JOHNA.SEAVERNS HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University 200 Westboro Road NorthGrafton, MA 01536 Horse-racing in England A SY NOPTICAL REVIEW ROBERT BLACK AUTHOR OF HORSE-RACING IN FKANCE,' 'tHE JOCKEY CLUH AND ITS FOUNDERS, ETC. LONDON RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON publishers in (Oriiiiar)) to ^)cr ^itlajcstu the (S«c«n 1893 ( A II rig li ti reset z 'ecf\ i~) PREFACE. Horse-racing in England, and the growth of the institution which is commonly called the English Turf, are subjects upon which information, both general and particular, is requested intermittently, whenever any great race is about to be decided, by all sorts and conditions of men, as common ex- perience proves. But the public interest in such matters is not sufficiently absorbing or continuous to secure a wide patronage for the ponderous volumes, published at a correspondingly heavy price, in which one or two attempts have been made from time to time to satisfy what is a constantly recurring, but nevertheless, with the majority of mankind, a transient desire. It is probable, however, that a single volume, neither ponderous nor unduly expensive, and containing not only a synoptical review, reign by reign, from Charles II. to Victoria, of the development at- tained by the turf and its accessories, with not an vi PREFACE inordinate amount of detail, but also an answer to most, if not to all, questions which, ac- cording to a pretty long experience, are asked from year to year, whenever the great events of the season are approaching, or are in actual pro- gress, may meet with more favour and acceptance. In one other point, besides the systematic divi- sion into periods corresponding with the reigns of successive sovereigns, the work will be found unique ; for it concludes with a chronologically arranged collection of certain matches (un- doubtedly the most interesting and most conclu- sive, if not the most striking and picturesque, form of racing) which have been memorable for the personages engaged, or the horses tried, or the weights carried, or the distances run, or the stakes risked, or the time occupied (as Americans say, the ' clocking '), or, lastly, the cruelty (which, to the shame of mankind, seems to be considered almost a matter of course in matches ■ for en- durance ') sometimes practised. It can hardly be necessary to enumerate all the calendars, stud-books, histories of the turf, publi- cations dealing with the race-horse and horse- racing, and newspapers, which have been ransacked PREFACE vii for the purposes of the work ; but special acknow- ledgment must be made to Mr. J. B. Muir for occasional help borrowed from his recent volume (' Ye Okie Newmarkitt Calendar '), which must have cost him an infinity of trouble. His name is mentioned in nearly every case of indebtedness, or an asterisk is employed to distinguish such ' matches ' as are recorded on his authority. Op- portunity may be taken here for saying that, though he seems to have detected an inaccuracy both in ' Pick ' and in the ' Stud Book,' his own suggestion that the Bonny Black was foaled in 1708 or 1709 is quite out of the question; for there can be no doubt of her having won the Hambleton Gold Cup both in 17 19 and 1720, and that Cup, we read, was originally ' free for either horse, mare, or gelding, provided they were no more than five years old,' and the restriction as to age was not touched when the Cup was ' made for mares only.' Whereas, according to Mr. Muir's suggestion, Bonny Black would have won the Cup the first time when she was eleven or ten years old, and the second when she was twelve or eleven years old (for the race was run in August), and there would have been no protest or viii PREFACE objection in either case ; which seems incredible, even if it be admitted that the mare would liave been running for all those years (which is not in itself impossible, though improbable, for the period at which she lived), and that she would have had nothing recorded about her from 1713 to 1718. On the other hand, there is nothing more likely than that the Duke of Rutland should have named a mare foaled in 1715 after another that had been foaled in 1708, and, after winning a g'reat match in 1 7 13, had died, or gone to the stud, and that ' Pick ' should have confounded the two. The two would not necessarily have been running at the same time, as Mr. Muir assumes would have been the case ; and, indeed, the elder could not have been the winner in 17 19 and 1720 of the Hambleton Cup, which was for five-year-olds (or under) ; whereas nothing was more common in the old times than a repetition of names or the continuance of a name from a senior to a junior. Lastly, there is the possibility of a misprint in the paper on which Mr. Muir relied, and ' Pick ' may be right after all, for 17 13 is easily misprinted for 1718. While this work was passing through the press, PREFACE ix a few incidents occurred which could not be noticed at their proper place in the text. P'or instance, the Jockey Club received an accession of royalty in the person of the Duke of York ; and Isinglass became entitled to be added to the number of horses (p. 66) that have run the Derby in 2 minutes 43 seconds, the shortest time on record. Moreover, a subsequent personal examination of the letter from Swift to Stella, referred to at p. 14, has led me to doubt whether my authority was right in assuming that the horse-race men- tioned by the Dean took place at Ascot, which is not expressly named in the letter. It strikes me as more probable that the scene of the race was Windsor Forest, where races seem to have been run as early, certainly, as 1699, if not before. Still, there appears to be no doubt whatever that Queen Anne attended races at Ascot in 17 12, if not in 171 1. It may be well to add, lest anybody should not see at once why stress has been laid upon the ages of certain jockeys here and there, that the ' wasting ' which the jockey's vocation entails is supposed very commonly to be injurious, and to shorten life. But there is reason to think that X PREFACE the supposition is erroneous ; and that, if a jockey escapes accident and avoids intemperance, his ' wasting ' and other hardships will not, as a rule — though, of course, there may be exceptions — prevent him from attaining, and even exceeding, the average number of years. R. B. June 8, 1893. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. PAGE Origin of the Turf — Charles II. and his Associates — Statute of Charles 11.^ — James II. and the Turf — Rye House Plot — William III. and the Turf — His As- sociates— Captain Byerley's Turk — Old Merlin and his Match — Queen Anne, Prince George of Denmark, and the Turf — Mr. Tregonwell Frampton — Prominent Personages at Newmarket in Queen Anne's Reign —Statute of Anne — Mr. Brewster Darley and his Arabian — George I. and the Turf^ — Flying Childers — Bonny Black — Brocklesby and Brocklesby Betty ■ — Bartlett's Childers- — ^Mr. Alcock and his Arabian — George II. and the Turf — The 'Culloden' Duke of Cumberland — Royal Ascot — Statute of George II. — Royal Plates : King's and Queen's — Lord Godolphin and his Arabian — The Calendars of Mr. Nelson and Mr. Cheney^ — The. 'Cracks' of George II. 's Reign — Ladies on the Turf — Colours and Nomenclature of Horses — Jockeys — Two Curious Races - - i — 55 CONTENTS CHAPTER II. SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. George III. and the Turf — Royal Patronage of Horse- racing — ■ Establishment of the ' Classic ' Races — Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales, and Epsom Races — Questions concerning the Derby and the other ' Classic ' Races — Ascot — Brighton — Lewes — Good- wood—York— A Royal Duke pushed into a Fish- pond— The Racing of Two-Year-Olds and of Yearlings — The Story of Blacklock — The Collapse of the Arabian — The Rise of the Betting Ring — -Foreigners on the English Turf — The Tattersalls and the Weatherbys — The Practice of 'Nobbling' — New- market Meetings increased from Three to Eight — Ladies on the Turf — Seven Notable Horses : Dr. Syntax, Sir Joshua, Copenhagen, Beeswing, Selim, Castrel, Rubens — Colours and Heights of Race- horses— Nomenclature — American Importations of English Horses — Castianira, Dam of Sir Archy — Diamond or Duchess and Alice Carneal — Lexington and Umpire — The Cub Mare, Dam of Old Slamer- kin — A Sensitive Bookmaker — Some Celebrated Jockeys ------- - 56 — CHAPTER III. THIRD PERIOD : GEORGE IV. AND WILLIAM IV. (ieorge IV. and the Turf — Virginia Water — Ascot — George IV. 's Race-horses and Jockeys — Prominent Turfites in his Reign — The Right of ' Warning-off ' — Curious Plague at Petvvorth Stud-farm — Tatiersall's and the Spread of 'Ring-worm ' — Three Great Horses — The N.S.W. Sir Hercules — Jockeys in the Reign CONTENTS of George IV. — His Presentation of a Gold Whip to the Irish Turf Club —Frank Buckle and his Whip, presented to the Germans— Foreign Importations of English Horses — Count and Prince Batthyany — Galopin — Ladies and the Turf — Messrs. John Mytton, Mellish, and Apperley — ' Peter ' — William IV. and the Turf — ' Patron ' of the Jockey Club — His Race- horses and Jockeys — The Fifth Duke of Richmond — The King insulted at Ascot — Celebrities of the Turf in the Reign of William IV. — Lord George Bentinck — Change of Age-taking for Race-horses — Foreigners on the English Turf — Their importation of English Horses — A Lordly Ascot Cup Field — Iroquois and Foxhall — ■' Antipodeans ' — Legislative Enactments — Jockeys — Ladies — Nomenclature — Attempts to revive the 'Arab' — Lord Cleveland con- demns the Turf— Gate-money Meetings — The Hip- podrome at Bayswater — The Bentinck Benevolent Fund -------- 113 — 152 CHAPTER IV. FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA. Queen Victoria and the Turf — Sale of the Palace at Newmarket — The Royal Stud at Hampton Court — Prince Albert — Her Majesty and the Prince at Epsom — Ascot — The Prince of Wales and the Turf — His Match with Lord Strathnairn — Conspicuous Owners and Runners of Race-horses during the Reign of Queen Victoria — Lord Palmerston, Lord Derby, Lord G. Bentinck, Sir J. Hawley, Admiral Rous — Mr. C. D. Rose and Mr. Blenkiron — 'Nobbling' — Running Rein, Leander, Ratan, Old England, Bloodstone — Messrs. Goodman, Lichtwald, W. Day, Bloodsworth, Stebbings — Tontine and Herodias — Bend Or or CONTENTS Tadcaster ? — The Chetwynd-Durham Case — Madame de Goncourt — Big Prices for Horses — Precarious- ness of Horse-racing and Race-horse-breeding — Mr. Brodrick-Cloete with Paradox and Mr. Chaplin with Hermit — Distinguished Horses exported and re- tained at Home — The Old Times and the New, as regards Stud-horses and their Fees — Ladies on the Turf — Ascendancy of the Jockey Club — Immunity of the 'Tout' — The Betting Nuisance — The Sporting Press — Tattersall's — The ' Jockey Ring ' — The Glori- fication of the Trainer — -The Apotheosis of the Jockey —'The Druid 'on Betting — Successful Bookmakers — Fordham, Archer, and Charles Wood — Other noted Jockeys of the Reign — The ' John Osborne Testi- monial ' — Trainers of the Winners in the Great Races — Colour, Height, and Nomenclature of Race-horses — General Condition of the Turf — George IV., Escape, and Mr. John Kent - - - - 153 — 274 CHAPTER V. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES. Some Preliminary Remarks about ' Clocking ' — The Prince of Wales (Richard II.), Charles II. and William HI., and their Matches — Messrs. Lepton, Calvert, and Norden ?'. Time — Honeycomb Punch — Mr. Sinclair and Mr. and Miss Pond ?'. Time — Prince George of Denmark — Queen Anne — Mr. Frampton and Sir J. Lade and Mule z'. Horse — First recorded ' Tipping ' of a Successful Jockey — First recorded ' Dead Heat ' — Long Distances — Big Wagers — Heavy Weights — Epigrammatic Matches — Mr. Cooper Thornliill v. Time — Lord March's Carriage-match — A Stupid and Cruel Match — A Thousand Miles in a Thousand Successive Hours on the same Horse — Two Thou- CONTENTS sand Nine Hundred Miles in Twenty-nine Successive Days— Holcroft the Dramatist's Story — Gimcrack — Two-year-Olds — A Mile in a Minute and Four and a Half Seconds — A Cruel Match — The Race-horse as a Trotter— The Prince of Wales (George IV.) — Thirty Stone carried by each Rider in a Match — Hambletonian and Diamond — Two Curious Matches — Sir Solomon and Cockfighter — ' Mrs. Thornton's ' Matches — Sancho and Pavilion — Sir Joshua and Filho da Puta — ^From Canterbury to London in Three Hours — Tiresias and Merlin — Sharper and the Cossack Horses — Mr. Osbaldeston's Match — The Flying Dutchman and Voltigeur — Two Matches won by Galopin — The Prince of Wales's 'Arab' Alep — A Cruel Match between French Horses — St. Simon and Duke of Richmond — James Selby v. Time — Lord Lonsdale v. Time — Prince B. de Rohan's Dangerous Feat — A Thousand Miles' Drive with One Horse in Nineteen Days — The Long Distance Military Match between Austro- Hungarian and German Officers ------ 275 — 343 Index ---------- 344 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND CHAPTER I. FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. Origin of the Turf — ^Charles II. and his Associates — Statute of Charles 11. — James II. and the Turf — Rye House Plot^ — William III. and the Turf— His Associates — Captain Byerley's Turk— Old Merlin and his Match — Queen Anne, Prince George of Denmark, and the Turf — Mr. Tregonwell Frampton — Prominent Personages at New- market in Queen Anne's Reign — Statute of Anne— Mr. Brewster Darley and his Arabian — George I. and the Turf — Flying Childers — Bonny Black — Brocklesby and Brocklesby Betty— Bartlett's Childers — Mr. Alcock and his Arabian — George II. and the Turf — The ' CuUoden ' Duke of Cumberland — Royal Ascot — Statute of George II. — Royal Plates : King's and Queen's — Lord Godolphin and his Arabian — The Calendars of Mr. Nelson and Mr. Cheney — -The 'Cracks' of George II. 's Reign- Ladies on the Turf — Colours and Nomenclature of Horses — Jockeys — Two Curious Races. Whoever pleases may hunt up the meagre details of sporadic horse-racing in various parts of Great Britain and Ireland from the days of Roman I 9 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND invasion, but it is hardly worth the pains. The English turf, as it now exists, dates from no earlier than the reign of King Charles II., of merry memory, during which period the sport grew so rapidly in favour with the people, both high and low, that the horse-races at New- market would attract as many as a thousand horsemen, to say nothing of carriages and of tlie rabble on foot. The turf, moreover, was confined at that time, in the sense in which the term is now used, almost entirely to New- market ; and with the doings there it will, there- fore, be proper to commence a synoptical review of the development attained by the institution. The simplest course will be to set out, reign by reign, a few facts concerning the most prominent personages, horses, and events connected with the racing of each period. Charles II., who reigned from 1660 to 1685, set the fashion of two meetings at Newmarket — one in the spring and the other in the autumn. There were in those days, apparently, no profes- sional jockeys of the kind with which we are now familiar, though there were men called grooms and boys called riders, who both of them rode FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 3 races occasionally, but were employed principally, so far as their performances in the pigskin went, in riding the horses for training purposes, and at exercise. The races were nearly all matches, and were usually ridden by gentlemen — by the King himself, by his friends, companions, and courtiers, and by other persons of quality. We hnd, for instance, that the King rode in person against the Duke of Monmouth, Mr. Elliot (of the Bed- chamber), and Mr. Thynne (anciently spelt Thin — short for 'at the Inn,' they say, without any idea of meagreness), who was, no doubt, an ancestor of the modern Marquises of Bath, as well as against other persons unnamed, in matches and also in Plates, ot which latter there were mighty few. Of his contemporaries who ran and rode horses at Newmarket, whether against the King or against one another, the most notable names and titles were those of the Earl of Suffolk (an- cestor of the present Earl of Suffolk and Berk- shire), the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Exeter, Lord Oxford, Lord Mountgarret, Lord Thomond (O'Brien), the Hon. Bernard Howard (of the same house as the Earl of Suffolk, and the Ad- miral Rous of the turf at that time). Lord Mon- HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND tague (of Cowdray, Sussex), who was renowned for his breed of horses, and especially of mares, the Duke of Albemarle (better known as General Monk), Mr. W. Tregonwell Frampton (of whom a probably untrue tale of horror is told, and who was ' keeper of the running horses ' to the Sovereign from 1695 ^o ^7~^)> ^^- Felton (a name of historic, though sinister, memory), Lord Godol- phin (whose son was to do so much for the English breed of horses with his ' Godolphin Arabian '), the free-spoken Mr. Tom Killigrew, and, above all, the two royal bastards, the young Dukes of Richmond and Grafton, whose names, when they must have been mere children, are to be found among the racers at Newmarket, and whose descendants have been among the most eminent patrons of the turf. The horses that ran at Newmarket in Charles II. 's reign, so far as can be discovered, did not set their mark in very many cases upon the pedigrees of the modern thoroughbred (though, perhaps, Spanker and Brimmer were among them), and consequently there is no reason why their names should be recorded here. To satisfy curiosity, however, it may be worth while to mention FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 5 some of the King's own horses, such as Wood- cock, beaten by Mr. ElHot's Flatfoot, ' owners up,' in 1671 ; Blew Capp, or Blue Cap (unless the description of the rider's cap have been mistaken for the name of the horse), Shuffler, Tankot(?), Corke, Mouse, and Dragon. It is well known, however, that by importation of foreign horses, especially mares, from Tangier, which was a portion of Catherine of Braganza's dowry, the King did great service to the cause of horse-breeding. For, to take but a single case, from one of those mares, called Royal Mares, not only came the valuable sire Dodsworth (a 'natural' Barb), and the valuable mare Vixen (Mr. Child's) ; but from her descend, among other distinguished horses, the noted Barbarian, and that prince among French thorough-bred sires, Fitz-Gladiator. Charles II., then, not only took his pleasure, and a great deal of it, on the turf, but he did his duty by his country's breed of horses. He is believed to have founded two Royal Plates to be run for at Newmarket, one in the spring and the other in the autumn ; and under his auspices was founded, in 1666, the Town Plate, for which he 6 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND issued regulations, whereof one was that ' no groom or serving--man ' was to ride ; and another that it was ' to be rode for yearly the second Thursday in October, for ever.' But — sic transit gloria — the race in which the King himself would ride has fallen into disrepute, if not into oblivion and desuetude ; for who nowadays would look at ' twenty pounds ' as the reward for winning the best of ' three heats ' over ' the New Round Geate (course),' measuring something over three miles six furlongs ? The King is stated, inoreover, though it is difficult, if not impossible, to verify the state- ment, to have presented the famous and once- coveted ' Challenge Whip,' of which the Jockey Club has obtained the guardianship, and to which a lash and a wrist-band, both made from hair that grew on the mane or tail of Eclipse, were attached in the course of time ; but although Charles died in 1685, the Duke of Devonshire's Dimple, a horse that flourished about 1699- 1702, is the earliest recorded winner of the trophy, so far as accessible authorities can be depended upon. Charles II.'s connection with the turf can never fade from memory, so long as 'Rowley's Mile' remains upon the list of 'courses* at Newmarket, FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 7 or ' The Merry Monarch ' continues to be regis- tered as the winner of the Derby in 1845 ; and it is worthy of remark that in the sixteenth year of his reign was passed the first statutory enactment intended to restrict the practice of betting on horse-races and of gambling on sports and pas- times in general. Oddly enough, the statute did not interfere with the betting of ready money, any amount of which might be lost and won, pro- vided that it changed hands at the time ; but not more than ^100 might be won and lost on credit. Our latest legislation, on the contrary, has been directed chiefly against ready-money transactions, where a sum is paid over at once or deposited, and has left undisturbed, if it has not actually encouraged, the bettor ' on the nod '; that is, on credit. James II. had so short and so troubled a reign that we could hardly expect to find him figuring, during his brief tenure of active kingship, as a very notable promoter of horse-racing and im- prover of English horses ; but as Duke of York he had displayed proclivities towards ' the sport of kings/ had been with his brother King Charles at Newmarket when the accidental