Blue Peter III

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Blue Peter


caption =
sire = Fairway
grandsire = Phalaris
dam = Fancy Free
damsire = Stefan the Great
sex = Stallion
foaled = 1936
country = Great Britain flagicon|UK
colour = Bay
breeder = Mentmore Stud
owner = Harry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery
trainer = Jack Jarvis
record = 6: 4-1-0
earnings = £31,964
race = Blue Riband Trial Stakes (1939)
2,000 Guineas (1939)
Epsom Derby (1939)
Eclipse Stakes (1939)
awards= Leading broodmare sire in GB & Ireland (1954)
honours = Blue Peter locomotive #60532
updated= February 2, 2007

Blue Peter (1936-1957) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse whose career was cut short by the outbreak of World War II.

Bred and owned by Lord Rosebery, his grandsire was Phalaris and his damsire, Stefan the Great, was a son of The Tetrarch. At age two, Blue Peter raced twice without winning. He was unplaced in one outing and second in the Middle Park Stakes behind the British Two-Year-Old Champion Colt, Foxborough.

In 1939, three-year-old Blue Peter went undefeated in all four of his races. He captured the Blue Riband Trial Stakes, a prep race for the ensuing Triple Crown series. In May, the colt won the 2,000 Guineas and then June's Epsom Derby. While Blue Peter was clearly the best three-year-old in Britain in 1939, the September 3rd onset of World War II ended his chance to win the Triple Crown as the St. Leger Stakes was canceled. Canceled as well, was a planned match race against the brilliant French colt Pharis who had won the Prix du Jockey Club and France's most important race at the time, the Grand Prix de Paris.

Blue Peter was retired to stud duty at his owner's Mentmore Stud on the Mentmore Towers estate in Buckinghamshire. Successful, he was near the top on the British General Sires List three times and in 1954 was leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland.

Blue Peter died in 1957 and is buried in the grounds of Mentmore Towers close to a statue of his ancestor King Tom. His notable offspring included:

*Ocean Swell (b. 1941), winner of the 1944 Epsom Derby, Jockey Club Cup and 1945 Ascot Gold Cup.
*Peter Flower (b. 1946) - multiple stakes race winner
*Unknown Quantity (b. 1946) - filly who won the 1949 Yorkshire Oaks
*First Consul (b. 1946) - 1950 Ayr Gold Cup winner

Blue Peter was the horse his owner loved best shortly after his death Lord Rosebery described him thus: "He was just like a human being although a placid animal. Blue Peter was particular about what he ate. Give him something he didn't like and he would take one look at it and turn away. He was the best horse I ever had and was the best I had ever seen and he had only half a career as a racehorse" [Young, Kenneth. Harry, Lord Rosebery. (page 105) Hodder and stoughton. London. ISBN 0 340 19035 3.]

References

* [http://www.mikekemble.com/trains/steamtrains5.html Photos of the Blue Peter locomotive]
* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/blue+peter Blue Peter's pedigree and racing stats]