Pope

Pope (1806 – 29 August 1831), also known as Waxy Pope and The Sligo Waxy, was a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1809 Epsom Derby and was a leading sire in Ireland. Pope was the first Epsom Derby winner produced by his sire Waxy, who would go on to sire three more Derby winners and three winners of The Oaks. Pope was a half-brother to the prolific broodmare Penelope, the dam of the influential stallions Whisker and Whalebone who were also sired by Waxy. Pope died on 29 August 1831 at Clearwell. Background Pope was bred by the Duke of Grafton and was foaled at his Euston Hall stud in 1806. Pope was sired by the 1790 Epsom Derby winner Waxy, who was purchased by the Duke and became an influential and important sire that went on to sire three additional Derby winners and three winners of The Oaks. Pope's dam, Prunella, was bred by the Duke of Grafton and was sired by Highflyer out the mare Promise, sired by Snap. Prunella produced 12 foals for the Duke of Grafton between 1796 and her death in December 1811. Pope was her seventh foal and the first of four foals sired by Waxy. Full-siblings to Pope include the mares Pledge (the dam of the 1819 Derby winner Tiresias), Pope Joan (the dam of the 1827 2,000 Guineas winner Turcoman and 1828 Oaks winner Turquoise) and Prudence (the dam of Reginald and Rowena). Half-siblings to Pope include the mares Pelisse (winner of the Oaks), Penelope (the dam of 1810 and 1815 Derby winners Whalebone and Whisker who were also sired by Waxy), Parasol (the dam of Pastille and Pindarrie) and the good racer Pioneer. Racing career Pope did not run as a two-year-old. Another colt named Pope, sired by Shuttle and owned by a Mr. Barlow, raced at the same time as Pope, but he was a year younger than the Duke of Grafton's Pope. Pope was sold to Lord Sligo after the 1811 racing season and was relocated to Ireland where he raced until 1813.