinmont • Fulford • Don Juan • Ebor • Fitz Orville • Allegro • Master Henry • Andrew • Richard • Bizarre • Emilius • Ganymede • Vargas • Pollio • Delville • Rygantino • Thorn • Bedalian • Hylas • Phlebotomist • Scud • Sam • Camillus • Consul • Whitelock • Blacklock • Camerton • Bay Camerton • Anticipation • Garswood • Johnny • Vertumnus • Baronet • Baronet • Boudrow • Dick Andrews • Cwrw • Tramp • Bay Burton • Barefoot • Lottery • Brother to Bay Burton • Speculation • Zinganee • Tyke • Donegani • Little Red Rover • Liverpool • St Giles • Dangerous • Scroggins • Cornborough • Biddick • Sir Richard • Merrymaker • Mercury • Precipitate • Petworth • Bobtail • Bobadil • Tag • Hackney • Langton • Langtonian • Sir Reginald • Silver • Gohanna • Cardinal Beaufort • Cerberus • Captain Candid • Golumpus • Beverley • Catton • Otterington • Uncle Toby • Savernake • Aimwell • Canopus • Scarecrow • Centaur • Hedley • Idle Boy • Frolic • Prince Leopold • Trafalgar • Brighton • Coriolanus • Election • Manfred • Belleropheron • Skim • Hermes • Young Eclipse • Young Eclipse • Dungannon • Lurcher • Gallatin • Young Dungannon • Dungannon • Boaster • Saltram • Whiskey • Whirligig • Volunteer • Stirling • Spread Eagle • Magic • Eagle • Diomed Eagle • Fop • Serjeant • Tityrus • Hephastion • Meteor • Copenhagen • Don Quixote • Sancho • Cervantes • Whitenose • Amadis • Palmerin • Pegasus • Expedition • Sea Gull • American Boy • Peace-Maker • Alonzo • Hippomenes • Brush ==Death==

Eclipse died due to an attack of colic on 1789, at the age . His skeleton is now housed at the Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire, in the Learning Resource Centre named after him, although it cannot be said for certain whether all the bones displayed are really from Eclipse. His hooves were made into inkstands, although the fact that there are at least five Eclipse-hoof inkstands casts some doubt on the authenticity of some. Hairs from his tail have also been used for decorations. A necropsy on Eclipse by Charles Vial de Sainbel found that he had an abnormally large heart, weighing . This trait has been referred to in the context of thoroughbreds as the "X Factor" Theory. While the theory has yet to be proven, it has gained popularity due to the large hearts seen occasionally in his descendants, including Secretariat and Phar Lap. ==Honors and analysis==

The Eclipse Awards are American Thoroughbred horse-racing awards named after Eclipse. They honour the champions of the sport, and are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers Association, who select all finalists at the end of the year. The most prestigious of these Awards is the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year title. The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in the United Kingdom for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of 1¼ miles and 7 yards (2,018 metres) at Sandown Park. Eclipse Press is the book-publishing division of Blood-Horse Publications, an international publishing house for top Thoroughbred and general equine magazines, books, videos, CD-ROMs and annual references. Sheffield-based Eclipse tools, now part of Spear & Jackson, took their name and their Eclipse first... slogan in 1909 from the horse. The life story of Eclipse inspired the novel ''O'Kelly's Eclipse'' by screenwriter Arthur Weiss. Nicholas Clee's Eclipse: The Story of the Rogue, the Madam and the Horse That Changed Racing ==Pedigree==

At the time of Eclipse's birth, stud records were maintained by the individual breeder with no central authority. Record-keeping was somewhat haphazard, compounded by spelling and transcription errors, and the fact that the names of mares were often not recorded. In 1791, James Weatherby and William Sydney Towers pieced together the General Stud Book, which is the source of the pedigree shown below. However, there are still several debated entries of interest to pedigree experts. Details of the issues can be found in Appendix 2 of Nicholas Clee's book on Eclipse. The most notable issues are summarized below. According to all official records, Eclipse's sire was Marske (written as 'Mask' in a 1764 entry in the Royal Stud Book). Marske was a moderately successful racehorse who had little early success in the breeding shed. His stud fee at the time of Eclipse's conception was only half a guinea, though it subsequently grew to 30 guineas. During Eclipse's lifetime, however, it was rumoured that his real sire was Shakespeare, who was a somewhat better racehorse than Marske and was said to resemble Eclipse more closely. According to a contemporary source, Eclipse's dam was covered in 1763 first by Shakespeare and later by Marske, and paternity was based on Eclipse's foaling date corresponding to the date of the second breeding session. Since both Marske and Shakespeare were great-grandsons of the Darley Arabian, Eclipse would still descend from that stallion. Note: b. = Bay, ch. = Chestnut, br. = Brown Eclipse is inbred 3S x 4D to the mare Sister to Old Country Wench, meaning that she appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree. ^ Eclipse is inbred 4S x 5D x 4D to the stallion Snake, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fifth generation (via Old Country Wench) and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree. ==See also==