fire at the HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND royal residence there sent the brothers prema- turely away, and so defeated the concocters of the Rye House Plot in 1682, and after his exile is gazetted as having attended a horse-race held in France ' au has du Pecq,' near Vesinet, in 1700, the year before his death. His illegitimate son, however, the able and gallant James Fitz- james, Duke of Berwick, whose name of Fitz- james is distinguished in the annals of the French turf even to this day, had introduced into England, on returning from the siege of Buda in 1687, a horse known indifferently as the Stradling Turk or the Lister Turk, whose influence upon the pedigrees is very noticeable ; for he was the sire of the Hobby mare that was the dam of Brocklesby and Brocklesby Betty, and from her descended in the female line such distinguished horses of the last half-century as Chanticleer, Solon, Xenophon, and Barcaldine. King William HI, not only held Court, like Charles H,, though with a very notable differ- ence, at Newmarket, but greatly promoted both the sport of horse- racing and the business of horse-breeding. The horses that he is known to have run at Newmarket, between 1695 ^^^ FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 9 his death in 1702, included Turk (whether a real name or merely an indication of breed), Cricket, Stiff Dick, and Cupid, as well as several un- named ; and he did his duty towards the English breed of horses by the introduction of his white Barb, Chillaby (sire of Old Greyhound), his black Barb ' without a tongue,' and the gray Barb that he presented to Mr. Hutton, and that was known as Button's Gray Barb, for all three have left their mark on the pedigrees. The King would some- times make a match for as much as 2,000 guineas, as he did in 1698 with the Duke of Somerset. Among the noblemen and gentlemen (including Sir Roger Mostyn, a well-known name on the turf) who ran with him at Newmarket, one of the most remarkable was Thomas, Lord Wharton, more or less ironically called ' Honest Tom,' who was one of the famous ' Whig Junto ' (consisting of Russell, Wharton, Somers, and Montague), who became successively Viscount, Earl, and Marquis, who was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland 1708- II, and whose son, Philip, Duke of Wharton (with whom the family became extinct in the male line in 1731), himself a great runner of race-horses in his turn at Newmarket, was HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Pope's ' scorn and wonder of our days.' Thomas, Lord Wharton, is said by Lord Macaulay to have run race-horses chiefly for the pleasure of beating any Tory that might be on the turf in those times, and he certainly owned some excellent horses, and among them Old Smithson, the famous Old Careless (sire of the dam of Flying Childers and Bartlett's Childers), and St. Martin (son of the Duke of Buckingham's famous Spanker, by Lord D'Arcy's Yellow Turk), whereof the last- named won a great match at Newmarket in 1699 against the Duke of Devonshire's Dimple (reputed holder of 'the Whip' at some period of his career). But the glory, from a posthumous point of view, of Dutch William's reign, so far as horses are concerned, was the horse which had been ridden by one of the King's officers, Captain Byerley, at the Battle of the Boyne, and which, though unknown upon the racecourse, was to be renowned for ever, under the style and title of the Byerley Turk, as the eldest of the three primitive or principal sires, the Shem, Ham, and Japhet, of all or nearly all English and Anglo-Arabian thoroughbreds registered in the 'Stud Book,' in direct male descent. FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. ii Meanwhile, in Yorkshire, where, it is reason- ably believed, there had always been some kind of horse-racing from the very earliest moment at which there were two horses and two Yorkshire- men in the county of Ridings, the turf had evi- dently been growing apace. There had been horse-racing on the frozen Ouse as early as 1607 ; in Charles II. 's reign, in 1674, a Yorkshireman had actually carried off ' the Plate ' at Newmarket under the King's very nose ; and in William III.'s, in 1698, when Peter the Great is said to have visited Newmarket, a Yorkshire mare, belonging to a Mr. Bowcher (? Bourchier), was matched (though the match fell through) against the King's own horse Turk ; and there is reason to think that the Royal Gold Cup, or Royal Plate, at Black Hambleton had been already established. Else there seems to be no point in the informa- tion vouchsafed to the effect that the Plate was originally for horses as well as mares, and was first won by Sir W. Strickland's Syphax, but had its conditions altered ' in the reio^n of Oueen Anne,' and was then confined to ' mares only.' It may have been in this reign, if, as appears from the first volume (new edition, p. 4) of the HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND 'Stud Book,' Old Merlin was at the stud in 1703, that there took place the legendary match be- tween the North, represented by the Yorkshire horse Old Merlin, and the South, represented by the Newmarket horse, name unknown or unre- corded, belonging to Mr. Tregonwell Frampton. But as it is said to have been this match (which inspired the late Sir Francis Doyle, Professor of Poetry at Oxford, to sing a very spirited lay) that ruined so many gentlemen of the South, who betted both gold and land against Merlin, as to call for a statute (9 Anne, c. 14) restrictive of heavy wagering, it more probably took place in the Queen's reign, but necessarily at the very commencement. Even then, a long time elapsed between the enactment of the statute and the ruinous race which is said to have been the cause of the enactment. However, we know from ex- tant records that Mr. Bethell's Castaway, son of Old Merlin, was at least five years old (for he is written down 'horse,' and, indeed, 'colts' seldom or never ran in those days) when he ran at York in August, 171 1, so that he must have been foaled in May, 1706, at the latest, and may very well have been foaled, as stated in the ' Stud FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 15 Book,' in 1704. In any case, whether the match took place before or after Queen Anne came to the throne, few details, chronological or other, have come down to us, beyond the facts that Mr. Tregonvvell Frampton, having tried to act the part of ' biter,' was ' bit,' that Old Merlin (ridden by Jerome Hare, of Cold Kirby, near Hambleton, Yorks) was the winner, and Mr. Frampton's ' favourite horse ' (ridden by somebody unnamed, but certainly not by Heseltine, who w^as the groom in attendance on Old Merlin) the loser, that Sir Matthew Peirson (breeder of Old Merlin) and Sir William Strickland (chief backer of Old Merlin) were triumphant, and ' the gentlemen of the South ' very much out of pocket and of land. (See the list of ' Memorable Matches ' at the end of this volume, a.d. 1702.) Queen Anne and her Prince Consort, better known as Prince George of Denmark, patronized Newmarket right royally, not only with their presence, but with their own race-horses, and with Gold Cups and Royal Plates. But after the Prince's death, in 1708, her Majesty appeared no more, it is said, at Newmarket, but she certainly attended races at Ascot, as we know from various 14 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND sources, including Swift's letters (Swift to Stella, date August lo, 171 1), and horses of hers, to wit. Pepper, Mustard, and Star (afterwards Jacob), ran at York in 171 2, 171 3, and 17 14 (a day or two before her death in August). Her Majesty was of oreat service to the turf and to horse- breeding, as may be inferred from the single instance of her Moonah Barb mare, from which descended, ^rfr les fennues, Shuttle, Charles XII., Physician, The Doctor, and other celebrities, in- cluding the American horse, Brown Prince. A disinterested visitor to Newmarket in Queen Anne's reign has left a by no means favourable account cf what he witnessed there during the races, mentioning especially ' Mr. Frampton, the oldest and, as they say, the cunningest jockey in England,' who ' made as light of throwing away ^500 or ^1,000 at a time as other men do of their pocket-money,' and ' Sir Robert Fagg, of Sussex' (a member of an enthusiastically Royalist family), ' of whom fame says he has the most in him and the least to show for it, relatinp; to jockeyship, of any man there.' To these two might have been added, as promi- nent performers at Newmarket in Queen Anne's FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 15 reign, Lord Godolphin (the Lord Treasurer, not the owner of the Godolphin Arabian), the Duke of Argyle, the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Somerset, Lord Granby (Duke of Rutland), Lord Hervey (or Harvey), the Duke of Grafton, Lord Byron, Sir John Parsons (twice Lord Mayor of London, and owner of the Thoulouse Barb and of the famous Ryegate mare), the Duke of Bedford, Lord Dorchester, the Duke of Bolton, Lord Howe, Mr. Nowell, Sir Cecil Bishop, Lord Rialton (or Ryalton), the Duke of Richmond, Lord Wharton (of the 'Junto'), Lord Carlisle, Lady Gains- borough, Lord Crawford, Mr. Pelham, Mr. Cole (of the family, no doubt, which introduced the Cole Arabian or Barb, sire of Old Smithson), Lord Bridgeuater, Lord Lonsdale, and others, many, if not most, of whom raced also in the North, principally at York, in company with Mr. Childers, Sir William Strickland, Mr. Place (a relation, no doubt, of Oliver Cromwell's stud- groom, owner of Place's White Turk), Lord Molineux, Sir Matthew Peirson, Mr, Stapleton (ancestor of the Lords Beaumont), Mr, Curwen (owner of the famous Bay Barb), Lord Irwin, Sir William Ramsden, Mr. Hutton, Sir Ralph i6 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Milbank, Sir John Bland (whose namesake came to such ruin and to suicide in Horace Walpole's time), Sir WiiHam Blackett, Mr. Bethell (of Rise in Holderness, a very great 'father of the turf in the North), Mr. Darcy (of the D'Arcy ' White and Yellow Turk ' family), Mr. Watson (of the family to which the Marquis of Rockingham belonged), Sir William St. Quintin (of the family which bred Cypron, the dam of the famous Herod or King Herod), Mr. Darley (owner of the Darley Arabian), Mr. Hutton (whose family bred Marsk, sire of Eclipse), Mr. Graeme (related, probably, to the House of Montrose), Mr. William Cecil (of the family that was to become so famous on the turf in the person of the Marquis of Exeter, who once owned the celebrated Stock- well), and other notable racing men of the North. In this reign was enacted the statute (9 Anne, c. 14) already referred to, whereby, in conse- quence, it is said, of the havoc wrought by betting on the match won by Old Merlin, which had been for a very large sum independently of the wagers, the statute of 16 Car. H., c. 7, was made very much more restrictive, and penalties were pro- nounced against anybody who should win over FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 17 ^10 from any person or persons at one time (and by 18 Geo., c. 34, the liability was extended to the winning of ^20 within twenty-four hours). The statute was held to apply to horse-racing, so that a horse-race {cxceptis excipiendis, such as Royal Plates, no doubt) for a prize of over £iq was held to be illegal. The records of horse- racing show that the statute either did not apply to Matches and Plates at Newmarket and Plates and Cups at York and elsewhere, or was dis- regarded and unenforced ; but it appears, by common consent and published testimony, to have had the effect, as might have been exjoected, of doing more harm than good, so far as the breed of horses was concerned, and of converting what had hitherto, from the value of the animals employed, been ' the sport of kings ' into a game of speculation for men of straw, who cared for nothing but twopenny-halfpenny gambling with twopenny-halfpenny instruments on four, or gene- rally three, legs. In fact, as a legal publication puts the matter : ' A large number of races [unworthy of notice in the permanent records] were started for small prizes under ^10, so as not to infringe the Act, a practice which tended to 2 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND deteriorate rather than improve the breed of horses.' For who was Hkely to import ' sons of the desert ' at great cost, or to give the long price required for good horses that could not win more than ^lo at one time ? The mistake was seen before long, insomuch that the Legislature sought to apply a remedy by the statute of 13 Geo. II., c. 19, which 'prohibited any horse- race being run except at Newmarket and Black Hambleton in Yorkshire, for any prize of less value than ^50,' Howbeit there had been founded, as early as 1 681, at Farndon, Cheshire, two annual prizes, which, whatever their amount, were ' free from the influence of Parliament ' ; and there were other annual prizes (notably one of sixteen guineas only, founded by some fox- hunting gentlemen, to be run for in March of every year, and tlierefore regarded with interest as an early test of ' form,' at Kipling-Coates, Yorkshire) which also are understood to have enjoyed the like immunity. It was in this reign that Mr. Brewster Darley, of Aldby Park, near York, became possessed of the Darley Arabian, whose influence has become paramount among the pedigrees. FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 19 George I. is said to have put in an appearance at Newmarket two or three times, in 1716, 1717, and 1718; he 'kept on' Mr. Tregonvvell Frampton as ' keeper of the running-horses ' there, and he maintained the royal stud at Hampton Court, with Mr. R. Marshall for stud- groom, but his heart was not nearly so much set upon the turf and horse-racing as upon feather- ing his nest, and upon his German mistresses. Indeed, it has been remarked, and even com- plained, that our Hanoverian line of sovereigns, before the coming of the ' first gentleman of Europe,' were shamefully regardless of the turf and of horse-breeding. Nevertheless, the reign of George I. was the age of many noteworthy horse-owners, horse-breeders, horse-runners, and horses, including among the persons the out- rageous Duke of Wharton, already mentioned, who was conspicuous at Newmarket, when he was quite a youth, for four or five years from 1 71 7; and among the horses, the Duke of Devonshire's fabulous Flying Childers, the Duke of Rutland's Bonny Black (the mare that not even Flying Childers was thought capable of tackling, apparently), Mr. Pelham's Brocklesby HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Betty, Mr. Bartlett's Childers (own brother to Flying Childers, and never trained, but a very king" among sires, as he was sire of Squirt, the sire of Marsk, the sire of Eclipse), Mr. Panton's invincible, indefatigable, and — as would now be thought — cruelly murdered mare Molly (a daughter of the Thoulouse Barb and a dam of ' suspected ' blood), General Honywood's famous Old True Blue and Young True Blue, the Duke of Bolton's Bay Bolton (ex Brown Lusty), and other celebri- ties Vv'hose memory will never die. To George I.'s reign, moreover, belongs mention oi the Alcock Arabian (the property of Mr. Alcock, a Yorkshireman), worthy to be commemorated as a sire, because he is the only horse, besides the Byerley, Darley, and Godolphin Eastern sires, to which any winner of the Derby or any other of the gre3,t ' classic ' races is to be traced back in the male line. To him traces Aimwell (winner of the Derby in 1785), by Marc Antony, by Spectator, by Mr. Panton's Crab, by Mr. Alcock's Arabian. George II., whose weeping assurance of ' Non, non ; j'aurai des maitresses,' addressed to his dying wife, when she advised him to marry again, FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES II. TO GEORGE 11. 21 has won for him a sort of immortality, had not much (except the ' mistresses ') in common with his not very excellent father, beyond neglect of the turf and all that appertained to the practical encouragement of it in his own person. But he, like his father, had a ' keeper of the running horses at Newmarket,' who was still, for a brief period, Mr. Tregonwell Frampton, and afterwards Mr. Thomas Panton, father of the ' polite Tommy Panton ' (winner of the Derby with Noble in 1786, a member of the Jockey Club, and brother of the lady that became Duchess of Ancaster, and was Mistress of the Robes to Queen Charlotte), and, with Messrs. R. Marshall and T. Smith for stud- grooms, tolerated rather than fostered the royal stud at Hampton Court, which he (unless it were his father, as is not unlikely) augmented, if he did not greatly enhance in value, by the contribu- tion of a 'one-eyed gray Arabian.' Yet it was in this King's reign that the pro- gress of the turf, and all that is connected with it, began to show symptoms of extraordinary de- velopment. In his reign (1750-51) was instituted the Jockey Club, whereby the racing nobility and gentry of North and South were brought into HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND closer communion and less acrimonious rivalry, and whereby some sort of order was evolved out of chaos, and the foundation was laid of that con- trolling power which, whatever fault may be found with it, has been, on the whole, of great advantage to the cause of the turf and the improvement of horse-breeding, not only in this country, but in all parts of the inhabited world. It was then that Royalty, personified by the King's son, the ' Culloden ' Duke of Cumber- land, who bred those famous sires King Herod (commonly called Herod tottt court) and Eclipse, became identified, unless we except a few years in the earlier part of Queen Victoria's sovereignty, with the Jockey Club, of which he was one of the original members, and that the meetings at Royal Ascot, which, as we have seen, had known a little horse-racing in the time of Queen Anne, may be said to have become a regular institution, under the auspices of the ' Culloden ' Duke, when he was appointed Ranger of Windsor Great Park after ' the '45.' At that date the mischievous statute of Anne, in restriction of horse-races for prizes of more than ^10 each, was first of all slightly extended, I'IRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 23 and then completely reversed, In respect of its most mischievous provision, as has been pointed out already at p. 18 ; and it was then that certain arbitrary rules as to the weights to be carried were first imposed and then rescinded, and that certain more or less useful and workable pro- visions, as to the real owners of the horses, the entrance-money, etc., were added. In the same reign the number of Royal Plates, which had hitherto been eleven in England (exclusive of Scotland and Ireland) was raised to sixteen ; viz., three at Newmarket, one at York, one at Black Hambleton, one at Nottingham, one at Lincoln, one at Guildford, one at Winchester, one at Lewes, one at Ipswich, one at Salisbury, one at Canter- bury, one at Lichfield, one at Newcastle, and one at Burford, which number in course of time was doubled, or more than doubled, until, in our lavish days, when thousands of guineas are daily offered during the season by speculative companies bent upon ultimate ruin, the Royal Plates in Eng- land, having served and outlasted their pur- pose, were first diminished in number, being thereby insufficiently increased in value, and then abolished. 