Musidora (horse)
Musidora (1946–c. 1968) was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, best known for winning two Classics in 1949. The filly won four times from twelve races in a racing career which lasted from 1948 until September 1949. After winning once as a two-year-old she won her first three races as a three-year-old including the 1000 Guineas over one mile at Newmarket and at The Oaks over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse a month later. In the latter race she narrowly defeated the French filly Coronation, who went on to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She finished unplaced in her three subsequent races and was retired to stud, where she had limited success as a broodmare. Background Musidora was a bay mare with a small white star bred in Ireland by F. F. Tuthill, who had bought her dam, an unraced and unbroken mare named Painted Vale for 220 guineas. Painted Vale produced several winners apart from Musidora, the most successful being the colt Sovrango, who won the Chester Vase, the Ormonde Stakes and the Oxfordshire Stakes. Musidora came from the second crop of foals sired by Nasrullah, a talented but temperamental racehorse who became a highly successful breeding stallion, especially following his export to the United States in 1950. He was the British champion sire in 1951 and the North American champion on five occasions. In 1947 the yearling filly was sent to the Doncaster sales where she was bought for 4,700 guineas by the Scottish shipping magnate Norman Donaldson. Donaldson sent Musidora into training with Charles Elsey at his Highfield stables at Malton in Yorkshire. She became the first of five classic winners trained by Elsey between 1949 and 1959. Racing career In 1948, Musidora ran six times and won one race. She was placed second or third in the other five. In the Free Handicap, a rating of the year's best two-year-olds, Musidora was assigned a weight of 109 pounds, twenty-four pounds behind the top-rated Abernant and fourteen pounds behind the leading fillies Integrity and Ballisland. Musidora began her three-year-old season at Stockton-on-Tees Racecourse in April when she won the Roseberry Stakes. She was then sent to Newmarket for the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile course. Ridden by the Australian Jockey Edgar Britt, she started at odds of 100/8 in a field of eighteen runners. Unknown Quantity started favourite after being the subject of exceptionally strong support in the betting. Musidora gave trouble at the start, but once the race was under way she was soon among the leaders. Britt sent Musidora into the lead two furlongs from the finish and she won comfortably by one and a half lengths from Unknown Quantity with Solar Myth two lengths back in third. In the Epsom Oaks a month later, Musidora was made 4/1 favourite against sixteen opponents, with Vice Versa on 5/1 and the French-trained Coronation on 6/1. Britt positioned Musidora just behind the leader Coronation for most of the race,