Sire Line

Darcy's Yellow Turk

Darcy's Yellow Turk, probably Darcy's Chesnut Arabian, probably Dodsworth (c 1670c). Sire Line Darcy's Yellow Turk.

Some of the following equine genealogy incorporates the original research of Highflyer.

As one of the earliest stallions recorded in the Stud Book and moreover an ancestor of every living thoroughbred, he has been the object of much speculation, both as to his origins and to the unique colour ascribed to him.

The General Stud Book says only that he was "the sire of Spanker, Brimmer, and the great great grandam of Cartouch" [GSB1:389]. Lady Wentworth said he was presented to the Pasha of Damascus around 1658, and that he was otherwise known as "Orange," but does not reveal her source for this information [Thoroughbred Racing Stock:269]. Alexander Mackay-Smith developed a hypothesis that he was not imported, but sired by Place's White Turk in England. This was, however, based on the assumption that Place's White Turk had been imported in 1657 [Speed and the Thoroughbred:126]. Highflyer, who provides persuasive evidence, says he was the horse known as Dodsworth, imported in utero and foaled in England.

Darcy's Yellow Turk is generally thought to have been first owned or managed by James Darcy the elder (1617-1673), stud master to King Charles II, whose reign extended from 1660 to 1685. However, Darcy had negotiated a contract with the king to supply the king with "twelve choice horses" annually in exchange for a payment of £800. Although Darcy had included the use of two stallions in his original draft this request seems to have been ignored in the final agreement. [Early Records:10]

While Dodsworth is said by some sources to have been owned by the king himself, no racehorses were bred at Hampton Court during this period, since the royal stables then were being supplied by Darcy. It is also possible that Dodsworth belonged to the Dodsworth family that was related by marriage to Darcy's brother, Conyers, the 1st Earl of Holderness. In any case no importations are credited to Darcy and it is reasonable to suppose that he had access to Dodsworth. Despite the General Stud Book's insistence that Dodsworth stood at Hampton Court, it seems likely that he stood at Sedbury and that his name was changed to Darcy's Yellow Turk when he took up residence there.

The Darcy family seat had long been at Hornby Castle, near Bedale, in Yorkshire. Darcy acquired Sedbury Park, near Richmond, Yorkshire, from Sir Marmaduke Wyvill (who had acquired it from the Gascoigne family), either by purchase or through his marriage to Sir Marmaduke's daughter Isabel (sources vary). After the death of James Darcy the elder in 1673 Sedbury Park and the management of the Yellow Turk passed on to his son James Darcy the younger (1650-1731), later 1st Baron Darcy of Navan, in Ireland.

There has been much modern speculation over the colour of Darcy's Yellow Turk. Even though he was identified as the older of the Darcy's Chesnut Arabians [Royal Studs:94], he was earlier called the Yellow Turk.

Given that people were familiar with the term "gold," the use of "yellow" in his name invites speculation. The term "dun" was used to refer to buckskin, and possibly palomino. The dilute (or cream) gene may be expressed as either buckskin or palomino and may hide behind black and grey. Although the dilute gene had always been available in the thoroughbred gene pool, as racehorse portraits of this era clearly show, names had not yet been invented to cover the range of the colours expressed.

In the inventory of the Tutbury Stud, which had belonged to King Charles I before his execution in 1649, an entry is recorded for a son of Fantus: "One dun Horse with a black tayle and mane, a starre and a white speck on the nose, 6 yeares oulde". The same inventory includes two offspring of Black Morocco, one a "Dunn filly" and the other a "Yellow filly," which suggests there was a distinction made between those two colours. Others colours recorded in this inventory are black, browne and grey. It may be worthy of note that a number of horses were described as "sorrill" and the term "chestnut" does not appear to be in use as yet [Royal Studs:58]. Given that most of the usual colours are present in this inventory it seems reasonable to speculate that "yellow" may have been utilised at this time to indicate palomino.

In the pedigree of Morgan's Dun, so called in the General Stud Book although his colour is not given, Highflyer's argument that the Darcy Yellow Turk is the same horse as Dodsworth might explain the appearance of the Dun's colour.
Burton's Barb Mare (Family 2)
   Dodsworth Mare (f Dodsworth [Darcy's Yellow Turk])
      Morgan's Dun (c Helmsley Turk Colt [Darcy's White Turk])

Darcy's Yellow Turk, whatever his colour, exerted a profound influence on the stud book through his well known sons Spanker, Brimmer and the Oglethorpe Arabian.

His daughters were influential as well. An unnamed mare was the 2nd dam of Kitt Darcy's Royal Mare (f Blunderbuss) from whom most of Family 13 descends. Another unnamed daughter was the 3rd dam of Hampton Court Childers (c 1725c) and his sister, she the dam of the Irish Ground Ivy (c 1737). Yet another daughter, Sister to Spanker, was the dam of the Lonsdale Counsellor.

He is also said to have sired the 4th dam of Cartouch (c 1717c Bald Galloway), although the pedigree given for Cartouch usually shows Dodsworth in this position. See Trumpet's Dam for an explanation.