Tudor Minstrel (GB)
1944 – 1971
Owen Tudor (GB) x Sansonnet (GB), by Sansovino (GB)
Family 9-c*
1944 – 1971
Owen Tudor (GB) x Sansonnet (GB), by Sansovino (GB)
Family 9-c*
With Derby Stakes winners for both sire and broodmare sire, Tudor Minstrel was expected to display Classic stamina. So powerful was the influence of his speedy dam's family, however, that a mile proved to be his limit. As a stallion, he consistently transmitted the brilliance of his female line but had one notable Classic success in the United States via Tomy Lee, winner of the 1959 Kentucky Derby. Those of his sons who were imported to North America for stud duty were disappointments (although his male line is still extant elsewhere in the world), but he left a more lasting mark through his daughters Mixed Marriage (dam of Sharpen Up's sire Atan and ancestress of the good runners and sires Tentam, Gone West and Known Fact) and Song Sparrow (dam of the Grade I winner and good sire Cormorant). He also sired 1985 American champion 3-year-old filly What a Treat, dam of 1982 English/Irish champion sire Be My Guest, and Aimee, second dam of multiple champion and 1989 English/Irish champion sire Blushing Groom.
Race record
10 starts, 8 wins, 1 second, 0 thirds, £25,646
1946:
1947:
Honors
1946 English champion 2-year-old male
Assessments
Highweighted at 133 pounds on the Free Handicap for British-based 2-year-olds of 1946, 2 pounds above second-ranked Petition.
Rated at 144 pounds by Timeform as a 3-year old, tied for third with Brigadier Gerard among all British-based racehorses of the post-World War II era and behind only Frankel (147 pounds) and Sea-Bird (145 pounds).
As an individual
A brown horse standing 15.3¼ hands, Tudor Minstrel possessed an electric turn of foot and could often run his fields off balance right from the start. He had the slightly short-legged build of his grandsire Hyperion with plenty of power through his body and hindquarters but was not coarse or blocky and presented an appearance of great quality and balance. His limbs were well-made and clean. He was an excellent mover. He clearly stayed a mile but according to Timeform's Phil Bull was probably even better at shorter distances. While headstrong on the race course, he had a pleasant disposition around the barn.
As a stallion
Tudor Minstrel reached seventh on the English/Irish general sire list in 1954 and 1959 and was ninth on the English/Irish broodmare sire list in 1962. He was also three times among the top 10 English/Irish sires of juveniles, reaching his peak on this list when he was runner-up in 1959. Accord to records kept by The Jockey Club, he sired 291 winners (59.9%) and 34 stakes winners (7.0%) from 486 named foals; however, Richard Ulbrich's Peerage of Racehorses credits him with 43 stakes winners (8.8%), while Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (Churchill, Richard and Rogers) credits him with 44 stakes winners (9.1%). Like his grandsire Hyperion, he did not strongly stamp his progeny and had a variety of physical types among his foals.
Notable progeny
King of the Tudors (GB), Poona II (IRE), Sallymount (GB), Sing Sing (GB), Tomy Lee (GB), Toro (GB), Tudor Melody (GB), Tudor Music (GB), What a Treat (USA)
Connections
Foaled at Homestall Stud, Tudor Minstrel was bred and owned by John Arthur Dewar, second Baron Forteviot and head of the Dewar's family of whiskey distilleries, which merged with the Distillers Company in 1925; Dewar was afterward head of the merged company. He was trained by Fred Darling. Following his racing career, he was syndicated for £100,000 and entered stud in 1948 at Homestall. He was imported to the United States following the 1958 breeding season by a syndicate headed by Leslie Combs II and stood at Combs' Spendthrift Farm until he was pensioned in 1970. Tudor Minstrel died in 1971.
