Ormondale was the only high-class racehorse sired by the nearly sterile Ormonde during the great English champion's sojourn in California. While he was a useful stallion and sired a couple of near-champion sons in Purchase and Ordinance, his primary legacy to his breed was through his daughters, who figure in the pedigrees of a number of American Classic winners and champions.
Race record
Complete record unavailable
1905:
1906:
As an individual
A robust, short-backed bay horse who was held to bear a close resemblance to his sire, Ormondale was considered unusually handsome. Old photographs suggest that he had a very good shoulder, a sloping croup and strong hindquarters with muscling extending well down into his gaskins.
As a stallion
According to Clio Hogan's Index to Stakes Winners 1865-1967, Ormondale sired 16 stakes winners. Sires and Dams of Stakes Winners 1925-1985 (Blood-Horse) credits him with 18 stakes winners (8.0%) from 224 foals.
Notable progeny
Ordinance (USA), Purchase (USA)
Connections
Foaled in California, Ormondale was bred and owned by William O'Brien Macdonough. He was trained by Thomas Welsh. He entered stud in 1907 at Glen Helen Farm in Kentucky, later moving out to his owner's Ormondale Stock Farm in California. After Macdonough's death in 1912, Ormondale was transferred back to Kentucky to stand at John Madden's Hamburg Place. His last registered foals were born in 1928.
Pedigree notes
Ormondale is inbred 4x4 to 1860 Derby Stakes winner and 1869 English champion sire Thormanby. He is also inbred 4x5x5 to 1852 English dual Classic winner and seven-time English champion sire Stockwell. His dam Santa Bella, who was imported to the United States with her dam Maiden Belle (by Beau Brummel) in 1893, is a half sister to Maiden Poem (by Master Kildare or Laureate), dam of 1906 Toboggan Handicap winner Clark Griffith (by Kinley Mack).
Maiden Belle, in turn, is a half sister to Rape of the Lock (by Victorious), whose daughter Lássuk (by Vedermeo) produced the Galtee More colts Irish Lad, winner of the 1903 Wsierorossijskij Derby (Russian Derby) and Nagroda Derby (Polish Derby), and Karolyi, winner of the 1904 Nagroda Derby. Another daughter of Rape of the Lock, Toquade, produced Tovabb (by Wool Winder) winner of the 1915 Austrian Derby and Oaks and of the 1915 Hungarian Derby.
The next dam in Ormondale's tail-female line is the Broomielaw mare Maidenhair, whose dam Fern was sired by Fernhill out of an unnamed daughter of Beiram. Maidenhair's half sister Retty (by Lambton) is the second dam of 1895 Cambridgeshire Stakes winner Marco, widely considered the best English 3-year-old male of that year in spite of his absence from that season's Classic races and later an important sire.
Fun facts
Race record
Complete record unavailable
1905:
- Won Futurity Stakes (USA, 6.5FD, Sheepshead Bay)
- 3rd Montauk Stakes (USA, 6FD, Brighton Beach)
- 3rd United States Hotel Stakes (USA, 6FD, Saratoga)
1906:
- Won Broadway Stakes (USA, 8.5FD)
- 2nd Standard Stakes (USA)
- 2nd Swift Stakes (USA, 7FD, Belmont)
- 3rd Fall Handicap (USA)
As an individual
A robust, short-backed bay horse who was held to bear a close resemblance to his sire, Ormondale was considered unusually handsome. Old photographs suggest that he had a very good shoulder, a sloping croup and strong hindquarters with muscling extending well down into his gaskins.
As a stallion
According to Clio Hogan's Index to Stakes Winners 1865-1967, Ormondale sired 16 stakes winners. Sires and Dams of Stakes Winners 1925-1985 (Blood-Horse) credits him with 18 stakes winners (8.0%) from 224 foals.
Notable progeny
Ordinance (USA), Purchase (USA)
Connections
Foaled in California, Ormondale was bred and owned by William O'Brien Macdonough. He was trained by Thomas Welsh. He entered stud in 1907 at Glen Helen Farm in Kentucky, later moving out to his owner's Ormondale Stock Farm in California. After Macdonough's death in 1912, Ormondale was transferred back to Kentucky to stand at John Madden's Hamburg Place. His last registered foals were born in 1928.
Pedigree notes
Ormondale is inbred 4x4 to 1860 Derby Stakes winner and 1869 English champion sire Thormanby. He is also inbred 4x5x5 to 1852 English dual Classic winner and seven-time English champion sire Stockwell. His dam Santa Bella, who was imported to the United States with her dam Maiden Belle (by Beau Brummel) in 1893, is a half sister to Maiden Poem (by Master Kildare or Laureate), dam of 1906 Toboggan Handicap winner Clark Griffith (by Kinley Mack).
Maiden Belle, in turn, is a half sister to Rape of the Lock (by Victorious), whose daughter Lássuk (by Vedermeo) produced the Galtee More colts Irish Lad, winner of the 1903 Wsierorossijskij Derby (Russian Derby) and Nagroda Derby (Polish Derby), and Karolyi, winner of the 1904 Nagroda Derby. Another daughter of Rape of the Lock, Toquade, produced Tovabb (by Wool Winder) winner of the 1915 Austrian Derby and Oaks and of the 1915 Hungarian Derby.
The next dam in Ormondale's tail-female line is the Broomielaw mare Maidenhair, whose dam Fern was sired by Fernhill out of an unnamed daughter of Beiram. Maidenhair's half sister Retty (by Lambton) is the second dam of 1895 Cambridgeshire Stakes winner Marco, widely considered the best English 3-year-old male of that year in spite of his absence from that season's Classic races and later an important sire.
Fun facts
- Ormondale was the only foal in Ormonde's 1903 crop and was his sire's next-to-last foal. Ormonde had no living foals in 1904 and died that year, leaving only the 1905 filly Agnes Dorothea in his final crop.
- Ormondale's owner-breeder William O'Brien Macdonough renamed his Menlo Park Stock Farm as Ormondale Stock Farm in the colt's honor.