Thoroughbred Heritage
Thoroughbred Sires
of Horses that Jumped
Darley Arabian Line

Mandarin

Mandarin was a small, stout gelding of great courage who ran for eight seasons. He won the first running the Hennessy Gold Cup (the cup offered by his owner, Madame Hennessy of the French cognac family), beating the champion Linwell. In both 1957 and 1959 he won the King George VI Chase, carrying high weight. He fell in the 1958 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when favored to win, and subsequently suffered leg problems, having broken a bone in his stifle and having been fired. In 1961 he ran in the Gold Cup again, coming in third to the favored Saffron Tartan and Pas Seul; however, at age 11, in 1962, he came back to win the Hennessy Gold Cup, carrying second highest weight, and went on in the Cheltenham Gold Cup to draw on his courage to drive down the leader of that race (Irish Grand National winner Fortria), finally winning that particular prize. Later that season he was shipped to France to run in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris and into the history books, for during that race, at the fourth of thirty fences, Mandarin's rubber bit snapped. He and champion jockey Fred Winter ran the rest of the way without benefit of rein and rail, relying on balance and experience to keep going. Winter had to use his weight to shift Mandarin away from going off course near the end of the race, and the strain of that unbalance bowed Mandarin's tendon, and so for the final fence and run-in Mandarin was running on three legs, heart, and no reins. After this historic race, Mandarin retired to pasture and a life of light riding as his former trainer's (the successful Fulke Walwyn, also trainer of Mont Tremblant, Team Spirit, and Mill House) hack. Mandarin's sire, Deux Pour Cent, was a moderate staying winner. The photo above shows Mandarin after the Auteil race, with his broken bit.


©Patricia Erigero 2001 - 2005. All Rights Reserved.