Whalebone (1807 – 6 February 1831) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1810 Epsom Derby and was a successful sire of racehorses and broodmares in the 1820s. Whalebone and his full-brother Whisker were produced by the prolific and important broodmare Penelope, and they contributed to the perpetuation of the genetic line () of their sire Waxy and grandsire Eclipse into the 20th century. Whalebone raced until he was six years old and was retired to stud at Petworth in 1815. Whalebone sired the Derby winners Lap-dog, Spaniel and may have been the sire of Moses. Other notable sons are Sir Hercules and Camel, the sire of Touchstone. Whalebone died in 1831 at the age of 24 of hemorrhage after covering a mare.
Background Whalebone was bred by the Duke of Grafton in 1807 at his Euston Hall stud farm near Newmarket. He was sired by the 1793 Epsom Derby winner Waxy out of the mare Penelope (foaled in 1798), both owned by the Duke. As a racehorse, Penelope was a contemporary of the 1801 Derby-winning filly Eleanor, beating her several times, and was half-sister to 1809 Derby winner Pope and the mares Pope Joan (both sired by Waxy), Parasol (Partisan's dam) and Prudence. Penelope was a prolific and influential broodmare, producing eight full-siblings to Whalebone that achieved success on the turf. She produced 13 foals between 1806 and 1823, all with names beginning with the letter W. Whalebone was her second foal and his full-siblings include Web, Woful, Wilful, Wire, Whisker, Wildfire and Windfall. Penelope died in 1824.
Whalebone was a mottled bay or brown colt that stood 15.2 hands high with "short legs, high-bred nostrils and very prominent eyes." He was a "plainish looking" horse with a "Turkish-pony look" and thick neck and body that were not as well-proportioned as those of his full-brother Whisker. Whalebone was reportedly one of the smallest horses Waxy ever produced. In the words of his groom, Dryman, "he was the lowest and longest, and most-double jointed horse, with the best legs—eight and a half below the knee—and worst feet I ever saw in my life."
Racing career
1810: three-year-old season Whalebone's first career start occurred on 9 May at Newmarket where Whalebone ran a dead heat and won the 50-guinea Newmarket Stakes, beating the colts Brother to Burleigh (Treasurer) and Eccleston while carrying 119 pounds.
On 7 June at Epsom, Whalebone won the Derby Stakes, beating The Dandy, Eccleston and a field of eight other horses after leading from the start in a race where he "was never headed." He was the race favorite at 5 to 2, and his Derby win was a consecutive victory for the Duke of Grafton who had won the race the previous year with his colt Pope. Pope was also sired by Waxy and was out of Whalebone's maternal grandam Prunella.
At the First October Meeting at Newmarket, Whalebone received a forfeiture of 60 guineas from Mr. Shakespear's colt Nuncio and walked over for a 25-guinea subscription stakes. On 29 October at Houghton, Whalebone was beaten in a match race by the colt Treasurer while carrying seven more pounds than his opponent. A few days later at the same meeting Whalebone secured two wins in match races, beating Major Wheatley's colt Sir Marrinel while carrying eight pounds more than his opponent and beating the colt Thorn a day later. He also received forfeitures of 100 guineas from Mr. Shakespear's Knave of Clubs and an unspecified amount from G. H. Cavendish's colt Florival.
1811: four-year-old season
In May, Whalebone received 60 guineas forfeiture from Mr. Henry Vansittart's colt Gloster. On 6 August at Huntingdon, Whalebone was third in the Portholme Stakes to the filly Barrosa and the colt Bolter.
For the Newmarket Trial Stakes on 30 September, Whalebone was third to the colt Florival and the filly Sprightly. Whalebone won the 100-guinea King's Plate a few days later, and at the Second October Meeting, received a forfeit from major Wilson's colt Erebus and was unplaced for the Cheveley Stakes. In November he received 140 guineas forfeit from Mr. Shakespear's colt Tumbler.
1812–1813: five and six-year-old seasons At the Newmarket-Craven Meeting, Whalebone was beaten in a match race by Major Wilson's colt Bolter. In April at Newmarket, Whalebone won the 100-guinea King's Plate and was third in a 300-guinea sweepstakes race to the colts Trophonius (not the 2000 Guineas winner) and Invalid. In July at Newmarket, he won a £50 race and paid a 10-guinea forfeit for a handicap sweepstakes. On 9 September at Northampton, Whalebone won a 100-guinea gold cup race against four other horses.
