View source for Zoedone

{{short description|British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox racehorse
| horsename = Zoedone
|image_name = 
|caption = 
| sire = New Owestry
| grandsire = Knight of Kars
| dam = Miss Honiton
| damsire = Honiton
| sex = [[Mare]]
| foaled = 1877<ref name="pedigree">{{cite web|url=https://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricDams/HBMares/HB15.html
|website=tbheritage.com|title=HB family 1|access-date=2021-04-10}}</ref>
| country = United Kingdom
| colour = [[Chestnut (horse color)|Chestnut]]
| breeder =
| owner = [[Karl, 8th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Count Charles Kinsky]]
| trainer = W Jenkins
| record =
| earnings =
| race = [[Grand National]] ([[1883 Grand National|1883]])
| awards = 
| honours = 
| updated= 
}}

'''Zoedone''' (foaled 1877) was a British-bred [[Thoroughbred]] [[horse racing|racehorse]] who won the [[Grand National]] in 1883 while being ridden by her owner [[Karl, 8th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Count Charles Kinsky]].

Zoedone was a chestnut filly and was initially bought as a hunter for £170 by Edward Clayton who quickly saw the racing potential she had and so he entered her into the [[1882 Grand National]]. Clayton asked his experienced jockey friend, Arthur Smith to ride Zoedone. She finished third in bad, rainy and snowy conditions,<ref name ="RC">{{cite web|url= http://www.race-call.com/grand-national/sickly-seaman-carries-the-day-1190030.html|title= Sickly Seaman Carries the Day|publisher= Race Call|access-date= 21 June 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110612184343/http://www.race-call.com/grand-national/sickly-seaman-carries-the-day-1190030.html|archive-date= 12 June 2011|url-status= dead}}</ref> but she was noted for her sturdiness, jumping ability and stamina. She followed this by winning the Warwick Grand Annual steeplechase.

She was spotted by [[Karl, 8th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Count Charles Kinsky]] while hunting in [[Melton, East Riding of Yorkshire|Melton]] and the Czech count bought her in late 1882 for £800, with a £200 contingency, should she win the Grand National.<ref name="pedigree"/> Count Kinsky decided to ride her himself and so both himself and Zoedone went to Upton to be trained by Snowy Harding.<ref name="GN">{{Cite web|url=https://www.grandnationalultimatehistory.com/races-1883.html|title=1883}}</ref> 

Zoedone and Kinsky went on to win the [[1883 Grand National]]. The race consisted of 10 horses making it the smallest field in Grand National history.<ref name="nostalgia"/> In heavy going Kinsky rode Zoedone to an easy victory with the slowest time ever recorded for the Grand National: 11 minutes, 39 seconds.<ref name="nostalgia">Haywood, Linda. (4 April 2008) [http://www.popular-nostalgia.com/a-big-long-history-of-the-grand-national-258/ A Big Long History of the Grand National] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006141420/http://www.popular-nostalgia.com/a-big-long-history-of-the-grand-national-258/ |date=6 October 2014 }}. Popular Nostalgia. Retrieved on 11 March 2011.</ref> This record would stand for 118 years until [[Red Marauder]] ran even slower in 2001.<ref name="GN"/><ref>London Evening Standard, Saturday 31 March 1883, Page 3, Column 6</ref>

In 1884 Zoedone was ridden by Kinsky again in the Grand National where she placed fourth. The following year, 1885, she was second favorite but she fell when schooling over a hurdle before the race and then fell at Beachers Brook. Rumours persisted that she had been poisoned.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-04-14 |title=Great Grand National disasters |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/great-grand-national-disasters-7277941.html |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref>

Zoedone was retired and sent to the Kinsky stud in Europe.<ref name="pedigree" />

==Grand National record==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Grand National
!Position
![[Jockey]]
!Age
!Weight
![[Starting price|SP]]
!Distance
|-
|[[1882 Grand National|1882]]
|3rd
|Arthur Smith
|5
|10-0
|20/1
|A distance
|-
|[[1883 Grand National|1883]]
|1st
|[[Karl, 8th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Count Charles Kinsky]]
|6
|11-0
|100/8
|Won by 10 lengths
|-
|[[1884 Grand National|1884]]
|6th
|[[Karl, 8th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Count Charles Kinsky]]
|7
|12-2
|100/7
|
|-
|[[1885 Grand National|1885]]
|DNF
|[[Karl, 8th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Count Charles Kinsky]]
|8
|11-1
|15/1
|Fell at fence 21
|}

==Pedigree==
{{Pedigree
|name = Zoedone (GB), chestnut filly, 1877<ref name="pedigree" />
|inf =
|f = New Owestry (GB)<br />1864
|m = Miss Honiton (GB)<br />
|ff = Knight of Kars<br />
|fm = Debonnaire<br />
|mf = Honiton<br />
|mm = 
|fff = 
|ffm = Pocahontas
|fmf =
|fmm = 
|mff = Stockton
|mfm = 
|mmf = 
|mmm = 
|ffff =
|fffm = 
|ffmf = 
|ffmm = 
|fmff = 
|fmfm = 
|fmmf = 
|fmmm = 
|mfff =
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|mfmf =
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|mmmm =
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1877 racehorse births]]
[[Category:Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Grand National winners]]