Potoooooooo

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British thoroughbred racehorse

title: "Potoooooooo" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1773-racehorse-births", "1800-racehorse-deaths", "racehorses-bred-in-the-kingdom-of-great-britain", "racehorses-trained-in-the-kingdom-of-great-britain", "thoroughbred-family-38"] description: "British thoroughbred racehorse" topic_path: "people/1770s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potoooooooo" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary British thoroughbred racehorse ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox racehorse"]

FieldValue
horsenamePotoooooooo (Pot-8-Os)
imageFile:'Pot-8-Os', by John Nost Sartorius (1759–1828).jpg
caption'Pot-8-Os', by John Nost Sartorius
sireEclipse
grandsireMarske
damSportsmistress
damsireSportsman
sexStallion
foaled1773
countryGreat Britain
colourChestnut
breederWilloughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon
ownerRichard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor
record40 starts – 34 wins
race{{plainlist
::

| horsename = Potoooooooo (Pot-8-Os) | image = File:'Pot-8-Os', by John Nost Sartorius (1759–1828).jpg | caption = 'Pot-8-Os', by John Nost Sartorius | sire = Eclipse | grandsire = Marske | dam = Sportsmistress | damsire = Sportsman | sex = Stallion | foaled = 1773 | country = Great Britain | colour = Chestnut | breeder = Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon | owner = Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor | record = 40 starts – 34 wins | earnings= | race = {{plainlist|

  • 1200 Guineas Stakes (1778)
  • Clermont Cup (1779, 1780, 1782)
  • Jockey Club Plate (1780, 1781, 1782)
  • October Cup (1780)
  • Newmarket Whip (1781, 1783)
  • Craven Stakes (1782)}}

Potoooooooo or variations of Pot-8-Os (1773 – November 1800) was an 18th-century British thoroughbred racehorse who won over 25 races and placed higher than some of the most prominent racehorses of his time. He went on to be an important sire, whose leading runners included Epsom Derby winners Waxy, Champion, and Tyrant. He is best known for the unusual spelling of his name, pronounced Potatoes.

Background

Potoooooooo (also spelled Pot-8-Os, Pot8Os, Pot8O's, or Pot 8 Os in various sources) was a chestnut colt bred by Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon, in 1773. He was sired by the undefeated Eclipse. He was the first foal out of Sportsmistress, who was sired by Warren's Sportsman and traced to Thwaites' Dun Mare from family number 38 on her dam's side.

The origin of his name has several different versions. According to the most common, Bertie intended to call the young colt "Potato" and instructed the stable boy to write the name on a feed bin. The stable boy spelled the name as "Potoooooooo" (Pot followed by 8 "o"s; that is, a failed attempt at spelling phonetically), which so amused Bertie that he adopted the spelling. Subsequent writers have used a variety of spellings that reflect the intended revised pronunciation, "Potatoes". In The Jockey Club's online database equineline.com, the name is spelled as Pot8O's. The General Stud Book uses Potoooooooo.

Racing career

Potoooooooo raced from 1776 to 1783, accumulating from 28

In 1778 at age five, Potoooooooo was entered in the 1200 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket's first spring meeting. During the race, Bertie sold the horse to Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor for 1,500 guineas. Potoooooooo won the race and subsequently raced under Grosvenor's yellow and black silks. His subsequent wins that year included the 140 guineas subscription purse at the second spring meeting, a subscription at Ipswich, a £50 purse at Swaffham and another subscription race at Newmarket's second October meeting.

In 1779 at age six, he won a number of races at Newmarket, including the Gold Cup, a walkover for the Clermont Cup In 1780, he again won several races at Newmarket, including the 140 guineas subscription purse where he beat King Fergus, the Jockey Club Plate and another walkover in the Clermont Cup. He also raced twice against Sir Charles Davers' Woodpecker, Herod's best son from these years, winning once.

In 1781, he won the Jockey Club Plate and the Whip, both by walkover, plus a 400 guineas sweep. In October, he received 85 guineas "by common consent" as a reward for not starting in the 140 guineas subscription purse. In 1782, he had a third walkover in the Clermont, won the Jockey Club Plate for a third time, and was victorious in the Craven Stakes, beating thirteen mostly younger horses. In 1783 at age ten, he won the Whip at Newmarket, but lost a 300 guineas match race to Assassin, who had won the previous year's Derby, and a 200 guineas sweepstakes.

Stud career

In 1784, Potoooooooo was retired to stud at Oxcroft Farm near Balsham, Cambridgeshire, where he mostly covered mares owned by Grosvenor. For other mares, his stud fee was initially 5 guineas, gradually increasing to 21 guineas. In 1796, he was relocated to Upper Hare Park near Newmarket. During his career, Potoooooooo sired 172 winners of £61,971. His leading offspring and their descendants include:

Death and legacy

Potoooooooo died in November 1800 at the age of 27 and was buried at Hare Park. Some 200 years later, his skeleton was uncovered when a tree blew over. The skeleton is on display at the Kings Yard Galleries of the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket.