24 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND In this reign of George II., moreover, the second Lord Godolphin inaugurated the era of the famous Godolphin Arabian (or Barb), which sire he obtained from Mr. Coke, and within three years, in 1732 and 1734, was pre- sented by Roxana, the Godolphin's mate, with the two brothers — Lath, the great runner, and the cow-suckled Cade, the great sire (of Matchem and Changeling among others). The Godolphin came from France, whence also came to us such celebrated and useful sires as St. Victor's Barb, the Thoulouse Barb, the Curwen Bay Barb, and the Belgrade Turk, whose influence is very note- worthy among the pedigrees, so that, much as the French have owed to us since they took seriously to horse-racing and horse-breeding, we may be said to have merely returned a Roland for an Oliver — a comparatively large Roland perhaps for a comparatively small OHver, but quand nihne. The same king's reign, as was but natural, after the legislative enactments already mentioned, saw the commencement of the sweepstakes and subscriptions, which afterwards became so familiar ail over the country, though matches at Newmarket and York, and Plates of ^50 both FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 25 there and elsewhere, were still either common or general, to the paucification or exclusion of sweep- stakes. The same reign, too, witnessed the per- manent foundation of 'racing calendars' by Mr. John Cheney, in 1727, who, however, had been preceded, as early as 1670, it is said, by a Mr. John Nelson with a temporary and apparendy unexisting or unobtainable record, for which any- body wishing to have it had to write to Mr. Nelson, who apparently made copies as they were required. As the sweepstakes, the subscriptions, and the like were in their infancy during the reign of George II., the 'cracks' of the time among the horses would be the winners of the Royal Plates (for which the best match - horses and sweep- stakes-horses would also run in those old days), and the most prominent among the owners would be the owners of those horses. Let us see, then, who they were and with what horses they won the Plates between 1727 (in the June of which year George I. died) and 1760 (in October of which year George II. died). The following list contains the names and titles of the principal proprietors (for it were tedious and superfluous to 26 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND give all), together with the names of the horses with which they won : Mr. William Aislabie (of Studley Royal, Ripon, Yorks, son of Mr. John Aisiabie, the Chancellor of the Exchequer who was sent to the Tower in connection with the South Sea Bubble), with Poor Robin (own brother to the famous Bucephalus, afterwards Arthur O' Bradley, by Robinson Crusoe). Mr. Alcock (of Deuce Bank, North Cowton, near Richmond, Yorks), with Spot (foaled 1722, by Mr. Alcock's Arabian, dam apparently un- known). Two Dukes of Ancaster (both Peregrine Bertie, the second and third in the line of the now extinct dukedom), with Contest (son of Blank and Naylor, daughter of Cade), Dismal (by Cinnamon), Dizzy (daughter of the Ancaster Driver), Gentleman (by Mr. Alcock's Arabian), Grasshopper (by Mr. Pan- ton's Crab), Lottery (daughter of Blank and Look- at-me-Lads, one of the first of Blank's progeny that started). Starling (by the Duke of Bolton's Starling), Tartar (by Mr. * Barforth ' Crofts' Partner), Miss Romp (by Lord Walpole's Gray Turk, alias the Earl of Orford's Gray Turk or FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES 11. TO GEORGE II. 27 Barb), and the bay mare Music (foaled 1727) of unrecorded pedigree. Captain Appleyard (of Newbold, Market Weighton, Yorks), with Bald Charlotte (Mr. Henley's), Conqueror (a gelding, brother to Quiet Cuddy and to the Duke of Devonshire's Conqueror), Favourite (by Mr. Gallant's Smiling Tom, son of the Conyers Arabian), and Quiet Cuddy. Mr. Bathurst, with Robinson Crusoe (Mr. Robinson's, of Easby, Richmond, Yorks), by Jigg, by the Byerley Turk. The Duke of Beaufort, with Standard, ex Bashaw (by Y. Belgrade), bred by Sir M. Wyvill. Mr. (the Hon.) Bertie, with Sobersides (by Lord A. M anners' Doctor, son of the Cyprus Arabian). Mr. Hugh Bethell (of Rise, in Holderness), with Favourite (son of Mr. Bethell's own Arabian and a daughter of Ruffler). Mr. Bingham (ancestor, probably, of the Earls of Lucan), with Blacklegs (son of Hampton Court Childers and the Duke of Somerset's famous Cullen Mare). Mr. Andrew Blake (? father of the famous 28 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND racers Patrick and Christopher Blake, of Lang- ham Hall, Suffolk), with Regulus (son of the great Regulus and of Bald Partner's dam). The Duke (antepenultimate) of Bolton, with Beau (foaled 1731, by Partner), Goliah (by Lord Portmore's Fox), Looby (by Bay Bolton), Merry Andrew (by Sir Ralph Aston's Fox, son of Clumsy, by Hautboy, and Bay Peg, by the Leedes Arabian), Sourface (son of Bartlett's Childers, and of a sister to the Bolton Starling, by Bay Bolton), Starling, Sweepstakes (by the Oxford Bloody- shouldered Arabian), so called, apparently, from winning about the first sweepstakes ever run at Newmarket (in 1727), Syphax (own brother to Looby, by Bay Bolton), Foxhunter (by Bay Bolton), and Mary Gray (by Almanzor, son of the Darley Arabian, dam apparently unknown). Mr. (afterwards Sir) George Bowes (of Gibside, near Newcastle, ancestor of the famous Mr. Bowes, of Streatlam Castle, Durham, connected with the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne), with Cato (by Regulus). Lord Byron (who killed Mr. Chaworth), with Osmar (Mr. Fenwick's, by Snip). Lord CiiEDWORTii (of the racing family of FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 29 Howe), with Dormouse (son of Dormouse, son of the Godolphin Arabian). Mr. CoATESWORTH (of Yorkshire), with Traveller (by Traveller, son of Partner). Mr. CoCKERELL, with Freeholder (a horse of unrecorded pedigree). Mr. CoLviLLE (probably a progenitor of the Lords Colville of Culross), with Smiling Molly (by a son of the Darley Arabian), that got * the wooden spoon' in a field of twenty-three for the Royal Plate at Hambleton in 1731. Mr. Constable (a descendant of whom is still prominent among our breeders), with Cottingham (son of Hartley's Blind Horse, dam by a son of Snake). Mr. John Crofts (better known as a breeder than a runner, of Barforth, Yorks), with Forester (by Hartley's Blind Horse), Legacy (daughter of Old Greyhound), and Fly (grand-daughter of Old Greyhound). Mr. William Crofts (or Croft, of West Harling, Norfolk), with Brilliant (by Mr. Panton's Crab). Mr. (afterwards Sir) Nathaniel Curzon (from whom come the Lords Scarsdale), with Brisk (by the Bloody-shouldered Arabian), 30 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND The (third and fourth) Dukes of Devonshire, with Atlas (by Babram), Fairy (the first of Mr. Shepherd's Crab's progeny that started. Crab himself never having run at all), Fleece'em (by Flying Childers, dam the Duke of Rutland's celebrated Miss Belvoir), Plasto or Plaistow (by Flying Childers), Puff (by P^lying Childers), Second (by Flying Childers), and Steady (own brother to Fleece'em). Mr. DoDswoRTH, with Midge (by Jigg ; whether the son of the Byerley Turk or not is not stated). Lord DowNE (of the racing Dawnays, of Danby Lodge, Yorks), with Ferdinandinia (by Cade), Mr, Thomas Duncombe (ancestor of the Earls of Feversham, of Helmsley, Yorks), with Duchess (by the Duke of Devonshire's Blacklegs), and Red Rose (by the same, dam by General Honywood's Young True Blue). Mr. Durham, with Favourite (daughter of a son of the Bald Gallowav, dam by Sir T. Gas- coigne's Foreign Horse). Mr. James Lenox Dutton (ancestor of the Lords Sherborne), with Bessy Bell (by Mr. Hutton's Spot), Juggler (Mr. Jenison Shafto's, by Rib), the celebrated Old iMigland (sire of the FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 31 Rev. Mr. Goodricke's famous Old England Mare), by the Godolphin Arabian. Sir Robert Eden (of Castle- Eden, Durham), with Miss Western (by the famous Sedbury and Mother Western), a mare that founded the fortunes of the celebrated Mr. John Hutchinson (who had been her stable-boy and became the breeder and owner of Beningbrough, Hambletonian, and other celebrities), of Shipton, near York. Mr. John Egerton (of Cheshire), with Nanny (by the Pigot Turk, alias Mostyn's Bay Barb, dam Old Countrywench). Sir Robert Fagg, with Goldenlocks (Mr. Pel- ham's, by a son of Mr. Cur wen's Bay Barb). Mr. William Fenwick (of Bywell, Northumber- land, a member of the stanch Royalist family, of whom a Sir John Fenwick had been stud-master both to Charles I. and Charles II.), with Duchess (daughter of Lord Portmore's Whitenose and the famous Miss Slamerkin). Mr. Fermor (of the family that supplied the heroine of Pope's ' Rape of the Lock '), with Scipio (son of the noted Miss Mayes, but of un- known paternity), and Traveller (by Traveller, ^ son of Partner). 32 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Mr. FiGG (?of Bath), with Lady's Delight, a/ms Trifle, by the noted galloway called Lowther. (Mr. Figg was, no doubt, the owner of Figg's Mare or Mare of Bath, dam of Mr. Brooke's Lady Thigh). Mr. Garthside, with Pamela (by his Fear- nought, son of Doctor), dam by Manica, son of Darley's Arabian. Lord GoDOLPHiN, with Cade (by the Godolphin Arabian), Dismal (by the same, dam by Alcock's Arabian), Molotto (by Sir W. Ramsden's White- foot, by Bay Bolton), and Morat (by Bay Bolton, dam by the Duke of Newcastle's Turk), Lord (the Earl of) Gower, with Little John (by Mr. Crofts' Partner), Miss Vixen (by Fox-cub), Tortoise (by Lord Godolphin's, formerly Sir W. Ramsden's, Whitefoot, dam Captain Hartley's Little Mare), Little Witch, a/ias Louisa (by the celebrated Gower Stallion), Partner (by Partner), foaled 1734. Sir Henry Grey (of Howick, uncle to the Earl Grey of that period), with Fox, by Locust. Mr. George G rise wood, with Badger (by Crofts' Partner), Diamond (bred by Mr. Curwen, of Workington, Cumberland, by Jew Trump), FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 2,Z Spanking Roger (bred by the Earl of Essex, by- Flying Childers, dam a Cyprus Arabian mare), Teazer (by Duke of Bolton's Sterling), Toy (by Bartlett's Childers), Trifle (son of Trifle, by Lord Portmore's Fox), Sly (the Duke of Bolton's, by Partner), and Teazer (Mr. Hassell's, of Ripon, Yorks, by Teazer, son of the Bolton Sterling). Mr. Gr^me (probably of the Duke of Mont- rose's family), with Whitelips, a bay mare by the Bald Galloway, dam sister to Champion. Lord Halifax, with Favourite, Sampson, Goliah, all three by Old Greyhound (son of King William's white barb Chillaby), and Barforth (Mr. Crofts'). The (sixth) Duke of Hamilton (who married the * beautiful Gunning '), with Victorious (sire of Lord Portmore's famous Highlander), by Mr. Bethell's Ruffler. Mr., or Captain, Hartley (of Middleton-Tyas, Richmond, Yorks), with Countess (by Hartley's Blind Horse), and VVhitefoot (chestnut horse, by Bloody Buttocks). Mr. Hendry, with Miss Hendry (by Smith's Son of Snake). Mr. Henley, with Badger, alias Thunderbolt 3 34 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND (bred by Mr. Meynell, of Sowerby, Yorks, by Mr. Ward's Counsellor and a Snake mare). Mr. Holme, or Holmes (of Carlisle), with Wildair (by Duke of Bolton's Starling, dam by Partner). Mr., or General, Honywood (who was des- perately wounded at Dettingen, and married a Miss Wastell, of a great Yorkshire horse-racing family), with a Grey Mare by Young True Blue (which mare was the dam of Lord Gower's cele- brated mare Miss Vixen, or Vixon). Mr., or Colonel, Howard (of the Earls of Car- lisle's family), with a Chestnut Mare by Sir W. Strickland's Turk (or Lord Carlisle's Barb) and the famous Carlisle Gelding's dam. Mr. HuGiiSON, or Hew^son, with Czarina (by Sir M. Newton's Arabian). Mr. HuMBERSTON, with Stump (by Mr. Barley's Manica, dam by Snake, or by the Holderness Turk). Mr. Hunt (of Linton-upon-Ouse, Yorks), with Spanker (own brother to Jigg, by the Duke of Bolton's Goliah). Mr. John Hutton (of Marsk Hall, Richmond, Yorks), with Black Chance (by Mr. Hutton's FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 35 Bay Barb), Mab (dam of Silvio), Stately (daughter of Mogul, son of the Godolphin Arabian), Phan- tom (by Hobgoblin), and Aquilina (daughter of Bartlett's Childers). Mr. Jackson, with Favourite (daughter of Lord Widdrington's Grey Arabian, and Miss or Mother Neasham's dam) and Moll-in-the-Vale (of un- recorded pedigree). Mr. Ralph Jenison (of Walworth, Durham), with Joseph Andrews (by Roundhead). Mr. Anthony Tracy Keck, with Genius (own brother to Juniper, by Babram) and Lady Char- lotte (by Mr. Panton's Crab). Mr. Kettle, with Diamond (by Potatoe, a horse bred in Ireland). The Duke of Kingston (the last, who married Miss Chudleigh, the 'infamous' Duchess), with Miner (Mr. Constable's and Mr. Robinson's, of Malton, by Tartar) and Prince T'Ouafsaw (Mr. Fenwick's, by Snip, son of Flying Childers). Mr. Edward Leedes (of North Milford, Tad- caster, Yorks), with Spinster (daughter of Panton's Crab and the Widdrington Mare, also called Spinster), Lord (the Earl of) Lonsdale, with Monkey 36 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND (by the Lonsdale Bay Arabian, dam by Mr. Cur- wen's Bay Barb). Sir James Lowther (of Lowther Hall, West- morland), with Jason (bred by Mr. Nathaniel Curzon by Standard and a daughter of the Duke of Beaufort's White Arabian), and Sophia (daughter of Blank and Little Bowes). Lord William Manners (Horace Walpole's 'groom'), with Chuff (by Flying Childers), own brother to Poppet (colt), and half-brother to the filly that was the dam in 1 759 of Granby, by Blank. Mr. Marley, with Ragman (by Young Grey- hound), that was sent to Ireland. Mr. Martindale (a saddler in St. James's Street), with Regulus (by the Godolphin Arabian), that was bred by Lord Chedworth, was first called Sweet-lips, won eight Royal Plates (at six years of age), and was never beaten ; Adolphus (son of Regulus), Sedbury (son of Crofts' Partner and the famous Old Montague Mare), Shepherdess (by the Godolphin Arabian), and Augustus (ex Archer, by the Bolton Starling). Mr. Thomas Meredith (of Easby, Richmond, Yorks), with Bandy (by Cade), Shakspeare (by Hobgoblin), believed, it is said, by Mr. Tattersall FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 37 to have been the real sire of Edipse ; Stump (by Merry Tom, son of Captain Rousby's Turk), and Whittington (by Mr. Stamford's Whittington). Mr. William Metcalfe (of Beverley, Yorks), with Lady Betty (by the Duke of Devonshire's Blacklegs) and Shepherdess (by the Grey Barb at Hampton Court). Sir William Middleton (of Belsea Castle, Northumberland), with Camilla (own sister to Squirrel, Midge, and Thwackum, by a son of Bay Bolton and a daughter of Bartlett's Childers), Squirrel (by a son of Bay Bolton, dam by Bart- lett's Childers, grandam by Honywood's Arabian), Thwackum (own brother to Squirrel), and Whistle- jacket (by Mogul, by the Godolphin Arabian). Sir Michael Newton, with Elephant (by the Newton Grey Arabian and a daughter of Bay Bolton) and the elegantly named Louse (by the more elegantly named Bloody Buttocks). The Countess of Northumberland, with Irene (a brown mare by Cade). The Earl (Sir Hugh Smithson, afterwards Duke) of Northumberland, with Celadine (son of Y. Cade) and Perseus (by the Duke of Bolton's Starling and Coughing Polly). 38 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Sir George Oxendon (or Oxenden), with a chestnut mare, foaled 1725, of unrecorded pedigree. Mr. Thomas Panton (the elder, Mr. Tregon- well Frampton's successor at Newmarket), with Bath (son of Sir W. Strickland's Turk), Blaze (by Flying Childers), Bustard (by Crab), Cato (by Crofts' Partner and a sister to the famous Roxana), Crab (by Mr. Alcock's Arabian), John Trott (by the Duke of Devonshire's Blacklegs), Sloe (son of Mr. Panton's Crab and grandson of Old Mermaid), Spinster (known as the Wid- drington mare), Stadtholder (Mr. Routh's and Lord Tankerville's), and Veteran (by Lord Lons- dale's Bay Arabian). Mr. William Parker, with Lady Thigh (by Regulus). Mr. Pembroke, with Dash (of unrecorded pedigree). Lord PoRTMORE, with Bosphorus (by Babram), Crab (by Mr. Panton's Crab), Highlander (only 14 hands i inch high, by Victorious, dam by Lord Chesterfield's Arabian), Lady Caroline (Mr. Metcalfe's, by Flying Childers), Othello (by Mr. Panton's Crab and Miss Slamerkin), a/ias Black- FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 39 and-all-Black ; Skin (by Panton's Crab), sent to Ireland ; Spider (by Y. Cartouch), Tiney (gray horse, by Skim, dam Grey Childers), Croke (son of Aldby, or Alba, Jenny), Cumberland (Mr. Henry Fletcher's, by Fletcher's Arabian), Rake (by Lord Portmore's Whitenose, dam by Crab), and Spectre (by Partner, dam by the Ancaster Turk). Mr. George Prentice, with the gelding Trimmer (Lord Godolphin's and Mr. James Lenox Button's, by Hobgoblin), Mr. William Preston (of Malton, Yorks), with Hero (by Cade, dam a daughter of Lord Port- more's Spinner), first called Slape. Mr. Henry Proctor (of Yorkshire), with Smallhopes (afterwards called Miss Proctor in Ireland), by Mr. Bartlett's Childers. Mr. Wilberforce Read (of Grimthorpe, near Pocklington, Yorks, the first master of John Singleton, the famous jockey), with a gray mare of unrecorded pedigree. Mr. Rich, with Caristina (a bay gelding, by a foreign horse at Hampton Court) and Lowther (bred by Sir W. Lowther, by Mr. Lister's Snake). Mr. RicKABY (of York), with the black horse, Kiss-in-a-Corner, of unrecorded pedigree. 40 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Mr. Robinson (of Malton, Yorks), with Mary- Tartar, ex Magic, ex Moorpout, by Tartar (sire of King Herod), and a dam, of uncertain pedi- gree, that was bought for ' three pounds and a noble and five shihings returned ' ; and the very famous Sampson (sire of Bay Malton and Engineer, and progenitor through Engineer, sire of Mambrino, sire of Messenger, of the best breed of American ' trotters '), Lord (the Marquis of) Rockingham, with Lisetta, or Lisette (known as the chestnut mare by Regulus, dam by Lord Lonsdale's Bay Arabian), and Scampston Cade (by Cade and the famous Selima, daughter of Bethell's Arabian). Mr. Benjamin Rogers (of Mickleham, Surrey), with Jack of Newberry, or Newbury (afterwards Lord Waldegrave's gelding Spot, by Babram), and Pumpkin (by the Duke of Devonshire's Steady). Mr. Cuthbert Routh (of Snape Hall, Bedale, Yorks), with Looby (by the Duke of Bolton's Looby), Othello (by Mr. Hawkswell's Oroonoko), and Forfeit, own brother to Coughing Polly, by Bartlett's Childers. Miss Routh (daughter of Mr. Cuthbert Routh) with Jenny-come-tye-me (by Bartlett's Childers). FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 41 Mr. Sanson (? of the family of ' Monsieur de Paris'), with Sedgmoor, by Hampton Court Childers, dam the dam of Mr. Kettle's (South Country) Diamond (by the Irish horse Potatoe), that was beaten by the North Country Diamond in 1732. Lord (the Earl of) Scarborough, with Cademus or Cadenus (by Cade, dam by Crofts' Partner, her dam by Bloody Buttocks). Mr. ScouRFiELD (or Scurfield, of Hart- Warren, near Hartlepool), with Dunkirk (by Regulus). Sir Charles Sedley (of Nuttall, near Not- tingham), with Cadena (daughter of Cade). Mr. Selby (of York), with Coughing Polly (by Bartlett's Childers). Mr., or Captain, Jenison Shafto (of York- shire and Cambridgeshire), with Apollo (by Regulus). Mr. Shepherd (of Leberstone, near Scar- borough, Yorks), with Tarran (a black horse by the Rev. Mr. Tarran's Black Barb) and Dashwood (by the Duke of Chandos' Turk). Mr. James Shuttleworth (of Forcett Hall, Richmond, Yorks), with Miss Wilkinson (bred by 42 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Mr. Lodge, of Richmond, by Regulus and Miss Layton, commonly called Lodge's Roan Mare). Mr. Simpson, with Mopping Jenny (by a son of Mr. Darley's Almanzor, by the Darley Arabian) and Mopsey(by Qaiet Caddy and Mopping Jenny's dam). The Duke of Somerset, with Greylegs (son of Old Wyndham and a Barb Mare), Miss Wyndham (daughter of Old Wyndham and grandam of Mr. Stapleton's celebrated Beaufremont), Achilles (by a full brother to the Duke of Bolton's Fear- nought), the bay mare Chiddy (by Hampton Court Childers and Bald Charlotte), and Quibble (a chestnut horse by Old Wyndham). Lord Strange (son and heir of the eleventh and father of the wonderfully popular twelfth Earl of Derby), with Sportsman (by Lord Derby's Whitefoot), not to be confounded with Warren's Sportsman (by Cade), sire of the celebrated Sportsmistress, dam of Potatoes by Eclipse. Mr. (Sir) William Swinburn (of Long Whitton, Northumberland, and of the ' Northumberland Confederacy '), with Belford (by Cade), and Jessamy (Mr. Robert Shafto's, by Mr. Hutton's Spot). FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 43 Mr. Try, with Surley Slouch (a chestnut horse, winner of several Royal Plates, but apparently of doubtful pedigree). Mr. (the Hon.) Vane (ancestor of the Mar- quises of Londonderry), with Little Partner (by Mr. Crofts' Partner), and Miss Pert (Mr. New- stead's, by the Thoulouse Barb). Mr. Thomas Vavasour (of Yorkshire), with Champion (by the Duke of Bolton's Goliah). Mr., or Captain, Richard Vernon (Horace Wal- pole's Mr. 'Jockey' Vernon, of Newmarket), with Amelia (ex Duchess, by the Godolphin Arabian), bred by Mr. William Crofts. Mr. H. Vernon (a near relation of Mr. ' Jockey ' Vernon), with Lady Caroline (foaled 1 744, by Mr. Panton's Crab). Lord Walpole (father of the ' mad ' Earl of Orford), with the famous Miss Slamerkin (bred by General Philip Honyvvood, by Young True Blue, dam by Lord Orford's Dun Arabian). Mr. William Wanley, with Asmodius (by Dormouse). Mr. John Borlase Warren (of Stapleford, Nottinghamshire), with Camillus (by Lord Cullen's Arabian) and Careless (son of Regulus and Silver- 44 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND tail, that was the dam of Sportsman and Fear- nought), winner of all the ^e7i Plates for which he started. Mr. Peregrine Wentworth (prince of sports- men, of Towlstone Hall, Yorks), with Maria (daughter of Second and Spinster). Lord Weymouth (a Pulteney in those days), with Scrutineer (by Aleppo, son of Mr. Darley's Arabian), bred by Mr. Hassell. of Yorkshire, and Miss of the Green (of unrecorded pedigree). Mr. White, with Spot (by Mr. Alcock's Arabian, dam apparently unknown). Mr, Richard Williams (of Penbedw, Holywell, Flintshire), with Almanzor (by Almanzor, son of Mr. Darley's Arabian), Forester (son of Crofts' Forester), and Mosco (by Lord Cullen's Arabian), sent to America according to Colonel Bruce. Mr. George Witty, of Yorkshire, owner at one time of the famous Witty gelding, with which Lord Hillsborough ran, but lost, a match for 2,000 guineas against (Sir Ralph Ashton's) Old Fox, with Grenadier (by Blaze). Sir Marmaduke Wyvill (of Constable-Burton, Bedale, Yorks), with Antelope (Marquis of Hartington's, by Y. Belgrade), Primate (by Y. FIRST PERIOD: CHARLES 11. TO GEORGE II. 45 Belgrade, son of the Belgrade Turk, which came to Sir Marmaduke by way of France), and Volun- teer (by Y. Belgrade). Towards the close of this reign of George II. were established the two Jockey Club Plates (in 1753) at Newmarket, and the Great Subscriptions (in 1 751) at York, so that- if we cast our net round the winners, human and equine, of those races which were of the greatest account in those days, from their establishment to the date of George II.'s death (October, 1760), we shall have immeshed pretty nearly all the chief celebrities, human and equine, of the turf during that reign. In the South, then, the winners were, among the bipeds: Lord Gower, Mr. 