Gladiateur

Gladiateur (1862–1876) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who won the English Triple Crown in 1865. Gladiateur is called a legend by France Galop and "One of the best horses ever to grace the turf in any century" by the National Sporting Library of Middleburg, Virginia. Gladiateur was not very successful as a sire but his performance on the track remains one of the most impressive in Thoroughbred horse racing history. Background A large colt, Gladiateur was a horse who raced best at long distances. He was bred by Count Frederic de Lagrange at his Haras de Dangu at Dangu, Eure in the Upper Normandy region of France. He was sired by the French horse Monarque on Miss Gladiator, a mare by the British horse Gladiator, who had been purchased by French interests at the age of nine and brought to stand at stud in France. Miss Gladiator was also the dam of Villafranca. Racing career Gladiateur's owner sent him to England to be trained by Tom Jennings, Sr at Newmarket Racecourse. Developing the colt slowly, he did not begin racing until the autumn of 1864 and won only one of the three races he entered. At age three, things were very different as Gladiateur was the most dominant horse in European racing while becoming the first foreign horse to win the English Triple Crown. After winning the 1865 2,000 Guineas then the most prestigious race in England, The Derby, Gladiateur was sent to race in Paris. In front of happy fans who dubbed him "The Avenger of Waterloo", he easily won the Grand Prix de Paris. At age four, Gladiateur continued to dominate, winning numerous important races in England and France including a forty-length victory in the Ascot Gold Cup.