Doctor Syntax

Doctor Syntax (1811 – 28 August 1838) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Trained in Yorkshire, and racing exclusively in the North of England, Doctor Syntax won at least thirty-six races in ten seasons from 1814 to 1823. He was noted for his consistency and durability and recorded multiple wins in many of the period's leading staying races. He won the Preston Gold Cup on a record seven consecutive occasions, as well as five Lancaster Gold Cups and five Richmond Gold Cups. He was retired to stud in 1824 and proved a successful sire of winners, despite limited opportunities. Background Doctor Syntax was a bay or brown horse standing 15 hands high, bred by William Knapton at Huntington in Yorkshire and owned during his racing career by Ralph Riddell of Felton Park in Northumberland. He was not a physically impressive individual, but had an alert, intelligent expression ("bright as a hawk"). His temperament meant that his jockeys had to coax him into producing his best efforts, as the horse did not respond to whip or spur. He was sired by Lord Clermont's stallion Paynator out of an unnamed mare by Beningbrough. The mare went on to produce Miss Syntax and Oceana, both of whom were successful broodmares. Doctor Syntax was named after a character created by the British writer William Combe in a series of satirical poems. Before the appearance of widespread rail travel, horses were typically walked from their home stable to the racecourse, meaning that Northern horses would have to spend weeks traveling if their owners wished to compete in the South of England. This resulted in a highly regionalised sport, with few Northern horses competing at southern tracks like Newmarket (the base of the Jockey Club), Epsom and Ascot, and few southern horses challenging for the major northern races. No horse managed to win the season's two biggest races for three-year-olds– The Derby in the south and the St Leger in the north– between 1800 and 1848. Racing career