Spilletta
British Thoroughbred racehorse
title: "Spilletta" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1749-racehorse-births", "1776-racehorse-deaths", "racehorses-bred-in-the-kingdom-of-great-britain", "racehorses-trained-in-the-kingdom-of-great-britain", "thoroughbred-family-12", "prince-william,-duke-of-cumberland"] description: "British Thoroughbred racehorse" topic_path: "people/1740s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spilletta" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary British Thoroughbred racehorse ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox racehorse"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| horsename | Spilletta |
| image | Spilletta with Eclipse at foot (from Eclipse & O'Kelly (1907)).jpg |
| caption | Spilletta with Eclipse at foot |
| sire | Regulus |
| grandsire | Godolphin Arabian |
| dam | Mother Western |
| damsire | Smith's Son of Snake |
| sex | Mare |
| foaled | 1749 |
| country | Great Britain |
| colour | Bay |
| breeder | Sir Robert Eden |
| record | 1 start, 0 wins |
| :: |
| horsename = Spilletta | image = Spilletta with Eclipse at foot (from Eclipse & O'Kelly (1907)).jpg | caption = Spilletta with Eclipse at foot | sire = Regulus | grandsire = Godolphin Arabian | dam = Mother Western | damsire = Smith's Son of Snake | sex = Mare | foaled = 1749 | country = Great Britain | colour = Bay | breeder = Sir Robert Eden | owner = | trainer = | record = 1 start, 0 wins | earnings = | race = | awards = | honours = | updated =
Spilletta (1749 – 1776) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She only raced once and is best known for being the dam of the undefeated Eclipse.
Background
Spilletta was a bay filly bred by the Sir Robert Eden and foaled in 1749. She was sired by the undefeated Regulus. Regulus was also a very successful stallion, becoming Champion sire eight times. Regulus also sired Careless and Cato. Spilletta's dam was Mother Western, a daughter of Smith's son of Snake.
Racing career
Spilletta only started one race, in April 1754 at Newmarket for a £50 Plate. She lost the race to Sir Charles Sedley's Royal, the Marquess of Hartington's Tantivy and Mr. Curzon's Jason.
Stud career
Spilletta was a broodmare at the Duke of Cumberland stud. She produced five foals:
- Ariaden – a bay filly foaled in 1759 and sire by Crab.
- Eclipse – a chestnut stallion foaled in 1764 and sired by Marske. He was undefeated during his 18 race career and is generally considered one of the best racehorses ever. His wins included 11 King's Plates, the Great Subscription Purse and a match against Bucephalus. He sired Planet, Pot-8-Os, King Fergus, Mercury, Young Eclipse, Saltram, Serjeant and Annette. Eclipse is the sire-line ancestor of most Thoroughbreds alive today.
- Proserpine – a bay mare foaled in 1766 and sired by Marske. She never raced, but was the dam of Humbug and six others.
- Garrick – first called Hyperion, a chestnut stallion foaled in 1772 and sired by Marske. He won a 140 guineas race at Newmarket in 1777. As a stallion he stood at Newmarket and near Malton in Yorkshire.
- Briseis – a chestnut filly foaled in 1774 and sired by Chrysolite.
Spilletta died in 1776.
Pedigree
|name = Spilletta, bay mare, 1749 |f = Regulus (GB) 1739 |m = Mother Western (GB) |ff = Godolphin Arabian |fm = Grey Robinson |mf = Smith's son of Snake |mm = Montagu mare |fff = (unknown) |ffm = (unknown) |fmf = Bald Galloway |fmm = Snake mare |mff = Snake* |mfm = Akaster Turk mare |mmf = Montagu |mmm = Hautboy mare |ffff = (unknown) |fffm = (unknown) |ffmf = (unknown) |ffmm = (unknown) |fmff = St. Victor's Barb |fmfm = Grey Whynot |fmmf = Snake* |fmmm = Grey Wilkes |mfff = Lister's Turk |mffm = Hautboy mare |mfmf = Akaster Turk |mfmm = Pulleine's Arabian Colt mare |mmff = (unknown) |mmfm = (unknown) |mmmf = Hautboy |mmmm = Brimmer mare Note: b. = Bay, br. = Brown
- Spilletta is inbred 4S × 3D to the stallion Snake, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and third generation on the dam side of his pedigree.
References
References
- (1834). "The General Stud Book". J. S. Skinner, Baltimore.
- "Regulus". Bloodlines.net.
- "Eclipse". Bloodlines.net.
- (1822). "The Turf Register (Volume III)". A. Bartholoman, High-Ousegate.
- (1805). "The Turf Register (Volume II)". A. Bartholoman, High-Ousegate.
- "Lister or Stradling Turk". Bloodlines.net.
- "Brimmer Mare - Family 70". Bloodlines.net.
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