Old Bald Peg - Family 6

The pedigrees and dates of some early members of Family 6 have yet to be resolved. Source material conflicts.

Old Bald Peg was said to be from both an Arabian and a Barb depending on the source. "Spanker's Grand Dam was called Bald Peg, which was bred by the said Lord Fairfax, out of a Barb Mare and an Arabian [Cheny:1745]. In 1791, in Spanker's pedigree "Spanker, Mr Pelham, The Darcy Yellow Turk - Ld Fairfax's Morocco Barb Mare - Bald Peg, by an Arabian, out of an Arabian Mare" [Intro:186], and in 1891, "OLD MOROCCO MARE (sometimes called Old Peg), bred at Helmsley by Lord Fairfax, got by his Morocco Barb, out of Old Bald Peg, who was got by an Arabian, out of a Barb mare" [GSB 1:14].

Contrary to the modern sense of the word "bald" which horsepeople understand as meaning a face with a large white marking that extends over the eyes, back then "bald" or "ball'd" possibly indicated a round, bulging forehead, with a white marking, which possibly extended as far down as the lips, which would tend to support the notion that Old Bald Peg was an Arabian. See Bald Charlotte.

Charming Jenny

Charming Jenny is not named in the General Stud Book, however, both Cheny and Pick note that she possessed a name. Her daughter was referred to as the Hampton Court Charming Jenny to distinguish between them. "He [Spanker] got the Dam of the Hampton-Court Charming Jenny, which was full Sister to Leeds" [Cheny 1744:viii]. "Fox Cub, bred as has been observed, by the late Sir Ralph Ashton, of Lancashire; out of a filly bought of the late Mr Leeds, called Charming Jenny, which was out of a Mare of the same Name, of Mr Leeds's, and the foreign Horse that was the Sire of Leeds" [Cheny 1744:xxiv]. "Fox-Cub was also got by Clumsy; his dam was called Charming Jenny, by Leedes Arabian, out of a mare of Mr Leedes's of the same name, got by an Arabian" [Pick 1:12]. The last noted Arabian would have been Pelham's Bay Arabian, more commonly called Spanker.

Bright's Roan Mare

According to John Cheny, Bright's Roan Mare, usually the taproot mare position of Family 61, may have been a sister to Leedes and thus part of Family 6. He said: "I have been informed, but cannot say that I absolutely depend upon the truth of the whole, that the Confederate Filly was out of a mare called Young Bets, got by a Turk of the late Duke of Rutland's, and her dam called Whirligig, was full sister to Leedes" [Pick 1:55].

Highland Laddie

Charming Jenny, whom the General Stud Book refers to as Lord Darcy's Spanker Mare, was foaled "about 1690", and her son Highland Laddie was foaled in "1714 (about)" [GSB 1:17]. Mr Prior states that Highland Laddie "must have been foaled rather earlier than the approximate date suggested for him in the General Stud Book" [Early Records:24].

Young Bald Peg

Leedes Arabian was said to be the sire of both Highland Laddie (1714c) and Young Bald Peg (1685c). Young Bald Peg, from the Old Morocco Mare, is usually dated considerably earlier, and it is hard to see how Leedes Arabian could have sired both of them. It seems unlikely, given that most of his progeny fit into a range from about 1690 to about 1715, that he could have been bred to the Old Morocco Mare much earlier than 1690. However, the General Stud Book notes that "Some accounts make Y Bald Peg as by Spanker" [GSB 1:3], which would seem to reduce her date conflict.

Wyvill's Roan Mare

Cuthbert Routh offers a different pedigree for the brothers, Flying Childers and Bartlet's Childers, than that which appears in the General Stud Book. Mr Routh gives the pedigree of Flying Childers as "Childers was gott by Darle's Arabian, his dam by Careless, his gd dam by Leedes' Arabian, and out of a famous roan mare of Sr Mar: Wyvill's". Prior goes on to say that "as Mr Routh was a relative, and very near neighbour, of Sir M Wyvill's (Snape being close to Burton Constable, the seat of the Wyvill family), himself a celebrated breeder, and as his version of the pedigree was written down in the lifetime of Childers, it may be taken as correct" [Early Records:28]. The General Stud Book's version was recorded some seventy or so years later. Mr Prior had no pedigree for her, however, Wyvill's Roan Mare would appear in the position occupied by Charming Jenny, from whom most of Family 6 descends. It is possible that Wyvill's Roan Mare was the same mare as Charming Jenny.

