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From Newton Stewart to Newmarket - Galloway Sets the Pace!
DESERT ORCHID ORIGINS IN GALLOWAY?
The Galloway region has played a hugely important role in the origins of British horse racing. The age-old 'Sport of Kings', Harness Racing and Polo all owe more than just a passing 'thanks' to this region, yet the only evidence remaining is an annual harness racing meeting known as the Bladnoch Trot held in Wigtown. 'Rysdyk's Hambletonian' is cited as the foundation sire of most, if not all, of today's harness racing Standardbred horses. He was a direct descendent of 'Messenger', a British Thoroughbred exported to America around 1788. But from where does the Thoroughbred, as a breed, originate? History dictates that Scotland and, in particular, Galloway, was a major contributing factor in the development of Thoroughbreds and horseracing! In fact, the name Galloway is famous worldwide within the realms of racing history. Long before the arrival of the gleaming leggy Thoroughbreds we associate with Newmarket, the Scots were already breeding and racing their speedy horses - the Galloway horses. The Galloways were tough little creatures and deemed to be amongst the fastest in Britain. They can, in addition, lay claim to being the progenerators of most racing greats. Names such as 'Bald Galloway', the 'Warlock Galloway', the 'Shield Galloway' and the 'Mixbury Galloway' are all mentioned in the early studbooks. There is absolutely no disputing the fact that Galloway horses existed, nor is there any disputing the fact that they were the predecessors of modern racehorses in the UK, but what became of the Galloways? Over the centuries, many metamorphosed into what we now call Thoroughbreds. To complement the size and speed of our diminutive Scottish horses, breeders in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries began importing stallions, including the Byerley Turk, the Godolphin Arabian, and the Darley Arabian. These three bloodlines, which were undoubtedly bred to Galloway mares, remain to this day, coursing through the veins of almost every racehorse alive. So, where does that place the Classic winners and Grand National heroes of our time... horses like Shergar and Mill Reef, Desert Orchid and Red Rum? The answer is simple; they are all descendants of the Galloways! |
