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Concept
Gay Crusader
Summary
Gay Crusader (1914–1932) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won a wartime version of the English Triple Crown in 1917. In a career which lasted from September 1916 and October 1917 he ran ten times and won eight races, including his last seven in succession. In addition to his three Classic wins he defeated older horses in the Newmarket Gold Cup and the Champion Stakes. Because of wartime restrictions, all of his races were at Newmarket Racecourse. After being injured in training in 1918 he was retired to stud, where his record was disappointing.
Gay Crusader was a bay horse of "beautiful quality" bred by his owner Alfred W Cox, who used the name "Mr Fairie" for his racing interests. He was sired by Cox's stallion Bayardo, regarded as the best British racehorse of his time, and was the first foal of the mare Gay Laura, a daughter of Galeottia, who had won the 1000 Guineas for Cox in 1895. Gay Laura won a race as a two-year-old and was the dam of five other winners that won 14 races worth £9,906. The most notable of these was the successful Steeplechaser Sea Rover. Cox sent the colt into training with Alec Taylor, Jr. at Manton, Wiltshire
Gay Crusader was a small and weak yearling and early in his two-year-old season his progress was delayed by sore shins. It was autumn before he appeared on a racecourse when he ran in the Clearwell Stakes at Newmarket and finished sixth of the twelve runners. Despite this performance he was moved up in class for the Criterion Stakes over the same course in October. He was not strongly fancied, but won the race in a close finish by a head from the filly Molly Desmond.
The First World War led to a restricted and restructured racing schedule from 1915 to 1918, with many racecourses, including Epsom, Ascot and Doncaster being used by the military or closed to conserve resources. As many important races could not be run at their usual venues, wartime substitute races were run at alternative courses, with Newmarket being particularly favoured.
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