'Jockey' Vernon, the Duke of Cumberland, the (Duke of Devon- shire) Marquis of Hartington, the Duke of Ancaster, Mr. Fenwick, Lord Portmore, Lord Chedworth, Sir James Lowther, Mr. Anthony Langley Swymmer, Mr. Fulke Greville, Mr. Naylor, Mr. Panton, and Mr. Gorge or Gorges (for there is an irritating duplicity in the spell- ing) ; and among the quadrupeds, omitting such as have been mentioned already : Beau Clincher (by the Gower Stallion), Marsk (sire 46 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND of Eclipse), Myrtle (a gray horse, by Ancaster Starlincr, dam by Sir M. Newton's Bay Arabian), Spectator (by Mr, Panton's Crab), a chestnut filly by Blank, Standby (by Shepherd's Crab), Mirza (by the Godolphin Arabian), Sally (by Blank), yEsop (by Mr, Panton's Gray Arabian), and Juniper (by Babram). In the North, among the bipeds : Lord Port- more, Mr, Hunt (of Linton-upon-Ouse), Sir W. St, Quintin, Mr. Fenwick, Mr, Mann (of Borough- bridge), Sir W, Middleton, Lord Sandwich, Mr. William Swinburn, Sir John Ramsden, Mr. Robinson (of Malton), Mr, William Preston, the Duke of Devonshire, Mr, Hutton (of Marsk Hall), Mr, Borlase Warren (of Stapleford, Notts), Mr, Abraham Dixon (of Belford, Northumber- land), and Mr. Fenton (of Glasshouse, Leeds) ; and among the quadrupeds Skim (by the Bolton Starling), the very distinguished Match'em (whose services as a sire are said to have been worth ;^i 7,000 to Mr, Fenwick in days when the fee varied from ^5 to ^50 at the highest), Tan- tivy (by Sedbury), Syphon (by Squirt, the sire of Marsk), Romulus (by Regulus), Judgment (by Snip, the sire of Snap), Brisk (by Cade, dam a FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE 11. 47 Lonsdale Arabian mare), Hambleton (by Snip), Wildair (by Cade), a wonderfully good horse and sire, imported for awhile into America by Mr. James Delancey of New York, Silvio (by Cade, dam Mab, by Hobgoblin), Panglos or Pangloss (by Cade, dam by Bartlett's Childers), Engineer (by Sampson), progenitor of American ' trotters,' and Boreas (own brother to Panglos). By this time, also, the 100 Guineas Sweep- stakes, called the 1,200 Guineas Stakes at New- market, had been for four years in existence, so that it may be well to add the winners of that great race also. They were Lord Godolphin's Weasel (by the Godolphin Arabian), the Mar- quis of Granby's Turpin (by Cade, dam the Partner mare called Sister to Meynell), Mr. Dun- combe's Indicus (by the Bolton Starling), and the Duke of Devonshire's Foxhunter (by Blank, dam Young Miss Bel voir, daughter of the very famous Miss Belvoir, popularly known by a name which ' decency forbids ' to print in these days). A glance through the foregoing names of bipeds and quadrupeds will give a pretty correct idea of the persons and the horses that were of most service to the turf and to horse-racing and horse- HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND breeding in the reign of George II., who re- sembled his father in liis negflect of horse-racino- as well as in his dislike of ' boets and bainters/ If any surprise should be felt that no mention is made of the ino-enious Earl of March and Ruolen (better known as the notorious Duke of Queens- bury, or ' Old O.'), who was certainly in full blast at the time both on Newmarket Heath and in the North, the reason is that the nobleman in ques- tion was rather given to riding matches and using the race-horse as an instrument of gambling than to the winning of Royal Plates or to the breeding of blood-stock, w'nich he seems to have preferred to purchase for his purposes. Nor had the day of Sir Richard Grosvenor (ancestor of the Marquises and Duke of Westminster) and the Duke of Graf- ton, and other celebrated persons of the early turf, yet reached more than its dawn. As for such renowned horses as Mr. Lameeo's Little Driver (son of Mr. Beavors Driver), that stood 14 hands 1 inch, and Mr. Benjamin Rogers' Aaron (Lord Chedworth's, that 'gener- ally measured under 14 hands'), they were not, either in size or in anything else, among the giants of the turf; they greatly affected give-and-take FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 49 Plates (weight for age and weight for inches, under and over 14 hands) and provincial meet- ings; and they have left no conspicuous mark upon the pedigrees. It is interesting to note the number of ladies who raced in their own names, or nominated horses to run in races, at this period, as well as the colours and nomenclature of the horses. Among the ladies we find (from 1727) Lady Gainsborough, Lady Lovvther, Lady Chaplin, Lady Astley, Mrs. Meeke, Mrs. Deighton, the Duchess of Marlborough (who gives, as the great Duke had given, a purse to be run for at Wood- stock), the Misses Routh (Dolly, Betty, Judy, and Jenny, daughters of Mr. Cuthbert Routh, of Snape Hall, Bedale, Yorks), Mrs. Routh, Lady Coningsby, Mrs. Puleston, Mrs. Rawson, Miss Hale, the Duchess of Gordon, Miss Christiana Fagg, Miss Martindale, Mrs. Figg (not to be confounded with ' Figg's mare '), Miss Stuart, Miss Mayes, Miss Nancy Spearman, Miss Kitty Ferger, and Miss Leigh ; and, as if to show what an innocent, domestic, family kind of sport is horse-racing, there is a 'Master' Leigh several times among the nominators of Charming Molly 4 50 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND (Lord Leigh's, own sister to his Diana). No doubt the ladies had only followed the fashion — as they would be sure to do — set by her Majesty Queen Anne, who had already in the previous reign been imitated by Lady Savile, Mrs. Lay ton, and Mrs. Betty Savile, to say nothing of Lady Gainsborough. Nowadays, of the very {q\n ladies who race, one or two seem to think it necessary to exhibit ostrich-like precaution by adopting a style and title sometimes as transparent as glass, such as ' Mrs. Manton ' (the Duchess of Montrose) or ' Mrs. Jersey ' (the ' Jersey Lily '). As for the colours of the horses, which up to 1727 had frequently been nutmeg-gray, dun, sorrel (which is only a particular shade of chestnut, the term being sometimes used still, especially in America), and yellow, with an occasional 'bald' (whether 'pie* or 'skew'), and, with many a roan and gray, they remained very much the same up to 1 760 ; for, at that date, we still find not only the ordinary bay, black, chestnut, and gray, but white, dun, sorrel, pied, yellow, mouse-coloured, cream- coloured (such as is now confined principally to the circus, and secondarily to the riding 'tailor' FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 51 of * the Row ') ; and it is recorded of the Go- dolphin Arabian that he ' got 'em of all colours,' but duns by preference, like Buffcoat (Lord Go- dolphin's, dam Silverlocks), that was imported into Virginia about 1750. Nor is it without physiological interest to watch the gradual dis- appearance of peculiarly coloured coats as the breed of English racehorses improves. In respect of the nomenclature, we have grown so much more refined or varnished — though Catch-'em-alive and Kill-'em-and-eat-'em show little polish — that some of the names given to racehorses in the olden times (from 1709 to 1760, let us say) cannot now be so much as set down on paper for the public eye, and others would not be tolerated if they were now given for use. Among the latter may be classed Lord Drogheda's Hell - fire (which would have to take the form of Gehenna or Gohanna, at least), Louse, Bloody Buttocks, Dung - cart, Sweetest- when-naked, Lady Thigh, and many another, which it is curious that conventionality should not have banished from a sport in which, as we have seen, ladies personally participated to a noticeable extent. But that ladies were not likely to be 52 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND too exacting in that respect formerly may be inferred from the ingenuous simplicity with which Miss Betty Routh appears to have run in her own name (or nomination) at Durham (in 1734) and elsewhere a horse called Tom-come-tickle-me- But as Miss Betty might have been quite a little girl at the time, and the horse her father's, nomi- nated in her name to please her, no sinister con- clusions can be drawn from the circumstance. Jockeys have become persons of so much con- sideration in these days that a few words about their predecessors of old time may not be out of place. In the reign of Henry VIII. there were ' riders of the running geldings' in the royal stud, but their names cannot be fully ascertained ; and it is a question whether there were any jockeys, in the present sense of the word, before the reign of Charles II., when, according to Mr. J. B. Muir, the 'boy riders' to the royal stables were Peter Allibond, George Horniblowe (or Hornbi- lowe), William Bungany, and John Smith, of whom none can be claimed as a historical char- acter. Far more historical were the o-entlemen- jockeys of that reign, who, as we have seen, included King Charles himself, his son (the Duke FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 53 of Monmouth), and Mr. Elliot (a Gentleman of the Bedchamber), besides a Mr. Osley (or Oxley), Sir Robert Geere, Colonel Aslon (an ancestor, no doubt, of the Sir Willoughby Aston of a later reign), and Messrs. Staple (or Sheldon) and Felton (a historic name enough). Among the professional jockeys, mention is made of a certain 'Jack of Burford,' which is not very explicit. We have already come across the decidedly historical Jerome Hare, rider of Old Merlin in the famous match which probably took place at the end of King William III.'s reign, or at the beginning of Queen Anne's, and is said to have led to the statute (9th Anne) passed with a view of re- pressing heavy betting on horse-races as well as other sports ; and one Hague is recorded as jockey to Queen Anne and Prince George of Denmark up to 1 708. The principal professional jockeys from that date to 1760 were Thomas Ovington (said to have been the original breeder of Mr. John Crofts' famous Bloody Buttocks), John South, Stephen Jefferson, Thomas and William Erratt, Robert and William Heseltine, Thomas and Christopher Jackson, Edward Jackson and John Peirson (who both died within a few weeks 54 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND of injuries sustained in riding the two favourites for the King's Plate at York in 1721), the ilkis- trious ' Match'em ' Tims (whose son, ' Young Match'em,' when ' but eleven years and a half old ' won a match at Hambleton in i J^'^), Thomas and Christopher Duck, the 'great' John Single- ton (who died at seventy-eight in 1793, and was the progenitor of a galaxy of able professionals of that surname), Thomas and Josiah Marshall, Richard Marsh (or March, probably an ancestor of the present trainer, Richard Marsh, of Lord- ship Farm and Egerton House, Newmarket, him- self once a great rider of steeplechases), Richard Dyer, John Woodcock (rider of a great match against time), Thomas Stamford, S. Arnull (a name well known to this day), and others quos nunc describe re lo72guui est. In George II.'s reign, in 1738, a ^10 Plate was run for at Maldon, Essex, by three com- petitors, with the curious result that all three were 'distanced,' according to the rules of racing ; for the horse that came in first ran on the wTong side of a post, the rider of the second could not draw his weight, and the other horse fell and broke his leg. But perhaps a more curious FIRST PERIOD : CHARLES II. TO GEORGE II. 55 race, or rather steeplechase, between three com- petitors, took place at Plumpton in the Ovingdean Steeplechase, on Saturday, December 17, 1892, between Sea Wall (Mr. Atkinson), Arran (Mr. Gale), and Covert Side (Mr. C. Thompson). The odds were 5 to i o?i Sea Wall, 6 to i against Arran, and 20 to i against Covert Side, whose behaviour in the race was such that he was taken back to the paddock. Meanwhile Arran fell, and by his fall was put /lors de coinbat ; and Sea Wall, having reached the ' open ditch,' pertinaciously refused to ' take it.' Mr. C. Thompson, yielding to repeated calls, brought out Covert Side, a little improved in temper by this time, from the pad- dock once more, mounted, and got the horse over the ground as far as Sea Wall and the 'open ditch.' It was generally thought that Sei Wall, with a ' lead,' would take the jump and win ; but, though Covert Side cleared the obstacle, Sea Wall would not budge, and Mr. Thompson com- pleted the course. The stewards declared it a race, and as there was no second there was no opening for an objection, unless the declaration of the stewards were objected to, which does not appear to have been the case. [ 56 ] CHAPTER II. SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. George III. and the Turf — Royal Patronage of Horse-racing — Establishment of the ' Classic ' Races — Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales, and Epsom Races — Questions concern- ing the Derby and the other ' Classic ' Races — Ascot — Brighton — Lewes — Goodwood — York — A Royal Duke pushed into a Fish-pond — The Racing of Two-Year-Olds and of Yearlings — The Story of Blacklock — The Collapse of the Arabian — The Rise of the Betting Ring — Foreigners on the English Turf — The Tattersalls and the Weatherbys — The Practice of ' Nobbling ' — Newmarket Meetings in- creased from Three to Eight — Ladies on the Turf — Seven Notable Horses : Dr. Syntax, Sir Joshua, Copenhagen, Beeswing, Selim, Cashel, Rubens — Colours and Heights of Race-horses — Nomenclature — American Importations of English Horses — -Castianira, Dam of Sir Archy — ■ Diamond or Duchess and Alice Carneal — Lexington and Umpire — The Cub Mare, Dam of Old Slamerkin — A Sensitive Bookmaker — Some Celebrated Jockeys. We have now reached the reign of George III., who was King from October 25, 1760, to January 29, 1820. Although 'Farmer George' did Httle personally to encourage ' the sport of kings ' beyond riding, it is said, the blood-sire Sturdy at SECOND PERIOD: GEORGE III. 57 exercise, instituting a Plate for hunters at Ascot, and attending the races there with homely Queen Charlotte and the family, quite without ceremony, and thereby, unintentionally no doubt, exciting in two of his sons, George, the ' first gentleman of Europe,' and Frederick, the ' Bishop of Osna- burgh,' an ardent desire to be conspicuous upon the turf, yet it was in his reign that horse-racing, both for good and for evil, was to attain a de- velopment which was truly stupendous. The Jockey Club had been some ten years in exist- ence, and though the King himself was neither a member of it nor titular ' patron ' of it, as Wil- liam IV. was, yet the King's uncle (the ' Culloden ' Duke of Cumberland), the King's brother (Henry Frederick, the next Duke of Cumberland, de- scribed as ' the silly boy who disgraces the tide ' by a contemporary), and, in due course, two of the King's sons, became very prominent members of it, to say nothing of other uncles and sons, two or more of whom certainly belonged to it. Horse-racing, then, was well off for Royal patron- age during this reign, in which flourished such great horses as Herod {alias King Herod) and Eclipse (both bred by the ' Culloden ' Duke of Cumber- land), and, both before and after those two horses' HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND days of performance, Lord Ossory's Otho, Lord Rockingham's Bay Malton, Lord Grosvenor's Cardinal Puff, Mr. Fenwick's (Sir C. Bunbury's) Dux and Le Sang, Sir J. Lister Kaye's famous mare Perdita, Sir Thomas Gascoigne's famous mare Tuberose, Lord Bolingbroke's Paymaster (sire of Paragon), Messrs. Fox and Foley's Tren- tham, Mr. Vernon's famous mare Coquette (by Compton's Barb), Mr. Strode's (the Rev. Mr. Hewgill's) famous mare Priestess (by Match 'em), Lord Grosvenor's famous mare Maiden (Mr. Pratt's, of Askrigg), Lord Ossory's Comus (sold to Comte d'x^rtois), Messrs. Fox and Foley's Pyrrhus (Mr. Vernon's, by Sprightly). Count Lauraguais' and ever so many other persons' famous little Gimcrack (that gave the name to the Gimcrack Club, York, though he was a Southern horse, bred in Hampshire), Lord Bolingbroke's and Mr. Tattersall's Highflyer (that never was beaten, never paid forfeit, and made the fortune of the Tattersalls), Lord Grosvenor's and Lord Abingdon's superlative Pot-8-os (sire of Waxy), as well as Mr. Edward Crofts' Young Marsk (sire of Mr. Bethell's Ruler), Mr. John St. Leger Douglas's and Mr. Jenison Shafto's Goldfinder (sire of Colonel Radcliffe's Serina), Mr. Wastell's SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 59 and Lord Bolingbroke's Alfred (sire of the Rev. Mr. Goodricke's Imperatrix), Mr. or Captain Robert Shafto's Tandem (sire of Sir F. Standish's famous Yellow Mare), Lord Grosvenor's Sweet William (sire of Ceres), the Duke of Grafton's Plunder (sire of Mr. Burlton's Stella), Mr. Vernon's Flo- rizel (sire of Sir T. C. Bunbury's Diomed), Mr. Thomas Meredith's and Lord Grosvenor's Sweet- briar (sire of Lord Egremont's Assassin), the Duke of Ancaster's and Lord Clermont's Marc Antony (sire of Aimwell), Sir Charles Davers' and Mr. Vernon's Woodpecker (sire of Buzzard), Mr. Wastell's and Lord Clermont's Conductor (sire of Trumpator), Mr. O' Kelly's King Fergus (sire of Beningbrough and Hambletonian, and grandsire of Orville), Lord Egremont's Gohanna, and a score or two more of ' cracks,' including, of course, all winners of the ' classic ' races (the Doncastcr St. Leger, the Oaks, the Derby, the Two Thou- sand, and the One Thousand) from their institu- tion to the end of the season of 1 8 1 9, a list whereof is easily accessible. For it was in this reign that all those great races were established : the St. Leger, so called after Colonel and General St. Leger, of Park Hill, Doncaster, whence the Park Hill Stakes 6o HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND received that appellation, and founded in 1776, though not named till 1778 ; the Oaks and Derby, established under the auspices of the popular twelfth Earl of Derby in 1779 and 1780 respec- tively; the Two Thousand, established in 1809; and the One Thousand in 18 14. And here a little digression, perhaps, may be allowed for the purpose of dealing with some small questions which invariably recur, as often as the anniversary of the Derby comes round. First of all, there is no provision in Magna Charta (for reasons which need not be discussed) for the ' adjournment of the House ' over the Derby Day ; nor, if the House fails to adjourn, is it likely (to judge from past experience) either that the earth would open and swallow up the sitting members, or that a House would be obtained with which any import- ant business could be done (unless, of course, under very exceptional conditions). The fact is that the adjournment of the House on the Derby Day was first moved by Lord G. Bentinck, May 18, 1847 ; ^'^s moved b)' the Government from i860, when Lord Palmerston declared that to adjourn over that day was ' part of the unwritten law of Parliament '; was abandoned as a Govern- ment motion by Sir Stafford Northcote in 1879; SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 6i and was rejected altogether, on the motion of Viscount Wolmer, without an earthquake, but with the result of an almost empty House, in 1892. Secondly, it may not be generally known, or, at any rate, remembered, that Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales, son of George II. and father of George III., had some slight connection with Epsom, though of course not with the Derby. He was the Prince of Wales for whom some Jaco- bite wrote the following bitter epitaph, now almost forgotten, in doggerel verse : ' Here's lies Fred, Who was alive and is dead : Had it been his father, I had much rather ; Had it been his brother, still better than another; Had it been his sister, nobody would have missed her ; Had it been the whole generation, still better for the nation ; But, as 'tis only Fred, Who was alive and is dead, There's no more to be said.' He does not seem to have been a sportsman, as his brother, the ' Culloden ' Duke of Cumber- land, was, or to have bred, owned, or run a single race-horse, whatever else he may have done to redeem himself and his memory from unpopu- larity. Nevertheless, a diligent perusal of the records reveals the fact that a Prince of Wales's 62 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Cup or Purse was given to be run for at Epsom from 1 741 to 1747, both years included, and that Prince must, of course, have been * Fred.' And when we come to inquire why his patronage should have been bestowed upon Epsom in par- ticular, the interesting fact is disclosed that he once resided at the Durdans, a place which, since his time, has been associated with the names of personages so different from ' Fred,' and so much more popular, as the late Sir Gilbert Heathcote and the present Earl of Rosebery. Of course, the house is not the same, for that in which ' Fred ' had lived — and which was said to have been built with materials obtained from Nonsuch Palace, demolished by the Duchess of Cleveland- — was burnt down and replaced by another, of which a Mr. Dalbiac appears to have been either the architect or the owner. In the next place it is by no means unusual for the Derby to fall in June, as, to speak roughly, all depends upon the incidence of Easter, which guides the Jockey Club in the arrangement of the race-meetings. The Derby was run on a day of June in 1791, 1794, 1797, 1802, 1808, 1810, 1813, 1821, 1824, 1829, 1S32, 1835. 