Fenian (horse)

Fenian (born 1866) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1869 Belmont Stakes.

Fenian
SireMickey Free
GrandsireIrish Birdcatcher
DamSpiletta
DamsireStockwell
SexStallion
Foaled1866
CountryUnited States
ColourChestnut
BreederAugust Belmont
OwnerAugust Belmont
TrainerJacob Pincus
JockeyCharlie Miller
Major wins
1869 Belmont Stakes

Fenian was bred in 1866 by August Belmont and was a chestnut stallion. His sire was Mickey Free.[1] His dam was the imported mare Spiletta by Stockwell, and his second dam was Olivia Augusta by Cowl. Fenian was Spiletta's only stakes winning foal.[2] Mickey Free was an imported stallion, sired by Irish Birdcatcher and out of the mare Annie by Wanderer. Fenian was his only stakes winning foal.[3]

Fenian raced as a two-year-old, and was held to be a good racehorse then.[4]

Fenian won the third running of the Belmont Stakes in 1869 for his owner August Belmont.[5] His trainer was Jacob Pincus and he won the race in a time of 3 minutes and 4.25 seconds.[1][6] The track was rated as heavy, and the race was at a distance of ​1 5⁄8 miles (i.e. 13 furlongs (2,600 metres)) on June 5. The race was worth $3500 to the winner,[1] who was ridden by Charlie Miller.[7] Although there is no official record of the margin of victory, contemporary accounts noted that Fenian won the race easily, and finished the race while being pulled up.[1] The race was run at Jerome Park.[7] His stablemate, Glenelg, was also entered in the race, and there is some indication that Glenelg was held back to allow Fenian to win.[6] Glenelg, also owned by Belmont, came in second in the race. Fenian, however, had been bred by Belmont, and Glenelg, who was imported to the United States in his mother's womb, had not, so Belmont preferred for a horse he had bred to win.[8] There were 6 other horses in the race, but none of them came close to beating either Fenian or Glenelg.[4]

Fenian reportedly never raced again, due to bad legs.[1] This was a fault of all of his dam's foals.[4] However, Belmont sold Fenian in October 1870 to Dr. D. Kerwin for $70.[9] He later raced under Kerwin's name as a gelding until 1872 when he was sent to England.[10][11] Retrained for steeplechasing and owned by J.B. Burstall, Fenian was second in the Military and Navy Stakes run at Emsworth in April 1872.[12]

Fenian won no other stakes races,[2] and sired no stakes winners.[13]

Citations
  1. New York Racing Association "1869 Belmont Stakes Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine" The Belmont Stakes
  2. Hogan Index to Stakes Winners p. 460
  3. Hogan Index to Stakes Winners p. 622
  4. Vosburgh "Belmont Stakes" Daily Racing Form
  5. New York Racing Association "Belmont Stakes Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine" The Belmont Stakes
  6. Hewitt Great Breeders of the Past p. 24
  7. Staff "Glory of Belmont Stakes" Daily Racing Form
  8. Robertson History of Thoroughbred Racing pp. 105–106
  9. Staff. "Sale of horses at Jerome Park" (PDF). The Evening Post.
  10. Staff. "American Jockey Club handicaps" (PDF). The American Gentleman's Newspaper.
  11. Staff. "Racing and trotting notes" (PDF). The New York Clipper.
  12. "South Hampshire Steeplechases". The Sportsman (page 8). April 20, 1872.
  13. Hogan Index to Stakes Winners p. 580

References

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