St Patrick was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classicSt Leger Stakes in 1820. He was unbeaten in four races as a three-year-old, culminating with a success against twenty-six opponents in the St Leger at Doncaster Racecourse. In the following year he won Gold Cups at York and Pontefract before being defeated in the Fitzwilliam Stakes at Doncaster. He was then retired to stud where he had some success as a sire of winners.
Background
St Patrick was a chestnut horse with a white star and snip, bred by his owner Sir Edward Smith-Dodsworth. He was sired by Walton, a stallion based at Boroughbridge in Yorkshire. Walton won several King's Plates in his racing career and was successful as a sire of winners. Apart from St Patrick, he sired the classic winners Phantom and Nectar. St Patrick was the third of fourteen foals produced by his dam, an unnamed mare sired by Dick Andrews. St Patrick is not to be confused with another British colt named St Patrick, foaled in the same year, whose wins included the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Racing career
1820: three-year-old season
St Patrick made his first appearance at Catterick Bridge Racecourse on 6 April. Ridden by Bob Johnson, he won the Old Stakes over two miles, beating Cumberland, Borodino and High Sheriff. After a break of four and a half months, St Patrick reappeared at York Racecourse on 24 August when he contested a sweepstakes over ten furlongs and "won cleverly" from Lady of the Vale and Fitz-Teazle. On 26 September, St Patrick was one of a record field of twenty-seven colts and fillies to contest the forty-fifth running of the St Leger at Doncaster Racecourse. Henry Pierce's grey colt Arbutus started favourite at odds of 9/2 with St Patrick the second choice in the betting at 7/1. Dunsinane set a fast early pace and led into the straight but Johnson produced St Patrick with a strong run to take the lead a furlong from the finish and win "in a canter" from Copeland, Locksley and Lady of the Vale.
1821: four-year-old season
St Patrick made his four-year-old debut in the Gold Cup at York on 29 May. He started the 11/8 favourite and won "very easy" from Bergami, Consul and three others. On 5 September he started the 1/2 favourite for the two mile, seven furlong Gold Cup at Pontefract Racecourse and won by two lengths from Dunsinane after a "severe run race" to extend his unbeaten run to six. Two weeks later he returned to the scene of his classic victory when he ran in the Fitzwilliam Stakes at Doncaster. He was made the odds-on favourite for the mile and a half race but sustained his first and only defeat as he finished second to Borodino.
Stud career
St Patrick began his stud career at Mr Hood's Grantham Arms in Boroughbridge at a fee of ten guineas, before moving to Thornton Watlas, near Bedale in 1827. In 1830 he stood at Newmarket for an undisclosed fee, but moved back to Yorkshire to stand for a fee of five guineas at Newland Park near Wakefield in 1833. In the following year he moved to Thetford in Norfolk where he stood at a fee of fifteen guineas until 1839. The best of his progeny included St Francis, winner of the Ascot Gold Cup, Shillelagh second to Plenipotentiary in the 1837 Epsom Derby and Birdcatcher, the runner-up in the 1832 St Leger. Through his daughter Currency, he was the damsire of Saint Germain and Jouvence. St Patrick died in early June 1843 at the age of 26.
Pedigree
St Patrick was inbred 3 x 4 x 4 to Highflyer, meaning that this stallion appears once in the third and twice in the fourth generations of his pedigree. He was also inbred 4 x 4 to Eclipse.