1840, 1859, 1862, 1870, 1874, 1878, 1881, 1885, 1889, 1890, and 1892. SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 63 Since 1838 (included) the race has been run in- variably on a Wednesday ; up to that date (with the single exception of a Wednesday in 1786) it had always been run on a Thursday, though the Oaks was always from the first run on the follow- ing Friday, as now. The Derby has always been open to fillies (three years old) as well as colts (three years old), and was won by a filly in 1801 (Eleanor, winner of the Oaks also), in 1857 (by Blink Bonny, winner of the Oaks also), and in 1882 (by Shotover, beaten for the Oaks, which was won by Lord Stamford's Geheimniss), The distance has varied from a mile (1780-83) to about a mile and a half (1784, and ever since), and the course has undergone several alterations, though the distance remained as nearly as possible the same), notably in 1848, when what was known as the Old Derby Course — of horseshoe shape, and exactly a mile and a half — was abandoned for another, which ran into the old course at the mile-post, and again in 1872, when the present course was adopted. The subscription and forfeit were always virtually the same — namely, 50 sovs. (or guineas) and 'half forfeit' — until in 1890, when, what with short races for fabulous sums offered by competing companies, and what with 64 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND other considerations upon which it were tedious to dwell, it was thought advisable, if not abso- lutely necessary, to guarantee a lowest value for the Derby and Oaks (^5,000 and ^4,000 respectively, without prejudice), and to tempt subscribers by instituting a second (earlier) forfeit of 10 sovs., though the original subscription and forfeit re- mained the same. The weights for the Derby have varied noticeably. In 1780, colts 8 St., fillies 7 St. II lb., altered in i 784 to colts 8 st. 3 lb., fillies 8 St. ; in 1801 to colts 8 st. 3 lb., fillies 7 st. 12 lb. ; in 1803 to colts 8 st. 5 lb., fillies 8 st. ; in 1807 to colts 8 St. 7 lb., fillies 8 st. 2 lb. ; in 1862 to colts 8 St. 10 lb., fillies 8 st. 5 lb. ; and lastly, in 1884, to colts 9 St., fillies 8 st. 9 lb., all of which goes to illustrate the 1 utility of drawing comparisons from the timing or clocking of races unless every particular can be taken into account. The Derby was run in a snow-storm when Bloomsbury won in 1839, and there was snow — but not, it would seem, during the race — on the day when Mr. Chaplin's famous Hermit won in 1867. There was a dead heat for the Derby in 1828 between the Duke of Rutland's Cadland and the Hon. Edward Petre's The Colonel (which was run off and won by the former), and in 1884 SECOND PERIOD .- GEORGE III. 65 between Mr. John Hammond's St. Gatien and Sir John Willoughby's Harvester (which was not run off; stakes divided). In 1825 Lord Jersey's (chest- nut) Middleton, and in 18^,8 Sir Gilbert Heath- cote's Amato, distinouished themselves by win- ning the Derby, though they never ran in public before or after; and in 1864 Blair Athol made his first appearance in public when he won the Derby. Only three foreign - bred horses have won the Derby : Gladiateur, bred in France, in 1865 ; Kisber. bred in Hungary, 1876 ; Iroquois, bred in America, in 1881. The richest Derby on record, notwithstanding the recent subsidization (of which mention has been made), is still that which was won by Lord Lyon (^7,350) in 1866. That the Derby will be won by the favourite in any given year is — if we judge of the future by the past — unlikely, in the proportion of about I to 2, or, at the best, 2 to 3. The largest number of runners for the Derby has hitherto been thirty- four (in 1862, when Caractacus won, though there were thirty-three in 1851, when Teddington was hero of 'the Great Exhibition year'), and the smallest four (in 1794, when Daedalus won). It is to be feared that the days of very 5 66 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND large ' fields ' are over now, for reasons not wholly unconnected with the increase in the number of two-year-old races and ' monster stakes.' Lastly, it may be well to add — so frequent are inquiries upon the subject — that the notorious Lady Elizabeth ran for the Derby won by Blue Gown in [868, and started favourite at 7 to 4, being so much more fancied than Blue Gown, as 7 to 4 is less odds than 7 to 2 ; that the shortest (unofficial) time for running the race, dating from 1846, is 2 minutes 43 seconds (Kettledrum's, Blair Athol's, Merry Hampton's, and Ayrshire's time, but they did not all carry the same weight), and the longest (unofficial) 3 minutes 4 seconds (Ellington's 'record' in 1856); and that the greatest of all favourites was Surefoot (95 to 40 on) when he lost in 1890. Of the Oaks it may suffice to state that it has always been for fillies only (three years old), that it received its name from the twelfth Earl of Derby's seat, called The Oaks (purchased from his relative, General Burgoyne, and originally an inn on Epsom or Banstead Downs) ; that it is a year older than the Derby, as it dates from 1779 ; that it has always been run on a Frida3% and over a dis- SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 67 tance (though the actual course has varied with that of the Derby) of a mile and a half ; that the weight of the runners has undergone alterations, more or less in accordance with variations in the weights carried for the Derby ; that the race has twice produced a dead heat: in 1858, between Governess and Gildermire, when the former won the decider, and in 1876, between the two French fillies, Camelia and Enguerrande, when the latter walked over and the stakes were divided ; that the winner of the race has only twice won the Derby (Eleanor in 1801, and Blink Bonny in 1857), t>ut thrice the Two Thousand (Pastille in 1822, Crucifix in 1840, and Formosa, running a dead heat, however, with Moslem, in 1868), and many times the St. Leger (which is run in 'the mares' month') ; that it was the sex of the runners which caused the ' Oaks Day ' to be known as ' the ladies' day '; that the greatest number of runners has been twenty-six (when Mr. * Bookmaker' Hill's Cymba won in 1848), and the smallest, as with the Derby, four (in 1 799), when Bellina won, and there were only five in 1882, when Geheimniss won ; and that, according to very fair though unofficial authority, with a long gap from 1828 to 1846, the shortest time for the race HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND has been 2 minutes 40 seconds, ascribed to Tur- quoise, when she won in 1828, which is four- fifths of a second (an accuracy unknown in Turquoise's day) less than the time unofficially ascribed to Memoir in 1890, and the longest, as with the Derby, 3 minutes 4 seconds (which was the 'record' of Mr. 'Bookmaker' Hill's Mincepie in 1856, the very year, oddly enough, in which the Derby was also slowest). Four ' foreigners,' all French, have won the Oaks — Fille de I'Air in 1864, Reine in 1872, and Camelia and Enguer- rande (dead heat and stakes divided) in 1876. Of the Two Thousand Guineas and the One Thousand Guineas it should be observed, first of all, that there seems to have been originally more point than is now noticeable in the names they bear ; for the former (always for fillies as well as colts, and first run for in 1809) had twenty- three subscribers at 100 guineas in the first year, and that would be in round numbers 2,000 guineas; and the latter (always for fillies only, and first run for in 1 814) had exactly ten subscribers at 100 guineas in the first year, and that would be ex- actly 1,000 guineas. It should be observed, in the next place, that, at the date of their establishment, race- SECOND PERIOD: GEORGE III. 69 horses took their age from the ist of May, so that the runners would be two-year-olds, ' rising ' three, and not, as now, three years old die7i sounds. Again, the Two Thousand used to be run on Tuesday and the One Thousand on Thursday, instead of, as now, on Wednesday and Friday respectively ; and, though the former has always been run on the Rowley Mile, the latter was run on the Ditch mile up to 1873. It is worthy of notice, too, that though the Two Thou- sand and Derby have been frequently won by the same horse since 181 3, Sir Charles Bunbury, who won the first Derby (with Diomed), and was the first to win both Oaks and Derby with the same mare (Eleanor, in 1801), was the first to win both Two Thousand and Derby (with Smolensko in 1813) ; and that Mr. ' Kit' Wilson, ' Pater Ces- pitis,' who was the first to win both Derby and St. Leger with the same horse (with Champion in 1800), won not only the first Two Thousand (with Wizard) but also the first One Thousand (with Charlotte). For the Two Thousand there has been one dead heat (Moslem and Formosa in 1868) recorded ; for the One Thousand not any. The greatest number of runners for the Two 70 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Thousand has been nineteen (when Pretender won in 1869), and the smallest two (in 1829 and 1830, when Patron and Augustus, both belonging to Lord Exeter, won respectively). The largest number for the One Thousand, as with the Two Thousand, has been nineteen (in 1877, when Lord Hartington's Belphoebe won) ; the smallest in 1825, when the Duke of Grafton's Tontine couriU seiile^ as the French put it, or ' walked over,' as we say. The Two Thousand and One Thousand have been won by the same hlly three times — by Crucifix in 1840, Formosa (dead heat for the Two Thousand) in 1868, and Pilgrimage in 1878 ; the One Thousand and the Oaks by Neva in 1817, Corinne in 1818, Zinc in 1823, Cobweb in 1824, Galata in 1832, Crucifix in 1840, Mendicant in 1846, Governess in 1858, Formosa in 1868, Hannah in 1871, Reine (French) in 1872, Spinaway in 1875, Camelia (French, dead heat for Oaks) in 1876, Wheel of Fortune in 1879, Thebais in 1881, Busybody in 1884, Miss Jummy in 1886, Reve d'Or in 1887, Mimiin 1891, and La Fleche in 1892. The times tor the Two Thou- sand and One Thousand have not been (even unofficially) preserved. SECOND PERIOD: GEORGE III. 71 The St. Leger, one year older than the Oaks, if the date be taken from s.J'j'^, when the name was given, or three years older, if from its insti- tution without a special name, has always been for fillies as well as colts (and was won in 1776, when it was first run, but unnamed, by a filly after- wards called Alabaculia), has, like the Derby, had its distance and day of running altered, from the original ' two miles ' to ' one mile six furlongs and 132 yards,' and from Monday, or (more frequently) Tuesday, or sometimes Wednesday, to Wednes- day permanently, commencing with 1845, when The Baron won. Of course, fillies have always received an alleviation of weight, as in the Derby, but less than in the latter race, because the time of year when the St, Leger is run is more favour- able to them. The St. Leger, accordingly, has been won by a filly very often indeed : (Alaba- culia), Hollandaise, Serina, Imperatrix, Omphale, Cowslip, Young Flora, Pewet (on a jostle, proved against the rider of the black colt Zanga, by Laurel and Moorpout), Paulina, Altisidora, The Duchess (ex Duchess of Leven), Matilda, Queen of Trumps (won the Oaks), Blue Bonnet^ Impe- rieuse (won the One Thousand), Sunbeam, Caller Ou (started at 1,000 to 15 against her), Achieve- 72 llORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND iiKMil (won the One 'J^housand), Formosa (won lli<; Two Thousand, d(iad heat, the One Thousand, and the Oaks), Hannah (won the One Thousand and th(; Oaks). Marie Stuart (won the Oaks), Ajjology (won the One Thousand and the Oaks), Janncttte (won the Oaks), Dutcli Oven (started at 40 to 1 against hv.r), Seabreeze (won the Oaks), M(Miioir (won the Oaks), and La Fleclie (won the One ddiousand and the Oaks). Whence it is easy to conclude that the St. Leger is truly said to be run in ' the mares' month '; but another consideration is that a filly's chance for the Oaks mit^ht be- endangered by running her for the I )erby, whereas th(;re is no similar danger at Doncaster, for the J^ark Hill Stakes, though for fillies only, is a very different affair from the Oaks, as regards both value and other things, such as ' penalties.' For the St. Leger, as for the 1 )erby, there have been two d(?ad h(;ats, but with a differ- ence, for they wcn-e bc^th run off — in 1839, when Charles XH. got the better of Euclid in the d(;cidcr, and in 1S50, when Voltigeur, at the second time of asking, juslifu^d the odds of 6 U) 4 that weR! laid on him against Russborough. The largest number of runners for the St. Leger SECOND PERIOD: GEORGE III. 73 has been thirty (in 1825, when Memnon won), and the smallest four (in 1783 and 1785, when Phenomenon — by only ' half a head ' in front of the gray Pacolet — and Cowslip won, respectively, and in the latter of which years there were but ^ve subscribers. The shortest (unofficially re- corded) time for the race, dating from 18 10, has been 3 minutes ii-| seconds (Seabreeze's, in 1888), and the longest 3 minutes 45 seconds, in 1839, when Charles XII. won, af/cj" the dead heat. But the dead heat, though slow, was run many seconds faster (3 minutes 27 seconds is the ' clocking'), and the slowness of the decider is readily accounted for, when we read that ' at starting they both walked from the post for a short distance, when Euclid went away at a slow pace.' Whence the ab- surdity of drawing any conclusion from ' clock- ing,' unless every single circumstance is known and taken into account, is once more to be inferred. It remains to be added that in 18 19 (when An- tonio was the winner, and there were fourteen starters, according to the records) nineteen horses came to the post ; only fourteen got off In the race which Antonio won, and which was declared by the stewards of Doncaster races to have been 74 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND a false start ; another race was accordingly run, for which only ten, not including Antonio, ran ; and, the whole case having been referred to the stewards of the Jockey Club, they condemned the second race, on evidence given by the starter, and pronounced Antonio the winner; and that in 1823 (when Barefoot won and there were but twelve starters, according to the records) twenty-seven horses came to the post ; there were three false starts and three recalls, which were obeyed; twenty- three horses then started and ran the whole course, when Carnival came in first and Barefoot second, but the starter having declared that he had not given the word, the race was pronounced by the authorities to have been a false start ; whereupon fifteen horses were withdrawn, and the remaining twelve ran, with the result that Barefoot, second in the other race, won ; Carnival, first in the other race, was nowhere ; and Conite d'Artois, oddly enough, third both times. It was in the reign of George III. that Ascot, which the King would patronize with all his family, from George P. to the little Princess Amelia, grew from small beginnings to the dignity of a Gold Cup (in 1807); that Brighton SECOND PERIOD .■ GEORGE III. 75 came to the front, with Lewes in tow, and seemed little likely to be eclipsed by Goodwood, which, at Lord Eofremont's cessation of racincj at Petworth (in 1802), had come to the birth, but remained a very poor weakling until the advent of Lord George Bentinck ; that York August meeting was honoured and encouraged by the presence (1789) of George P. (afterwards George IV.) and his brother ' the Bishop,' a/zas Duke of York ; and that these two royal brothers, with the eloquent but extravagant Charles James Fox and other distinguished worthies to aid and abet them, held 'high jinks' at Newmarket, before the unfortu- nate 'Escape affair,' and pushed a royal Duke and a member of the English Jockey Club (the Due d'Orleans, a/ias Egalite) into the fish- pond. In the reign of Georj^e III. were established, whether for good or for evil, those two-year-old races about the usefulness or mischievousness whereof the very highest authorities differ ; and, as if to test Nature to the utmost, those yearling races which, though condemned in course of time by general opinion, were in vogue from 1786 to 1859, in which latter year the last race of the 76 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND kind in this country (though the racing of year- Hngs has recently been introduced, but not officially, in the United States) was run at Shrewsbury, when Lord Stamford, a member of the Jockey Club, and Mr. William Day, the once eminent trainer, ran first and second for the Anglesey Stakes. After this the racing of year- lings ior pziblic stakes was prohibited, but it was not until 1S76 that 'yearlings shall not run for any race ' was inserted in the rules. Who was or were responsible for the institution of two-year-old racing has been disputed. The responsibility seems to have been attributed, with- out sufficient evidence, to Sir Charles Bunbury,who appeared upon the turf for the first time in 1763, at the age of twenty-three, and died in 182 1 (one year after George III.), having acquired the title, whether actually conferred by his compeers or popu- larly bestowed on mere hypothesis, of ' perpetual President of the Jockey Club,' and having occupied for many years the prominent position on the turf ascribed before him to the Hon. Bernard Howard in the days of Charles H., and after him to Lord George Bentinck and to the never - to - be - forgotten Admiral Rous. Two-year-old racing SECOND PERIOD: GEORGE III. 77 under the auspices of the Jockey Club un- doubtedly 'caught on' in the South (at New- market) some years before it was openly practised in the North, inasmuch as two-year-olds appear in the public records of matches run at Newmarket in 1769-70, and by 1771 there was established the Craven Stakes, in which two-year-olds were ex- pressly authorized to run, whereas no public race in which a two-year-old took part in the North can be discovered in the records before 1779. In that year Mr. Burden's (or Mr. Coates's) Czarina, two years old, defeated Mr. John Hutchinson's bay colt (foaled three months later than the filly) in a race over the trying distance for their age of two miles at Hambleton, the filly carrying 8 St. 7 lb. and the colt 8 st. ; but there is very good reason for thinkincr that the account is true which says that two-year-old racing originated among the Yorkshiremen in a match or in matches, prob- ably private, between the aforesaid Mr. John Hutchinson, ex-stable-boy, of Shipton, near York, and the Rev. Henry Goodricke (uncle of the last baronet of that name, of Ribstone Hall, Yorks), a Prebendary of York Minster and Rector of Sutton-in-the-Forest. 78 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND However all this may be, two -year -old racing and yearling racing seem to have been far more in favour at Newmarket than in the North, and led, no doubt, to that multiplica- tion of short races which has been so much deplored in later times. The chief among the earliest patrons of the 'young' racing appear to have been, as was only to be expected, the wilder, more extravagant, experimental, specu- lative, gambling spirits, together with the older ' knowing hands,' and they included the Prince of Wales, Lord Clermont (his tutor ad hoc\ the Duke of York and his ' chum ' (Mr. Ladbroke, the banker, whose name is perpetuated in Bays- water), the reckless Lord Barrymore, the Right Hon. and right gamblesome C. J. Fox, Mr. 