365
Days in Horse Country – Eclipse
One of the
most famous racehorses of all times was a 16 hand chestnut Thoroughbred
stallion named Eclipse. Eclipse was
foaled in England on April 1, 1764 and named after the rare solar eclipse that took
place on the day of his birth. He was a
direct descendent of both the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian – two of
the three Thoroughbred foundation sires, along with the Byerly Turk.
Eclipse won all eighteen of the races he entered, and finally retired in 1771 due to lack of willing competition. He then went on to sire nearly 400 foals. According to the Royal Veterinary College in London, 80 percent of all Thoroughbreds today show Eclipse in their pedigrees.
Michael