Skyscraper (horse)

Skyscraper
Skyscraper as painted by George Stubbs, c. 1790.
Sire	Highflyer
Grandsire	Herod
Dam	Everlasting
Damsire	Eclipse
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1786
Country	Kingdom of Great Britain
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
Owner	Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
Trainer	Matthew Stephenson
Record	24: 14-7-1
Major wins
Epsom Derby (1789)

Skyscraper (1786–1807) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. One of many notable offspring of the great Highflyer, Skyscraper is best known for winning the Epsom Derby of 1789. He competed until he was seven, when after losing two races he was retired to stud.

Background

Skyscraper's sire, Highflyer

Skyscraper was bred at Woburn Abbey by the 5th Duke of Bedford, who was only twenty-one when the horse was foaled. Bedford went on to become a notable breeder, producing two other winners of the Derby, Eager (1788), and the nameless Colt by Fidget (1794), as well as two Oaks winners, Portia (1788) and Caelia (1790). The Duke's turf career was ended by his death in 1802.^[1]

Skyscraper's sire was Highflyer (1774), an undefeated racehorse who became the greatest stallion of his time. His grandsire was the noble Herod, the foundation sire through whom Skyscraper was in the direct male line of the Byerley Turk, while his granddam was Rachel, whose grandsire was the Godolphin Arabian.^[2]

Skyscraper's dam was Everlasting, a mare by the unbeaten Eclipse.^[2] He was a half brother to the mare Sister to Goldfinch (1785), the third dam of Hannibal, who won the Derby in 1804.^[1]

Name

Skyscraper was given his name, which is thought to refer to his height, by the Duke of Bedford's racing friend Ralph Dutton.^[1] The name also echoes that of his sire, Highflyer.

The word 'skyscraper' was first applied to a building when it was used to describe the Home Insurance Building, Chicago, completed in 1884.^[3] However, the word had an earlier nautical meaning, referring to an upper sail of a tall ship.^[4]

Racing career

1789: three-year-old season

At the Newmarket Craven meeting of 1789, Skyscraper collected 240 guineas in forfeits and also won a five hundred guineas race for colts and fillies, beating Maid of all Work. At the Newmarket Second Spring meeting he won the Prince's Stakes (one hundred guineas each), beating Earl Grosvenor's Brother to Skylark, Lord Clermont's Pipator, and six others.^[1]

At Epsom on 28 May he won the Derby, beating a field of ten others, including Sir George, Brother to Skylark, and the Prince of Wales's Soujah ul Dowlah. He was ridden to victory by Sam Chifney the elder.^[5] While at Epsom he also collected seventy guineas from the Earl of Egremont's three-year-old filly Tag, on whom Sam Chifney won that year's Oaks.^[1]^[6]

At Newmarket on 1 October the horse collected a 250 guineas forfeit (for a 500 guineas match) from Magpie as well as sixty guineas from Lord Egremont's Calomel. The next day he won eight hundred guineas, beating Skylark, Competitor, and nine others. Also at Newmarket he gained another £50, beating eight including Egbert, and collected 110 guineas from Sister to Lethe and 130 guineas from Braggadocio.^[1]

1790: four-year-old season

At the Newmarket first Spring meeting Skyscraper won the Jockey Stakes (100 guineas each), beating Skylark, Pipator, and Pickle. At the Newmarket second Spring meeting he took on Sir Charles Bunbury's Glaucus in a match for one thousand guineas and was beaten. On 1 October he won the Subscription (140 guineas) at Newmarket, beating Escape (1785), but in a match for seventy guineas at the same meeting he was defeated by Skylark. The next day in a sixty guineas purse he finished fourth, the winner being Seagull.^[1]

1791: five-year-old season

Skyscraper again had his first outing at the Newmarket first Spring meeting, with mixed success. He won the 1500 guineas, beating fifteen other horses, but in a Sweepstakes was third and last, being beaten by Spear (1786) and Shovel (1785). At the second Spring meeting he collected a forfeit of 150 guineas (for a 300 guineas each sweepstakes) from four other horses, including the Prince of Wales's Highflyer colt and a Pot-8-os colt. However, in a field of six for a Sweepstakes of fifty guineas each at the same meeting, he was runner-up to the Earl of Clermont's Tally-Ho.^[1]

