Today I want to talk about my recent “project”, the Gormley Stallion. I didn’t know much about this horse, just a name I heard somewhere, probably somewhere related to the Kentucky Derby.
I started digging. This horse, Gormley, was foaled on March 20, 2014. Pretty recent, huh? He’s a two-time Grade I winner. Big shot, it seems. There was a buzz about him being a contender on the 2017 Road to the Kentucky Derby. Well, he ended up ninth in the Derby and fourth in the Belmont Stakes. Not too shabby, but not a champion. Later that year, in October, he was retired to Spendthrift Farm.
My next move was to check out his past performances, you know, the usual stuff like speed figures and results. There is a page with all those numbers. Also found his pedigree. It appears that Gormley is the third big-time winner sired by Malibu Moon.
Delving into Gormley’s Lineage
So, I got curious about Malibu Moon. Turns out, Gormley’s first “date” was with him. That made me chuckle. But what got me was this tidbit about Castleton Lyons having a leg in the horse. I’m not exactly sure what the term “leg” refers to but it’s about ownership. I suppose this is something about how horse racing works.
This whole thing took an odd turn when I stumbled upon something completely unrelated. I learned that the northwest corner of Trafalgar Square has a plinth that’s been empty since 1841. It was meant for a statue of William IV, an equestrian one. But due to insufficient funds, it remained empty.
I went down a little rabbit hole here and I learned that this plinth is one of four. It was meant to stand alongside the three other statues, including one of George IV. Why did I even find this? I don’t know. But, hey, that’s how these things go sometimes. You start with a racehorse and end up in a London square.
Anyway, that’s my little adventure with the Gormley Stallion. It wasn’t just about the horse in the end. It became this weird journey through lineage, horse racing, and even a bit of London’s history.
Maybe some of you know more about horse racing. Let me know what you think, eh?
