Owned by Mr A W Hill he was a half brother to Don John Mare (br f 1848 Don John) the fourth dam of Kentucky Derby winner Plaudit (br c 1895 Himyar) and the Belmont Stakes winner Hastings (br c 1893 Spendthrift). His dam Lollypop (bl f 1836) was bred by Major Yarburgh from his homebred mare Belinda (br f 1825) who was a full sister to the Major's Doncaster Cup winner Laurel (br c 1824 Blacklock) and half sister to his St Leger winner Charles the Twelfth (br c 1836 Voltaire). According to "The Druid" the Major always maintained that Lollypop was sired by Voltaire rather than Starch, although in "The Druid's" opinion Sweetmeat appeared to bear "not the slightest trace" of Blacklock blood.

Sweetmeat stood 15 hands 3 inches and was described as somewhat light of frame with a beautiful head and neck. His withers were said to be high, his shoulders powerful, his back short and his quarters long and slanting, however, he stood over considerable ground which allowed him a reach of stride. He was thought "altogether prepossessing" with a suggestion of speed.

Defeated only once during his first two seasons on the turf, he won both the Doncaster Cup and Queen's Vase and numbered the great Alice Hawthorn (b f 1838 Muley Moloch) among his victims although she was conceding 2st at the time. He was said to have hurt his off foreleg during his first race as a four year old and went unplaced for that effort. He was tried again as a five year old but fared no better, his leg giving way again.

He was initially sent to stud at the Curragh but soon returned to Yorkshire and covered at Neasham Hall, near Darlington. He later moved to the Morton Stud Farm near Northallerton and then to Stanton, near Shifnal, in Shropshire. He covered only about ten mares per year until 1855 and that year his Doncaster sales yearlings sold for a higher average (£300-600) than any other stallion. His fillies were described as "near perfection" and in 1856 the only two on offer sold for £3000. His colts were generally thought too big, with Parmesan (br c 1857) a notable exception. Another exception, Macaroni (b c 1860), was probably his best son. Sweetmeat went suddenly blind in one eye shortly after his arrival at Neasham Hall and his other eye failed ten days thereafter. He was sold to Russia in 1861. He did not transmit this problem to his offspring although he did endow them with "rare speed" and a "dislike to distance".