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GODOLPHIN ARABIAN
Few horses have as much legend associated with them as does the Godolpin
Arabian, but little evidence can corroborate the stories of him being
found pulling a water cart in the streets of Paris, or being used as
a teaser, or the dramatic stallion battle with Hobgoblin over the lovely,
but fickle, mare Roxana.
The facts regarding his origin are few. He was
imported from France in 1729 by Mr.Edward Coke, a gentleman with personal
connections in France, especially with the Duke of Lorraine.
The Duke
of Lorraine, later Emperor Francis I of Germany, also figures in the
history of the Belgrade Turk.
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Sir Marmaduke Wyvill,
brother-in-law of Edward Coke, purchased the Belgrade Turk from the Duke
and brought him to England.
It can be presumed that Coke acquired the Godolphin Arabian via the French court,
possibly from the Duke himself. The stallion was probably one of several presented
as tribute to the King of France by the Bey of Tunis.
While in France he was described by Vicomte de Manty, who said his name was Shami,
that he was beautifully-made although "half starved", with a headstrong
temperament that made him unloved among the barn staff.
It's very likely that he was in poor physical condition following his voyage
from Tunis to the court of the French king, but it's unlikely that he ever was
reduced to pulling a water cart in Paris.
Whatever his history, Mr. Coke brought the Arabian to England and stood him at
his recently purchased Longford Hall in Derbyshire; in Coke's stud book he is
referred to as "ye Arabian." The official story of the Arabian, later
known as Lord Godolphin's, begins in 1731, when he covered Mr. Coke's Roxana,
(ch.f. 1718) by the Bald Galloway, who was bred by Sir William Strickland.
The following spring, Roxana foaled a bay colt by the Arabian, named Lath, who
was said to be "a very elegant and beautiful horse," and who was later
sold to the Duke of Devonshire.
Coke died in August, 1733 at the young age of 32. In his will, he left his small
group of mares and foals, including Roxana and Lath, to a personal friend and
fellow horseman, Francis, the second Earl of Godolphin, son of the controversial
figure, Sidney, the first Earl. His stallions, including the Arabian, Whitefoot,
and Hobgoblin, were left to another friend, Roger Williams.
In 1733, the Earl acquired the Arabian from Williams, which is how the horse
became known as the Godolphin Arabian. He was moved to the Earl's stud near Babraham
in the Gog Magog Hills in Cambridgeshire, not far from the racing town of Newmarket.
Lord Godolphin's mansion lay within the boundaries of the Iron Age fort known
as Wandlebury Ring.
The mansion was leveled in 1956, but the stables and other buildings remain on
site. Lath was considered to be the best racehorse of his day, and the best since
Flying Childers.
He was only a moderately successful stallion for the Duke of Devonshire, and
his most influential offspring were generally mares out of daughters of Flying
Childers, who also stood at Chatsworth, including Brown Betty, Gipsy, and several
mares named on a theme: Crazy, Ancaster Crazy, Devonshire Crazy, and a sister
to Crazy.
Lath was outstanding, but the Godolphin Arabian sired an even better one in Lord
Chedworth's Regulus (b.c. 1739) out of Grey Robinson by Bald Galloway, who was
undefeated in his racing career, including seven King's Plates won as a six-year-old.
Regulus was an important sire, his progeny included Fearnought, sent to America
and one of the earliest leading sires of runners in the colonies.
Other sons included South, Prophet, Brutus, Chesnut Ranger, and Jalap (considered
a foundation sire of the Cleveland Bay breed).
Without a doubt, Regulus' most important daughter was Spiletta, dam of Eclipse.
The most important son of the Godolphin Arabian in the grand scheme of things,
however, was Cade (b.c. 1734), a full brother to Lath.
The General Stud Book notes that Cade's dam, Roxana, "died in 1734, within
a fortnight after foaling; the produce was reared with cow's milk." Cade
was much inferior to Lath as a runner, but vastly superior as a sire, and it
is through Cade that the male line continues down to the present time, through
Cade's great son Matchem.
Cade also sired the important American stallion imported Wildair, besides Bandy,
Changeling, Young Cade, Warren's Sportsman, Silvio, Northumberland, and many
important broodmares including Kitty Fisher, Naylor, Miss Meredith, and several
unnamed daughters.
Another extremely influential son of the Godolphin Arabian was Blank (b.c. 1740),
out of the Little Hartley Mare by Bartlett's Childers. Blank sired Chrysolite,
Pacolet, Centinel, Paymaster, Tatler, Fallower, and counted among his daughters
the dam of the great runner and sire Highflyer, and the Duke of Granfton's mare
Julia. Blank had a full brother named Janus (b.c. 1738), noted as the sire of
imported (Old) Janus, who was a tremendous sire of quarter mile runners in colonial
America.
Other important sons of the Godolphin Arabian include Babraham (undefeated),
Dismal (undefeated), Dormouse (undefeated), Bajazet, Old England, Mogul, the
Coalition Colt, the Gower Stallion, the Godolphin Colt, Whitenose, Brother to
Whitenose, Cripple (sire of Gimcrack), Feather, Matchless, Dimple, Cygnet, Omar,
and Lofty..
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