The Merry Monarch

British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

The Merry Monarch

The Merry Monarch with jockey Foster Bell. Painting by Francis Calcraft Turner.

Sire| Slane
Grandsire| Royal Oak
Dam| The Margravine
Damsire| Little John
Sex| Stallion
Foaled| 1842
Country| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Colour| Bay
Breeder| G. W. Gratwicke
Owner| G. W. Gratwicke
Trainer| John Forth
Record| 4:1-1-0
Major wins
Epsom Derby (1845)

The Merry Monarch (1842 - after 1859) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He ran four times in a career that lasted from July 1844 to May 1846 and won only one race. That race, however, was the 1845 Epsom Derby, in which he recorded an unexpected victory in a chaotic race. After one race in 1846 he was retired to stud where he made no impression as a sire.

## Background

[edit]

The Merry Monarch was a bay horse bred by his owner, William Gratwicke of Ham Manor, near Angmering in Sussex. Gratwicke also bred his dam, The Margravine, who was a sister to the 1829 Derby winner Frederick. His sire, Slane, was runner-up in the Ascot Gold Cup and, thanks largely to The Merry Monarch's Derby win, was Champion sire in 1845.[1]

The Merry Monarch was sent into training with John "Daddy" Forth who, at the age of sixty,[2] had trained and ridden Frederick in the Derby. Gratwicke's horses were based at Goodwood at a stable owned by the Duke of Richmond. Following a disagreement with the Duke,[3] Gratwicke moved his horses to Newmarket, Suffolk.

## Racing career

[edit]

### 1844: two-year-old season

[edit]

On his first racecourse appearance, The Merry Monarch ran in the Ham Stakes at Goodwood in July. He finished unplaced behind Refraction, a filly who went on to win The Oaks in 1845.[4]

### 1845: three-year-old season

[edit]

The Merry Monarch's first race of 1846 was the Derby at Epsom. The build-up to the race was marred by reports of a plot to either lame or poison Old England, one of the favourites for the race,[4] while another one of the leading contenders, The Libel, was allegedly drugged ("doctored").[5] Poor weather on the morning of the race did not deter the crowd, which was reported to be as large and unruly as ever.[6] Ridden by the little-known Foster Bell, The Merry Monarch started at odds of 15/1 in a record field of thirty one runners. These official odds however, were offered jointly for The Merry Monarch and his stable companion Doleful:[7] according to The Sporting Magazine, odds of 35/1 would have been more accurate reflection of the actual betting.[8] The start of the race was delayed by almost an hour by a series of false starts and an incident in which one of the leading contenders, Alarm was kicked by The Libel. Alarm threw off his jockey, Nat Flatman, ran into a chain fence and then galloped loose down the course for several minutes before being caught. Both Alarm and Flatman were injured, but took part in the race when it eventually got under way. The Merry Monarch was among the leading group from the start, and was in fourth place at the turn into the straight, where one horse fell and several others were badly hampered.[9] Approaching the final furlong, Bell sent The Merry Monarch to the front and he established a clear lead before staying on well to win "in clever style" by a length from Annandale, with Old England a neck away in third.[10] The result was a major surprise to most observers, including, it was reported, the winner's own connections,[11] who had believed that their other runner, Doleful, had the better chance of winning.[6]

In July, The Merry Monarch was sent to Goodwood for the Gratwicke Stakes. He finished second, beaten a head by Hersey,[12] a mare whose only previous win had come in a "fifty pound plate".[13] Despite his defeat, The Merry Monarch remained among the leading fancies for the St Leger,[11] but he did not appear again that year.

The Merry Monarch's prize of £3,975 for the Derby was enough to make him the third highest money winner of the British season behind Refraction and Sweetmeat.[14]

### 1846: four-year-old season

[edit]

On his only race as a four-year-old, The Merry Monarch returned to Epsom for the Grand Stand Plate, a mile and a quarter handicap on the day after the Derby. Carrying top weight of 118 pounds, he finished unplaced behind an unnamed colt owned by James Merry.[15]

Before the end of the year, The Merry Monarch changed hands three times. Following his run at Epsom he was bought by Lord George Bentinck, but a month later, Bentinck decided to give up his racing interests to concentrate on politics and sold all his horses for £10,000 to Edward Lloyd-Mostyn. The Merry Monarch was put up for auction and bought back by his original owner, William Gratwicke for 78 guineas.[16]

## Assessment

[edit]

The Sportsman magazine described The Merry Monarch as "a very bad horse" and his Derby win as the biggest "fluke" in the history of the race.[7] The Farmer's Magazine concurred, calling the result "one of the greatest flukes that we have on record".[17]

## Stud career

[edit]

The Merry Monarch stood as a stallion at his owner's stud at Ham, where his fee was initially 10 guineas. He attracted few mares however, and in only his second year at stud, he was covering mares at no fee apart from "a sovereign for the groom".[18] He was the damsire of a filly named Bertha, who finished second in the 1000 Guineas and won the Nassau Stakes in 1862, but otherwise made no impact.[16]

