Tourbillon (FR)
1928 – July 26, 1954
Ksar (FR) x Durban (FR), by Durbar II (FR)
Family 13-c
1928 – July 26, 1954
Ksar (FR) x Durban (FR), by Durbar II (FR)
Family 13-c
One of the great pillars of the stud of the legendary French breeder Marcel Boussac, Tourbillon proved a very good racehorse but reached true greatness as a sire—this in spite of his being considered a “half-bred” by the standards of the Jersey Act due to the presence of excluded American strains in his pedigree. While he and his progeny were not accepted into England's General Stud Book until the Jersey Act was rescinded in 1949, his sons and grandsons proved a fountain of class around the globe, leading sire lists in Argentina, Brazil, France, Peru, and the United States and doing good service in many other countries.
Race record
12 starts, 6 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third
1939:
1931:
As an individual
A bay horse, Tourbillon had "shocking" sickle hocks per Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton, who described Tourbillon as a "terrorist" when it came to temperament. On the positive side, he was a lengthy horse, if a bit long-backed, with a good shoulder, strong hindquarters, short cannons, and good musculature through the forearms and gaskins. In the estimation of his regular jockey, Charles Elliott, he was not really a true stayer but had a sharp burst of speed that he could use to his advantage in the closing stages if the earlier pace had not been too hot. He broke down during the running of the 1931 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and a planned 4-year-old campaign had to be aborted when he could not be gotten sound enough over the winter to withstand further training.
As a stallion
Tourbillon led the French general sire list in 1940, 1942 and 1945. He was among the top 10 French general sires on another nine occasions, including runner-up finishes in 1938, 1941, and 1946, and was also fifth on the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1940. He led the French broodmare sire list in 1949 and 1952 and was among the top 10 French maternal grandsires on another eight occasions, including a runner-up finish in 1951; in addition, he was ninth on the English/Irish broodmare sire list in 1951. According to statistics kept by The Jockey Club, Tourbillon sired 49 winners (30.2%) and 32 stakes winners (19.8%) from 162 named foals; however, these statistics are almost certainly incomplete. Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers) credits Tourbillon with having sired at least 50 stakes winners.
Notable progeny
Ambiorix (FR), Cadir (FR), Caracalla (FR), Cillas (FR), Coaraze (FR), Datour (FR), Djebel (FR), Esmerelda (FR), Fort Napoleon (FR), Gaspillage (FR), Goya II (FR), Magnific (FR), Timor (FR), Tornado (FR), Tourment (FR), Turmoil (FR)
Connections
Tourbillon was bred and owned by Marcel Boussac. He stood at Boussac's Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard from 1932 until 1943, when Boussac purchased Haras de Jardy and transferred Tourbillon there. Tourbillon suffered a stroke and was humanely destroyed July 26, 1954.
Pedigree notes
Tourbillon is inbred 5x5 to 1884 Derby Stakes winner St. Gatien. He is a full brother to 1930 Prix Penelope and Newmarket Oaks winner Diademe (second dam of two-time French champion filly Caravelle) and a half brother to 1925 Prix Morny winner Banstar (by Sunstar). He is also a half brother to Asturie (by Astérus), second dam of 1953 Prix la Rochette winner Ferriol.
Tourbillon was produced from Durban, a daughter of 1914 Derby Stakes winner Durbar II who was generally acknowledged as the French champion 2-year-old filly of 1920 and won the important Prix Vermeille as a 3-year-old. A full sister to 1923 Prix du Couvert winner Heldifann (second dam of 1943 French champion 2-year-old male Priam II and of 1949 Eclipse Stakes and Champion Stakes winner Djeddah), she was out of 1913 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas) winner Banshee (by Irish Lad), whose dam was the great foundation mare Frizette.
