page_title: Lord Lyon (horse)
section_title: 1866: three-year-old season
hierarchical_section_title: Lord Lyon (horse) / Racing career / 1866: three-year-old season
caption_attribution_description: English: Thoroughbreds, Lord Lyon (left) and Elland (by Rataplan) in 1867 with owner Sir Richard Sutton holding the reins. Lord Lyon was a Triple Crown winner in 1866 and Elland won the 1866 Queen's Vase.
context_page_description: Lord Lyon was a British Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1866 Epsom Derby, 2,000 Guineas Stakes and the St. Leger Stakes, becoming the third winner of the English Triple Crown. Lord Lyon raced until he was four-years old and was retired to stud in 1868. He is considered to be a marginally successful sire with his most notable progeny being the colt Minting and the filly Placida. He was euthanized in April 1887 after several years of failing health.
context_section_description: In the winter of 1866-1867 Lord Lyon was one of the leading fancies for the Derby, although some observers doubted his stamina. Among the other leading contenders was his former stable companion, Rustic.
  On his three-year-old debut, Lord Lyon started 4/7 favourite for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in a field of fifteen runners. Ridden by R Thomas (Harry Custance was injured), he won from Monarch of the Glen.
  At Epsom he again started odds-on favourite against twenty-five opponents. The start of the race was delayed for half an hour by false starts. Lord Lyon was not among the early leaders but moved steadily forward to dispute the lead with Redan turning into the straight. At this point he was overtaken on the inside by the unnamed "Bribery Colt" (later named Savernake) who opened up a clear lead. Custance persevered however and Lord Lyon responded to catch the Bribery Colt in the last strides and win by a head with Rustic three lengths back in third. The first three finishers were all sons of Stockwell. Lord Lyon reappeared at Royal Ascot and was second to Rustic in the Prince of Wales's Stakes, with Lord Lyon carrying 129 pounds and Rustic carrying 125 pounds.
  At Doncaster in September Lord Lyon defeated Savernake "by sheer gameness and stamina" in the St Leger, winning by a head after what was described as one of the most exciting races seen in many years. The win completed what is now known as the Triple Crown, although it was not referred to as such in contemporary sources. On the day following his win in the St Leger, he finished second to Rama in the Doncaster Cup over two and a half miles. In October, Lord Lyon was sent to Newmarket, where he won the Select Stakes and the Grand Duke Michael Stakes and was second to the two-year-old colt Friponnier in the All-aged Stakes. Also at Newmarket he ran a match race against Rustic and reversed the result of his Ascot defeat to take the £1,000 stake by a margin of 20 lengths.
caption: Lord Lyon (left) in 1867 with his racing-lessee Richard Sutton and five-year-old colt and Queen's Vase winner Elland in a painting by Harry Hall.
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