'Jockey Vernon,' the cock-fighting Lord Derby, the Duke of Oueensberry ('old O.'), Lords Grosvenor, Foley, Orford, and Egremont, Sir Willoughby Aston, Mr. Panton, and hoc gemts omne. It was in the reign of George HI. that 'the first gentleman,' who was to be George IV., won his only Derby (in 1788, with Sir Thomas, by Pontac), and that the Duke of York, who was SECOND PERIOD: GEORGE III 79 'the hope of the family' (and justified the hope by bequeathing to the nation a mountain of debt), won the first of his two Derbys with Prince Leopold (by Hedley, the name of Mr. Ladbroke's country-place), the second having been won in 1822 with Moses (by Seymour or Whalebone). It was in the reign of George III. that the now highly esteemed progenitor Blacklock, whose character the late Dr. Shorthouse spent several years in attempting to blacken, lost the St. Leger, which he should have won (in 18 17), and so missed inscription among the winners of the great races and his proper place in the memory of mankind. There is a story to the effect that Blacklock — whose fate it was to drop down dead immediately after performing his duty as a stud-horse, Feb- ruary 24, 1 83 1, when he was 'rising' seventeen — was dug up, about six years after his death, from his grave under the lawn at Bishop Burton Hall, the seat of his owner, Mr. Richard Watt, and 'put together by an anatomist'; that Mr. Watt paid ^10 for a 'skeleton-rider, that yapped his teeth when a string was pulled'; and that this spectral combination was exhibited to the yokels 8o HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND (at so much a head, no doubt) at Beverley during the agricultural meetings. The interesting spec- tacle may still be open to the curious, for all that can be discovered to the contrary ; but no posi- tive assurance upon that point can be given here. It was a little before this reign, in 1756, that there was run at Black Hambleton, Yorks, a race (the Royal Plate for five-year-old mares) which deserves notice for the singular fact that every one of the runners bore the name of iMary, reminding one of 'the Queen's Marys' and the doggerel about 'Mary Beaton and Mary Seaton and Mary Carmichsel and me ' (Mary, Queen of Scots), for the mares in the order of finishing were Mary Tartar (Mr. Robinson's), Mary Scott (Mr, Swinburne's), Mary Grey (Mr. Sotheron's), Mary Regulus (Mr. Os- baldeston's), and Mary Andrew (Mr. Umpleby's), which looks very much as if some of the runners had been started merely in the sportive vein more characteristic of the olden than of the modern horse-racing. It was early in this same reign that the ' Arab blood,' which had undoubtedly done a great deal for the English thoroughbred, began to fall under SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE HI. 8t a suspicion gradually ripening into the open contempt with which the 'son of the desert' is now regarded from certain important points of view, though he still maintains his claim to admiration in others. For in 1782 was estab- lished at Newmarket the Cumberland Stakes for two-year-olds, whereof one of the conditions was that an allowance of weight should be made to the immediate progeny of 'Arabians' and some other horses specially mentioned ; and it is worthy of notice that since the foundation of the St. Leger, Oaks, and Derby, no great race has been won by the immediate offspring of ' Arabians,' though importation of the breed has never entirely ceased even to this day. The reign of George III., during which the turf had rest from legislation, witnessed a great change in the aspect presented by what had been ' the sport of kings,' the birth of what is now familiar as that overgrown monster, the ' ring,' and the descent upon our shores of the now annual and habitual foreigner as a competitor on our race-courses. It has been observed already that the mischie- vous statute of Queen Anne had tended to put 6 82 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND horse-racing, and the ownership of race-horses — which {exceptis excipiendis, and the exceptions were very few) had, up to the date of that statute, been confined to ' kings,' nobihty, and gentry, for the most part — within the conception and the reach of httle men and men of straw, who pre- viously would almost as soon have thought of keeping a white elephant as of possessing and running a race-horse of their own. Such persons, having been induced by Queen Anne's statute to run so-called race-horses, mostly tripeds, all over the country, as instruments, there is reason to suppose, of more or less paltry gambling, and as a means of carrying out more or less sinister designs, gradually increased the scope and scale of their operations, when the remedial statutes of George II. came into force. So that early in the reign of George III. we find, not only among the ' legs,' as the members of the betting proletariat were de- nominated, but among purchasers, owners, and runners of great race-horses, with dis- tinguished pedigrees and four sound legs, such gentry as Messrs. Quick and Castle, who are among the earliest instances of ' warning off' (by SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 83 advertisement from provincial meetings, not by the recently-established Jockey Club from New- market Heath), Mr. Wildman (a meat salesman of sporting proclivities and of great astuteness), Mr., or Captain, O'Kelly (an Irish adventurer, whose vocation was gambling of every descrip- tion, and whose delight was a * cross and jostle '), Mr., or Captain, England (commonly called Dick England, another Irishman, a bully, a ruffian, and a gamester, a frequenter of the notorious Jack Munday's coffee-house. Round Court, in the Strand, with the aforesaid O'Kelly, and Jack Tetherington, Bob Weir, Tom Hull, the Clarkes, and, in fact, ' the most noted black-legs on the town '), and other birds of the like feather. In- somuch that Mr. Denis O'Kelly, by becoming the owner of Eclipse, overshadowed, as a runner and breeder of race-horses, all the nobility and gentry addicted to the turf, and set an example, which was speedily and frequently followed, of supre- macy, so far as horse-racing and horse-breeding are concerned, attained by a man of a very different class from his predecessors in that position. Mr. John Pratt, of Askrigg, had been a special case, and a member of the Jockey Club to boot; and 84 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Mr. Martindale, the owner of Regulus, had not been a mere adventurer, though he was but a saddler. After O'Kelly the precedence was taken for awhile by Mr. Tattersall (ultimate owner of the famous Highflyer, bred by Sir Charles Bun- bury, and owned during the greater part of a short but brilliant racing career by Lord Boling- broke) ; and he, originally a wool-comber (like Shakespeare's father), then a sort of stud-master to the Duke of Kingston, and lastly an auctioneer, a newspaper-proprietor, a breeder of race-horses, and founder of the toast ' The hammer and High- flyer,' though not belonging to ' the quality,' was a nobleman in comparison with the adventurous O'Kelly. However, it was on the suburban and provincial race-courses principally that the new style of race-horse owners prevailed as yet ; the only ' common feller ' that we hnd among the winners of the Derby up to 1820 is Mr. O'Kelly, with Young Eclipse and with Sergeant, though Mr. Tattersall, who himself seldom or never raced, must be considered, as the owner of Highflyer, to have had a finger in the pie which contained Mr. Panton's Noble, the Duke of Bedford's noted SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 85 Skyscraper, and Lord Derby's famous Sir Peter (Teazle). In the North, too, the St. Leger had been won by Mr. Hutchinson (ex-stable-boy) with Young Traveller and Beningbrough ; and he had bred Sir C. Turner's Hambletonian, a third winner of that great race at Doncaster. Some other names (such as that of Mr. Ferguson, who won the St. Leger of 18 19 with Antonio, and is said to have been a publican) might be added ; but enough has been said to show that less aristocratic persons had begun to assert themselves as active and successful participators in what had been * the sport of kings,' and not merely as envious spectators, humble bettors among equally ' common ' friends and acquaintances, or adventurous 'legs,' lay- ing the odds to their social superiors. Between 1760 and 1820, the extent of the reign of George III. (with interregna and a titular regency), there also struggled into existence the betting ring. Of course there had always been betting, as we have seen, but it was chiefly, though by no means entirely, confined to com- 86 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND petitive owners of horses among themselves, and the public among themselves. There had afterwards sprung up the ' legs ' and the ' bettors round,' who formed, In the days when the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., was in his heyday, the fraternity which would assemble on the Steyne at Brighton, and await the coming of the ' plungers,' headed by Lord Foley and Colonel Mellish, of lavish memory, when a cer- tain Jerry Cloves, as pontifex tiuxximus, would address the Colonel in the seductive words : ' Now, Mr. Mellish, will you light the candle and set us a-going i*' But, though an eye-witness describes the 'legs' and bettors as 'shoals,' Mr. Cloves and his brethren were but a handful compared with the ' bookmakers ' of to-day, who can scarcely be said to have had a corporate existence before the year 1818, when there were built at Tattersalls' the Subscription Rooms, which have since been removed from Hyde Park Corner to another convenient site at Albert Gate, Knightsbridge. The singularity of Tattersalls' is that it was established by a family one of the heads SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 87 whereof regarded with abhorrence the practice of systematic betting, and was of opinion that it could only lead to the ruin of young gentlemen who backed horses. Which shows how difficult it is sometimes, if not generally, in this world to reconcile one's interests with one's moral convic- tion. Similarly it is understood that the late famous proprietor of the ' hell ' at Monte Carlo, who is said to have been known as ' the Old Gentleman,' as much from his proprietorship as from his position of paterfamilias, and in any case ' for emphasis or distinction's sake,' as the Eton Latin Grammar has it, had a very low opinion of the persons who indulged in the vice which his tables encouraged, and, under new auspices, do still encourage. But whether or no, the reign of George III. saw the institution of the betting ring in the form with which we are now familiar. The same reign witnessed the descent upon our race-courses of the foreigner, represented by Philippe Egalite (the site of whose stables is still pointed out at Newmarket), the Comte de Laur- aguais (who, having earned but little credit under that tide, died at the great age of ninety- one, in 1823, as the highly respected Due de 88 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Brancas), the Marquis de Conflans, the Comte de Guerchy, the Due de Lauzun, and as spec- tator, if nothing more, the Marquis de Fitz-James (of EngHsh descent from James II., through the Duke of Berwick), not to mention, as a describer and critic, the celebrated Comte de Mirabeau, under the style and title of 'Monsieur' or 'Mr. Grossley.' These were all Frenchmen, and, to judge from them, it would seem likely that the French Revolution retarded for some fifty years the progress in horse - racing and horse - breeding which France began at the period under con- sideration, resumed in 1833 after a long check, and from that time to the present has continued by leaps and bounds. An American, Mr. or Colonel Hoomes, ran an English horse called Horns (imported into America, and there re- named Escape, by Precipitate, dam by Wood- pecker) for the Derby of 1801 ; but it was to be eighty years before the American dog was to have his day on the English turf with Iroquois and Foxhall. Many other foreign names, both before and during this period, occur among the runners of SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 89 race-horses upon English courses ; but they were mostly, no doubt, the names of persons settled in England, and, to all intents and purposes, Eng- lish, such as Baron Blombergh (who is found running in races at York as early as 1719, and is believed to have been an equerry to George I., who 'imported him' from Hanover), Baron Suasso, Signor Guadagni, and Mr. (Aaron) Lamego, whose names point to a foreign origin. But they are not of any consequence as regards the turf in Eng- land, though Mr. Lamego owned some good horses, including the celebrated Little Driver. As of the Tattersalls, so of the Weatherbys, the reign of George IIL saw the rise and per- manent establishment; for it was in 1774 that Mr. James Weatherby, the father of the dynasty, became master of the situation and of ' the calendar,' having apparently slain by a lawsuit Mr. Fawconer, who, in conjunction with Mr. Tuting, had worsted Mr. Walker, who had tried to succeed Mr. Heber, who had stepped into the shoes of Mr. Cheney, who had been the first recognised publisher of a calendar since Mr. John Nelson had set up a temporary one (by request) as early as 1670. 90 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND It was in the reign of George III. that notice is first taken in the records of the horrid practice of ' nobbhng.' It had probably existed, from what we know of horse-racing, as long as horse-racing itself ; but we find no mention of it even at the very likely time of the famous match which Old Merlin won against Mr. Tregonwell Frampton's horse at Newmarket, in the reign either of William III. or of Anne; and the earliest in- stance given is in 1772, when, on the eve of a sweepstakes at York, for which a Mr. Barlow's gelding, named Rosebud, was favourite in the betting, ' some villains broke into the stable where Rosebud stood, and gave him a dose of poison.' This was in the merry month of May. And in September of the same year occurred the next recorded instance (again in Yorkshire), when 'some malicious persons got into the stable where Tosspot [Mr. Pratt's, of Askrigg] stood, and gave him a dose of physick the night before he was to run ' in a race at Scarborough, according to the Racing Calendar (Tuting and Fawconer's) of that day. Then came the case (once more in York- shire) of Mr. Bethell's excellent mare. Miss Nightingale (by Match'em), that was to have run SECOND PERIOD: GEORGE III. 91 at Boroiighbridge in October, i 778, but died the Sunday before the appointed race - day, was opened, and was found to have ' in her stomach about two pounds of duck-shot, made up with putty into balls ' ; and in the same year, still in Yorkshire, Sir Thomas Gascoigne's and Mr. Staple- ton's fine horse Magog (also by Match'em) was ren- dered unfit to run for the Gold Cup at Doncaster by some diabolically cruel villains, who, not con- tent with giving him a dose, cut the poor creature's tongue nearly out, but, nevertheless, did not pre- vent him from winning one or two races after- wards and from becoming a sire of some note. But the climax was to be reached at Newmarket, when a scoundrel named Daniel Dawson, and deservedly denominated ' king of the nobblers,' with the assistance of an unspeakable blackguard. Bishop by name, who had been a dispenser at Guy's Hospital, and, as was only to be expected of such a miscreant, turned King's evidence for a * consideration ' (which it would be pleasant to be able to think, as is reported, that he did not get, though the report may seem to reflect upon the Jockey Club, the reputed offerers of the reward), took to wholesale poisoning of race-horses, and 92 HORSE.RACING IN ENGLAND was most righteously hanged on August 8, 1812. ' N'obbHnof' and rumours of 'nobbHncj' we have had always with us from that date, even until now, but not on so gigantic a scale ; and it may be said that the abominable practice reached its climacteric, if it did not commence, in the reign of George III. It was in this reign that the meetings at New- markttt, which had been but two since the time of Charles II., were increased to seven by the addi- tion, under the auspices of the Jockey Club, which had already introduced a Second Spring Meeting (at which the two Jockey Club Plates were run for) in 1753, of a Second October Meeting in 1762, of a July Meeting in 1765 (at which the seal was set upon two-year-old racing by the institution of the now famous July Stakes in 1786), of the Houghton Meeting in 1770, and of the Craven Meeting (at which, in the eponymous Craven Stakes, two-year-olds were first officially authorized to compete with older horses), making up altogether the seven annual meetings, which became the usual number for very many years, though it was for awhile reduced to six (the Second Spring having been wisely abandoned for SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 93 some dozen or more seasons), and then aug- mented to eight by the undesirable addition of a Second July in 1890. Durine the reien of Georore III. there were still a goodly number of ladies 'on the turf,' in- cluding the Countess of Northumberland, Mrs. Bigland, Miss Longueville, Miss Nancy Forster, Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Egerton, Miss Chamberlaine, Miss and Miss Betty Pearson, Miss Dolly Jackson, Mrs. Carter, Miss Benton, Mrs. Anne Jackson, Miss Thistlethwaite, Miss Steward, Miss Martindale, Mrs. Ellis, Mrs. R. Lambert, Miss Vevers, Miss Walker, Mrs. (the Hon.) Fettyplace, Miss Cornwall, Mrs. Deighton, the Duchess of Kingston (the notorious Miss Chudleigh), Mrs. Manton (at Barnet in 1765, though we are more accustomed to ' Mr.' in our days), Miss Lloyd, Mrs. Johnson, Miss Garret, Miss Hale, Mrs. (Erie) Drax, Mrs. Martindale, Lady Craven (the notorious Margravine of Anspach), Mrs. Binfield, Lady Catherine Powlett, Miss Simpson, Lady Bampfylde (ancestress of the Lords Poltimore), Mrs. (the Hon.) Brand (Gertrude Roper, Baroness Dacre, ancestress of the respected Speaker of the House of Commons), 94 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Mrs. and Miss Stuart, Miss Polly Hickman, the Duchess of Rutland, Lady A. M. Stanhope, Lady Essex (daughter of Colonel Bladen, owner of 'the Bladen stallion '), and Lady Monson ; and, as if once more to testify to the ' family ' nature of the sport, there is a ' Master' Boyes running or nominating Merry Tom for the King's Plate at Burford in 1777. All this is up to 1779, after which the number of ladies who gniced the national pastime by actually running or nominating horses seems to have fallen off considerably (foreshadow- ing the present state of things), as it is diffi- cult to discover more than the Duchess of Grafton, Mrs. Price, Lady Haggerstone, Miss Tunnicliffe, the beautiful Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and her sister Lady Duncannon (and then only in a sort of private affair at Newmarket), Mrs. Wentworth (of the great Northern family), Mrs. Goodricke (wife of the Rev. Henry Good- ricke, Prebendar}' of York Minster, proprietor of the celebrated ' Old England mare,' and suspected co-introducer of two-year-old racing), Mrs. Hut- chinson (wife, probably, of the famous John Hutchinson, ex-stable-boy and 'pal' of the Rev. SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 95 Henry Goodricke), Lady Williamson (wife, no doubt, of the memorable Sir Hedworth, who won the Derby 'in a trot' with Ditto in 1803), Lady Milner (of the great Northern family), Miss Le Clerc (at Goodwood in 1805), Miss Saunders (at Knighton in 1805), the Margravine of Anspach (ex-Lady Craven, who ran third for the Derby in 1806 with Hector), Lady Shelley (in 1809), ^^^ perhaps some half-dozen others, among whom was the so-called Mrs. Thornton (really Miss Alicia Meynell, a fascinating young woman^ about twenty-two years of age, living under the pro- tection of the celebrated Colonel Thornton, of Thornton Royal, Yorkshire), rider of two matches at York, one in 1804 against Mr. or Captain William Flint, and the other in 1805 against the famous jockey Frank Buckle. After this date lady-patronesses of the turf became pretty much, as regards number and active participation, what they are now. The reign of George III., moreover, produced three remarkable horses, whose names have become household words, though the bearers of the names never won any of the ' classic ' races, and are, therefore, not noticed in the ordinary 96 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND lists. They were Dr. Syntax, Sir Joshua, and Copenhagen. The Doctor was a very wonderful horse ; he was said to be ' shod with Gold Cups ' (the number of which was increased during George III.'s reign, just after the time that one had been instituted at Richmond, Yorks, in 1759, to as many almost as there were race-meetings). He began to 'practise' at two years of age in 1814, and he did not 'retire' until 1823, when he was certainly ' aged,' being eleven years old, well sounded. He was a ' provincial ' horse, and ' practised ' almost entirely among the Gold Cups at Richmond (Yorks), Preston, Lancaster, and other country places, and he generally gave his opponents 'gruel,' He was never more than barely 15 hands high, and, as a )earling, was so small that his owner, Mr. Riddell, of Felton Park, Alnwick, Northumberland, thought of turn- ing him Into a hack for young Master Riddell. He was of a singular colour, officially described as ' brown,' but said to have been rather ' mouse- coloured ' (after the ancient style), and was so short and fine in his coat that, after a single canter, all his veins would stand out ' as if he were covered with network.' He would not brook SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 97 either whip or spur, it is said, and yet, by simple strokine and talking" and an occasional hiss, he could always be made to do his best, even to falling from exhaustion, as he is said to have done in his last race, when he broke down in winning the Gold Cup at Richmond, Yorks, in 1823 (which raises the question whether more might not be done by gentle treatment than is dreamt of in jockeys' philosophy). He became paralyzed in 1838, and in July or August of that year was mercifully shot behind the Palace at Newmarket (in the presence of several trainers and jockeys, who had been invited to do him the last honours, and who, having given ' three times three ' over his grave, toasted his memory in a bumper). But already he had * illustrated himself at the stud by begetting the ill-fated Ralph (winner of the Two Thousand and Ascot Cup, and victim of the murderous * nobbier,' who poisoned him), and, above all, Mr. Orde's famous Beeswing (winner of Cups, and dam of Nunnykirk and Newminster), ' the pride of Northumberland.' Mr. Ralph Neville's (Lord Braybooke's) Sir Joshua, son of Rubens, was the hero of the famous match in which (at Newmarket Craven, 7 98 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND 1816), Filho da Puta was defeated by him, and was remarkable in his death, which was so mysterious that a post-viortem was ordered, when it was discovered that the horse must have met with an unsuspected accident (probably from antics or hasty movements in his box), whereby ' his near pelvis-bone was fractured, just where the head of the thigh is re-curved into the socket, and a portion of the fractured bone had forced its way into the abdomen, and, by tearing the bloodvessels, made an immense wound, which caused the fatal hemorrhage.' As for Copen- hagen, he was, of course, the famous charger ridden by the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo, after running with some little success on the turf, and, though half-bred, admitted into Mr. Weatherby's ' Stud Book ' (first published in George III.'s reign, in 1793) on account, no doubt, of distinction gained ' in the wars.' To these three must be added the three famous brothers — Selim, Castrel, and Rubens (sire of Sir Joshua), more renowned as sires than runners (one of them, Castrel, having been a noted ' roarer '). By the close of George III.'s reign the colours SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. 