He was sired by the Prix du Jockey Club winner Charlottesville and was the fifth and best foal of the racemare Meld who won the Fillies' Triple Crown in 1955.

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.

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 Breasley, who rode Charlottown a long way back from the early pace, giving the colt a great deal of ground to make up.

On his final race of the year, Charlottown started favourite for the St Leger at Doncaster but was beaten a head by Sodium.

At Epsom he defeated a field which included Sodium and the Prix du Jockey Club winner Nelcius in the Coronation Cup.

[7] By the time of his retirement, Charlottown's earnings of £78,000 made him Britain's leading money-earner, breaking the record set by Tulyar.