Bronze (1803 – July 1827) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic Oaks Stakes at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 1806. Bronze's classic win left her unbeaten in three starts, but her subsequent racing career was undistinguished: in eighteen more races she recorded only three wins, two of which were at relatively minor tracks. After being retired to stud in 1809 she proved to be a highly successful and influential broodmare, whose direct descendants have won many important races up to the present day.
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Background
Bronze was a brown mare bred either by Berkeley Craven (1776–1836), a younger son of William Craven, 6th Baron Craven, who owned her during her early racing career or by the 4th Duke of Queensberry. As a daughter of the stallion Buzzard and the unnamed Alexander mare, Bronze was a full sister to Selim, Rubens and Castrel, three successful racehorses who went on to become influential sires: Selim was Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1814, Rubens succeeded him in 1815 and Castrel was the direct male ancestor of numerous successful horses including Thormanby and The Tetrarch. Buzzard also sired the St Leger Stakes winner Quiz before being sold and exported to Virginia in 1804.