Bay Peg

Mr Prior suggests that Bay Peg was sired by Young Spanker, rather than Leedes Arabian. His evidence is drawn from the account book of John Hervey, "1705, Sept 3rd. Paid Mr Anthony Leeds, of Milford, Yorkshire, for ye 3 year old bey Philley (gott by Careless, under Leeds' full sister) and ye 2 year old bey colt (got by ye brown Barbe King William gave his father, under bey Peg, which was a daughter of Young Spanker) and for ye bey yearling gott by Careless, under a daughter of ye said Barbe's, which was one of my Lord Wharton's Gallant's sister, in all £150" [Early Records:150]. However, this bay Peg is not said to have been dam of anything, and is possibly just another mare named Peg, whose colour was bay.

Basto and Fox

Basto and Fox are not said to be from the same mare, Bay Peg, until the 5th Edition of Volume 1 of the General Stud Book. There is no indication, either in advertisements or on their portraits, that Basto and Fox were half-brothers, although they both eventually trace to Old Bald Peg.

"Basto was brown and foaled in 1703" [Pick:Errata].

Jigg

Although the first volume of the General Stud Book has not identified the dam of Jigg, beyond that she was a Spanker Mare, "JIGG, Sir R Mostyn's, by the Byerley Turk - Spanker" [GSB 1:381], the Errata for the General Stud Book, Volume 19, 1901, notes that a Portland MS says that Jigg was from Leedes's dam.

Aimwell

Aimwell's pedigree as given in the Turf Register is similar to that given in the General Stud Book except that the name Fairfax Morocco Barb is used in place of Curwen's Grey Morocco Barb, and the General Stud Book says the Spanker Mare is from the Old Morocco Mare rather than Old Bald Peg [GSB 1:377 & Pick 1:156].

Milbanke's Bald Peg

The pedigree for Milbanke's Bald Peg is based on original research conducted by A J Hibbard and Miodrag Milovanovic.

Based on Family Tables of Racehorses compiled by Captain Kazimierz Bobinski and Lt-Colonel Stefan Count Zamoyski, Milbanke's Bald Peg has traditionally been assigned to Family 6, and shown as a daughter of the Old Morocco Mare. Most of the old authorities do not continue the pedigree of Milbanke's Bald Peg. However, in an advertisement in the York Courant for a Cartouch colt a member of the Milbanke family supplied her sire and dam: "...A Beautiful CHESNUT HORSE, ... seven Years old. He was got by Cartouch; his Dam, by the Bald Galloway; she was full Blood to Mr Fleetwood's Lilliput, all but a Cross of Grantham, which was in his Grandam, she being got by the Duke of Rutland's Grey Grantham; his Great Grandam, by Mr Wilks's Barb; his Great Great Grandam was the famous Bald Peg, who won the Royal Plate at Richmond, the Newcastle Plate, Kiplingcoats Guineas, Richmond Plate, and at several other Places. She was got by Bull, and out of a Royal Mare bought of Mr Sutton Oglethorpe.--This is a true Pedigree, as witness my Hand. J MILBANKE" [1754:9 Apr]. This suggests that Milbanke's Bald Peg may not belong to Family 6. Since ongoing mtDNA research may result in the reorganisation of family table structures at some future point we have temporarily assigned the designation of 6-x to the family of Milbanke's Bald Peg. This family was active at the end of the 20th century with perhaps its most illustrious member being Fraise (b c 1988 Strawberry Road), winner of the 1992 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1).

Polly

Polly's 3rd dam, and Fanny's 2nd dam could be by either Roundhead or Flying Childers. Flying Childers is given in earlier editions of the Turf Register and later editions of the General Stud Book. Roundhead is given by later editions of the Turf Register and earlier editions of the General Stud Book. Since later editions of the General Stud Book give Childers, and since the stud book generally follows the racing calendars, and since no explanation is offered, it is impossible to tell if this is a mistake or a correction.

"Tuting's Polly, Bred by Mr Blake, foaled in 1756, got by Black and all Black, out of his Fanny, by Tartar - Old Starling - Roundhead - Grantham - Wilkinson's Barb (dam of Fleetwood's Lilliput) - Mr Milbank's Bald Peg [Intro:104].

"Fanny, Bred by Mr Blake, in 1751, got by Tartar, her dam by Starling - Childers - Grantham - Lilliput's dam, by Wilkinson's Barb - Mr Milbank's Bald Peg" [GSB 1:84].