Sing Sing (horse)

Sing Sing (1957 – 22 April 1972) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the leading British two-year-old of 1959, when he was unbeaten in six races including the National Breeders' Produce Stakes and the Cornwallis Stakes. As a three-year-old he failed to win in three races, being narrowly beaten in the King's Stand Stakes and the King George Stakes. He was then retired to stud where he had considerable success as a sire of sprinters. He died in 1972.

Sing Sing
SireTudor Minstrel
GrandsireOwen Tudor
DamAgin the Law
DamsirePortlaw
SexStallion
Foaled1957
CountryUnited Kingdom
ColourDark bay
BreederW J Stirling
OwnerW J Stirling
TrainerJack Watts
Record9: 6-2-0
Earnings£12,834
Major wins
National Breeders' Produce Stakes (1959)
Cornwallis Stakes (1959)
Awards
Top-rated British two-year-old (1959)
Timeform top-rated two-year-old (1959)
Timeform rating: 134

Background

Sing Sing was a powerfully built dark bay horse with a white blaze[1] standing 16.1 hands high bred by his owner W. J. Stirling. He was sired by Tudor Minstrel, the winner of the 2000 Guineas in 1947 and the leading colt of his generation in Britain. Tudor Minstrel's other progeny included the Kentucky Derby winner Tomy Lee. His dam Agin the Law was a great-granddaughter on the influential broodmare whose other descendants included Tourbillon, Darshaan, Akiyda and Sinndar.[2] Stirling sent his horse into training with J F Watts at his Wroughton House stable in Newmarket.

Racing career

1959: two-year-old season

Sing Sing began his racing career by winning the Pampisford Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse and followed up by winning the Scarborough Stakes at Doncaster. He was moved up in class for the National Stakes over five furlongs at Sandown Park Racecourse and won from Redgauntlet and Lombard. He won the Prince of Wales's Stakes at York Racecourse[3] and the Rous Stakes before contesting the Cornwallis Stakes over five furlongs at Ascot on 10 October. Ridden by the champion jockey Doug Smith he started at odds of 4/6 and won from Queensberry and Sound Track.[4]

1960: three-year-old season

Sing Sing did not race until June, when he ran in the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. He started odds-on favourite but after leading for most of the way he was caught in the closing strides and beaten a neck by Sound Track. At Goodwood Racecourse Sing Sing was made odds-on favourite for the King George Stakes. In a repeat of his Ascot run he led until the final stages before being overtaken by the four-year-old Bleep Bleep. On his final appearance at York in August Sing Sing finished unplaced behind Bleep Bleep in the Nunthorpe Stakes.[3]

Assessment

In the 1959 Free Handicap, an official assessment of the best two-year-olds to race in Britain, Sing Sing was the top-rated juvenile of the year by a margin of three pounds. The independent Timeform organisation awarded Sing Sing a rating of 134, making him the best two-year-old of 1959.[5] In their book, A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Sing Sing as the twenty-eighth best two-year-old trained in Britain and Ireland in the 20th century.[6]

Stud record

Sing Sing was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion and had a successful stud career[3] until his death on 22 April 1972 from hemorrhage related to enteritis.[7] The best of his offspring, most of which were specialist sprinters, included,

Pedigree
Pedigree of Sing Sing (GB), dark bay stallion, 1957[8]
Sire
Tudor Minstrel (GB)
1944		 Owen Tudor (GB)
1938		 Hyperion Gainsborough
Selene
Mary Tudor Pharos
Anna Bolena
Sansonnet (GB)
1933		 Sansovino Swynford
Gondolette
Lady Juror Son-in-Law
Lady Josephine
Dam
Agin the Law (GB)
1946		 Portlaw (GB)
1928		 Beresford Friar Marcus
Bayberry
Portree Stefan the Great
Saddlemark
Revolte (FR)
1933		 Xandover Condover
Xanthene
Sheba Durbar
Banshee (Family: 13-c)[2]

References
  1. "Sing Sing image". sporthorse-data.com. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  2. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines – Stray Shot – Family 13-c". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
  3. Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
  4. Abelson, Edward; Tyrrel, John (1993). The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books Publishing. ISBN 978-1-873626-15-3.
  5. Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1990). Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions (Third ed.). Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
  6. Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press. ISBN 978-1-901570-15-1.
  7. Weatherby (1973). "Obituary of stallions". The General Stud Book. 37: 1635.
  8. "Sing Sing pedigree". Equineline. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
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