He is mentioned in the poem Seeing the famous Whip: (If I may judge the future by the past). While grow on land Potoooooooo, sharks in seas; While Drone give troubles to the lab'ring bees.|title=Seeing the famous Whip|source=The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 8th September 2016}}

Sire line tree

  • Potoooooooo

Pedigree

Potoooooooo was sired by the undefeated Eclipse, who was also a very successful stallion even though he never led the sire list. His dam was Sportsmistress, whose dam Golden Locks was inbred 2 x 2 to Crab – he was both her maternal and paternal grandsire. Sportsmistress would produce a total of 11 foals including Sir Thomas, winner of the 1788 Derby.

|name = Potoooooooo, chestnut horse, 1773 |f = Eclipse 1764 |m = Sportsmistress 1765 |ff = Marske 1750 |fm = Spiletta 1749 |mf = Sportsman 1753 |mm = Golden Locks 1758 |fff = Squirt |ffm = The Ruby Mare |fmf = Regulus |fmm = Mother Western |mff = Cade |mfm = Silvertail |mmf = Oroonoko |mmm = Crab Mare |ffff = Bartlett's Childers |fffm = Sister to Old Country Wench* |ffmf = Hutton's Blacklegs |ffmm = Bay Bolton Mare |fmff = Godolphin Arabian* |fmfm = Grey Robinson* |fmmf = Easby Snake |fmmm = Old Montagu Mare |mfff = Godolphin Arabian* |mffm = Roxana |mfmf = Heneages Whitenose |mfmm = Rattle Mare |mmff = Crab* |mmfm = Miss Slamerkin |mmmf = Crab* |mmmm = Partner Mare (family: 38)

  • Potoooooooo is inbred 4S x 4D to the stallion Godolphin Arabian, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree, and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.
  • Potoooooooo is inbred 4D x 4D to the stallion Crab, meaning that he appears fourth generation twice on the dam side of his pedigree.
  • Potoooooooo is inbred 4S x 5D to the mare Old Country Wench, meaning that she appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree, and fifth generation (via Grey Robinson) on the dam side of his pedigree.

References

References

  1. Ahnert, Rainer L. (editor in chief), ''Thoroughbred Breeding of the World'', Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970. {{oclc. 140656.
  2. "Pot8os".
  3. (14 January 2015). "101 Interesting Facts on the History of Horse Racing". Apex Publishing.
  4. "Pot8O's Pedigree".
  5. "Pot-8-Os".
  6. Whyte, James Christie. (1840). "History of the British turf, from the earliest period to the present day, Volume I". H. Colburn.
  7. "Pot8os Sire Line".
  8. "Portrait: Waxy Pope".
  9. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook W".
  10. "Darley Arabian Line: Whalebone".
  11. "Whalebone".
  12. "Whalebone".
  13. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines – Sister To Edwin – Family 3-i".
  14. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines – Mandane – Family 11-g".
  15. "Skeleton of Pot8os".
  16. "A showcase for the sport of kings; BRITAIN Nigel Richardson visits Newmarket's new horseracing museum, which highlights a local passion championed by Charles II - Document - Gale General OneFile".
  17. Meyrick, Arthur F.. ({{date). "Some Early St. Legers". The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News.
  18. "Darley Arabian Line".
  19. "Darley Arabian Line: Eclipse".
  20. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Sire Lines Eclipse".
  21. "Darley Arabian Line: Pot-8-Os".
  22. "Pot8os Sire Line".
  23. "Jumper Sires Darley Arabian Line".
  24. "Pot-8-Os".
  25. "Pot8os".
  26. "Foundation Sire: Asparagus".
  27. "Thoroughbred Foundation Sires - C".
  28. "Champion".
  29. "Thoroughbred Foundation Sires - T".
  30. "Waxy".
  31. "Thoroughbred Foundation Sires - W".
  32. "Waxy".
  33. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook X Y Z".
  34. "Whalebone".
  35. "Whalebone".
  36. "The Saddler".
  37. "Don John".
  38. "Camel Sire Line".
  39. "Darley Arabian Line: Camel".
  40. "Whalebone".
  41. "Camel".
  42. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook A".
  43. "Touchstone".
  44. "Touchstone".
  45. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook C".
  46. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook U V".
  47. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook L".
  48. "Whalebone".
  49. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook T".
  50. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook M".
  51. "Sir Hercules".
  52. "Sir Hercules".
  53. "Darley Arabian Line".
  54. "Birdcatcher Sire Line".
  55. "Birdcatcher".
  56. "Birdcatcher".
  57. "Faugh-a-Ballagh".
  58. "Faugh-a-Ballagh".
  59. "Waxy".
  60. "Woful".
  61. "Theodore".
  62. "Waxy".
  63. "Blucher".
  64. "Whisker".
  65. "Whisker".
  66. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook S".
  67. "Whisker".
  68. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook E F".
  69. "Harkaway".
  70. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook H".
  71. Research, Thoroughbred. (May 10, 2024). "Harkaway, the Irish Eclipse".
  72. "Whisker".
  73. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Early Studbook P".
  74. "Colonial Family 15".
  75. (1834). "The General stud book". Weatherbys.
  76. "Potos Horse Pedigree".

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