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Knight of St George
Sire Line
Birdcatcher
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Knight of St George
b c 1851 (Birdcatcher - Maltese, by
Hetman Platoff). Sire Line Birdcatcher.
Family 26. Knight of St George was bred in Ireland by Mr William Disney,
who also owned his sire Birdcatcher
(ch c 1833 Sir Hercules). Due to his
intractable nature, he was disposed of to Mr St George after losing
the Waterford Stakes in 1853. After winning the National Produce Stakes
for Mr St George, he bolted off the course in his final race of this
season and was sold to Mr J B "Jolly" Morris, a popular bookmaker, who also owned Kingston (b c 1849
Venison).
He was described as being just
fifteen hands when he won the St Leger, although he later grew to
fifteen hands two inches, and was said to a be fine horse who left a
beautiful and larger version of himself in Knight of St Patrick (b c
1858). A rich dark bay with no markings, he had great length with a
notable depth of girth. His temper was considered unreliable and,
despite his talent, he was thought a very difficult horse to ride,
requiring much tact and persuasion in the face of his unresponsiveness to
whip and spur.
In the stud of Brownlow Cecil, 2nd
Marquis of Exeter, who also owned Stockwell
(ch c 1849 The Baron), he got the esteemed
Knight of St Patrick, from Pocahontas
(b f 1837 Glencoe*). Knight of St George
covered the Marquis's own mares for two years, then was sent to the Rawcliffe Stud in 1859, with the intention of replacing
The Flying
Dutchman (br c 1846 Bay Middleton), however, he went to America
instead.
Purchased for $7,000 in the spring
of 1859, he was imported by A Keene Richards and stood at his Blue
Grass Park stud in Georgetown, Kentucky, which had also been home to
Glencoe*
(ch c 1831 Sultan) in his later years.
Richards had imported Emilia* (b f 1840
Emilius) with her colt
Millington*, later named Australian (ch c 1858
West
Australian), and owned War Dance (ch c 1859 Lexington)
as well.
While his arrival in Kentucky was
too late for a regular season in 1859, Knight of St George stood full
seasons at Georgetown in 1860 and 1861, after which he was removed to
Texas to avoid capture by advancing armies during the Civil War. He
returned to Georgetown in the fall of 1865.
Although the Marquis of Exeter
later attempted to repurchase Knight of St George, Keene Richards, since he
understood the merit of the Birdcatcher-Glencoe cross which had produced
the great Stockwell (ch c 1849
The
Baron), declined to sell.
| Knight of
St George |
Birdcatcher |
Sir
Hercules |
Whalebone |
| Peri |
| Guiccioli |
Bob
Booty |
| Flight |
| Maltese |
Hetman
Platoff |
Brutandorf |
| Comus
Mare |
| Water
Witch |
Sir
Hercules |
| Mary
Anne |
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| Race Record |
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| At 2: all at the Curragh, won the National Produce Stakes, beating Mr
Disney's Gamekeeper (br c Tearaway), Mr George Price's Tom (ch c
Birdcatcher),
Mr H Hill's Doctor O'Toole (ch c Birdcatcher)
and three others, 2nd in the £170 Waterford Stakes, won
by Mr Copperthwaite's The Early Bird (b c Birdcatcher),
beating four others, unplaced for the £620 Railway Stakes, won by Mr
Whaley's Ariadne (b f Birdcatcher),
unplaced in the Paget Stakes, due to bolting, won by Rinaldo (ch g
Tearaway). |
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| At 3: won a £340 Handicap Plate at Newcastle on Tyne, beating Mr
Harrison's Revolver (b c Melbourne), Sir C
Monck's Vindex (br c 1850 Touchstone),
Mr Murland's Ammonia (br f The Ugly Buck), and ten
others, won the £542 County Stakes at Worcester, beating
Mr Rowdon's Little David (br c Young Priam), Mr Shepherd's Aribbas (ch c Pyrrhus the First), and thirteen others, won the £3850
Great St Leger at Doncaster, beating Lord Zetland's Ivan (b c 1851 Van
Tromp), Mr Peck's Arthur Wellesley (b c 1851 Melbourne),
Mr Pedley's Scythian (b c 1851 Orlando) and fourteen others, won a
£50 purse at Newmarket October, beating Mr Barber's Domino and Mr Greville's Adine, 2nd in the Croxeth Stakes at Liverpool, won by Baron
Rothschild's Orestes (b c Charlton), 2nd in the Chesterfield Cup at
Goodwood, won by Cat's Paw, 4th in the Bentinck Handicap at Liverpool,
won by Mr Shepherd's Arribas, unplaced in the Derby at Epsom, won by
Andover (b c 1851 Bay Middleton). |
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| Notable Offspring |
| Ada (b f 1860), 2nd dam of St Kieran (b c 1886 Arbitrator),
winner of the Angelsey, National Produce and Railway Stakes, and 4th dam