99 and heicrhts of race-horses had become, on the whole, pretty much what we are now accustomed to, though grays and roans were rather more plentiful ; but in the earlier half of the reign there were still some ' funny ' colours, as the famous Yellow Filly, by Tandem, and a piebald filly (also, however, called roan) by Highflyer, and duns in abundance will testify, though, with the exception of the Yellow Filly (frequently designated the Perdita Filly), they are not found among winners of the great races, and were pro- bably traceable to the various Arabians, whereof the Vernon (Mr. 'Jockey' Vernon's) Arabian alone has left any notable mark in the pedigrees. The nomenclature of race-horses during the long reign of ' Farmer George ' seems to have shown a tendency towards gradual improvement in point of decency, or at any rate a disposition to wrap up impropriety * sandwich-like,' as an ex- pert once observed, in a foreign and even dead language (witness Cul Blanc, Melampygus, Pu- denda, and Filho da Puta, which worthy Mr. Crofts would most certainly have expressed in plainer and blunter terms of unmistakable Eng- lish), and to have taken a turn rather towards HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND eccentricity than obscenity ; for though we still come across names which have an uncanny look or sound, or both, the inclination is much more towards apparently idiotic appellations, such as Abomelique, Cumberhzapha, Fogram, Fox- huntoribus, Fal-de-ral-tit, Ploughator, Pot-8-os, and Titanoteratophyton, some of which would drive many a bookmaker of to-day to imitate the vocabulary of Mr. Crofts, of Barforth, Yorks. To come back, however, from the mere con- sideration of the names, to the animals them- selves, it remains to be noted that in George II I. 's reign two-year-olds, under the auspices of the Jockey Club, were called upon to run three miles (carrying a 'feather,' it is true), at the Houghton Meeting (a sort of burning of the candle at both ends, running youngsters at long distances), a practice which continued from 1782 to 1869-70. To change the topic once more, we may mention that in the same reign was left the curious Perram bequest (by a grateful gentleman of that name, in Hertfordshire, who had made his fortune by horse- racing and cock-fighting) to increase the value of certain Plates at Newmarket, York, and Don- caster, and to provide marriage-portions for cer- SECOND PERIOD : GEORGE III. tain young women (of Newmarket, or elsewhere) ; and it was in the same reign that the new-born or newly-organized United States of America, with which country we had always maintained horse-dealing, interrupted only by the Revolution brought on by the obstinacy of ' Farmer George,' began to buy our best thorough-breds more busily than they had bought when they were loyal British colonists. They took, among many others, Archduke (by Sir Peter), winner of the Derby in 1789; Arra Kooker (by Drone), second to Squirrel for the Great Subscription at York in 1792 ; the Prince of Wales's famous Baronet (by Ver- tumnus), winner of the Oatlands Stakes at Ascot in 1 79 1 (when a riotous scene took place, it is said, causing the transfer of the race for the future to Newmarket, and ^100,000 changed hands) ; Brilliant (by the celebrated Phenomenon), third for the St. Leger of 1794 ; Citizen (by Pacolet), first sent to the West Indies, and then imported by General Stephen Carney into North Carolina or Virginia, in 1803 ; Sir John Lade's Clifden (by Alfred), and the Duke of Bedford's Dragon (by Woodpecker), runners of the cele- HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND brated match at 15 st. each, over the Beacon course, owners up, and won by the Duke, in 1792 ; Lord A. (ninth Dul though, of course, her Majesty knew nothing about it. The period was notable for some futile attempts, especially on the part of an enthusiastic Mr. Attwood, with his Grey Arabian and Chestnut Arabian, of King William himself (or his repre- sentative at Hampton Court) with a Black Arab and a Bay Arab, both ' of the purest caste, pre- sented by the Imaum of Muscat,' and Mr. Astley with his Black Barb, to restore the prestige of the ' Son of the Desert,' with his ' arch ' and his ' flag '; and for the speech made by Lord (after- wards the Duke of) Cleveland at Doncaster, when, taking for text the purchase of Ludlow for 5,000 guineas by Mr. Ephraim Bond, ' hell-keeper,' from Mr. Beardsworth, keeper of a 'repository' at Birmingham, just before the St. Leger of 1832, he preached that ' thenceforth no gentleman could have anything more to do with the turf, at Don- caster at any rate': and certainly Lord Cleveland ought to have known, if anybody. ^\i\. gentlemen 152 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND still have to do with the turf, even at Doncaster ; so that, let us hope, matters must have improved, or Lord Cleveland must have made that remark in his haste, as King David made his about the universality of lying. It was in the reign of William IV., moreover, on June 3, 1837, that the now common, though not yet universal, ' gate-money ' meetings began to loom upon the vision of the race-goer, and the 'sport of kings' began to lose the charm, which had hitherto been one of its greatest attractions, of being perfectly open to the poorest of the poor. For at that date was opened the short-lived ' hippodrome ' at Bayswater, the proprietor where- of, by the way, a Mr. John Whyte, is said to have been the inventor of the invaluable ' tan- gallop ' and the projector of the Benevolent Fund which has become identified with the name of Lord George Bentinck, who provided it with a very handsome ' nest-egg,' laid by a testimonial proffered in acknowledgment of his own services. [ 153] CHAPTER IV. FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA. Queen Victoria and the Turf — Sale of the Palace at New- market— The Royal Stud at Hampton Court — Prince Albert — Her Majesty and the Prince at Epsom — Ascot — The Prince of Wales and the Turf — His Match with Lord Strathnairn — Conspicuous Owners and Runners of Race- horses during the Reign of Queen Victoria — Lord Palmer- ston, Lord Derby, Lord G. Bentinck, Sir J. Hawley, Admiral Rous — ^Mr. C. D. Rose and Mr. Blenkiron — 'Nobbling' — Running Rein, Leander, Ratan, Old England, Bloodstone — Messrs. Goodman, Lichtwald, W. Day, Bloodsworth, Stebbings — Tontine and Herodias — Bend Or or Tadcaster ? — The Chetwynd-Durham Case — Madame de Goncourt — Big Prices for Horses — Pre- cariousness of Horse-racing and Race-horse-breeding — Mr. Brodrick - Cloete with Paradox and Mr. Chaplin with Hermit — Distinguished Horses exported and re- tained at Home — The Old Times and the New, as regards Stud-horses and their Fees — Ladies on the Turf — Ascendency of the Jockey Club — Lnmunity of the 'Tout' — The Betting Nuisance — The Sporting Press — Tattersall's — The ' Jockey Ring ' — The Glorification of the Trainer — The Apotheosis of the Jockey — ' The Druid ' on Betting — Successful Bookmakers — Fordham, Archer, and Charles Wood — Other noted Jockeys of the Reign — The ' John Osborne Testimonial ' — Trainers of the 154 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Winners in the Great Races — Colour, Height, and Nomenclature of Race-horses — General Condition of the Turf — George IV,, Escape, and Mr. John Kent. The reign of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria opened in a manner which did not look well for the future of the turf, so far as royal patronage was concerned ; and yet, during that reign, which has already been almost as long as that of her Majesty's grandfather, George III., who reigned longer than any English monarch up to his date, and whose two sons between them did not attain to a third of his ' record,' the turf, though it has undergone in many respects a complete transformation, has reached — in point of the royal, imperial, and general patronage bestowed upon it, at home and abroad, of the stupendous sums of money spent, lost, and gained upon it, of the thousands who live, and of the tens of thousands who are ruined or crippled by it, of the ' monster ' prizes offered, of the im- portance arrogated to themselves by successful members of the betting ring, who claim to be regarded as plying a perfectly legitimate and respectable * business,' of the impetus given to blood-horse-breeding, and of the wonderful in- crease in the number, if not the excellence, of the FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 155 race-horses bred, and in the quantity, if not the quality, of the horse -racing itself — a pitch of development in comparison with which that ol George III.'s time, wonderful as it was, sinks, unless perhaps as regards the style of horses bred, the ' form ' exhibited, and the sort of races run, into absolute insignificance. George IV., we are told, had left the palace stables at Newmarket to his trainer, William Edwards, ' for life '; but, however that may be, it was not long after her Majesty's marriage that the Royal Palace at Newmarket, which had been the scene of 'high jinks' in the days of ' the First Gentleman ' and the ' Bishop of Osna- burgh ' and ' Egalite,' was sold by order of her Majesty and by advice, it has been surmised, of the Prince Consort, lest a return of the ' good old times ' should be witnessed, and was knocked down by Mr. Driver, the auctioneer, to a building speculator for ^100 over the reserve, after half an hour had elapsed without a bid on the part of any one among the few persons present. Before that time, on the very morrow of her Majesty's accession, or, more literally, on Wednesday, October 25, 1837, the splendid stud at Hampton Court, in the teeth of remonstrances made by 156 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND members of both Houses of Parliament, without distinction of politics, and in spite of a memorial presented by the most eminent personages of the Jockey Club, had been sold, to be restored, how- ever, at a future date (memory says, about 1848, under the auspices of the celebrated clerk of the Council, Mr. C. C. Greville), to such purpose at last that a filly foaled there, by name La Fleche, would be sold as a yearling for the unprecedented pr:ce of 5,500 guineas. The sale was to the benefit of foreigners mostly, especially French, represented by M. Lupin, and Germans, repre- sented by Baron Maltzahn, but also Russians and Americans. Nor did her Majesty become * patroness ' of the Jockey Club, nor did Prince Albert (though his name appears once in the Calendar, that of 1848, as breeder of a colt by Sir Hercules and an Elis mare) figure either as sub- stantive or honorary member of it. In fact, that august body, after having been altogether without a royal figurehead for a few years, had to import its royalty from Holland, to which happy land several bettinof ' firms ' have been driven to retire. Moreover, Newmarket fell into disrepute as a training-ground, and it seemed as if the days of Robert Robson, who had been ' the emperor of FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 157 trainers,' and of Neale and of Prince and Company, would never come back to it. Of course it was not to be expected that her Majesty in person would patronize Newmarket after the fashion of her late uncles, who had cost the country so much money by their horse-racing and gambling ; nor could the wildest imagination conceive such a spectacle as Prince Albert riding, In the style of George P., one of the horses of a post-chaise bound for the Heath, with Lord Melbourne, in the style of the Right Hon. C. J. Fox, riding another behind him ; or having such a henchman as Jack Ratford at his elbow, or ' taking the odds ' to a ' monkey ' from a blatant ' leviathan.' Nevertheless her Majesty did, as she always has done, as much as loyalty towards her people, even as regards their pastimes, required ; for she and the Prince Consort saw Little Wonder win the Derby of 1840, and presented Macdonald, the rider of that winner (a very much maligned animal, if he were only three years old), with ' an elegant riding-whip' as a memento. Her Majesty, more- over, most loyally maintained the prestige of Royal Ascot, with the imposing spectacle of the state procession, until the advent of that black cloud which darkened her life for ever. Strange 158 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND to say, however, notwithstanding the less active encouragement of royalty, the turf and its ruling body, the Jockey Club, have reached, during the reign of Queen Victoria, an astounding height, if not of durable prosperity, at any rate of temporary and apparent success, though the spirit of sport may have departed from it noticeably, and the virtue, if there were ever any in it, may have crone out of it. The Jockey Club may be said positively to wallow at present in royalty and imperialty, to say nothing of representatives of America, France, and Australia ; and never before could the turf boast so many race - horses, owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, * bookies,' welshers, ticket- snatchers, and ' talent,' which is the cumulative term bestowed with a more or less pleasing irony upon the ' backers ' who, for the most part, fall as certain victims to ' the ring ' as the adven- turous punters at Monte Carlo to ' the old gentle- man ' (if there be but one) at the head of that ' infernal ' establishment. This growth of the turf is due, no doubt, mainly to railways and the con- sequent facility of locomotion. Durinor the reicrn of Oueen Victoria, the turf must be allowed in one sense to have had rest FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 159 from legislation ; in another, not. On the one hand horse-racing (unless within ten miles of the Metropolis, in which case a license is required) has been legalized, the old qui tain actions (em- ployed by common informers for the purpose of levying blackmail on the strength of clauses in obsolete but not repealed statutes) have been rendered impossible, vexatious restrictions have been removed, and wagering, in a general way, is not now declared illegal, but treated as a low sort of proceeding which no respectable legislature can condescend to so much as notice. On the other hand, keepers of list-houses and all other places where betting on deposit is permitted, or where a person or persons habitually attend to bet with all and sundry resorting thereto, and com- mission-agents (who cannot recover what they may have disbursed on behalf of a principal, though a principal can recover winnings from them), though they consider themselves, for some inexplicable reason, a body essential to the turf, have been roughly handled and driven from pillar to post, and even to Holland, and yet are more difficult to squelch than the heads of the hydra, and rather increase than diminish after every ' scotching.' Such a phenomenon Is by no means i6o HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND rare when intermittent attacks are made upon mere excrescences instead of an unremitting eftort against the centre of vitality. Reasons unconnected with horse-racing make H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, of course, the most conspicuous among the personages of the turf during the present reign. As everybody knows, he has his rooms at Newmarket (which, by the way, has so far recovered from the neglect expe- rienced by it at the commencement of Queen Victoria's sovereignty, that now nearly all the 'dons' of the turf and nearly all the principal trainers have residences either there or in the vicinity, and make the place more a ' private con- cern ' than Kempton Park or Sandown Park), hard by the Club, in the red-brick building in which so many other members find accommodation during the race-meetings ; and he keeps up the practice of his great-uncles, George and William, with his annual Derby-dinner to his comrades of the Jockey Club, of which he has been a member since 1864. His colours first appeared at Newmarket — to trust to memory — in 1877, when, at the July Meeting, he ran his hitherto or thitherto unbeaten Arab, Alep (age unknown), in a match of four miles, FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA i6i 9 St. each, against Lord Strathnalrn's gray horse Avowal (by Confessor, dam the gray mare Rocket, whose dam was an Arab mare of the Nejdi breed), six years old, and, at an expense of 500 sovs., did us the service of demonstrating once more the superiority of a very moderate horse, by an English sire and a half-Arab dam, over a pure Arab of the best breed and of un- beaten record ; for Alep, the favourite at 2 to i , and even 4 to i, was beaten by thirty lengths. His Royal Highness is now a constant runner, but his success, unfortunately, has not been as yet equal to that of his two great-uncles, George and Frederick, of whom the former won the Derby once and the latter twice, and would have to be very great indeed to correspond with his en- thusiasm and enterprise or with the desires of his countrymen. Of the other most conspicuous owners and runners of race-horses, during the present reign, the chief places must be assigned, as winners of the Derby, to Sir Gilbert Heathcote (predecessor of Lord Rosebery at the Durdans, Epsom, and perpetual steward of Epsom races). Colonel Anson (afterwards General, Commander-in-chief * II i62 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND in India, where he died in 1857), Mr. John Bowes (of Streatlam Castle, Durham), Colonel (afterwards General) Jonathan Peel (of beautiful Marble Hill, Twickenham), Mr. Gratwicke (the pride of Sussex), Lord Clifden (who purchased Lord G. Bentinck's stud, or part of it, from Mr. Most) n, when it was transferred from Goodwood to Newmarket), Lord Eglinton (the thirteenth Earl, and Lord of the * Tournament '), Lord Zet- land (of the famous 'spots'), Sir Joseph Hawley (known as ' the lucky baronet '). Besides these were Mr. F. L. Popham (of Littlecote, who was a great cricketer, and a fellow of All Souls', Oxford), Admiral Harcourt (one of the several admirals who have made their mark upon the turf), Colonel Towneley (of Towneley Place. Lancashire, and of the family connected with the 'Towneley Marbles'), and Mr. R. C. Naylor (of Hooton Stud Farm, Chester). After these cameComte de Lagrange(the French ' champion ' on the English, as well as the French, turf), Mr. (afterwards Sir Richard) Sutton (who 'owned all Piccadilly 'and betted proportionately), Mr. Henry Chaplin (of Blankney, whose ' best friend ' was Hermit, and who was lately a Cabinet FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 163 Minister), Mr. J. Johnstone (the 'alter ego' of Sir Robert Jardine), Lord Fahiiouth (who began racing as ' Mr. T. Valentine,' who never betted but once, to the tune, it is said, of sixpence, or, as others have it, half a sovereign, bred all the best horses for many years, and 'won everything'), two Barons Rothschild (he of Mentmore, and he of Gunners- bury, alias ' Mr. Acton '), Mr. Savile (of Rufford Abbey, Notts, and Ryshworth, Ripponden, Yorks), Prince Batthyany (who, as already mentioned, died suddenly at Newmarket on the Two Thousand day, 1883), ^^- Stirling Crawfurd (whose relict was * Mr. Manton,' the Duchess of Montrose), the Duke of Westminster (descendant of Sir Richard, afterwards Lord, Grosvenor, who is said to have left ^300,000 upon the turf as a tribute to ' Tom Tiddler '), Sir F. Johnstone (of general sporting renown, and the only case known of a ' twin ' winning the Derby), Sir J. Willoughby (who shared the Derby of 1883 with Mr. John Ham- mond— an ex-stable-boy, like the famous York- shireman, John Hutchinson — of Newmarket), Lord Hastings (of the Astleys), the Duke of Portland (who won a fortune, for anybody but a duke or the like, with Donovan alone), Sir James 1 64 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Miller (of Manderston, Duns, Berwickshire, son of a Lord Provost of Edinburgh), and Lord Bradford (who, ' in spite of all his care, for all his pains, poor man ! for all his pains,' could not win the Derby until he was seventy-two, though he began racing betimes as Viscount Newport). Among less aristocratic or less celebrated owners were Messrs. Ridsdale (ex-footman and after- wards bookmaker), Robertson (the well-known Scottish gentleman - sportsman of Lady