Jeddah (horse)

Jeddah
Jeddah, circa 1906, as photographed by Clarence Hailey.
Sire	Janissary
Grandsire	Isonomy
Dam	Pilgrimage
Damsire	The Earl or The Palmer
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1895
Country	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	James Larnach
Owner	James Larnach
Trainer	Richard Marsh
Record	9: 3-3-0
Earnings	£
Major wins
Craven Stakes (1898) Epsom Derby (1898) Prince of Wales's Stakes (1898)

Jeddah (1895–1909) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1897 to 1899 he ran nine times and won three races. In the summer of 1898 he became the first horse to win the Epsom Derby at odds of 100/1, and followed up by winning the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was retired to stud after a single, unsuccessful race in 1899, but had serious fertility problems and made no impact as a stallion.

Jeddah, a big, leggy chestnut horse standing 16.3 hands high, was bred at by his owner James Walker Larnach. at his Eaton Stud. His sire Janissary was an extremely well-bred colt who won the St James’s Palace Stakes in 1880, but, apart from Jeddah, had little success at stud. Jeddah’s dam, Pilgrimage was an exceptional racemare who won both the 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas in 1878. She had also been successful as a broodmare but had failed to produce a foal for several seasons and was thought to be barren, enabling James Larnach to buy her in 1894 for 160 guineas. Surprisingly, she proved to be in foal, and produced Jeddah, described by a groom at the stud as “biggest and weakest” foal he had ever seen, in the following year at the age of twenty. Pilgrimage died at the age of twenty-three, on the day that Jeddah won the Derby. Jeddah was sent into training with the royal trainer Richard Marsh at his Egerton House stable at Newmarket, Suffolk.

Jeddah was very backward (immature) at two, and did not appear on the racecourse until the autumn of 1897 when he ran twice at Newmarket in October. On his debut he finished second to Orzil, who was conceding nine pounds in the Clearwell Stakes. Just over two weeks later he ran in the Free Handicap. Carrying 112 pounds he started 4/1 favourite and finished second again, beaten a head by Meta.