Eclipse won all 18 of his races in Britain between 1769 and 1770.
Bred by the Duke of Cumberland, Eclipse was foaled during a solar eclipse on 1 April 1764, inspiring his name. He began racing as a five-year-old and quickly became the dominant racehorse of his era.
Eclipse often won by such wide margins that his jockeys were instructed to restrain him. His superiority also helped popularize the phrase “Eclipse first, the rest nowhere,” used when no rival finished close enough to matter.
Eclipse never raced in the modern Triple Crown era, and his 18 victories came in a very different racing system, including heats and long-distance contests. He nevertheless became one of the most influential stallions in Thoroughbred history: more than 90 percent of modern Thoroughbreds trace a direct paternal line to him through his son Potoooooooo.