The Astor family achieved prominence in business , society , and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to the Italian and Swiss Alps , the Astors settled in Germany, first appearing in North America in the 18th century with John Jacob Astor , one of the wealthiest people in history.
31-707: The Astor Cup was awarded by members of the Astor family in the United States in two different sports: Astor Cup (auto race) , run in New York in 1915 and 1916 with the trophy donated by Vincent Astor . Since 2011, the trophy is presented by Indy Racing League, LLC, for the IndyCar Series Championship. Astor Cup (yachting) , first held in Newport, Rhode Island in 1882, it
62-537: A Columbia River trading post at Fort Astoria in 1811, the first United States community on the Pacific coast. He financed the overland Astor Expedition in 1810–1812 to reach the outpost, which was in the then-disputed Oregon Country . Control of Fort Astoria played a key role in English and American territorial claims on the region. John and George's brother Henry (born Heinrich) (1754–1833) also emigrated to America. Henry
93-513: A Thoroughbred foaled in England in 1780 named Messenger . He was a gray stallion imported to the United States in 1788. He sired a number of flat racing horses, but was best known for his great-grandson, Hambletonian 10 , also known as Rysdyk's Hambletonian, foaled in 1849 and considered the foundation sire of the breed and from whom all Standardbreds descend. Hambletonian 10 was out of
124-497: A bit heavier than, a Thoroughbred , with a large head often with a Roman nose profile , straight neck, sloping shoulder, defined withers, a deep girth, strong bone (legs) and hard feet. Standardbreds average 15 to 16 hands (60 to 64 inches, 152 to 163 cm) and typically weigh between 800 and 1,000 pounds (360 and 450 kg). They are most often bay , and less frequently brown , black , chestnut , gray or roan . Standardbreds are considered easy-to-train horses with
155-498: A dam with Norfolk Trotter breeding, and the mare and foal were purchased by William Rysdyk, a farm hand from New York state, who successfully raced the colt as a three-year-old against other horses. The horse went on to sire 1,331 offspring, 40 of whom trotted a mile in under 2 minutes 30 seconds. Another influential sire was the Thoroughbred Diomed , born in 1777. Diomed's Thoroughbred grandson American Star, foaled in 1822,
186-709: A dormitory at St. George's School in Newport, Rhode Island, bears Astor's name. The Danubius Hotel Astoria in the center of Pest, Budapest, Hungary, opened in 1914, was given its name by the original hotel owners and Mihály Gellér, the first General Manager of the hotel, who formerly worked for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. In Shanghai, China there is the Astor House Hotel in the Bund. Mount Astor in Antarctica
217-467: A high frequency in Standardbreds. OC/OCD is a moderate to highly heritable condition in Standardbreds and similar breeds, and genetic risk factors have been identified. These findings suggest that a change in breeding practices could lower the prevalence within the breed; however, lesions may resolve on their own or can be surgically corrected. In the 17th century, the first trotting races were held in
248-593: A member of a Reformed congregation to his death. For many years, the members of the Astor family were known as "the landlords of New York". Their New York City namesakes are the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel , an Astor Row , Astor Court , Astor Place , and Astor Avenue in the Bronx , where the Astors stabled horses. The neighborhood of Astoria, Queens , was renamed to incite John Jacob Astor to invest there. Beyond New York City,
279-445: A willing submissive nature. Standardbreds race either at a trot or pace . In the trot, the horse's legs move in diagonal pairs; when the right foreleg moves forward, so does the left hind leg, and vice versa. In the pace each foreleg moves in unison with the hind leg on the same side. However, the breed is able to perform other horse gaits, including the canter , though this gait is penalized in harness racing. Pacers still retain
310-523: Is a park (also called "Astor Park"); the Astor family donated this land for the building of a trade school. The Astors were also prominent on Mackinac Island , Michigan , and Newport, Rhode Island , with their summer house, Beechwood . At Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, there are the Lord and Lady Astor Suites; the hotel salon is called Astor's. There is even a Hostel in York , England called The Astor. In addition,
341-507: Is an annual event with the trophy donated by John Jacob Astor III Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Astor Cup . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astor_Cup&oldid=606558502 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
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#1732858265292372-399: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Astor family John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor) was the youngest of four sons born to Johann Jacob Astor (1724–1816) and Maria Magdalena vom Berg (1730–1764). The Astor family can trace their ancestry back to Giovan Asdour (1595–1668) and Gretta Ursula Asdour (1589–?). Giovan
403-528: Is possible for trotters to produce a pacer, these gait-specific breeding practices are causing Standardbreds to differentiate into two subpopulations based on gait, more distinct than some breeds. The ability to pace is linked to a single-point mutation in gene DMRT3 , which is expressed in the I6 subdivision of spinal cord neurons; this area is responsible for coordinating the locomotor network controlling limb movements. The point mutation causes early termination of
434-504: The "standard" required of breeding stock, to be able to trot or pace a mile within a certain time limit. Every Standardbred had to be able to trot a mile in less than two minutes and 30 seconds. Today, many Standardbreds are faster than this original standard, with several pacing the mile within 1 min, 50 sec, and trotters only a few seconds slower than pacers. Slightly different bloodlines are found in trotters than in pacers, though both can trace their heritage back to Hambletonian 10. At
465-602: The 1990 film Kindergarten Cop , is called John Jacob Astor Elementary . The city is also home to the Astoria Column . In Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom, there was a secondary state school named Astor of Hever School. It was located within Oakwood Park, a former residence of the Astor family, which the family gifted to the Borough of Maidstone to be used for educational purposes. Whilst the Astor of Hever School changed its name in
496-577: The Americas, usually in fields on horses under saddle. However, by the mid-18th century, trotting races were held on official courses, with the horses in harness . Breeds that have contributed foundation stock to the Standardbred breed included the Narragansett Pacer , Canadian Pacer , Thoroughbred , Norfolk Trotter , Hackney , and Morgan . The foundation bloodlines of the Standardbred trace to
