Horse racing has many legends, equine as well as human. Few, however, come close to matching the story of Eclipse. 80% of modern thoroughbred racehorses have Eclipse somewhere in their pedigrees. He had an almost freakish speed and ability, was unbeaten in his racing career and endowed his sons and daughters with his talent. He made his owner one of the most famous men in England and was painted by George Stubbs and other leading artists of the day.

Eclipse was bred by HRH Duke of Cumberland at his Cranbourne Lodge Stud and was foaled in 1764 during a total eclipse of the sun. He was sired by Marske out of a Regulus mare called Spiletta. He was auctioned by Richard Tattersall in 1765 and was bought for 75 gs by William Wildman, who later sold a half share to Col Dennis O'Kelly. Eclipse made O'Kelly famous and won him a small fortune through prize money and gambling.

At the Races

Eclipse was a horse only his mother could love. He was physically intimidating measuring over 16 hands, big by contemporary standards. His head was large and not particularly attractive. His coat was a rich chesnut with a white blaze on his face and a white stocking on his right hind leg. He was so badly behaved that he was not regularly ridden until he was five years old, though the option of gelding him was rejected in favour of regular hard work. There was however, one saving grace. During his first race in 1769, he passed his rivals as if they were standing still, despite Oakley fighting to keep him under control. Eclipse literally ran away with the £50 purse, causing O'Kelly to utter the famous remark 'Eclipse first, the rest nowhere'.

Eclipse went on to easily win all of the nine races that he contested as a five year old. These included the City Silver Bowl and four different King's Plates at Ascot, Canterbury, Lewes and Lichfield respectively. He returned to the racecourse as a six year old in 1770. His first race was against the talented colt Bucephalus at Newmarket before winning the King's Plate there and another King's Plate at Guildford. Later in that same race meeting, Eclipse turned out again to win over £300 against some of the best racehorses in the country. This was followed by another victory in the Lincoln King's Plate, before returning to Newmarket to win a race worth 150gs. As if to underline his stamina, O'Kelly entered him in the King's Plate being run the next day. Eclipse left his opponents trailing in his wake.

Eclipse ran in 18 races and won every single one without his jockey using whips or spurs. Eleven of these races were King's Plates, ten of which were won at carrying 12 stone, the heaviest weight every carried by a winner of these handicaps. However, Eclipse did not run in the most valuable races, as these were only open to horses belonging to members of the Jockey Club. O'Kelly was a hellraiser, rising from poverty to a position in society by buying a commission in the militia. He had scandalised society by his general bad behaviour and marrying his mistress, the royal courtesan Charlotte Hayes. He was also a hard gambler who made a small fortune by betting on Eclipse and the other members were not keen on losing their money to him. Sadly this meant that Eclipse could never truly show how good he was. But the ease with which he won his races, a heady mix of speed and endurance, seems to indicate that even if he had, he would have won. Even with top weight and against stiff opposition, his physical limits remained a mystery.

One for the ladies

Many horses can cut it on the racecourse, but not all of them prove to be as effective in the repoduction stakes. Eclipse, however, turned out to be quite a stud. He stood first at a stud near Epsom and then he was moved to O'Kelly's own stud at Cannon's Park in Middlesex. He was moved in an early form of horsebox, which consisted of a carriage pulled by two less exalted equines. It cost 50 gs to send your mare to be covered by Eclipse at the start of his career, though in later years this reduced.He threw big powerful foals that included 3 Derby winners Saltram, Young Eclipse and Serjeant. Other sons become top class sires in their own right: Volunteer sired the Derby winner Spread Eagle, the great sire Pot-8-Os and leading stallion King Fergus. Though never a leading sire himself, Eclipse was runner-up every year between 1778 - 1788. Perhaps his most famous descendant was not a racehorse at all but his grandson, a charger by the name of Copenhagen who was the mount of the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo.

Get Stuffed!

Eclipse died of colic in 1789. He was important enough as a racehorse and a sire to warrant finding out as much about his body as possible. There was however one problem, at this time there was no veterinary school in Britain and the only trained vet was a Frenchman called Charles Benoit Vial de St Bel. St Bel saw this as an opportunity to publicise his aim of establishing a veterinary school. It was discovered that he possessed a unusually large heart and was slightly taller at his rump then at his withers, though whether this was the key to his success is not known.

You can visit Eclipse's skeleton at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, where it is on loan from the Royal Veterinary College, the college subsequently set up by St Bel. He is also remembered in the name of the Eclipse Stakes, which has been run at Sandown Park since 1886 and the Eclipse Awards, the equivalent of the Oscars for the North American racing industry.