Pedigree notes
Tudor Minstrel is inbred 5x3 to the noted English taproot mare Gondolette, 5x4 to 1896 Oaks Stakes winner Canterbury Pilgrim, and 5x5 to the important sire Bay Ronald. Sired by 1941 English champion 3-year-old male Owen Tudor (a son of Hyperion whose victories included the 1941 Derby Stakes and St. Leger Stakes and a 1942 wartime substitute for the Ascot Gold Cup, all three run at Newmarket due to wartime restrictions), he is a half brother to 1945 English champion 2-year-old filly Neolight (by Nearco) and to 1952 Criterion Stakes winner Cyrus the Great (by Tehran).
Sansonnet, the dam of Tudor Minstrel, was an extremely fast juvenile who won two stakes races but did not stay beyond 5 furlongs. A half sister to the excellent miler and sire Fair Trial (by Fairway), she was also a half sister to 1931 July Stakes winner Riot (by Colorado), whose daughter Commotion won the 1941 Oaks Stakes. Commotion, in turn, produced unbeaten Combat (by Big Game), whose victories included the 1947 Sussex Stakes and the Rous Memorial Stakes at Ascot; Faux Tirage (by Big Game), who won the 1949 St. James's Palace Stakes before becoming the champion sire of 1957/1958 in New Zealand; Aristophanes (by Hyperion), a minor stakes winners who was the champion sire of 1960 in Argentina; Forum (by Caracalla), a minor stakes winner who was exported to Peru for stud duty; and Mighty Mo (by Big Game), a stakes winner and stakes producer.
Sansonnet was produced from the Son-in-Law mare Lady Juror, who stayed well enough to win the 14-furlong Jockey Club Stakes in 1922 but reverted to the speedy influence of her dam Lady Josephine (by Sundridge; a multiple stakes winner at 2 and also the dam of the “Flying Filly,” Mumtaz Mahal) as a broodmare. In addition to Sansonnet, Fair Trial, and Riot, Lady Juror also produced 1928 Gimcrack Stakes winner The Black Abbot (by Abbots Trace), 1930 Queen Anne Stakes winner The Recorder (by Captain Cuttle), minor stakes winner and 1928 One Thousand Guineas runner-up Jurisdiction (by Abbots Trace), and Dissenter (by Cameronian), dam of 1957 Prix Royal-Oak (French St. Leger) winner Scot (by Souverain).
Books and media
Tudor Minstrel 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.
Fun facts
Race record
10 starts, 8 wins, 1 second, 0 thirds, £25,646
1946:
- Won Coventry Stakes (ENG, 5FT, Ascot)
- Won National Breeders' Produce Stakes (ENG, 5FT, Ascot)
1947:
- Won Two Thousand Guineas (ENG, 8FT, Newmarket)
- Won St. James's Palace Stakes (ENG, 8FT, Ascot)
- Won Knights' Royal Stakes (ENG, 8FT, Ascot)
- 2nd Eclipse Stakes (ENG, 10FT, Sandown)
Honors
1946 English champion 2-year-old male
Assessments
Highweighted at 133 pounds on the Free Handicap for British-based 2-year-olds of 1946, 2 pounds above second-ranked Petition.
Rated at 144 pounds by Timeform as a 3-year old, tied for third with Brigadier Gerard among all British-based racehorses of the post-World War II era and behind only Frankel (147 pounds) and Sea-Bird (145 pounds).
As an individual
A brown horse standing 15.3¼ hands, Tudor Minstrel possessed an electric turn of foot and could often run his fields off balance right from the start. He had the slightly short-legged build of his grandsire Hyperion with plenty of power through his body and hindquarters but was not coarse or blocky and presented an appearance of great quality and balance. His limbs were well-made and clean. He was an excellent mover. He clearly stayed a mile but according to Timeform's Phil Bull was probably even better at shorter distances. While headstrong on the race course, he had a pleasant disposition around the barn.
