CHAMPIONS OF THE VEDETTE DIVISION
St. Simon, 1881,881 is one of the greatest flattrack racers of all time and the progenitor of a great “stayer” family. He is inbred several times to Eclipse through his sire Galopin but traces more than two dozen times to Herod through his dam, St. Angela. Unbeaten in 10 career starts, he raced at every distance from six furlongs to 2 5/8 miles, never really extending himself. He won the Ascot Gold Cup (two and a half miles) by 20 lengths, with so much energy at the end of the race that he galloped another mile before consenting to be pulled up. Champion sire nine times in Europe, he left an enormous number of champion descendants and lived to the age of 27. Note the flexed forelimbs; often called “over at the knee conformation,” this deformity is not conformational, congenital or inheritable but rather due to an injury rather common in racehorses, strain of the check ligaments. St. Simon stood 16 hands, 1 inch and has beautiful conformation, exactly what one should look for in a Thoroughbred—if, that is, your purpose for the horse involves anything except racing at distances of less than one mile. St. Simon was known for being “high strung” and was said to be aggressive and dangerous when covering mares; but without that “look of eagles” that is so evident in this photo, even the best-conformed horse may not be a winner. A champion racehorse must have the attitude that it offends him to be passed.