Whalebone was sold by the Duke of Grafton in October 1812 to Mr. Ladbroke for 700 guineas. Whalebone's first start under Ladbroke's ownership was on 26 October at the Houghton meeting where he won a match race against Mr. Lake's two-year-old colt Turner. Whalebone won an additional match race against the Lord Sackville's horse Pan at the same meeting. Whalebone ran three times in 1813, winning the 100-guinea His Majesty's Plate on 8 June at Guildford against three other horses and the Lewes His Majesty's Plate on 5 August. On 7 August, in what was ultimately the last start of Whalebone's racing career, he won the 60-guinea Ladies' Plate against Lord Somerset's colt Offa's Dyke.
Interim Ladbroke reportedly "took a dislike to Whalebone" and sold him in 1814 for 510 guineas to Lord Egremont. Whalebone was initially thought to be a poor stud prospect due to his small stature and Lord Egremont put him back into training. However, the seven-year-old horse had become "dangerous to ride," having "acquired the habit of rearing to an alarming extent" and would frequently "knock his hooves together like a pair of castanettes." Consequently, he was permanently retired from racing and became a breeding stallion for Lord Egremont in 1815.
Stud career Whalebone began his stud career at Petworth in Sussex in 1815 for a fee of 10 guineas per mare and one guinea for the groom alongside the stallions Octavius and Canopus. His fee was 20 guineas per mare in 1830, the year preceding his death, and he stood at Petworth for the entirety of his 16-year stud career. Whalebone sired The Derby winners Lap-dog, Spaniel and may have been the sire of Moses. Other notable sons are Sir Hercules and Camel, the sire of Touchstone.
In his later years, Whalebone developed chronic foot problems due to his poor hoof conformation. His groom, Dryman, commented on his condition, "His feet were so contracted and high on the heel, and became so Chinese boot-like and full of fever at last, that he never moved out of his box."
Whalebone "broke a blood vessel" on 5 February 1831 while breeding the mare Ogress. He died of this injury the following day on 6 February 1831. Ogress foaled a bay filly by Whalebone in 1832, later named Eleanor, the last foal sired by Whalebone.
Sire line tree
WhaleboneDarley Arabian Sire Line: Pot-8-Os BranchSire Line: Pot-8-OsJumpers: Darley Arabian Sire LineDarley Arabian Sire Line: Whalebone BranchPortrait: WhaleboneBiography: Whalebone WaverleyPortrait: WaverleyBiography: Waverley The SaddlerBiography: The Saddler The Provost Miles Boy Sylvan Locomotive The Bard Don JohnBiography: Don John IagoStudbook: Early IJK Bonnie ScotlandPortrait: Bonnie ScotlandBiography: Bonnie ScotlandAmerican Classic Pedigree: Bonnie Scotland The Ban Moses Peter Fin Longwaist Vestment Doncaster CamelSire Line: CamelDarley Arabian Line: Camel BranchPortrait: CamelBiography: Camel Abbas MirzaStudbook: Early A The Shah Philip Shah TouchstonePortrait: TouchstoneBiography: Touchstone Auckland CotherstonePortrait: CotherstoneBiography: Cotherstone Stilton Speed The Plough Pumicestone Woodcote SpencerThe Farmer's Magazine Glenmasson Ithuriel LongbowBiography: Longbow OrlandoPortrait: OrlandoBiography: Orlando TeddingtonPortrait: TeddingtonBiography: Teddington King Pepin Orpheus Ninnyhammer Orestes Boiardo MarsyasBiography: Marsyas ScythianBiography: Scythian Duke Rollo FazzolettoPortrait: FazzolettoBiography: Fazzoletto Porto Rico King Of The Forest The British Remedy Chevalier d'IndustriePortrait: Chevalier d'IndustrieBiography: Chevalier d'Industrie Claude Lorraine Zuyder Zee EclipsePortrait: EclipseBiography: EclipseAmerican Classic Pedigree: Eclipse FitzrolandPortrait: