Flying Fox (1896 – 1911)

British Thoroughbred racehorse Flying Fox was the 1989 English Triple Crown Races and three times French leading sire.

 

The last horse raced by the 1st Duke of Westminster, Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, he was the fourth generation of an impressive male line. Flying Fox was sired by Orme a dual Eclipse Stakes winner, who was sired by Triple Crown winner Ormonde. His dam, Vampire, was a high-strung mare and there were fears her foal would inherit her dangerous temper.

 

While a difficult juvenile to handle, Flying Fox achieved great success under John Porter, the best trainer of the Victoria era. As a two-year-old he won three of his first five starts including the New Stakes and the Stockbridge Foal Stakes in 1898. As a three-year-old he was undefeated and became only the 8^th ever U.K. Triple Crown Champion. His win in the 1899 Epsom Derby was in tragic circumstances though, after rival Holocauste shattered his leg while leading the race.

 

The Duke died that same year and Flying Fox was bought at auction for a record 37,500 guineas by French sportsman Edmond Blanc. Blanc had intended to race the four-year-old, but Porter refused to continue training him, so was instead sent to stud at Blanc’s Haras de Jardy horse breeding centre at Marnes-la-Coquette, near Paris.

 

There he had huge success as a stud and sired a classic winner in his first crop, Ajax. He went on to produce numerous other winners and was named Leading sire in France in 1904, 1905 and posthumously in 1913.