Pall Mall (horse)

Pall Mall
Sire Palestine
Grandsire Fair Trial
Dam Malapert
Damsire Portlaw
Sex Stallion
Foaled 1955
Country Ireland
Colour Chestnut
Breeder Elizabeth II
Owner Elizabeth II
Trainer Cecil Boyd-Rochfort
Record 14:7-4-1
Earnings £20,542
Major wins
New Stakes (1957)
Thirsk Classic Trial (1958)
2000 Guineas (1958)
Lockinge Stakes (1958, 1959)
Awards
Timeform rating 132

Pall Mall (1955–1978) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1958. Owned and bred by Queen Elizabeth II, Pall Mall was one of the leading British two-year-olds of 1957, when he won the New Stakes at Royal Ascot and was placed in three other important races. In the following spring he performed moderately in two trial races before creating a 20/1 upset by winning the 2000 Guineas. He later won the first two runnings of the Lockinge Stakes before being retired to stud where he had some success as a sire of winners.

Background

Pall Mall was a dark-coated chestnut horse with a white blaze and three white socks[1] bred in Ireland by his owner Queen Elizabeth II. The colt was sent into training with Cecil Boyd-Rochfort at his Freemason Lodge stable in Newmarket, Suffolk. Boyd-Rochfort trained the horses owned by British monarchs from 1943 until 1968.[2]

Pall Mall was the only British classic winner sired by the 1950 2000 Guineas winner Palestine, the best of whose other progeny included Green Banner (Irish 2000 Guineas) and Palariva (King's Stand Stakes). Pall Mall's dam Malapert showed no ability as a racehorse and was bought on behalf of King George VI for 100 guineas at the Newmarket sales in December 1949.[3] A year before Pall Mall's birth, Malapert had produced Cheetah, a moderate racehorse but a good broodmare who became the grand-dam of the 1000 Guineas winner Caergwrle and the Wills Mile winner St Chad.[4]

Racing career

1957:two-year-old season

Pall Mall's first racecourse appearance came in May 1957 when he won a maiden race at Haydock Park by five lengths. A month later he was moved up in class to contest the New Stakes over five furlongs at Royal Ascot. Ridden by Harry Carr, he started at odds of 6/1 and won by a length from Troubadour and Will Somers. The "royal" colt showed good form in his remaining three races without winning again. A month after his Ascot win he finished second to the filly Abelia in the July Stakes at Newmarket and then ran third in the Gimcrack Stakes at York. He had been expected to win the latter race[5] but was well beaten by Pheidippedes, a colt who had finished unplaced in the New Stakes. On his final appearance of the season he was beaten a short head by Kelly in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the best two-year-olds to race in Britain, Pall Mall was assigned 126 pounds, seven pounds below the top-rated Major Portion.[6]

1958:three-year-old season

In April 1958, Pall Mall began his three-year-old season by finishing fourth on soft ground behind Aggressor in the 2000 Guineas Trial at Kempton Park Racecourse, leading some observers to write him off as a sprinter with no classic prospects.[7] Two weeks later he won the Classic Trial Stakes at Thirsk by a length but was not particularly impressive. In the 2000 Guineas, run over the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket on 30 April, Pall Mall started a 20/1 outsider in a field of fourteen runners. He was ridden by Doug Smith as Harry Carr had elected to ride the stable's other runner Bald Eagle, who was made 7/4 favourite.[8] Pall Mall took the lead a furlong and a half from the finish and won by half a length from Major Portion (ridden by Smith's older brother Eph), with Nagami three lengths further back in third. The win was a first classic for Boyd-Rochfort and a second for the Queen, who missed the race through illness.[9]

Carr resumed his association with Pall Mall in the inaugural running of the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury Racecourse a month later. The Guineas winner was made the 4/6 favourite and won easily. At Goodwood in July met Major Portion again in the Sussex Stakes and was beaten a length in what proved to be his final race of the year.[3]

1959:four-year-old season

As a four-year-old, Pall Mall won a second Lockinge Stakes, starting the 1/2 favourite and winning from the Scottish-trained three-year-old Rexequus (later to win that season's Cambridgeshire Handicap. At Royal Ascot, raced in handicap company for the only time, when he was assigned top weight of 133 pounds in the Royal Hunt Cup. He started 5/2 favourite and finished second of the twenty-three runners, beaten one and a half lengths by Faultless Speech, a four-year-old to whom he was conceding 20 pounds.[10] At the Newmarket July meeting, Pall Mall won his last race by taking the Midsummer Stakes.[3]

Assessment

The independent Timeform organisation awarded Pall Mall a peak annual rating of 132.[6] In their book A Century of Champions, based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Pall Mall an "average" winner of the 2000 Guineas.[11]

Stud record

Pall Mall had some success as a breeding stallion. The best of his offspring was probably Reform, foaled in 1964 whose wins included the Champion Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, St. James's Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes. He also sired Sallust who won the Sussex Stakes and the Prix du Moulin in 1972. His daughter Boulevard has had some influence as a broodmare, being the female-line ancestor of Street Cry, Shamardal and Neo Universe. Pall Mall died in 1978.[3]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Pall Mall (IRE), chestnut stallion, 1955[12]
Sire
Palestine (GB)
1947		 Fair Trial (GB)
1932		 Fairway Phalaris
Scapa Flow
Lady Juror Son-in-Law
Lady Josephine
Una (IRE)
1930		 Tetratema The Tetrarch
Scotch Gift
Uganda Bridaine
Hush
Dam
Malpert (GB)
1956		 Portlaw (IRE)
1928		 Beresford Friar Marcus
Bayberry
Portree Stefan the Great
Saddlemark
Malatesta (GB)
1937		 Sansovino Swynford
Gondolette
Tetranella The Tetrarch
Bettyhill (Family 7-d)[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Pall Mall image". sporthorse-data.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  2. ↑ "Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochfort". Horseracing History Online. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane’s. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
  4. 1 2 "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Jeu d'Esprit - Family 7-d". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  5. ↑ "Pall Mall to win Gimcrack for the Queen?". Evening Times. 21 August 1957. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  6. 1 2 Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1990). Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions (Third Edition). Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
  7. ↑ "We have no answer to Bella Paola". The Bulletin (Glasgow). 14 April 1958. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  8. ↑ "Queen's Pall Mall is Guineas classic victor". Schenectady Gazette. 1 May 1958. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  9. ↑ "2,000 Guineas to Pall Mall". Montreal Gazette. 1 May 1958. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  10. ↑ "Faultless Speech 8-1 Hunt Cup winner". Evening Times. 17 June 1959. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  11. ↑ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press,. ISBN 1-901570-15-0.
  12. ↑ "Pall Mall pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
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