## Pedigree

[edit]

Pedigree of The Merry Monarch (GB), bay stallion, 1842  Sire
Slane (GB)
1833  | Royal Oak
1823  | Catton  | Golumpus

|
|
|

Lucy Gray
Smolensko mare  | Smolensko
Lady Mary
Orville mare
1819  | Orville* | Beningbrough
Evelina
Epsom Lass  | Sir Peter Teazle
Alexina
Dam
The Margravine(GB)
1830  | Little John
1816  | Octavius  | Orville*
Marianne
Grey Skim  | Woodpecker
Milsintown's Herod mare
Phantom mare
1815  | Phantom | Walton
Julia
Gohanna mare  | Gohanna
Chestnut Skim (Family:5-a)[19]

* The Merry Monarch was inbred 3 × 4 to Orville. This means that the stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Leading Sires of Great Britain and Ireland". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
2. ^ "Facts and Figures". Epsomderby.org. Archived from the original on 2011-12-23. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
3. ^ Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane’s. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
4. ^ a b "04 Oct 1845 - THE DERBY STAKES AT EPSOM, 1845". Trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
5. ^ The Sportsman's magazine of life in London and the country. 1845. p. 476. Retrieved 2012-01-14 - via Internet Archive. "the merry monarch ."
6. ^ a b "11 Oct 1845 - THE DERBY DAY, MAY 28, 1845". Trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
7. ^ a b The Sportsman - Google Books. 1869. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
8. ^ The Sporting magazine; or Monthly calendar of the transactions of the turf ... 1845\. p. 435. Retrieved 2012-01-14 - via Internet Archive. "the merry monarch derby."
9. ^ "11 Oct 1845 - THE RACE". Trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
10. ^ "26 Sep 1845 - THE DERBY AND OAKS. Odds before the start". Trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
11. ^ a b The New sporting magazine - Google Books. 1845. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
12. ^ (Pseud), Miles's Boy (1845). The Sportsman's magazine of life in London and the country, ed., by Miles's Boy - Google Books. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
13. ^ Carleton, John William (1846). The Sporting review, ed. by 'Craven'. - Google Books. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
14. ^ "29 Jul 1846 - SPORTING". Trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
15. ^ the racing calendar for the year 1846 - charles and james weatherby. 1846. p. 69. Retrieved 2012-01-14 - via Internet Archive. "the merry monarch derby."
16. ^ a b Patricia Erigero Thoroughbred Heritage. "Slane". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
17. ^ Tuxford, Rogerson (1862). The Farmer's Magazine - Rogerson & Tuxford - Google Books. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
18. ^ Weatherby, Charles James (1848). the racing calendar for the year 1848 - charles and james weatherby - Google Books. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
19. ^ "Young Hag - Family 5-a". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-01-14.

