Barbados Champion Incitatus – His Progeny Make Sure He’s Not Forgotten

By Jude T. Feld

Incitatus, the Latin word for “speedy,” was the name of Roman Emperor Caligula’s favorite horse. Legend indicates that the horse was attended to by eighteen servants and was fed oats mixed with gold flake. Suetonius wrote in the Lives of the Twelve Caesars that “Incitatus had a stable of marble, with an ivory manger, purple blankets and a collar of precious stones.”

Caligula loved his horse and it is speculated that although he planned to make Incitatus a consul, it was more the Emperor’s way of degrading the senate than making Incitatus a political figure. Caligula did procure him a wife however, a magnificent-looking mare named Penelope.

The Emperor declared that since his horse was a “combination of all the gods” he should be worshiped as such and provided Incitatus with a massive staff of servants to entertain any dignitaries the horse would invite to dine with him.
Also named Incitatus was a foal of 1993 by Nosferatu – Balage by Horage, bred in Barbados by J.L. Beuzelin and Challenor Jones, his trainer.

Considered by many to be “the greatest Barbados-bred of all-time,” Incitatus won over $1 million BBS in his illustrious career, racing at the Garrison Savannah and at Woodbine Race Course in Canada, where he won two Grade 2 events, the Connaught Cup in 1999 and the King Edward Breeders’ Cup Handicap in 2000.

Unfortunately, Incitatus had only a limited chance to prove his worth in the breeding shed before he met his untimely demise.
The champion from Barbados only has nine foals to represent his legacy, yet in the last three racing seasons, five of those foals have started and three of them have won.

On Saturday, July 26, at Del Mar racetrack in California, a three-year-old colt by Incitatus, a lovely chestnut just like his sire, won the final race on the program, charging from dead last to get up in the shadow of the wire under jockey Mike Baze, keying a huge pick six payoff.

Three of his 2005 crop remain unraced – Miss Inci, Inci’s Sweet Vice and Inci’s Girl – but don’t ignore them when they head to the post. In them beats the heart of a champion.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 10:25 am and is filed under Featured Articles. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.