1792: six-year-old season

Skyscraper began the 1792 flat season with disappointments, but finished it strongly. In a handicap of fifty guineas each at the Newmarket Craven meeting, he finished second to his younger half-sister Thalia. At the first Spring meeting he took on Mr Bullock's Buzzard (1787) in a match for 200 guineas and was beaten, but at the meeting he went on to win the King's Plate, beating Coriander, Gustavus (1785) and Toby, the last another of his half-brothers by Highflyer. At Stockbridge he won the Prince of Wales's Plate, again meeting Thalia and beating her in both heats. At Winchester he won the King's Plate, twice beating Cropper. At Lewes he was runner-up for the King's Plate to the Earl of Egremont's Precipitate (1787), and at Derby he walked over in a race for fifty guineas. At Newmarket on 1 October he won yet another King's Plate, beating Skylark, and the next day won a race for sixty guineas, beating Skylark again.^[1]

1793: seven-year-old season

The horse won no races in 1793. At the Newmarket first Spring meeting he was runner-up for the King's Plate to Coriander, one of the horses he had beaten in the same race the year before. At the second Spring meeting he finished fifth and last in the Jockey Club Plate. He was then retired to stud.^[1]

Sire

After his last race Skyscraper was retired to Woburn, where he stood as a stallion priced at five guineas a nomination. After the death of his owner in 1802, he was transferred to a stud at Tytherton, near Chippenham, where his fee was increased to ten guineas.^[1]

His offspring included Skyrocket (1797), who won the July Stakes, and Cobbea (1802), the dam, by Sorcerer, of Sorcery (1808), an Oaks winner. Sorcery was the dam of Cadland (1825), who won both the Derby and the Two Thousand Guineas. Skyscraper was also the damsire of Bobadil (1813), who became an important sire in Ireland.^[1]

Likenesses

After he won the Derby, Skyscraper's portrait was painted by J. N. Sartorius, and this was later engraved in mezzotint by Houston.^[6]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Skyscraper^[2]
Sire Highflyer b. 1774	Herod b. 1758	Tartar ch. 1743	Partner
		Tartar ch. 1743	Meliora
		Cypron br. 1750	Blaze
		Cypron br. 1750	Salome
	Rachel b. 1763	Blank 1740	Godolphin Arabian
		Blank 1740	Little Hartley mare
		Regulus mare 1751	Regulus (by Godolphin Arabian)
		Regulus mare 1751	Mare by Soreheels
Dam Everlasting	Eclipse b. 1764	Marske br. 1750	Squirt
		Marske br. 1750	Ruby mare
		Spilletta b. 1749	Regulus
		Spilletta b. 1749	Mother Western
	Hyaena	Snap 1750	Snip
		Snap 1750	Sister to Slipby
		Miss Belsea	Regulus
		Miss Belsea	Bartlett's Childers mare

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Skyscraper at bloodlines.net, accessed 7 February 2012
1 2 3 Staff. "Skyscraper 5x Pedigree". Pedigree Query. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
↑ Chrysti M. Smith, Verbivore's Feast: Second Course: More Word & Phrase Origins (Farcountry Press, 2006, ISBN 1-56037-402-0, ISBN 978-1560374022) p. 289, accessed 19 January 2012: "The word skyscraper, in its architectural context, was first applied to the Home Insurance Building, completed in Chicago in 1885."
↑ Bill Sherk, 500 Years of New Words (Dundurn Press, 2004, ISBN 1550025252), p. 194
↑ Derby Winners 1780–1851 at georgianindex.net, accessed 8 February 2012
1 2 Country life, vol. 118 (1955), pp. 330–331: "Skyscraper, owned by the Duke of Bedford, won the Derby in 1789, and his jockey was Sam Chiffney the elder, who also won the Oaks the same year on Lord Egremont's Tagg. There is a mezzotint by Houston after a painting of Skycraper by J. N. Sartorius."

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

Legend - ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly

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