527-558: The Astor family have held a controlling or otherwise substantial interest. Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing where they compete at either a trot or pace . Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace its bloodlines to 18th-century England. They are solid, well-built horses with good dispositions. Standardbreds are generally well-muscled and similar to, but
558-505: The Astor family name is imprinted in a great deal of United States history and geography. Astor Street , in Chicago's landmark Gold Coast district, is named after John Jacob Astor. There are towns of Astor in the states of Florida , Georgia , Iowa , and Kansas and there are Astorias in Illinois , Missouri , and Oregon . In Astoria, Oregon, the primary elementary school, a filming location for
589-429: The ability to trot and do so regularly; however, they are labeled by the gait they race at. Additionally, some trotters are able to pace, but prefer to race at the trot. Today's Standardbreds race in the same gait for their whole career, with rare exception. And although the gaits are similar, the pace is faster than the trot. Today's Standardbreds are commonly bred trotters to trotters, and pacers to pacers. Although it
620-518: The early 2010s, it is still located on the Oakwood Park Estate, along with a Grammar School, a Catholic Secondary school and the Maidstone campus of Mid-Kent College. At one time the Oakwood Park Estate also contained an educational farm attached to the Astor of Hever School. There is a neighborhood called Astor Park just south of downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin . At the heart of this neighborhood
651-570: The family moved from America to England and achieved high prominence there. During the 20th century, the number of American Astors began to decline, but their legacy lives on in their many public works including the New York Public Library . English descendants of the Astors hold two hereditary peerages : Viscount Astor and Baron Astor of Hever . While many Astor family members joined the Episcopal Church , John Jacob Astor remained
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#1732858265292682-528: The first Standardbred horse ever to win US$ 1 million, and the ninth horse to do so worldwide—the first eight were Thoroughbreds. The Amish have been purchasing off-the-track Standardbreds for a long time, and almost all Amish horses were first trained in the racing industry. A horse may have become too slow for racing, but it is not too slow for pulling a buggy . Standardbreds have an easy-going nature and readily take to such an environment. By purchasing ex-racehorses,
713-732: The foundation of the United States Trotting Association in 1939, a closed stud book was proposed. The studbook was not officially closed until 1973, however, it is likely that it was effectively closed prior. In 2009, in an effort to reduce the loss of genetic diversity within the breed, the United States Trotting Association capped the studbook for all new sires to 140 mares per year. This went into effect immediately for trotting stallions, and gradually for pacing stallions. Standardbreds are primarily used for driving and most start their lives headed to
744-629: The gene by coding for a stop codon , thus altering the function of this transcription factor . Uniquely, both pacing and trotting American Standardbreds are fixed for the DMRT3 variant. This suggest that there is at least one additional genetic variant that controls trotting and pacing in Standardbreds. However, European Standardbreds are not yet fixed for this DMRT3 variant, although homozygous individuals have better performance records. Osteochondrosis (OC) , osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) , and other related developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD) appear at
775-643: The race track. Standardbreds are known for their skill in harness racing, being the fastest trotting horses in the world. Because of their speed, Standardbreds are often used to upgrade other breeds of harness racers around the world, such as the Orlov Trotter and French Trotter . In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, races are held for both trotters and pacers. In continental Europe, all harness races are conducted between trotters. In 1968, New Zealand-bred Cardigan Bay became
806-499: The standard remainder to the legitimate male heirs of the bodies of the original grantees. Both of the current titleholders continue to sit in the House of Lords following the expulsion of the majority of the hereditary peers by the House of Lords Act 1999 . The following is a list of figures closely aligned with or subordinate to the Astor family. The following is a list of companies in which
837-469: Was a horse racing enthusiast, and purchased a thoroughbred named Messenger , who had been brought from England to America in 1788. The horse became the founding sire of all Standardbred horses in the United States today. The third brother Melchior remained in Germany. During the 19th century, the Astors became one of the wealthiest families in the United States . Toward the end of that century, some of
868-564: Was active first as a dealer in woodwind instruments , then in New York as a merchant in opium , furs , pianos , and real estate . After moving to New York, John met and married Sarah Cox Todd (1762–1842). She worked alongside her husband as a consultant, and was accused of witchcraft after her success with the company in 1817. The accusations never led to legal action. They had eight children, including John Jacob Astor Jr. (1791–1869) and real estate businessman William Backhouse Astor Sr. (1792–1875). John Jacob's fur trading company established
899-704: Was born in Chiavenna , Italy, and died in Zürich , Switzerland. Their son, Hans Pieter Asdor, was born in Switzerland and died in Nußloch . John Jacob and his brother George, born in Walldorf left Germany and moved to London in 1778. There, they established a flute making company. In 1783, John Jacob left for Baltimore, Maryland , leaving his brother in charge of the London business, and
930-479: Was influential in the development of the breed through the mares of his progeny by American Star 14 being bred to Hambletonian 10. When the sport started to gain popularity, more selective breeding was done to produce the faster harness trotter. The first national Standardbred breed registry was formed in United States in 1879 by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders. The name arose due to
961-512: Was named after Vincent Astor by the explorer Richard E. Byrd . Both in the Peerage of the United Kingdom , the titles [REDACTED] Viscount Astor , of Hever Castle in the County of Kent (1917), with subsidiary title [REDACTED] Baron Astor , of Hever Castle in the County of Kent (1916), and [REDACTED] Baron Astor of Hever , of Hever Castle in the County of Kent (1956), were granted with