Charlottown

Charlottown had a successful first season, being unbeaten in three starts. He won the Solario Stakes at Sandown by eight lengths, the Blackwood Stakes and the Horris Hill Stakes at Newbury. In the Free Handicap, an end of year ranking of the best two-year-olds he was rated five pounds below the top weight Young Emperor.

At the end of the 1966 season, Towser Gosden was forced to retire for health reasons and the training of Charlottown was taken over by Gordon Smyth.[4]

As a three-year-old in 1966 Charlottown's wins included the Derby and the Oxfordshire Stakes. Charlottown lost his unbeaten record on his three-year-old debut, when he finished second to Black Prince II in the Lingfield Derby Trial. There was some criticism of his jockey Ron Hutchinson's performance in the race, and the Derby ride on Charlottown was given to Scobie Breasley.[5]

In the Derby at Epsom, Charlottown started 5/1 third choice in the betting behind Right Noble and Pretendre who started 9/2 joint favourites. The start of the race was delayed when Charlottown lost one of his racing plates and had to be re-shod by his farrier.[3] In the race Charlottown was towards the rear of the field in the early stages before Breasley began to make progress along the rails. In the straight he moved through a gap on the inside to challenge for the lead inside the final furlong. He won the race by a neck from Pretendre, with the two colts finishing five lengths clear of the rest of the field. He became the first Lewes-trained horse to win the Derby since Waxy in 1793.[5]

In the Irish Derby at the Curragh a month later, Charlottown finished strongly after being held up in the early stages but was beaten a length by Sodium, a talented but unpredictable colt who had finished fourth in the Derby. There was some criticism of Breasley, who rode Charlottown a long way back from the early pace, giving the colt a great deal of ground to make up.[6] In August, Charlottown beat Sodium easily in the Oxfordshire Stakes at Newbury. On his final race of the year, Charlottown started favourite for the St Leger at Doncaster but was beaten a head by Sodium.

Charlottown stayed in training as a four-year-old and won the John Porter Stakes at Newbury on his debut in April. At Epsom he defeated a field which included Sodium and the Prix du Jockey Club winner Nelcius in the Coronation Cup. In July, Charlottown was sent to France for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. He ran poorly, finishing sixth of the eight runners behind Taneb. Charlottown never ran again and was retired to stud at the end of the season.[3]