| Alcibiade was bred in France, the son of two English horses who were exported to France, Epsom Derby winner The Cossack, by Hetman Platoff, and Aunt Phillis, who was by Epirus and out of a Pantaloon daughter. Alcibiade was sent to England to run at age three, and was claimed out of a selling race at Epsom. He had never jumped a fence in public when he won the Grand National Steeplechase of 1865 at age five -- the youngest winner to that time of the event -- under the guidance of Captain Coventry. His owner, B.J. Angell, a big supporter of steeplechasing, was one of the founders of the National Hunt. Alcibiade's great-grandsire, Brutandorf, also sired 1842 Grand National winner Gaylad and was a son of Blacklock, to whom a number of National winners traced. Alcibiade ran five more times in the National, his only other placing a third in 1868. |