FitsrolandBiography: Fitz-Roland Gin TrumpeterPortrait: TrumpeterBiography: Trumpeter Crater Canary DiophantusPortrait: DiophantusBiography: Diophantus Wrestler ChattanoogaBiography: Chattanooga Liddington Temple The Knave Annandale Balrownie ParagoneStudbook: Early P Poynton Peto William Tell Archer Flatcatcher SurpliceBiography: Surplice Florin Nunnykirk Potocki The Italian Mountain Deer Drogheda Mount Zion Roebuck Croagh Patrick Newminster Darley Arabian Sire Line: Newminster BranchPortrait: NewminsterBiography: NewminsterStudbook: Early NO Daniel MusjidPortrait: Musjid Newcastle Joey Jones Kildonan Oldminster Stanton AdventurerPortrait: Adventurer Yorkminster Lord ClifdenPortrait: Lord ClifdenBiography: Lord Clifden Meuzzin Onesander Pratique CambuscanPortrait: CambuscanStudbook: Early C Cathedral Midnight Mass The Beadle Bedminster Heir-At-Law Hurrah Laseretto Victorious Crown Prince Laneret Strathconan Vespasian HermitPortrait: HermitBiography: HermitAmerican Classic Pedigree: Hermit Kidderminster Bogue Homa Cardinal York Conjuror Young Touchstone VindexStudbook: Early UV Victor The Avenger Claret Scots Grey Lord Of The Isles Dundee Scottish ChiefPortrait: Scottish Chief MacDonald Artillary Revolver Kyrle Daly Lord Of The Hills GlencoeAustralian Racing Museum: Glencoe Tournament Retrousse Sabre Wamba Caravan Souvenir WintonianStudbook: Early W Launcelot Fiammetta Simoom BarbarianStudbook: Early B Misdeal Chateau Margaux Flexible Stumps Viator Lap-DogStudbook: Early L DefencePortrait: Defence Tipple Cider Bulwark Barrier Palladium The EmperorStudbook: Early T Allez Y Gaiement Baroncino Lindor MonarquePortrait: Monarque Hospodar Le Marechal Gedeon GladiateurPortrait: GladiateurStodbook: Early G Lord Gough Highborn Le Manderin Auguste Marengo Young Monarque Longchamp Patricien TrocaderoPortrait: Trocadero Narcisse Chene Royal Pourqoui Bariolet Satory Fra Diavolo Lausanne SolitaireImage: Solitaire Silex Extra Le Bosphore Le Sarrazin Nelusco Ouragan Boulagne Consul Nougat Farfadet Ermak Rataplan Kilt Albion Archiduc Fripon Illinois Le Pompon Prestige Biniou Pandour Don Carlos General Henry Feu D'Amour Novateur MermanStudbook: Early M Sir HerculesPortrait: Sir HerculesBiography: Sir Hercules Arthur Birdcatcher Darley Arabian Sire Line: BirdcatcherSire Line: Birdcatcher Jumpers: Darley Arabian Sire Line, Birdcatcher BranchPortrait: BirdcatcherBiography: Birdcatcher Ballinkeele Mickey Free FenianAmerican Classic Pedigree: Fenian Milesian King Fisher The BaronPortrait: The BaronBiography: The Baron Chief Baron Nicholson StockwellDarley Arabian Sire Line: Stockwell BranchSire Line: StockwellPortrait: StockwellBiography: Stockwell RataplanPortrait: RataplanBiography & sire line: Rataplan Tonnerre des IndesHorse Catalogue: Tonnerere des Indes Remunerateur Isolier Fort-a-Bras Zouave Costa Baronella Bryan O'Linn Caurouch ChanticleerPortrait: ChanticleerBiography: Chanticleer Vengeance Cock Robin Marquis Blood Royal Rory O'More Augur Daniel O'RourkePortrait: Daniel O'RourkeBiography: Daniel O'Rourke Sledmere Dalby Ladykirk Womersley Amati Black Tommy Condrington General Willams St GilesPortrait: St Giles Marignon Provacateur Lord Fauconberg Royal Oak Day Rama Bandy Gamekeeper Grey Plover Sir Robert Peel Golden Plover Knight Of St GeorgePortrait: Knight Of St GeorgeBiography: Knight Of St George Dan O'Connell Knight Of St Patrick Melbourne Jr Knighthood Papageno Master George WarlockBiography: Warlock Vaucresson War Tynedale SauntererBiography: Saunterer Digby Grand Saunterer Regal Red Eagle OxfordPortrait: Oxford The Student Oxonian Blenheim SterlingSire Line: SterlingPortrait: SterlingStudbook: Early S Wilberforce Nuneham