 He was sired by Doncaster, a son of Stockwell, out of the mare, Rouge Rose by Thormanby.Thormanby won the 1860 Epsom Derby and the 1861 Ascot Gold Cup and was in 1869 the leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland.Bend Or made his first racecourse appearance in July 1879 in the Chesterfield Stakes at Newmarket.