As a stallion
Tudor Minstrel reached seventh on the English/Irish general sire list in 1954 and 1959 and was ninth on the English/Irish broodmare sire list in 1962. He was also three times among the top 10 English/Irish sires of juveniles, reaching his peak on this list when he was runner-up in 1959. Accord to records kept by The Jockey Club, he sired 291 winners (59.9%) and 34 stakes winners (7.0%) from 486 named foals; however, Richard Ulbrich's Peerage of Racehorses credits him with 43 stakes winners (8.8%), while Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (Churchill, Richard and Rogers) credits him with 44 stakes winners (9.1%). Like his grandsire Hyperion, he did not strongly stamp his progeny and had a variety of physical types among his foals.
Notable progeny
King of the Tudors (GB), Poona II (IRE), Sallymount (GB), Sing Sing (GB), Tomy Lee (GB), Toro (GB), Tudor Melody (GB), Tudor Music (GB), What a Treat (USA)
Connections
Foaled at Homestall Stud, Tudor Minstrel was bred and owned by John Arthur Dewar, second Baron Forteviot and head of the Dewar's family of whiskey distilleries, which merged with the Distillers Company in 1925; Dewar was afterward head of the merged company. He was trained by Fred Darling. Following his racing career, he was syndicated for £100,000 and entered stud in 1948 at Homestall. He was imported to the United States following the 1958 breeding season by a syndicate headed by Leslie Combs II and stood at Combs' Spendthrift Farm until he was pensioned in 1970. Tudor Minstrel died in 1971.
Pedigree notes
Tudor Minstrel is inbred 5x3 to the noted English taproot mare Gondolette, 5x4 to 1896 Oaks Stakes winner Canterbury Pilgrim, and 5x5 to the important sire Bay Ronald. Sired by 1941 English champion 3-year-old male Owen Tudor (a son of Hyperion whose victories included the 1941 Derby Stakes and St. Leger Stakes and a 1942 wartime substitute for the Ascot Gold Cup, all three run at Newmarket due to wartime restrictions), he is a half brother to 1945 English champion 2-year-old filly Neolight (by Nearco) and to 1952 Criterion Stakes winner Cyrus the Great (by Tehran).
Sansonnet, the dam of Tudor Minstrel, was an extremely fast juvenile who won two stakes races but did not stay beyond 5 furlongs. A half sister to the excellent miler and sire Fair Trial (by Fairway), she was also a half sister to 1931 July Stakes winner Riot (by Colorado), whose daughter Commotion won the 1941 Oaks Stakes. Commotion, in turn, produced unbeaten Combat (by Big Game), whose victories included the 1947 Sussex Stakes and the Rous Memorial Stakes at Ascot; Faux Tirage (by Big Game), who won the 1949 St. James's Palace Stakes before becoming the champion sire of 1957/1958 in New Zealand; Aristophanes (by Hyperion), a minor stakes winners who was the champion sire of 1960 in Argentina; Forum (by Caracalla), a minor stakes winner who was exported to Peru for stud duty; and Mighty Mo (by Big Game), a stakes winner and stakes producer.
Sansonnet was produced from the Son-in-Law mare Lady Juror, who stayed well enough to win the 14-furlong Jockey Club Stakes in 1922 but reverted to the speedy influence of her dam Lady Josephine (by Sundridge; a multiple stakes winner at 2 and also the dam of the “Flying Filly,” Mumtaz Mahal) as a broodmare. In addition to Sansonnet, Fair Trial, and Riot, Lady Juror also produced 1928 Gimcrack Stakes winner The Black Abbot (by Abbots Trace), 1930 Queen Anne Stakes winner The Recorder (by Captain Cuttle), minor stakes winner and 1928 One Thousand Guineas runner-up Jurisdiction (by Abbots Trace), and Dissenter (by Cameronian), dam of 1957 Prix Royal-Oak (French St. Leger) winner Scot (by Souverain).
Books and media
Tudor Minstrel 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.
Fun facts
- Tudor Minstrel's victory in the 1947 Two Thousand Guineas was so effortless that his jockey, Gordon Richards, actually sat up in the saddle and started tweaking the colt's ears prior to the finish.
- Phil Bull of Timeform described Tudor Minstrel as “the fastest [horse] I have ever timed.”