Grandsire Partisan Country England Breeder Major Yarburgh Children Macaroni Damsire Voltaire | Foaled 1842 Colour Bay or brown Species Equus caballus Sex Stallion | |
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Owner Mr A. W. Hill
James Cookson | ||
Sweetmeat (foaled 1842) was a successful English Thoroughbred racehorse that won 16 consecutive races (including walk-overs) as a three-year-old, including the Doncaster Gold Cup, and was a useful sire of the early 19th century.
Contents
Background
He was a bay or brown colt foaled in 1842 that was sired by Gladiator, who became an important sire in France. Sweetmeat’s dam, Lollypop was sired by either Starch or Voltaire, as recorded in the General Stud Book, with Voltaire listed in second position, which indicates he was the last stallion to cover the mare and therefore the most likely sire of Lollypop. If Lollypop was indeed by Voltaire she was incestuously inbred to Blacklock, who was the sire of both Voltaire and Belinda (the dam of Lollypop).
At two years
In July 1844 Sweetmeat won the Stanley Stakes at Liverpool. He then won a £220 sweep at Wolverhampton, and a 60 sovereign race at Wrexham, defeating three other horses. In the Two Year Old Stakes at Nottingham, he finished second.
At three years
Sweetmeat was undefeated in his 16 starts, including a number of walk-overs, as a three-year-old, which included victories in the Ascot Gold Vase and the 2¼ mile Doncaster Gold Cup defeating Alice Hawthorne who had twice previously won the race.
At four and five years
Sweetmeat only started once at four, in the Chester Cup in which he was unplaced. At five he started once again, at Chester in the Cheshire Stakes, and was again unplaced.
Sweetmeat finished his racing career with 22 race starts for 19 wins, 1 second and 2 unplaced runs.
Stud record
In 1847 James Cookson purchased Sweetmeat for 300 guineas as a sire for his Neasham Hall Stud near Darlington. It was here that Cookson bred the great Formosa who won in 1868 the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, 2,000 Guineas Stakes, St. Leger Stakes, Epsom Oaks and Newmarket Oaks. Seven years earlier Cookson bred both Dundee and Kettledrum, who finished first and second in the Epsom Derby. Sweetmeat stood at this stud until 1861 when, aged 19 and blind, he was sold for 800 guineas and exported to Russia.
His progeny included: