Neil Gow
Neil Gow | |
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2000 Guineas (1910) (1910)Eclipse Stakes | |
Awards | |
Top-rated British two-year-old (1909) |
Neil Gow (1907–1919) was a British
Background
Neil Gow was a chestnut horse with a white
Rosebery named the colt after the Scottish fiddler Niel Gow but "corrected" the spelling. He sent his colt into training with Percy Peck at his stable in Exning, Suffolk.[2]
Racing career
1909: two-year-old season
Neil Gow made his debut in the
Neil Gow was then sent to Doncaster for the six furlong Champagne Stakes in which he again met Admiral Hawke as well as the unbeaten Lemberg who was made odds-on favourite after his win in the New Stakes. Neil Gow won impressively, leading to his being described as "probably the best two-year-old in England".[5] Lemberg went on to beat Whisk Broom II in both the Middle Park Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October. On Neil Gow's final appearance of the season he was opposed by only two rivals in the £3,000 Imperial Produce Stakes at Kempton Park on 8 October. In a performance reminiscent of his run at Sandown, the colt was left ten lengths behind the other runners at the start, but recovered to catch Sunningdale in the closing stages and won by a head.[6]
His win at Kempton took Neil Gow's earnings for the season to £10,306, making him the third most financially successful horse of the British season, behind the classic winning three-year-olds Bayardo and Minoru.[7] In October, Neil Gow was given top weight in the Free Handicap, a rating of the year's best two-year-olds, three pounds above Lemberg who was in turn five pounds clear of Admiral Hawke and Whisk Broom. Concerns were however expressed about the colt's temperament, which had reportedly grown "worse with every public appearance".[8]
1910: three-year-old season
Before the season began, there was much speculation concerning the riding plans of the American jockey
On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Neil Gow, carrying a ten-pound weight penalty, was matched against Whisk Broom in the Craven Stakes over Newmarket's Rowley Mile course on 14 April.[11] He appeared beaten when losing his place two furlongs from the finish but produced an "extraordinary" run to overtake his rivals and won by three lengths despite being eased down by Maher in the closing stages.[12] On a warm, sunny afternoon thirteen days later, Neil Gow started 2/1 favourite for the 2000 Guineas over the same course and distance, with Lemberg on 7/2. He was less troublesome before the race than he had been in the past, started reasonably well, and was able to track Lemberg throughout the race. The two favourites drew clear of the rest in the final furlong and Neil Gow, under a vigorous ride from Maher, prevailed by a short head in a “superlative” driving finish,[13] with Whisk Broom two lengths back in third place.
Although he been beaten Lemberg on both their meetings, Neil Gow did not start favourite for the Derby. He was regarded as a doubtful stayer
At Sandown on July Neil Gow faced Lemberg for the fourth and final time in a much anticipated contest for the Eclipse Stakes, then the most valuable race in England with a prize of £10,000. The relative merits of the two were much discussed and the race was expected to decide which of them would be regarded as the "horse of the year".[21] Maher allowed the colt to settle towards the back of the six runner field while Bernard Dillon positioned Lemberg directly behind the pacemaker. Lemberg took a clear lead early in the straight but Neil Gow reduced his advantage and drew level twenty yards from the finish. The pair crossed the line together after a "sensational battle" and a dead-heat was declared. After what was described as the "race of the century", the owners agreed to divide the prize rather than subject their horses to a deciding heat.[22] The contests between Neil Gow and Lemberg drew comparisons with the nineteenth-century rivalries, including those between The Flying Dutchman and Voltigeur (1850–1851) and between Bend Or and Robert the Devil (1880–1881).[23] Neil Gow's share of the prize money took his earnings for the season to £11,635.[21]
Neil Gow was prepared for a run in the St Leger but was withdrawn a week before the race after being injured in training. The injuries to his forelegs proved so serious that the colt was retired from racing[24] and sent to stud.
Assessment and honours
In their book, A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Neil Gow a "superior" winner of the 2000 Guineas.[25]
Stud record
Neil Gow stood as a stallion in England for eight seasons with mixed results. His most successful runner was Re-Echo who won the Cambridgeshire Handicap as a three-year-old in 1922, and was later exported to Argentina where he sired the undefeated champion Payaso. Neil Gow had some impact as a sire of broodmares, with his daughters producing the Oaks winners Rose of England and Chatelaine. He died on 21 April 1919.
Sire line tree
- Neil Gow
- Re-Echo
- Payaso
- Re-Echo
Pedigree
Sire Marco (GB) 1892 |
Barcaldine 1878 |
Solon | West Australian |
---|---|---|---|
Birdcatcher mare | |||
Ballyroe | Belladrum | ||
Bon Accord | |||
Novitiate 1882 |
Hermit | Newminster | |
Seclusion | |||
Retty | Lambton | ||
Fern | |||
Dam Chelandry (GB) 1894 |
Goldfinch 1889 |
Ormonde | Bend Or |
Lily Agnes | |||
Thistle | Scottish Chief | ||
The Flower Safety | |||
Illuminata 1877 |
Rosicrucian | Beadsman | |
Madame Eglentine | |||
Paraffin | Blair Athol | ||
Paradigm (Family:1-n[27]) |
References
- ^ "Chelandry". Tbheritage.com. 1919-08-21. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "Person Profile : Percy Peck". Horseracing History Online. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "THE TURF". Dominion (Wellington). 1 September 1909. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "SPORTING". Star (Canterbury, New Zealand). 18 September 1909. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "IN A NUTSHELL". Otago Witness. 27 October 1909. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "SPORTING". Wanganui Herald. 7 December 1909. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "CAP AND JACKET". Observer (Auckland). 15 January 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "SPORTING". Star (Canterbury, New Zealand. 7 December 1909. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "SPORTING. A JOCKEY'S FEES". Ashburton Guardian. 8 March 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "OVERSEAS SPORT". Evening Post (Wellington). 12 February 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "THE RACING WORLD". Auckland Star. 21 May 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "TURF GOSSIP". Auckland Star. 28 May 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "RACING". Grey River Argus. 2 July 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "TURF GOSSIP". Auckland Star. 26 March 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "TURF GOSSIP". Auckland Star. 21 May 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "THE ECLIPSE STAKES". Grey River Argus. 10 September 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ Nelson S. (Nelson Slater) Mayo. "The Care of Animals". Ebooksread.com. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
- ^ "RACE JOTTINGS". Grey River Argus. 26 July 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "LEMBERG'S DERBY". Paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1910-07-14. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ "THE DERBY". Paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1910-06-03. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ a b "THE RACING WORLD". Auckland Star. 31 August 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "BY "MULTIFORM."". Wanganui Chronicle. 2 September 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "Papers Past — Auckland Star — 3 September 1910 — TURF GOSSIP". Archived from the original on 2016-03-07.
- ^ "NEIL GOW BROKEN DOWN". Grey River Argus. 1 October 1910. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ISBN 1-901570-15-0.
- ^ "Neil Gow pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Chelandry - Family 1-n". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-10-19.