Paradox (horse)
Paradox | |
---|---|
(1885) |
Paradox (1882–1890) was a British
The final phase of the colt's racing career was marked by controversy and recrimination following his withdrawal from the Cambridgeshire Handicap in the autumn of 1885 and he was retired from racing in 1886. Paradox had little opportunity to establish himself at stud, dying in 1890 at the age of eight.
Background
Paradox was a strongly-built
Racing career
1884: two-year-old season
Until 1946 there was no requirement for British racehorses to be named
1885: three-year-old season
Spring
Over the winter the Casuistry colt was given the name "Paradox"
Summer
Despite his win in the Guineas, Paradox was passed over by Archer, who chose to ride Melton in the Derby. At Epsom on 3 June Paradox, ridden by Fred Webb, was made the 4/1 second favourite in a field of twelve runners, with Melton starting the 15/8 favourite. Webb was given the ride despite "scurrilous"
Paradox was never beaten again. Eleven days after his defeat at Epsom he was sent to Longchamp to contest the Grand Prix de Paris, the most important and valuable[25] race in France. The start of the race was delayed for half an hour as the authorities struggled to clear spectators from the course. Ridden once again by Archer, Paradox was restrained in the early stages before making steady progress and turning into the straight in second place. Paradox overtook the leader Reluisant halfway down the straight and won "[w]ith the greatest ease" at odds of 1/3.[26] His success was greeted enthusiastically by the travelling British supporters but there were hisses and hoots from the French contingent and the raising of the Union Jack after the race led to what was described as an "unfavourable demonstration".[27] Paradox returned to England and ran the one mile Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on 29 July. The winners of major races were assigned additional weight in the race and Paradox carried twelve pounds extra as a result of his success in France.[28] Archer sent him to the front two furlongs from the finish and he won comfortably by three quarters of a length from Royal Hampton.[29]
Autumn
Later in the year Paradox was campaigned at Newmarket and entered in three races; his main target was expected to be the Cambridgeshire Handicap at the end of October. He was assigned a weight of 124 pounds and was strongly supported in the betting. Some time before the race, however, Cloete arrived in England from Mexico and had a disagreement with Porter that resulted in the withdrawal of Paradox from the Cambridgeshire, causing a "terrible rumpus"[30] among the betting public. It was rumoured that Cloete was furious that he had not been kept informed of the trainer's plans and had missed the chance to bet on Paradox at long odds.[1] It was also suggested that he was upset by accusations that Paradox had never been an intended runner and had been left in the race in an attempt to manipulate the betting market.[30] An exacerbating factor in the affair was that there had been a delay between Cloete privately announcing that the horse would not run and the official withdrawal, during which period heavy gambling continued, with some individuals apparently profiting from inside knowledge.[31] Cloete removed Paradox, and all of his other horses, from Porter's stable and sent them to be trained by Richard Marsh at Lordship Farm.[32]
At the first October meeting Paradox ran the Champion Stakes over ten furlongs, with Archer riding at his lowest weight of 120 pounds.[33] Running in wet, difficult conditions, Paradox took the lead in the closing stages and won from Duke of Richmond and the filly Aveline. His victory was received in silence by the spectators, although there were none of the open displays of hostility towards Cloete that been feared following the controversy arising from the colt's withdrawal from the Cambridgeshire.[34] At the next Newmarket meeting, when the Cambridgeshire was run, Cloete rerouted his colt to the Free Handicap. Paradox won, despite conceding thirty-four pounds to Aveline, but his "brilliant" success was again met with silence from the crowd and Cloete was greeted "without a word of congratulation or the semblance of a note of enthusiasm".[35] Paradox remained in training as a four-year-old with his entries including the Ascot Gold Cup,[36] but he did not run again and was retired to stud.
Stud career
Paradox began his stud career, during which he became increasingly bad-tempered and difficult to manage,
Pedigree
Sire Sterling (GB) 1868 |
Oxford 1857 |
Birdcatcher *
|
Sir Hercules |
---|---|---|---|
Guiccioli | |||
Honey Dear | Plenipotentiary | ||
My Dear | |||
Whisper 1857 |
Flatcatcher | Touchstone* | |
Decoy | |||
Silence | Melbourne | ||
Secret | |||
Dam Casuistry (GB) 1875 |
The Miner 1861 |
Rataplan | The Baron |
Pocahontas | |||
Manganese | Birdcatcher* | ||
Moonbeam | |||
Lady Caroline 1861 |
Orlando | Touchstone* | |
Vulture | |||
Lady Blanche | Stockwell | ||
Clementina (Family:1-s)[3] |
- Paradox was inbred 3 × 4 to Birdcatcher, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and the fourth generations of his pedigree. He was also inbred 4 × 4 to Touchstone.
References
- ^ ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
- ^ a b Patricia Erigero Thoroughbred Heritage. "Sterling". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b "Web - Family 1-s". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b c "NEWMARKET FIRST SPRING". Otago Witness. 16 May 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "John Porter". Horseracing History Online. Archived from the original on 2016-03-20. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
- ^ "THE RACE FOR THE EPSOM DERBY". Auckland Star. 19 July 1884. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
- ^ "SEEING THE CESAREWITCH". Auckland Star. 13 December 1884. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b Henry Charles Howard (1900). The Encyclopaedia of Sport. Lawrence and Bullen. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
- ^ a b "RACING IN ENGLAND". Otago Witness. 22 November 1884. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "Wisden - Obituaries in 1915". Espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
- ISBN 9780520939295. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
- ^ "RACING IN ENGLAND". Otago Witness. 13 December 1884. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b "SPORTING NOTES AND COMMENTS". Brisbane Courier. 9 January 1885. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ^ "NOTES BY HIPPONA". Auckland Star. 20 December 1884. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "ENGLISH". Otago Witness. 10 January 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "ENGLISH AND FOREIGN". Otago Witness. 4 April 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "NEWMARKET FIRST SPRING". Otago Witness. 27 June 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "Kisber". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
- ^ a b "ENGLISH". Otago Witness. 8 August 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b "SPORTING". Timaru Herald. 29 June 1885. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
- ^ "EPSOM SUMMER". Otago Witness. 25 July 1885. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
- ^ "NOTES BY HIPPONA". Auckland Star. 25 July 1885. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
- ^ "Lot 263: Lowes Cato Dickinson (1819-1908) the birdcage at newmarket - Sotheby's". Artfact. 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "AUSTRALIAN". Otago Witness. 29 August 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "RACING IN FRANCE". Otago Witness. 1 August 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "SPORTING". South Australian Advertiser. 4 Aug 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "ENGLISH". Otago Witness. 29 August 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "RACING IN ENGLAND". Otago Witness. 19 September 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b "SPORTING". Evening Post. 12 December 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "NOTES ON SPORTS AND SPORTING". Otago Witness. 23 January 1886. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "Richard Marsh". Horseracing History Online. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "SPORTING NOTES". Border Watch. 2 Dec 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "ENGLISH SPORTING NEWS". South Australian Register. 1 Dec 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "RACING NOTES". Brisbane Courier. 17 December 1885. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "ENGLISH". Otago Witness. 6 March 1886. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "TALK OF THE DAY". Otago Witness. 25 September 1890. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "Famous sire Bull Lea dies". Kentucky New Era. 16 June 1964. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ^ "Paradox pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-07-01.