Sun Chariot (horse)

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Sun Chariot
Sire	Hyperion
Grandsire	Gainsborough
Dam	Clarence
Damsire	Diligence
Sex	Filly
Foaled	1939
Country	Ireland
Colour	Bay
Breeder	National Stud
Owner	King George VI
Record	10: 8 - 0 - 1
Earnings	$26,270
Major Racing Wins, Awards and Honours
Major Racing Wins
Queen Mary Stakes (1941) Middle Park Stakes (1941) 1,000 Guineas (1942) Oaks (1942) St. Leger (1942)
Honours
Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse
Infobox last updated on: January 15, 2008.

Sun Chariot, one of those horses who was bred by the National Stud and raced for King George VI, was a filly of great talent but very difficult temperament. Before she ever appeared on a racecourse, she displayed such a lack of promise that she was nearly returned to Ireland, where the stud then was. She topped the Free Handicap after winning the Middle Park Stakes, Queen Mary Stakes and two other races. However, in her first start as a three-year-old, she refused to make any effort and was beaten for what turned out to be the only time. She won the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks (despite steering a most wayward course) and the St. Leger, in which she beat the Derby winner, Watling Street. In retirement, she bred some good winners at stud before her death in 1963, including: Blue Train, whose unsoundness prevented him from doing himself justice; Laudau, who inherited something of his dam's temperament but showed smart form in spite of this; and Pindari, whose successes included the King Edward VII Stakes and Great Voltigeur Stakes.

[edit] References

• The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing - written by Bill Mooney and George Ennor
• Sun Chariot's pedigree and racing stats