* v
* t
* e

Epsom Derby winners

* 1780 Diomed
* 1781 Young Eclipse
* 1782 Assassin
* 1783 Saltram
* 1784 Serjeant
* 1785 Aimwell
* 1786 Noble
* 1787 Sir Peter Teazle
* 1788 Sir Thomas
* 1789 Skyscraper
* 1790 Rhadamanthus
* 1791 Eager
* 1792 John Bull
* 1793 Waxy
* 1794 Daedalus
* 1795 Spread Eagle
* 1796 Didelot
* 1797 colt by Fidget
* 1798 Sir Harry
* 1799 Archduke
* 1800 Champion
* 1801 Eleanor ♥
* 1802 Tyrant
* 1803 Ditto
* 1804 Hannibal
* 1805 Cardinal Beaufort
* 1806 Paris
* 1807 Election
* 1808 Pan
* 1809 Pope
* 1810 Whalebone
* 1811 Phantom
* 1812 Octavius
* 1813 Smolensko
* 1814 Blucher
* 1815 Whisker
* 1816 Prince Leopold
* 1817 Azor
* 1818 Sam
* 1819 Tiresias
* 1820 Sailor
* 1821 Gustavus
* 1822 Moses
* 1823 Emilius
* 1824 Cedric
* 1825 Middleton
* 1826 Lap-dog
* 1827 Mameluke
* 1828 Cadland
* 1829 Frederick
* 1830 Priam
* 1831 Spaniel
* 1832 St. Giles
* 1833 Dangerous
* 1834 Plenipotentiary
* 1835 Mundig
* 1836 Bay Middleton
* 1837 Phosphorus
* 1838 Amato
* 1839 Bloomsbury
* 1840 Little Wonder
* 1841 Coronation
* 1842 Attila
* 1843 Cotherstone
* 1844 Orlando
* 1845 The Merry Monarch
* 1846 Pyrrhus The First
* 1847 Cossack
* 1848 Surplice
* 1849 The Flying Dutchman
* 1850 Voltigeur
* 1851 Teddington
* 1852 Daniel O'Rourke
* 1853 West Australian ₩
* 1854 Andover
* 1855 Wild Dayrell
* 1856 Ellington
* 1857 Blink Bonny ♥
* 1858 Beadsman
* 1859 Musjid
* 1860 Thormanby
* 1861 Kettledrum
* 1862 Caractacus
* 1863 Macaroni
* 1864 Blair Athol
* 1865 Gladiateur ₩
* 1866 Lord Lyon ₩
* 1867 Hermit
* 1868 Blue Gown
* 1869 Pretender
* 1870 Kingcraft
* 1871 Favonius
* 1872 Cremorne
* 1873 Doncaster
* 1874 George Frederick
* 1875 Galopin
* 1876 Kisber
* 1877 Silvio
* 1878 Sefton
* 1879 Sir Bevys
* 1880 Bend Or
* 1881 Iroquois
* 1882 Shotover ♥
* 1883 St. Blaise
* 1884 St. Gatien
* Harvester
* 1885 Melton
* 1886 Ormonde ₩
* 1887 Merry Hampton
* 1888 Ayrshire
* 1889 Donovan
* 1890 Sainfoin
* 1891 Common ₩
* 1892 Sir Hugo
* 1893 Isinglass ₩
* 1894 Ladas
* 1895 Sir Visto
* 1896 Persimmon
* 1897 Galtee More ₩
* 1898 Jeddah
* 1899 Flying Fox ₩
* 1900 Diamond Jubilee ₩
* 1901 Volodyovski
* 1902 Ard Patrick
* 1903 Rock Sand ₩
* 1904 St. Amant
* 1905 Cicero
* 1906 Spearmint
* 1907 Orby
* 1908 Signorinetta ♥
* 1909 Minoru
* 1910 Lemberg
* 1911 Sunstar
* 1912 Tagalie ♥
* 1913 Aboyeur
* 1914 Durbar
* 1915 Pommern ₩
* 1916 Fifinella ♥
* 1917 Gay Crusader ₩
* 1918 Gainsborough ₩
* 1919 Grand Parade
* 1920 Spion Kop
* 1921 Humorist
* 1922 Captain Cuttle
* 1923 Papyrus
* 1924 Sansovino
* 1925 Manna
* 1926 Coronach
* 1927 Call Boy
* 1928 Felstead
* 1929 Trigo
* 1930 Blenheim
* 1931 Cameronian
* 1932 April the Fifth
* 1933 Hyperion
* 1934 Windsor Lad
* 1935 Bahram ₩
* 1936 Mahmoud
* 1937 Mid-day Sun
* 1938 Bois Roussel
* 1939 Blue Peter
* 1940 Pont l'Eveque
* 1941 Owen Tudor
* 1942 Watling Street
* 1943 Straight Deal
* 1944 Ocean Swell
* 1945 Dante
* 1946 Airborne
* 1947 Pearl Diver
* 1948 My Love
* 1949 Nimbus
* 1950 Galcador
* 1951 Arctic Prince
* 1952 Tulyar
* 1953 Pinza
* 1954 Never Say Die
* 1955 Phil Drake
* 1956 Lavandin
* 1957 Crepello
* 1958 Hard Ridden
* 1959 Parthia
* 1960 St. Paddy
* 1961 Psidium
* 1962 Larkspur
* 1963 Relko
* 1964 Santa Claus
* 1965 Sea Bird
* 1966 Charlottown
* 1967 Royal Palace
* 1968 Sir Ivor
* 1969 Blakeney
* 1970 Nijinsky ₩
* 1971 Mill Reef
* 1972 Roberto
* 1973 Morston
* 1974 Snow Knight
* 1975 Grundy
* 1976 Empery
* 1977 The Minstrel
* 1978 Shirley Heights
* 1979 Troy
* 1980 Henbit
* 1981 Shergar
* 1982 Golden Fleece
* 1983 Teenoso
* 1984 Secreto
* 1985 Slip Anchor
* 1986 Shahrastani
* 1987 Reference Point
* 1988 Kahyasi
* 1989 Nashwan
* 1990 Quest For Fame
* 1991 Generous
* 1992 Dr Devious
* 1993 Commander in Chief
* 1994 Erhaab
* 1995 Lammtarra
* 1996 Shaamit
* 1997 Benny the Dip
* 1998 High-Rise
* 1999 Oath
* 2000 Sinndar
* 2001 Galileo
* 2002 High Chaparral
* 2003 Kris Kin
* 2004 North Light
* 2005 Motivator
* 2006 Sir Percy
* 2007 Authorized
* 2008 New Approach
* 2009 Sea the Stars
* 2010 Workforce
* 2011 Pour Moi
* 2012 Camelot
* 2013 Ruler of the World
* 2014 Australia
* 2015 Golden Horn
* 2016 Harzand
* 2017 Wings of Eagles
* 2018 Masar
* 2019 Anthony Van Dyck
* 2020 Serpentine
* 2021 Adayar
* 2022 Desert Crown
* 2023 Auguste Rodin
* 2024 City of Troy

Legend \- ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly
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