The racing wonder horse
QUESTION Is it true that the 18th-century champion racehorse Eclipse almost never existed because his grandsire should have been put down? EclipsE was so-named because he was foaled during the great solar eclipse of 1764 at the cranborne lodge stud of his breeder, the Duke of cumberland, the third son of George ii.
He was the most famous racehorse of the era, winning 18 races, including 11 King’s plates.
He was painted by George stubbs and made his owner, the irish-born rogue Dennis O’Kelly, one of the most famous men in England.
His grandsire was the modestly successful and incongruously named squirt. Raced by the Earl of portmore, his most notable victory was the 200 Guineas at Newmarket in 1737.
squirt’s grandsire was the Darley Arabian, who was discovered in Aleppo, syria, by the British consul, Thomas Darley. He became the most important horse in British racing history, appearing in the bloodline of 95 per cent of thoroughbreds.
squirt was sold for stud to sir Henry Harpur, of calke Abbey, Derbys. He was so crippled with laminitis — a disease of the hoof that can be deadly — that sir Henry ordered that he should be butchered for the hunt kennels.
One of the stable lads waited until sir Henry had calmed down before persuading him to allow a stay of execution.
squirt sired three notable sons, Marske, syphon and Tim, and pratt’s Old Mare, who gave birth to 17 foals, of which 12 were runners, including the famous racehorse pumpkin, and the mares purity and Maiden.
Marske and the dam spiletta produced Eclipse, known for his almost freakish speed and ability. He also had an unparalleled stud career, endowing his descendants with his prodigious talent.
Martin Cotton, Fakenham, Norfolk. QUESTION With unrest in the Strait of Hormuz, has a canal across the Arabian peninsula been considered? TRAvElliNG through the strait of Hormuz is a key vulnerability facing oil exporters on the Arabian side of the Gulf. The recent seizure of a British tanker is by no means the first time iran has flexed its muscles in the area.
saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have each made preliminary plans to build giant canals to bypass the strait.
in 2015, the Riyadh-based Arab century centre for studies proposed a 600-mile canal from the Gulf across the kingdom’s Rub’ al Khali desert, known as the Empty Quarter, before connecting to the Arabian sea across eastern Yemen.
The scheme, which would breathe life into one of the driest places on Earth, was estimated to cost £60 billion.
in 2008, the UAE government proposed a 110-mile canal crossing from the persian Gulf and into the Gulf of Oman from Fujairah on the east coast of the UAE. it would have to cross through the foothills of the Hajjar Mountains, meaning the scheme would cost £150 billion.
While the UAE canal was only a concept, construction of the 200-mile long HabshanFujairah pipeline showed the country was not afraid of large infrastructure projects.
Paul Lewis, Watford, Herts.