Mundig (1832–1852) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from May 1835 to October 1836 he ran ten times and won four races. In May 1835 he recorded his most important success on his racecourse debut when he won The Derby. Mundig was the first Derby winner to be trained in the North of England and the first of five trained at Malton, North Yorkshire by John Scott. Mundig was given a very hard race at Epsom and never reproduced his Derby-winning form: his subsequent successes came in relatively unimportant races. After his retirement he was exported to stand as a stallion in Prussia.
Background
Mundig was a powerfully-built dark chestnut horse standing 15.3 hands high with a white star and a white sock on his hind leg. He was owned and bred by John Bowes at Streatlam Castle, County Durham. Bowes had inherited a large fortune when very young. In 1835, when Mundig was foaled, Bowes reached the age of twenty-one and gained full control of his property and wealth: "Mündig" is German for "of age", but the Germanic umlaut was not used in spelling the name. Bowes sent his colt into training with John Scott who trained forty classic winners at his base at Whitewall stables, Malton, North Yorkshire.
Mundig's dam was a mare named Emma, who went on to produce the 1843 Derby winner Cotherstone, and later gave birth to Mowerina, the dam of the Triple Crown winner West Australian. His sire Catton was a successful racehorse who once won fourteen races in succession. In addition to Mundig he sired the St Leger winner Tarrare and the stallion Mulatto.
Racing career
1835: three-year-old season
Mundig was unraced as a two-year-old, but his performances in home exercise gallops and private trial races made him a fancy for the Derby. He was the subject of heavy betting by the Scott family and by Bowes, although a great deal of secrecy surrounded his form, making him a very "dark horse". In April, Scott discovered that one of his stable lads had been passing information to bookmakers. Rather than expose and dismiss the lad, Scott fed him false information, to the effect that the colt would not run at Epsom. Mundig's odds lengthened and his connections were able to back him at 50/1.
Ridden by Bill Scott, the brother of his trainer, Mundig started at odds of 6/1 in a field of fourteen runners for the Derby on 3 June. Confusingly, there were two horses in the race called "Ibrahim", one of whom, a colt owned by Lord Jersey, started 7/4 favourite. Heavy rain had made the ground soft and muddy, but did not deter the usual huge crowds who were entertained between races by "conjurors, learned donkies, posture masters, Punchinellos &c". Several false starts saw the race beginning half an hour late, at a few minutes after three o’clock. Although the early pace was fast, almost all the leading contenders were still in contention as the field turned into the straight, and spread out across the width of the course. The closing stages saw four horses enter the final furlong almost level: Ascot and Lord Jersey's Ibrahim raced along the inside rail, while Mundig and the 100/1 outsider Pelops ran up the stands side. In an extremely close finish, Mundig was declared the winner by a neck from Ascot. The race was described as "one of the closest and best contested Derbys ever run". In addition to the winners prize of £3,550, Bowes and his associates were reported to have taken up to £20,000 in winning bets. Much credit for the win was given to Bill Scott, who rode a very strong finish, making extensive use of his whip and spurs. He had backed the colt heavily and was reported to have said on the eve of the race that he would win the Derby even if he had to "cut Mundig to pieces". According to the Court Journal, Mundig's win was greeted with great celebrations by his Northern supporters who waved impromptu flags and left the course crying "Yorkshire for ever! Mundig for ever!" Mail coaches passing through Yorkshire blew horns and flew flags in John Bowes black racing colour to mark Mundig's victory, leading one vicar to believe that the King must have died.