Family B-7: Priam Mare

This is an interesting family that could be traced back to the mid-eighteenth century, the earliest known mare being an Exmoor Pony. Every single successive (recorded) daughter in the family, for over 100 years, was bred to a throughbred stallion, usually a noted one, with pedigrees on the sire side at least as illustrious as those of "bred" mares, some of which could not be traced back as far, and yet were included in the GSB. According to John Osborne, with whom Prior corresponded, the mares in this line had been owned and bred by the Taft family from the time of the Exmoor pony mare. The Tafts were tenants of the Stanhopes, Earls of Chesterfield, with vast acreage in Derbyshire, where the principal Stanhope seat was located.

John Taft bred a mare by Derby winner Priam, who had been purchased by Lord Chesterfield in 1830 for 3,000 guineas; in 1835 Priam, who left some good winners behind in England, was sold to America by the earl, to keep his creditors at bay, and left England in 1837. The Priam mare, born sometime between 1834 and 1837, bred three youngsters, a grey filly by Colwick; Derby, a grey colt by Don John, a winner of eight races and a hurdle race; and an unnamed colt by Don John. After that, she was given to Taft's god-son, John Osborne, a great jockey and later trainer, who bred the rest of her foals.

For Osborne, at Ashgill in Middleham, Yorkshire, the Priam mare produced six more foals. These were Johnny Taft, a winner of four races, Bobby Taft, who won three races, Zachariah, winner of six races, and three daughters -- Nelly Taft, Peggy Taft, and Polly Taft. Nelly Taft ran unplaced at age two, and at Ashgill, and later in the stud of W.S. Bruere and trainer Thomas Dawson of Thorngill, Middleham, she produced five winners of flat races, hunter's flat races, and steeplechases, including Nelly Gray, winner of the Grand Military Gold Cup in 1896. Peggy Taft ran 93 times in various provincial races, winning 27 of them, in her six years on the turf, and later was a producer for George Gregson at Houghton-le-Spring in Co. Durham. Polly Taft won the Beverley Cup, an important provincial four mile race, and one other race.

The filly by Colwick that had been bred by Taft, did not run, but in the stud had two daughters. One, an unraced daughter of Mundig, later produced an unnamed filly by Don John that won six races, and Miss Violet, who won a small race, both bred by Taft. The other daughter was Cesarewitch winner Mrs. Taft (see below).

This family produced both good flat race winners, such as Mrs. Taft, and some outstanding and long-running steeplechasers.

Notable Descendants