Fortina
Fortina | |
---|---|
Sire | Formor |
Grandsire | Ksar |
Dam | Bertina |
Damsire | La Farina |
Sex | Stallion |
Foaled | 1941[1] |
Country | France |
Colour | Chestnut |
Owner | Ralph Beckett, 3rd Baron Grimthorpe |
Trainer | Hector Christie |
Major wins | |
Lancashire Chase (1946) Cheltenham Gold Cup (1947) |
Fortina (1941–1968) was a French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1947 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was and remains the only entire horse to win the race. After establishing himself as a top-class steeplechaser in France he was sent to England and won the Gold Cup on his second British start. He was then retired to become a breeding stallion and became a very successful sire of National Hunt horses.
Background
Fortina was a chestnut horse bred in France. He was the best horse sired by Formor, a French bred stallion and a representative of the Byerley Turk sire line. Fortina's dam Bertina was a daughter of the leading French stallion La Farina and a female-line descendant of the influential Hungarian broodmare Kunst.[2]
Racing career
Fortina began his racing career in France. He won four steeplechases and finished second to Lindor as a five-year-old in the 1946 Grand Steeplechase de Paris. In the autumn of 1946 he was bought by Lord Grimthorpe and brought to England to be trained by Hector Christie in Wiltshire and made a successful British debut in the Lancashire Chase.[3]
The winter of 1946/47 was exceptionally severe and many National Hunt fixtures, including the Cheltenham Festival, were either cancelled or postponed. The 20th running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup was eventually staged on 12 April with Fortina starting at odds of 8/1[4] in a twelve-runner field. The 3/1 favourite was Dorothy Paget's eight-year-old Happy Home whilst the other leading contenders appeared to be Coloured Schoolboy (ridden by Fred Rimell) and Prince Blackthorn. Ridden by the amateur Richard Black, Fortina raced in second place behind Chaka before taking the lead on the second circuit. He quickly went clear and was never in any danger of defeat, winning by ten lengths from Happy Home, with six lengths back to Prince Blackthorn in third.[3]
In the 1947/1948 National Hunt season Fortina was beaten by Silver Fame in the Emblem Chase and then finished unplaced behind Rowland Roy in the King George VI Chase. He was then retired to stud.[5]
Stud record
At the end of his racing career Fortina became a breeding stallion at the Grange Stud at Fermoy, County Cork. He proved to be a very successful National Hunt sire, with his offspring including Fortria, Fort Leney (Cheltenham Gold Cup), Glencaraig Lady (Cheltenham Gold Cup), Brasher (Scottish Grand National), Flying Cottage (Carolina Cup), Olympia (Irish Grand National) Splash (Irish Grand National) and Fort Devon (Maryland Hunt Cup).[6] He was also the only Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horse to sire another Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horse. Died on 13 May 1968[7]
Assessment and honours
In their book, A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Fortina an "average" Gold Cup winner.[8] Fortina's name is remembered in Fortina Close, a residential street in Cheltenham.[9]
Pedigree
Sire Formor (FR) 1934 | Ksar (FR) 1918 | Bruleur | Chouberski |
---|---|---|---|
Basse Terre | |||
Kizil Kourgan | Omnium II | ||
Kasbah | |||
Formose (FR) 1923 | Clarissimus | Radium | |
Quintessence | |||
Terre Neuve | Nimbus | ||
Basse Terre | |||
Dam Bertina (FR) 1924 | La Farina (FR) 1911 | Sans Souci | Le Roi Soleil |
Sanctimony | |||
Malatesta | Isinglass | ||
Parasina | |||
Thea (AUT) 1910 | Gouvernant | Flying Fox | |
Gouvernante | |||
Theorie | Kisber Ocscse | ||
Kunst (Family: 4-e)[2] |
References
- ^ a b "Fortina pedigree". Equineline. 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ a b "Fair Helen - Family 4-e". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
- ^ a b Harman, Bob (2000). The Ultimate Dream: The History of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1-84018-381-0.
- ^ Abelson, Edward; Tyrrel, John (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books Publishing. ISBN 978-1-873626-15-3.
- ^ "Fortina". Thoroughbred Heritage.
- ^ "National Hunt Studs". Coolmore Ireland.
- ^ Arkle The Life and Legacy of Himself. Highdown. 2005. p. 167. ISBN 1-905156-16-2.
- ^ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press. ISBN 9781901570151.
- ^ "Cheltenham Areas: History of Swindon Village and Wyman's Brook". cheltenham4u.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
- v
- t
- e
- 1924 Red Splash
- 1925 Ballinode
- 1926 Koko
- 1927 Thrown In
- 1928 Patron Saint
- 1929 Easter Hero
- 1930 Easter Hero
- 1931 no race
- 1932 Golden Miller
- 1933 Golden Miller
- 1934 Golden Miller
- 1935 Golden Miller
- 1936 Golden Miller
- 1937 no race
- 1938 Morse Code
- 1939 Brendan's Cottage
- 1940 Roman Hackle
- 1941 Poet Prince
- 1942 Medoc II
- 1943 no race
- 1944 no race
- 1945 Red Rower
- 1946 Prince Regent
- 1947 Fortina
- 1948 Cottage Rake
- 1949 Cottage Rake
- 1950 Cottage Rake
- 1951 Silver Fame
- 1952 Mont Tremblant
- 1953 Knock Hard
- 1954 Four Ten
- 1955 Gay Donald
- 1956 Limber Hill
- 1957 Linwell
- 1958 Kerstin
- 1959 Roddy Owen
- 1960 Pas Seul
- 1961 Saffron Tartan
- 1962 Mandarin
- 1963 Mill House
- 1964 Arkle
- 1965 Arkle
- 1966 Arkle
- 1967 Woodland Venture
- 1968 Fort Leney
- 1969 What a Myth
- 1970 L'Escargot
- 1971 L'Escargot
- 1972 Glencaraig Lady
- 1973 The Dikler
- 1974 Captain Christy
- 1975 Ten Up
- 1976 Royal Frolic
- 1977 Davy Lad
- 1978 Midnight Court
- 1979 Alverton
- 1980 Master Smudge
- 1981 Little Owl
- 1982 Silver Buck
- 1983 Bregawn
- 1984 Burrough Hill Lad
- 1985 Forgive 'n Forget
- 1986 Dawn Run
- 1987 The Thinker
- 1988 Charter Party
- 1989 Desert Orchid
- 1990 Norton's Coin
- 1991 Garrison Savannah
- 1992 Cool Ground
- 1993 Jodami
- 1994 The Fellow
- 1995 Master Oats
- 1996 Imperial Call
- 1997 Mr Mulligan
- 1998 Cool Dawn
- 1999 See More Business
- 2000 Looks Like Trouble
- 2001 no race
- 2002 Best Mate
- 2003 Best Mate
- 2004 Best Mate
- 2005 Kicking King
- 2006 War Of Attrition
- 2007 Kauto Star
- 2008 Denman
- 2009 Kauto Star
- 2010 Imperial Commander
- 2011 Long Run
- 2012 Synchronised
- 2013 Bobs Worth
- 2014 Lord Windermere
- 2015 Coneygree
- 2016 Don Cossack
- 2017 Sizing John
- 2018 Native River
- 2019 Al Boum Photo
- 2020 Al Boum Photo
- 2021 Minella Indo
- 2022 A Plus Tard
- 2023 Galopin Des Champs
- 2024 Galopin Des Champs