Shotover (horse)

Shotover (1879–after 1895) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career that lasted from 1882 to 1884 he ran eleven times and won five races. As a three-year-old, racing against colts, she became the first filly to win the first two legs of the English Triple Crown: the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Derby at Epsom. She went on to win twice at Royal Ascot, but failed in her bid for the Triple Crown when she finished third in the St Leger at Doncaster. She was retired in 1884 and became a successful and influential broodmare.

Shotover was bred by Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount ChaplinHenry Chaplin who was best known for winning the Derby with Shotover’s sire Hermit in 1867. As a yearling she was bought for 1,600 guineas by the trainer Robert Peck^[1] on behalf of the Duke of Westminster ,^[2] who agreed to buy the filly after some hesitation. When Peck retired at the end of Shotover’s two-year-old season, the filly was moved to the stable of John Porter^[3] at Kingsclere.

After his retirement from racing, Shotover’s sire Hermit became an outstandingly successful stallion, being Champion Sire for seven successive years. In addition to Shotover, he sired the Classic winners St. Blaise (Derby), St. Marguerite (1000 Guineas), Lonely (Oaks) and Thebais (1000 Guineas & Oaks).

Shotover was slow to mature as a young horse and did not appear on the racecourse until the autumn of 1881. She made her debut in the prestigious Middle Park Plate at Newmarket in October and finished unplaced. On her next start she finished second in the Prendergast Stakes. On her final start of the season she finished unplaced behind Magician in a Nursery (a handicap race for two-year-olds)

Shotover made excellent physical progress in the winter of 1881-2 and impressed her trainer with her performance in a private trial in early April. The classic generation of 1882 contained few top class colts some outstanding fillies including St Marguerite, Dutch Oven and Shotover’s stable companion Geheimness. It was therefore decided that Shotover’s three-year-old debut would be against colts in the 2000 Guineas. Shotover started at 10/1 in a field of eighteen and won comfortably from the colt Quicklime. Two days later she ran against her own sex in the 1000 Guineas and started ¼ favourite. She finished second, beaten a neck by St Marguerite. At Epsom, Shotover started at odds of 11/2 in a field of fourteen. She won by half a length, with Quicklime again finishing second. Shotover was then sent to Royal Ascot in June where she ran twice. She won the Triennial Stakes. Two days late she ran in the Ascot Derby, the race now known as the King Edward VII Stakes. She proved too good for the colts again, winning from Battlefield . In September she attempted to win the Triple Crown in the St Leger at Doncaster. She finished third to the fillies Dutch Oven and Geheimniss. Two days later she won the Park Hill Stakes over the same course and distance. On her final start of the year she ran in the Select Stakes at Newmarket. She finished third behind Kermesse and Nellie, to whom she was conceding nine pounds.

Shotover did not show her best form as a four-year-old. (One second, one third from four starts).

Shotover’s best runner was the colt Bullingdon, by Melton who was narrowly beaten by Isinglass in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes, with Ladas. Her most significant descendant however, was Frizette, who became one of the most influential broodmares of the 20th Century. ^[4]