Cotherstone (1840–1864) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from September 1841 to July 1843 he ran eleven times and won eight races. After being beaten on his debut, Cotherstone won his next six races including the 1843 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby. A narrow defeat in the St. Leger Stakes prevented him from being recognised as the first winner of the English Triple Crown. He was regarded by contemporary experts as one of the best British racehorses of his era. After sustaining a serious injury in his only race in 1844 he was retired to stud where he had moderate success.
Background
Cotherstone was a "bright" bay horse with a small white star and one white pastern, standing 15.2 hands high, bred by his owner John Bowes at his stud at Streatlam Castle in County Durham. Bowes named the colt after a nearby village. Cotherstone's dam was a mare named Emma, who had already produced the 1835 Derby winner Mündig, and went on to give birth to Mowerina, the dam of the Triple Crown winner West Australian. His sire, Touchstone, won the St Leger and two Ascot Gold Cups, before going on to be an outstandingly successful stallion. Apart from Cotherstone, his classic winners included Surplice, Orlando and Newminster and he was Champion sire on four occasions.
Bowes sent Cotherstone into training with John Scott who trained forty classic winners at his base at Whitewall stables, Malton, North Yorkshire. The colt was ridden in most of his important races by the trainer's younger brother, Bill Scott. Cotherstone was not an impressive individual at first, being weak and sickly as a yearling, and making little progress as a two-year-old. He was described as being "thin-fleshed" and "always amiss".
Racing career
1842: two-year-old season
Cotherstone began to show potential towards the end of 1842 and despite being beaten in a private trial race by a colt named The Era (a future Northumberland Plate winner), he was sent to run at Newmarket in the autumn. Before he ran, Cotherstone had been introduced into the betting lists for the following year's Derby, with bookmakers offering odds of 20/1 on 20 October. On 24 October he made his public debut when he ran in the Criterion Stakes in which he finished unplaced behind Gaper, Pineapple and Testy. Four days later he reappeared in the Nursery Stakes in which he ran a dead-heat with an unnamed filly later called Mania. The owners of the two winners agreed to divide the prize money. Cotherstone's efforts at Newmarket did not impress the bookmakers and his odds for the Derby drifted out to 50/1. At the end of 1842, Bowes lost patience with the colt and planned to sell him to Scott, but the deal fell through at the last moment.
1843: three-year-old season
Spring
In early 1843 an impressive performance in a training gallop with a good horse name All Fours convinced Bowes and John Scott that Cotherstone was a serious contender for the Derby. Bill Scott, who rode the colt in the trial was convinced that he was the best that he had ever ridden. Bowes placed a series of large bets on the colt and arranged for strict security measures at the Malton stables to protect him from any attempts by unscrupulous bookmakers to "nobble" (deliberately injure) him. Cotherstone made his first public appearance as a three-year-old at the Craven meeting at Newmarket on 17 April when ran in the Riddlesworth Stakes. Ridden by Frank Butler, he settled in second place before going clear in the closing stages to win by three lengths from Pompey. His odds for the Derby were immediately shortened from 20/1 to 12/1. Two days later he added the Column Produce Stakes, in which the beaten horses included the filly Extempore, who went on to win the 1000 Guineas. So impressive were Cotherstone's performances that when he returned to Newmarket for the 2000 Guineas at the Spring meeting, only two horses turned out to oppose him. Starting at odds of 1/3 he won by three lengths in "a mere canter" from Cornopean and Mallard.