Matchem (from the Godolphin Arabian line) Herod (from the Byerley Turk line) and Eclipse (from the Darley Arabian line) are known as the three progenitors.

 

All three of these horses had crosses to James D’Arcy’s stallions in the first six generations.

 

Between them they share 14 common ancestors and the Byerley Turk is found in each of the three pedigrees, plus one other founding stallion.

 

The founding stallions who were among 160 stallions imported into Britain, stand out as producing the perfect thoroughbred cocktail in the three progenitors, which links to our modern-day racehorses.

 

There is a concern about genetics, given that the majority of today’s racehorses trace back to the male tail line of the Darley Arabian.

 

Pearl Secret, who stands at Norton Grove Stud, near Malton in North Yorkshire is one of a handful of stallions that traces his line back to the Byerley Turk, while the Godolphin Arabian’s presence comes through Bearstone Stud’s Dream Ahead, who sired 2020 Yorkshire Horse of the Year, Glass Slippers, trained by Kevin Ryan and ridden by Tom Eaves.