| Color: br
(GB)
Bred in Suffolk by Augustus Henry Fitzroy (1735-1811), 3rd Duke of Grafton, at Euston Hall, near Thetford, on the Suffolk/Norfolk border Whalebone established the most enduring and influential sire line in the Stud Book, the best son of a series of best sons descending from Eclipse; there could hardly be a pedigree today that does not include his name through his own sons and extending through his tail-male descendants, such as Stockwell, Bonnie Scotland, Teddy and Swynford. Bred in the purple, from the great female family of Julia (1756, Family 1), his grandam, Prunella (1788), was by one of the most important sires and racehorses of the day, Highflyer. She produced classic winners and dams of classic winners, and the respectable sire Waxy Pope, who was useful in Ireland. Her daughter, Whalebones dam, Penelope (1798, by Trumpator) was a top racehorse who beat both colts and fillies during her five years of racing. Retired to stud, she was an exemplary broodmare who produced, in addition to Whalebone, his brother Whisker a good racehorse, sire of two classic winners, and excellent broodmare sire, and Woful, sire of two classic winners. Her daughters, in their turn, also became outstanding broodmares, particularly Whalebones sister Web (1808), ancestress of Glencoe and Bay Middleton, among others, and Wire, who in Ireland, bred Verulam, a good runner and later sire of Wanderer, the 1855 Irish-bred Grand National winner. Wire established a tail-female line that included Uncas, a leading sire of steeplechasers in 1880s and Hilarity, who won over fences and was third dam of Ascot Gold Cup winner Santoi, a sire of good stayers and steeplechasers. Whalebone was Champion Sire in 1826 and 1827. He is said to have broken a blood vessel after covering the mare Ogress and died the following day, February 6, 1831.
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