Ormonde
- 1883 - 1904 by Bend Or out of Lily Agnes
- Owner and Breeder: The Duke of Westminster Trainer: John Porter Jockeys: Fred Archer, George Barrett & Tom Cannon
- Ormonde is considered as one of the finest racehorses, perhaps the finest, of all time. He retired unbeaten after winning all 16 of his racecourse starts, most of them by a distance and often giving away weight. He and his regular partner, Fred Archer, will both be remembered as two of the greatest names in the sport of horseracing’s long and illustrious history.
- Ormonde was carried by his dam, Lily Agnes, for 12 months and when he was eventually born he was described as an “extraordinary looking creature”. There were doubts whether he would grow up properly, let alone race.
- Ormonde was a late developing two-year-old in 1885, but his undoubted talent was plain for all to see when he ran away with the Dewhurst Stakes, which today is still this country’s premier race for two-year-olds, here on the Rowley Mile, Course of Champions.
- He started his three-year-old season by returning here to win the 2000 Guineas, defeating the unbeaten Minting by two lengths, and went on to complete the Triple Crown with victories in the Derby and St Leger.
- Newmarket’s Champion Stakes over ten furlongs and July Cup over six furlongs were among the other highlights of his career, thus proving Ormonde’s fantastic versatility as a racehorse.
- After his retirement, Ormonde went to his owner’s Eaton Stud in Cheshire for two years, where amongst others he sired the highly successful Orme. He was then sold to continue his stallion duties in Argentina and later in the USA.
- At the age of 21, Ormonde died due to increasing difficulty in breathing, something which had afflicted him in the latter stages of his racing career. He was originally buried in California, but later his bones were exhumed, returned to England and put on display at the Natural History Museum in London.
