Achievement (horse)

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Achievement
St Leger (1867)
Doncaster Cup
(1867)

Achievement (1864–1872) was a British

St Leger at Doncaster
. After failing to show her best form in 1868 she was retired to stud and died four years later.

Background

Achievement was a strikingly attractive dark brown filly standing 15.3

broodmare. In 1863, she had produced Achievement's full brother, Lord Lyon, the winner of the 1866 English Triple Crown. Paradigm produced a total of 13 foals and also produced King at Arms, Man at Arms and Blue Mantle.[6]

Pearson sent Achievement to be trained by James Dover at East Ilsley in Berkshire.[7]

Racing career

1866: two-year-old season

Achievement made her first appearance in April at Newmarket's Craven meeting when she started at odds of

2000 Guineas winner Vauban by a length and a half and then took New Stakes, the race now known as the Norfolk Stakes by three lengths. In these races she was ridden by Harry Custance, who became her regular jockey. She ran twice at Newmarket's July meeting, winning the July Stakes and the Chesterfield Stakes before adding the Lavant Stakes at Goodwood later in the month.[8]

In September she took her unbeaten run to nine when winning the

roarer.[9]

1867: three-year-old season

On her first appearance as a three-year-old, Achievement started at odds of 1/8 against six fillies in the

1000 Guineas at Newmarket on 25 April. Ridden by Harry Custance, she won easily ("in a hand canter") by three lengths from Soeur de Charite.[10]

At Epsom, Achievement started 1/3 favourite for the Oaks in a field of eight on a cold and cloudy day. Before the race she looked particularly fit ("trained to a hair, with a coat like satin"[11]) and settled well in the early stages behind a very slow pace. After appearing to have every chance in the straight and briefly taking the lead she weakened in the closing stages before dead-heating for second place with Romping Girl, a length behind Hippia.[12] Her performance renewed suspicions raised after her previous defeats that she had problems with her "pipes",[11] while other explanations included over-training and an inability to cope with an uphill finish.[13] At Royal Ascot in June she won the one mile Coronation Stakes by eight lengths from Arapeile, but on the following afternoon she was beaten three lengths by Vauban in the Triennial Stakes.[14] In August she was sent to York where she ran against colts, including Vauban, in the Great Yorkshire Stakes over one mile six furlongs. Achievement, whose stamina had been doubted, started second favourite of the four runners but ran "like a giantess refreshed"[15] and won by ten lengths from Vauban, with the other runners being pulled up and failing to complete the course.

In September, Achievement was sent to

St Leger and the Doncaster Cup. In the St Leger on 11 September she was made 15/8 second favourite for the St Leger, with Hermit starting the 6/5 favourite. Achievement was impressive in the parade before the race, looking bigger and stronger than she had done earlier in the season. Ridden by Tom Challoner she took the lead in the straight and held off challenges from Hermit and Julius to win by a length.[16] Two days after her win in the St Leger, Achievement faced Hermit again in the Doncaster Cup over two miles five furlongs and won by three quarters of a length.[17]

1868: four-year-old season

Achievement returned to race as a four-year-old, but failed to reproduce her best form, failing to win in three starts. On 19 May she finished second, beaten at fifteen lengths by Julius in the Beaufort Cup at Bath[18] and at Ascot in June she finished second to Mandrake in the Triennial Stakes. On her final appearance, she finished third of the five runners behind Knight of the Garter in the Stockbridge Cup over seven furlongs on 24 June.[19]

Assessment

In May 1886 The Sporting Times carried out a poll of one hundred racing experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th century. Achievement was ranked in the top ten by nine of the contributors, placing her twenty-seventh among all horses and making her the sixth highest-rated filly or mare behind Virago, Plaisanterie, Crucifix, Blink Bonny and Wheel of Fortune.[20]

Stud career

Achievement made no impact as a broodmare. Two of her three pregnancies resulted in dead foals, and her only live offspring was a colt by Gladiateur who did not race. Achievement died at the age of eight in 1872 of a ruptured intestine.[21][22]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Achievement (GB), bay mare 1864[23]
Sire
Stockwell
Chestnut 1849 		The Baron
Ch. 1842
Birdcatcher
 Sir Hercules
Guiccioli
Echidna Economist
Miss Pratt
Pocahontas
Bay 1837 		Glencoe Sultan
Trampoline
Marpessa Muley
Clare
Dam
Paradigm
Bay 1853 		Paragone
1843 		Touchstone Camel
Banter
Hoyden Tomboy
Rocbana
Ellen Horne
1844 		Redshank Sandbeck
Johanna
Delhi Plenipotentiary
Pawn Junior (Family 1-j)[24]

References

  1. ^ Patricia Erigero. "Stockwell". Thoroughbred Heritage. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  2. ^ The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 168. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  3. ^ Staff (1893). "Sporting associations of Rutlandshire". Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes. 60: 107. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  4. ^ a b Staff (2 January 1905). "Fashion in Racehorse Breeding". Australian Town and Country Journal. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  5. ^ Custance, Henry (1894). Riding recollections and turf stories. London: Edward Arnold. p. 43. paradigm general pearson ellen.
  6. ^ a b Taunton, Thomas Henry (1888). Portraits of celebrated racehorses of the past and present, Volume 4. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington. p. 324.
  7. ISBN 0-354-08536-0
    .
  8. ^ a b The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 170. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  9. ^ The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 80. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  10. ^ The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 391. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  11. ^ a b The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 413. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  12. ^ "THE OAKS DAY". West Coast Times. 26 July 1867. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  13. ^ The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 392. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  14. ^ The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 61. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  15. ^ The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 395. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  16. ^ The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 239. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  17. ^ The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. Rogerson & Tuxford. 1868. p. 117. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  18. ^ C. J. E. AND J. P. WEATHERBY (1868). THE RACING CALENDAR FOR THE YEAR 1868. Weatherbys. p. 151. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  19. ^ C. J. E. AND J. P. WEATHERBY (1868). THE RACING CALENDAR FOR THE YEAR 1868. Weatherbys. p. 228. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  20. ISBN 0-85112-902-1
    .
  21. ^ "Stockwell". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  22. ^ Staff (20 April 1872). "Death of Achievement". Sporting Life.
  23. ^ Hugh McMahon. "The Sport Horse Show and Breed Database". Sporthorse-data.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  24. ^ "Ellen Horne - Family 1-j". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
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