Cyprus Arabian c. c1710, or Cyprus, sometimes spelled Cypruss in the old calendars.

The Cyprus Arabian was owned by John Manners (1676-1721), 2nd Duke of Rutland, who assumed that title on the death of his father, the 1st Duke, in 1711. The Manners family had for generations bred race horses and were noted for their "Belvoir Castle running strains" [Robertson, 32]. An earlier Earl of Rutland had recorded a desire to acquire a Barb from Italy in 1609, about the same time that Lord Cranbourne purchased one in Marseilles [Early Records, 79] and it seems conceivable that their foundation stock was established by crossing imported eastern horses with native British mares. Around the turn of the eighteenth century the Belvoir Castle stud in Leicestershire, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, was noted for such runners as the famous race mare Bonny Black and the notable stallions Grey Grantham and Coneyskins. The sons of the 2nd Duke, John Manners (1696-1779) who became the 3rd Duke, and his brother Lord William Manners (1697-1772), were also supporters of the turf and both are recorded as breeders or owners of offspring of the Cyprus Arabian.

According to the General Stud Book the Duke of Rutland's Cyprus Arabian was probably the same horse as the Hampton Court Chesnut Arabian and foaled about 1720 [GSB, i, 391], and according to the Sporting Kalendar he was probably also called simply Cyprus, as in the pedigree of Amelia: "her Great Grandam by Cyprus, out of the Duke of Rutland's famous Bonny Black" [Pond 1755, 164].

Since both the Cyprus Arabian and the Hampton Court Chesnut Arabian are mentioned in John Cheny's Racing Calendars during the late 1720s and early 1730s presumably he would have made note of it had they been the same horse. That they were the same horse seems unlikely as both horses, one covering in Leicestershire and one covering in Surrey, have offspring attributed to them during approximately the same time span with some offspring of each having identical years of birth. The General Stud Book does not suggest that they were the same horse until the fifth edition of the first volume in 1891, nearly two hundred years later, and does not explain its reason for doing so.

Racing records prior to 1720 are not only scarce and fragmentary but mention of an Arabian contesting a match is extremely rare. However, J. B. Muir records that the Duke of Rutland's Arabian was engaged to run against Mr. Noel's mare in April of 1717 and against Mr. Frampton's Potatoe in October of 1717. The following year he makes notes of a scheduled match between the Duke of Rutland's Cyprus and Mr. Frampton's Spider [Ye Olde New-Markitt Calendar, 46, 48, 51]. Although no race results are forthcoming it seems likely that, according to the customs of the times, the Arabian was given his name after proving his merit on the turf.

In the stud he left a number of sons, some apparently successful runners, although most of them did not leave any notable offspring. Two of them appear in the inventory of the Duke of Devonshire's stud, foals of 1724 and 1726, both of whom were gelded [Royal Studs, 124]. It is to his daughters that he owes his legacy.

The following sons of the Cyprus Arabian are listed here with as much of their history as can be found. Note that their race records and pedigrees are necessarily incomplete.

Doctor (Cyprus Arabian).
Owned by Lord William Manners he was apparently well regarded as his name is generally mentioned among the notable offspring of the Cyprus Arabian. He doesn't appear to have raced, however, in the stud he got the good runner Sobersides.

Sobersides ch.c. 1729 (Doctor).
Owned by the Hon. Mr. Bertie, he was defeated only once during his turf career. In August of 1734 he won the Ladies' Plate at York in his only start of the year. In 1735 he won Royal Plates at Guildford, Salisbury and Canterbury, and walked-over for Royal Plates at Lincoln and Newmarket. In 1736 he lost the Royal Plate at Newmarket to Captain Hartley's Whitefoot.

Fearnought (Cyprus Arabian).
Owned by Mr. Garthside, he doesn't appear to have raced. In the stud he got Mr. Garthside's Pamela.

Pamela ch.f. 1740 (Fearnought - Mare, by Manica).
Bred by Mr. Garthside, she was later owned by Mr. Musters. In 1745 she won the King's Plate at Hambleton, beating Mr. Langley's Gipsey (bl.f. 1740 Devonshire Blacklegs) and Mr. Metcalfe's Lady Betty (b.f. 1740 Devonshire Blacklegs) along with seven others. In 1746 she finished second to Mr. Blink's Labour In Vain for a £50 Plate at Doncaster.

Last-Time-Of-Asking c. 1722 (Cyprus Arabian).
Owned by Lord Gower he was defeated in the Royal Plate at Nottingham in 1728 by Mr. Alcock's Spot (b.c. 1722 Alcock's Arabian).

Pantaloon b.c. 1724 (Cyprus Arabian).
Bred by the Duke of Rutland and raced by Lord William Manners, he started for the Royal Plate at Guildford in 1730, won by the Duke of Bolton's Foxhunter (br.c. 1724 Brisk), followed by Mr. Culpin's Bloody Buttocks (gr.f. 1724). Mr. Henley's Cramp (b.c. 1724) went lame and was withdrawn. Pantaloon, beset by a broken stirrup ran off the course, threw his rider, and was subsequently deemed distanced [Cheny 1730, 9 & Pick, i, 465].

Ringtail c. c1720 (Cyprus Arabian).
Owned by the Duke of Rutland, Ringtail lost a race in October of 1724 to the Duke of Bolton's Bay Bolton (possibly a relation of the earlier Bay Bolton).

Roger ch.c. 1724 (Cyprus Arabian).
Bred by the Duke of Rutland and owned by Lord William Manners, he won a 300 guineas match at Newmarket against the Duke of Bridgewater's colt in April of 1729 [Cheny 1729, 4]. He also finished 3rd in the Royal Plate at Ipswich in 1729, won by Sir Robert Fagg's Golden Locks (ch.c. 1724 Alcock's Arabian), followed by Mr. Humberston's Stump (b.c. 1724 Manica), beating six others [Pick, i, 465].

Spot [Panton's] ch.c. c1720 (Cyprus Arabian).
In October of 1725 Mr. Panton's Spot lost a 500 guineas match over four miles against the Duke of Bolton's Bay Bolton (possibly a relation of the famous Bay Bolton) at Newmarket [Baily, 11]. Spot also started for a Fifty at Guildford in 1727 where he was distanced in the third heat [Cheny 1727, 13]. We speculate that he could have been the same horse as the Duke of Rutland's Spot.