of Americus Girl (ch f 1905 Americus), winner of the National Produce
Stakes and ancestress of such horses as Nasrullah (b c 1940 Nearco) and
Mahmoud (gr c 1933 Blenheim). |
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| Bonnie Kate (b f 1868),
2nd dam of Monmouth Handicap winner Tea Tray (ch c 1885 Rayon d'Or*),
and ancestress of Dewhurst Stakes winner Prince Galahad (ch c 1917
Prince Palatine*). |
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| Brenna (b f 1861), 2nd dam
of The Bard (b c 1883 Longfellow), winner of the Preakness Stakes,
Brooklyn Handicap and Dixie Handicap. |
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| Edina (ch f 1862), 3rd dam
of Kentucky Derby winner Kingman (b c 1888 Glengarry*), and 3rd dam of
Belmont Stakes winner Bowling Brook* (b c 1895 Ayrshire). |
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| Eliza Davis (b f 1862),
2nd dam of the useful stallion Eon (b c 1886 Eolus), and 3rd dam of the
Preakness winner Knight of Ellerslie (b c 1881 Eolus). |
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| Georgia Wood (ch f 1861),
3rd dam of Long Dance (b c 1886 Longfellow), winner of the Travers
Stakes and Miller Stakes, Riley (b c 1887 Longfellow), winner of the
Kentucky Derby, and Sunny Slope (ch f 1894 Esher*), winner of the
Autumn Maiden Stakes. |
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| Jenny H. (ch f 1861), dam
of Young America Stakes winner Toledo (br c 1876 Asteroid). |
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| Keno (ch f), 2nd dam of
Belle of Runnymede (b f 1879 Billet*), winner of the Alabama Stakes,
and of Miss Woodford (br f 1880 Billet*), winner of the Spinaway
Stakes, Alabama Stakes, Ladies Handicap, Monmouth Oaks, Hunter Handicap
and Mermaid Stakes. Miss Woodford won thirty-seven races and over
$100,000. She was unplaced only twice in forty-eight starts. Her son
George Kessler (ch c 1894 Salvator) won the Great American Stakes,
Hudson Stakes and Daisy Stakes. |
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| Knight of St George Mare
(f 1861), 2nd dam of Champagne Charlie (b c 1886 Prince Charlie*),
winner of the Bluegrass, and Dash Stakes, and 2nd dam of Tristan (b c
1885 Glenelg*), winner of the Metropolitan Handicap. |
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| Knight of St Patrick (b c
1858), sire of the Two Thousand Guineas winner Moslem (b c 1865). |
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| Melbourne Jr (b c 1860),
sire of Bazil (b c 1874), winner of the Jerome Handicap and the Miller,
and Annual Stakes, Grit (b c 1873), winner of the Carolina, and Ten
Broeck Stakes, and Milan (b c 1875), winner of the Young American, and
Tennessee Stakes. |
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| Mishap (b f 1861), 2nd dam
of the Falls City Handicap winner Chance (ch c 1881 War Dance), and
Reckon (ch f 1888 Pizarro), winner of the Hopeful, Colleen, and
September Stakes and the Monmouth Handicap. Mishap was also the 2nd dam
of the Nursery Handicap winner Hopeful (b c 1882 Glenelg*). |
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| Mollie Fisher (br f 1862),
2nd dam of Hyde Park Stakes winner Banfox (b c 1883 King Ban*), and of
his brother King Fox (b c 1884 King Ban*), winner of the Flatbush,
Great Eclipse, and Kentucky Stakes and the Great Eastern Handicap.
Mollie Fisher was also the 2nd dam of the Belle Meade, and Jackson
Stakes winner Lost Cause (ch c 1879 King Alfonso). |
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| Mollie Hambleton (b f
1862), 2nd dam of the Cincinnati Hotel Handicap winner Kirklin (b c
1883 King Ban*), and 2nd dam of the Dixie Stakes and Hunter Handicap
winner East Lynne (ch f 1882 Springbok). |
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| Optima (b f 1862), dam of
Ashland Oaks winner Peru (b f 1876 Glengarry*), the latter the dam of
the Brooklyn Handicap winner Dry Monopole (b c 1883 Glenelg*). |
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| Saratoga (b f 1862),
winner of the Saratoga Stakes. |
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| Sister of Charity (ch f
1867), 2nd dam of Tidal Stakes winner Pardee (ch c 1882 Alarm), Sapling
Stakes winner Devotee (b c 1887 Alarm) and Quickstep Stakes winner
Bashford (ch c 1889 Woodlands*). |
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| Sue Ryder (b f 1869),
winner of the Kentucky Stakes. |
| Vinnie Reame (b f 1862),
2nd dam of the United States Hotel Stakes winner Frankie B. (b c 1879
Monarchist). |
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