Chester (1874–1891) was an Australian thoroughbred racehorse and a leading sire. He defeated some of the best horses in training over distances ranging from to .Pring, Peter; "Analysis of Champion Racehorses", The Thoroughbred Press, Sydney, 1977, He was the leading sire in Australia on four occasions.

Breeding Chester, on the side of his sire, was a third generation colonial-bred Australian stallion. Chester's sire was the influential stallion Yattendon, who was serving mares while still racing.ASB: Yattendon (AUS) Retrieved 2011-1-23 His dam Lady Chester (GB) was by Stockwell from Austrey by Harkaway. Stockwell was out of the breed-shaping broodmare, Pocahontas.

Racing career Chester's illustrious racing career began on New Year's Day 1877 in the Sydney Tattersall's Two Year Old Stakes, in which he came a close second to Viscount. After that, Chester won three consecutive races, all in the same week, and was spelled to await his three-year-old season. He was ridden in these three wins by jockey, G.Donnelly. Chester was then sold to James White.

As a flying three-year-old, Chester won seven of his ten starts, setting three race records. He placed short-head second in the AJC Derby. Two starts after the AJC Derby, he started in the VRC Derby, he won, and claimed a track record – 2:43 – a record that held itself until 1897 by Amberite. His next race, just three days after his Derby triumph, was the gruelling two-mile (3,200m) Melbourne Cup over a slippery, muddy track. Chester held on to beat the lightly weighted Savanaka by a half-head in the record time of 3:33½.

He took a long and deserving spell after his spring campaign, and didn't return to racing until the April 1878. During his return, he won the AJC Autumn Stakes and two days later took second to Savanaka in the two-mile Sydney Cup, giving Savanaka twelve pounds. He won the AJC Cumberland Stakes over two miles, the next day winning the three-mile AJC Plate.

Lame for the majority of his next season, Chester ran twice. He won the AJC Spring Stakes over 12 furlongs, and came third in the AJC Craven Plate. A year later, he ventured out for the VRC Melbourne Stakes, which he won, despite being lame. He was entered in the Melbourne Cup two days later, assigned with top weight of 9 st 6 lb (60 kg), but sore and out of condition for the two-miler, he placed sixth, with yet another Yattendon son, Grand Flaneur, taking the money.

Stud record By the time Chester had retired to stand at Kirkham Stud, near Camden, his owner, James White, had purchased a number of well-bred colonial broodmares. He began to build up a high-quality broodmare band through the 1880s, including Chester's dam, Lady Chester. White had also purchased Martini-Henry, by Musket, as a stallion for Kirkham, and he used as a cross with Chester daughters with some success. His best son, Abercorn (AJC Derby), defeated Carbine several times.Ahnert, Rainer L. (Ed. in Chief), “Thoroughbred Breeding of the World”, Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970 Chester sired 26 stakeswinners for 104 stakeswins, including Camoola (AJC & VRC Derbies), Carlyon, Dreadnought, Stromboli (AJC Derby, Sydney Cup), Titan and Uralla.ASB - Chester Retrieved on 2009-7-27

Chester led the sire's list in Australia in 1887–88, 1889–90, 1891–92 and 1892–93, the latter two posthumous placings since Chester died on the 21 November 1891, aged seventeen from rupturing his bowel. He was buried at Kirkham Stud.Barrie, Douglas M., The Australian Bloodhorse, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1956

Sire line tree

ChesterDarley Arabian Sire Line: Pot-8-Os BranchJumpers: Darley Arabian Sire LinePortrait: Chester First Chester Monte Cristo Phillip Augustus Plutarch Volcano AbercornPortrait: AbercornAbercorn Cobbity Coil Sea Bound Cocos Carlyon Gunga Din Rienzy Cranbrook DreadnoughtPortrait: Dreadnought Dauntless Renown Kirkham Kirkland Family B-21: Polly Murphy Kirko Narellan Titan Victor Hugo Stromboli Autonomy CamoolaPortrait: Camoola Warpaint Black Paint Projectile Chesterman Duke Of York Prince Chester

Pedigree

Chester is inbred 4S x 5D to the stallion Sir Hercules (IRE), meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree, and fifth generation (via Birdcatcher) on the dam side of his pedigree.

Chester is inbred 5S x 4D to the stallion Emilius, meaning that he appears fifth generation (via Priam) on the sire side of his pedigree, and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

Chester is inbred 5D x 4D to the stallion Economist, meaning that he appears and fifth generation (via Echidna) and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

References

Chester on Thoroughbred Heritage Site

External links Chester's Extended Pedigree