Books and media
Fun facts
Race record
12 starts, 6 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third
1939:
- Won Prix de Vineuil (FR, 1100mT, Chantilly)
- Won Zukunfts-Rennen (GER, 1200mT, Baden-Baden)
- 2nd Prix d'Aumale (FR, 1200mT, Longchamp)
1931:
- Won Prix du Jockey Club (FR, 2400mT, Chantilly)
- Won Prix Lupin (FR, 2100mT, Longchamp)
- Won Prix Greffulhe (FR, 2100mT, Longchamp)
- Won Prix Hocquart (FR, 2400mT, Longchamp)
- 2nd Prix Royal Oak (FR, 3000mT, Longchamp)
- 2nd Prix du President de la Republique (FR, 2600mT, Saint-Cloud)
- 3rd Grand Prix de Paris (FR, 3000mT, Longchamp)
As an individual
A bay horse, Tourbillon had "shocking" sickle hocks per Daily Racing Form writer Charles Hatton, who described Tourbillon as a "terrorist" when it came to temperament. On the positive side, he was a lengthy horse, if a bit long-backed, with a good shoulder, strong hindquarters, short cannons, and good musculature through the forearms and gaskins. In the estimation of his regular jockey, Charles Elliott, he was not really a true stayer but had a sharp burst of speed that he could use to his advantage in the closing stages if the earlier pace had not been too hot. He broke down during the running of the 1931 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and a planned 4-year-old campaign had to be aborted when he could not be gotten sound enough over the winter to withstand further training.
As a stallion
Tourbillon led the French general sire list in 1940, 1942 and 1945. He was among the top 10 French general sires on another nine occasions, including runner-up finishes in 1938, 1941, and 1946, and was also fifth on the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1940. He led the French broodmare sire list in 1949 and 1952 and was among the top 10 French maternal grandsires on another eight occasions, including a runner-up finish in 1951; in addition, he was ninth on the English/Irish broodmare sire list in 1951. According to statistics kept by The Jockey Club, Tourbillon sired 49 winners (30.2%) and 32 stakes winners (19.8%) from 162 named foals; however, these statistics are almost certainly incomplete. Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers) credits Tourbillon with having sired at least 50 stakes winners.
Notable progeny
Ambiorix (FR), Cadir (FR), Caracalla (FR), Cillas (FR), Coaraze (FR), Datour (FR), Djebel (FR), Esmerelda (FR), Fort Napoleon (FR), Gaspillage (FR), Goya II (FR), Magnific (FR), Timor (FR), Tornado (FR), Tourment (FR), Turmoil (FR)
Connections
Tourbillon was bred and owned by Marcel Boussac. He stood at Boussac's Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard from 1932 until 1943, when Boussac purchased Haras de Jardy and transferred Tourbillon there. Tourbillon suffered a stroke and was humanely destroyed July 26, 1954.
Pedigree notes
Tourbillon is inbred 5x5 to 1884 Derby Stakes winner St. Gatien. He is a full brother to 1930 Prix Penelope and Newmarket Oaks winner Diademe (second dam of two-time French champion filly Caravelle) and a half brother to 1925 Prix Morny winner Banstar (by Sunstar). He is also a half brother to Asturie (by Astérus), second dam of 1953 Prix la Rochette winner Ferriol.
Tourbillon was produced from Durban, a daughter of 1914 Derby Stakes winner Durbar II who was generally acknowledged as the French champion 2-year-old filly of 1920 and won the important Prix Vermeille as a 3-year-old. A full sister to 1923 Prix du Couvert winner Heldifann (second dam of 1943 French champion 2-year-old male Priam II and of 1949 Eclipse Stakes and Champion Stakes winner Djeddah), she was out of 1913 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas) winner Banshee (by Irish Lad), whose dam was the great foundation mare Frizette.
Books and media
- Tourbillon is one of 205 stallions whose accomplishments at stud are profiled in Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, The Australian Bloodhorse Review), a massive reference work written by Jennifer Churchill, Andrew Reichard and Byron Rogers.
- Tourbillon is profiled in Chapter 60 of Abram S. Hewitt's Sire Lines (1977, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; updated and re-released by Eclipse Press in 2006).
Fun facts
- Tourbillon means “whirlwind” in French.
- For most of his stud career, Tourbillon was considered a “half-bred” by the standards of the Jersey Act, rendering him ineligible for inclusion in England's General Stud Book. The successes of Tourbillon and his great son Djebel in siring runners capable of capturing major events in England was a major factor in the decision to rescind the Jersey Act in 1949 and throw the General Stud Book open to animals whose pedigrees showed some eight or nine crosses of pure blood, whose lineage was traceable for at least a century, and whose immediate families showed performance supporting a claim to pure blood. This reversal effectively ended the ban on most American lines and on French lines incorporating American strains (as the pedigrees of Tourbillon and Djebel did).