Kirk), Rawlinson, Gully (ex - pugilist), Pedley (book- maker, and connected by marriage with Gully), W. I'Anson (trainer). Merry (James, M.P., the famous ' Glasgie body ' and ironmaster), C. Snew- ing (veterinary surgeon and bookmaker), A. Bal- tazzi (an Austro-Hungarian financial gentleman, who won with Kisber the only English Derby won as yet by his countrymen), P. Lorillard (an American gentleman, 'in business,' who won with Iroquois the only English Derby won as yet for the 'stars and stripes'), and Mr. ' Abington ' (Mr. G. A. Baird, the noted gentleman-jocke}', lately deceased). To these must be added, as winners of some- thing 'classic,' Lord Chesterfield, Fulwar Craven FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 165 (who would have resented the 'Mister'), Mr. G. Dawson, Mr. Ford (jockey and trainer), the Duke of Richmond, Mr. Rudston Read (co- executor with Mr. Baron Martin of John Scott's will), Mr. Harry Hill (bookmaker), Mr. Joseph Saxon (collier and bookmaker), Mr. W. Graham (of 'Nicholson's gin'), Mr. Dunbar, M. Lefevre (*Mr. Lombard,' a French financier, of Chamant, Chantilly), and Mr. ' Launde ' (the Rev. Mr. King, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, who was ' pulled over the coals ' by the Bishop of Lincoln). Also M. Lupin (the doyen of the French Jockey Club), Mr. Fulteney, Mr. (' Chit- tabob ') Perkins, Lord Stamford (the ' all-round ' sportsman). Lord Rosebery (well known to fame in divers ways, especially as a Minister of Foreign Affairs), Lord Cadogan, K.G. (a Cabinet Minister, and greatly opposed to betting), the Duke of Hamilton (one of the most enterprising and pertinacious patrons ever known on the turf), the Duke of Beaufort (a prince of owners and runners), Lord Calthorpe (a millionaire and great promoter of the cause, not at all op- posed to betting), Lord Randolph Churchill (a Cabinet Minister, and confederate on the turf i66 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND with Lord Dunraven), Mr. Noel Fenwick (whose name carries us back to the horse-racing in the days of Charles I. and Charles II., if not earlier, and, in later days, to the breeder of the famous Match'em), and, finally, the philanthropic Baron Hirsch (the friend of hospitals, who, as the York- shiremen say, has * money for ever '). Nor are those all. For, during this reign, have flourished more or less (some considerably less) upon the turf the following nobles and ignobles : the (fourth) Earl of Albemarle (who, as Master of the Buckhounds, felt bound to run for the Ascot Cup, though he cared little for racing) ; Mr. John Day (jockey and trainer, of Danesbury) ; the (second) Earl of Stradbroke (better remembered as a courser than as a racer, elder brother of the famous Admiral Rous); Mr. W. Scott (' glorious Bill,' the jockey, brother of the trainer) ; Mr. John Scott (the ' Wizard of the North ') ; Sir Robert Pigot (of Patshull, who died in June, 1891, at the age of ninety, a descendant of the family of the historical Lord Pigot, Governor of Madras) ; Mr. B. Green (who is said to have been a com- mercial traveller and bookmaker) ; Mr. Anthony Nichol (twice Mayor of Newcastle-on-Tyne, and FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 167 confederated for awhile upon the turf with the Earl of Durham of his day); Lord Enfield (George Stevens Byng, a Lord of the Treasury, and after- wards second Earl of Strafford) ; the (second) Marquis of Exeter (owner of Stockwell) ; the (fourteenth) Earl of Derby (the ' Rupert of de- bate,' owner of Camzou and Toxophilite) ; Mr. W. Day (jockey, trainer, and author) ; and Mr. Stan- hope Hawke (the Hon., brother of Lord Hawke, of a great Yorkshire ' all-round ' sporting family, to which the celebrated Admiral Hawke belonged). Add to them the (fifth) Earl of Glasgow (who, as already said, began his career upon the turf as Viscount Kelburne, and was known to his intimates by the name of ' Peter ') ; Mr. Joseph Dawson (a famous trainer, owner of the ' roar- ing ' Prince Charlie, the horse that was known as ' the King of the T.Y.C.') ; Mr. Henry Clare Vyner (died 1882, elder brother of the better- known racing celebrity Mr. R. C. Vyner, who purchased Fairfield, which had belonged to the successful bookmaker and ardent sportsman John Jackson, called 'Jock o' Fairfield'); the short-lived Lord Dupplin (eldest son of the eleventh Earl of Kinnoul) ; the (fourth) short- 1 68 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND lived Earl of Lonsdale (owner of Pilgrimage) ; Mr., or Captain, (the Hon.) R. Grosvenor (whose Peregrine dropped from the clouds just In time to prevent the American-bred Iroquois from being added to the number of horses that have won ' the triple crown,' that is, the Two Thousand, Derby, and St. Leger of any given year) ; Mr. Foy (who won the Two Thousand of 1884 with Scot Free) ; Mr. Brodrick-Cloete (whose family, whether Brodricks or Cloetes, have been racing either here or at the Cape for generations, whose ancestors owned the district called after them Kluthenland, for they were originally named Kluthe, German, transmogrified into Cloete, Dutch, and who owned the illustrious but unfortunate Paradox) ; Mr. Douglas Baird (who won the Two Thousand with Enterprise and Enthusiast, un- expectedly in both cases) ; Mr. A. W. Merry (of 'Surefoot' celebrity, a son of the famous Mr. James Merry, of ' Thormanby,' ' Doncaster,' and ' Marie Stuart ' memory) ; and Mr. Richard Watt (the ancient, of Bishop Burton, Yorks, who was owner of the famous Blacklock, and during the present reign won the One Thousand of 1839 with Cara). FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 169 Also Mr. Stanlake Batson (the last holder of the ' Eclipse Foot ') ; the celebrated ' Squire ' Thornhill (of Riddlesworth, who won the One Thousand with Extempore in 1843, and died in 1844); the renowned 'Squire' Osbaldeston (who won the One Thousand with Sorella in 1844); Mr. George Payne (the ' King of the Gamblers,' who won the One Thousand with Clementina in 1847, and had little more to show for his lavish expenditure upon horseflesh) ; Mr. F. Clarke (who won the One Thousand with that elegantly- named filly The Flea, in 1849) ; the (third of the new creation) Earl of Orford (who won the One Thousand in 1850 with a filly afterwards named Lady Orford, and died in 1858, at the age of seventy-eight) ; Mr. Sargent (winner of the One Thousand in 1852 with Kate, by Auckland) ; and Mr. ' Howard ' (Mr. Padwick, the money-lender, ' spider ' to the Marquis of Hastings's ' fly '). Add the (seventh) Duke of Bedford (at whose death in 1861 his ' managing man,' Admiral Rous, became by will possessed of the Duke's celebrated Asteroid, by Stockwell); Mr. W. H. Brook (winner of the One Thousand in 1856 with Manganese) ; Mr. Fleming (winner of the One Thousand with lyo HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Nemesis in 1861) ; the (fourth and last) Marquis of Hastings (who began ' Hfe ' in 1862, and ended Hfe in 1868, at the age of twenty-six, and the story of whose romantic marriage, extravagant career, and deplorable end have been repeated iLsqiic ad nmiseaiii) ; Colonel (afterwards General) Pearson (who died at the great age of eighty-five, on April 29, 1892, who had bred Lord Lyon and Achievement, and whose formula for breeding a great race-horse is said to have been ' winner of the Derby mated with winner of the St. Leger,' curt, simple, soldier-like, and imposing) ; Lord Hart- ington (the eighth Duke of Devonshire, of * Bel- phcebe ' and ' Morion ' memory) ; Mr. T, E. Walker (of New Cavendish Street, and Studley Castle, Warwickshire) ; Lord Alington (the first Baron of the new creation, 1876) ; Mr. C. D. Rose (encourager of long-distance races) ; and Mr. (afterwards Sir John) Blundell Maple (espe- cially as the purchaser of Common for the pro- digious price of ^15,000, and of the yearling, Childwick, at 6,000 guineas, and as the bidder of ^27,000 for Ormonde). Nor have we yet quite done. There are to be added certain winners of the St. Leg^er and of the FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 171 Ascot Cup : Mr. C. C. Greville (the Clerk of the Council, and owner of Mango and Alarm) ; Major Yarbrugh (whose horse Charles XI I. ran the famous dead heat with ' Squire ' Thornhill's Euclid for the St. Leger of 1839) ; Mr. Wrather (whose Nutwith defeated the great Cotherstone for the St. Leger of 1843) ! Mr. E. J. Irwin and Mr. Watts (the Irish heroes, whose horses, Faugh-a- ballagh and The Baron, have had scandal spoken of them and their age, whether from English jealousy or some more reasonable cause) ; Mr. Morris (bookmaker, owner of the eccentric Knight of St. George) ; Mr. T. Parr (jockey, trainer, and owner, the ' Talleyrand of the turf,' of ' Fisher- man ' renown) ; Sir Charles Monck (who died at nearly ninety, and won the St. Leger at the age at which Cato is fabled to have begun Greek) ; the (second) Marquis of Ailesbury (a Master of the Horse, owner of the famous brothers St. Albans and Savernake) ; and the (third) Viscount St. Vincent (another of Mr. Padwick's 'flies,' and owner of Lord Clifden and part-owner — ^10,000 worth, by report — of the unfortunate Klarikoff, that met with the fate of Phaethon). Also Mr. T. V. Morgan (a sometime clerk in 172 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND the War Office, it is said) ; the accompHshed (second) Earl of Wilton (of Heaton Park, a great ' gentleman jockey,' a yachtsman, his own ' domestic chaplain,' an organist, a surgeon, and a ' Christian,' as well as a ' Mr. Worldly Wise- man'); Mr. C. Brewer (bookmaker, joint owner, with Mr. C. Blanton, the trainer, of Robert the Devil) ; Lord Rodney (of ' Kilwarlin ' me- mory) ; Mr. Isaac Day (of ' Caravan ' memory, no relation to the Days of Danesbury, but ' always the best of friends ') ; Mr. Pettit, or Petit (of ' St. Francis ' memory) ; and Mr. Ramsay (the famous Scottish sportsman, who ' belonged to ' Lanercost, and who gave rise to the common toast in Mid- Lothian, before the days of Mr. Gladstone and Home Rule, of ' Mr. Ramsay and the hounds '). Then there were Mr. Orde (' of Northumber- land,' the owner of Beeswing) ; Mr. Campbell (owner of Woolwich) ; Mr. Farrance (owner of the marvellous little Joe Miller) ; Lord Lon- desborough (the first Baron, who had both West Australian and Stockwell as sires in his stud at the same time) ; Mr. W. S. Cartwright (a gentleman in some business on a large scale, and owner of ' the beautiful ' Ely) ; Messrs, FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 173 Gretton (the distillers, owners of Isonomy); Lord W. Powlett (whose Tim Whiffler ran a dead heat for the Ascot Cup with Mr. Merry's Buck- stone in 1863); M. Delamarre (member of the French Jockey Club, and winner of the Ascot Cup with Boiard in 1874) : Mr. Keene (an Ameri- can gentleman ' in business,' but not in the way of mustard, who won the Ascot Cup in 1882, which was detained by the New York Custom House for an unconscionable time on a question as to payment of the 1,100 dols. duty); the English-Russian, or Russian-Englishman, Prince Soltykoff; and the (fifth) Earl of Rosslyn, who won the Ascot Cup of 1892 with Buccaneer. Even so, one does not manage to include the names of the celebrated Lord Palmerston (who thought to have won the Derby with Mainstone, and whose mare Iliona caused a controversy re- specting the pronunciation of Greek words and the effect of quantity and accent, and elicited a surpris- ing amount of ignorance under the guise of learn- ing), of Lord Portsmouth, of Admiral Rous (who did not affect the big races at all), of Colonel North (the 'Nitrate King'), of Captain Machell, of General Byrne (of ' Amphion ' memory), and of 174 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND other ' moderns,' including ' Mr. Jersey ' (which, being interpreted, is Mrs. Langtry, the ' Jersey Hly '), to say nothing of such cases as owed their conspicuousness to disaster more than to anything else, like the ' Julius ' Duke of Newcastle (the sixth) and the Lord Courtenay who became thirteenth Earl of Devon, was rather a bettor tlian a racer, and died in 1891. Of these nobles, gentles, and ignobles, there stand out, head and shoulders above the rest, Lord George Bentinck, Sir Joseph Hawley, Lord Derby, and Admiral Rous, as patrons who, ac- cording to their lights, did their best to cleanse the Augean stable of the turf. Of the four. Lord George Bentinck and Admiral Rous were known as ' dictators '; but the ' dictatorship ' of the former lasted but a very short time compared with that of the latter, and was of a different kind. It was the Admiral who, so far as the Jockey Club was concerned, attained a supremacy resembling and even transcending in some respects that which had been wielded by Sir Charles Bunbury ; it was Lord George who, without dominating, for all that appears to the contrary, the other members of the club, gradually extended the paramount FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 175 power which he had acquired at Goodwood, where he was allowed by the Duke of Richmond to be- come ' everybody,' to nearly all other race-courses, and exercised it partly, no doubt, in restraint of evil- doing, but partly, one would say, in the spirit of a Whiteley, v^hose ' business ' happened to be horse- racing and betting thereupon, and who, in the pursuit of his ow^n interests, did all he could to * push ' the said ' business ' by making it popular, studying to attract the public by all sorts of spec- tacular improvements and inventions. Admiral Rous, however, if he was less attentive to the requirements of the public, set by far the better example. He never betted beyond the moderate amount which could not cripple him, and which testified that his object was merely to give an emphatic proof of his confidence in his own judgment, and not to ' make a haul '; but Lord George was as keen after the ' shekels ' as if he had been a denizen of Houndsditch, betted sums which frightened and incensed his excellent father and which might very well have brought him to ruin, preached the mischievous doctrine that a man was to pay for his horse-racing out of the pockets of the public by gambling, taught 176 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND owners, even if they were gentlemen and even noblemen, how to ' put on the screw ' when they considered themselves ' forestalled ' in the gam- bling market, and actually condescended, for betting's sake, to carry on, in conjunction with his trainer, Mr. John Kent (who relates the cir- cumstances, with apparent admiration, in his 'Racing Life of Lord George Bentinck'), a system of espionage in order to outwit a miser- able stable-boy, who had been detected in ' letting the cat out of the bag,' instead of dismissing the traitor on the spot, as a ' fine old English gentle- man ' should have done at all risks. Lord George, moreover, was fond of making questionable and even rather revolting experiments with his horses ; as, for instance, when he put a filly less than a year old to the stud, and when (if, which is doubtful, Mr. W. Day's ' Reminiscences ' are to be taken as unimpeachable evidence) he used his horse Naworth not much more humanely than the notorious Mr. Tregonwell Frampton is sup- posed (unjustly, there is some reason to believe) to have treated his horse Dragon. That Lord George, nevertheless, conferred many benefits upon the race-going public must FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 177 be cordially and gratefully admitted, if only as the originator of the ' telegraph-board ' and of the 'parade' and 'preliminary canter'; that he was an excellent ' detective,' and spared no pains and expense in thwarting villains, though his motives may have been a little vitiated by an intermixture of regard for his own and his friends' pecuniary interests, nobody would dream of denying ; that he behaved as a nobleman might have been expected to behave in refusing the public sub- scription of ^2,100 collected for a testimonial in acknowledgment of his services, and in requesting that the money might be used as a nest-egg for the ' Bentinck Benevolent Fund,' everybody will agree; and that his presentation (in 1837) of the Waterloo Shield (value ^1,000) for a long- distance race at Goodwood was a munificent and a praiseworthy act, for the much-needed encourage- ment of ' stayers ' (which was even more needed when Mr. C. D. Rose followed suit with three Plates of ^1,000 each at a later time), and far more laudable and desirable than Mr. Blenkiron's later munificent gift of ^1,000 for the Middle Park Plate, there can be no question. Honour to his memory and peace to his ashes for all the 12 178 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND good he did ; though regret for his untimely end on September 21, 1848, may be more than a little modified by the reflection that he was happy, perhaps, in the time of his death, inasmuch as he contemplated returning to the turf, and there is no saying what the result might have been. He could not very well have added to the reputa- tion he had gained by leaving it, and he might very well have met with disaster and with loss both of substance and of fame. Sir Joseph Hawley, the ' lucky baronet ' (though indeed he had some very bad luck sometimes) was a curious mixture of the reformer and the bad example. How he proposed but failed to reform both horse-racing and the Jockey Club is an old story and needs no repetition ; and how, though he would denounce ' plunging ' with the fervour of Ecclesiastes, when he was in a reforming mood, he would bet on a scale that made Admiral Rous's hair stand on end, is to be read in biographical sketches. He began racing when he was quite a young man, at Florence ; but cannot be said to have come to the front in England, though he was well known as an astute match-maker, much before the death of Lord George Bentinck. He FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 179 was never a dictator, though he would fain have been a reformer ; and his title to be called the ' lucky baronet ' rests principally upon his success in four Derbies with Teddington, Beadsman, Musjid, and Blue Gown, and upon his possession of three such good horses as Rosicrucian, Green Sleeve, and Blue Gown, to put them in his own order of excellence and precedence, all three of the same age, in one year. Lord Derby, again, was never a dictator ; but his influence was great, and he did good service in the cause of reform by writing in 1857 to the Stewards of the Jockey Club the famous letter, in which he called the attention of his co-members to the censurable inactivity of the Club, whose authority was not exerted for the purpose of pre- venting the appearance on the turf of notorious, and even convicted, swindlers and scoundrels. And assuredly in turf-scandals her Majesty's reign has been remarkably prolific. Cases of un- doubted or suspected ' nobbling ' or attempts at ' nobbling ' dot the period from first to last, or from very early to very late, from 1841 certainly to 1892. Lanercost, Ralph, Attila, Cotherstone, Old England, SurpHce, Newminster, Blair Athol, i8o HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Hester, Bend Or (though in his case there was nothing more than an accident or inadvertence), and Orme, were all either ' got at ' or supposed to have had nefarious plots laid against them ; and the first two seem to have been undoubtedly poisoned (as was also said of Mr. Harvey Combe's Cobham in 1838), Lanercost ineffectually, but Ralph fatally. The principal iniquity was, of course, that of 1844, when Lord George Bentinck exposed the villainy which had been perpetrated with the four-year-old, Running Rein (imported, by-the- way, into Russia, where he was much esteemed under the name of Zanoni, but is said to have been very shy ever afterwards of having his mouth examined), by whose righteous disquali- fication Lord George's friend. Colonel Peel, be- came winner of the Derby with Orlando. Two other horses (Leander and Ratan) that ran for that same Derby gave rise to investigations which revealed other enormities. Leander, be- longing to our German patrons, Messrs. Licht- wald, who did so much to improve the horses, if not the morals, of the Teuton, had been objected to before the race on the ground of being ' much more FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA i8i elder' than he should have been, broke his leg in running^, was shot the same afternoon, had his lower jaw removed before, and his upper jaw after, his burial (having been dug up for the purpose), and was declared by two different ' vets.,' who had each a jaw submitted to him, to have been four years old if he was a day. Whereupon the race-courses of England, wherever the rules and regulations of the English Jockey Club prevailed, were declared laboo ' for ever ' to our open-handed German friends and customers, the ingenious but over-ambitious Messrs. Licht- wald. Nor were Running Rein and Leander the only horses suspected of superannuation that ran for that memorable Derby of 1844, but the suspicions led to no noteworthy action. At Ascot, however, a horse called Bloodstone, professedly a two-year-old, came in first for the New Stakes, was objected to, examined, declared to be a three-year-old, and of course disqualified, though the Master of the Buckhounds and two Stewards of the Jockey Club, who conducted the investigation, very properly complimented the horse's jockey, Bell by name, for coming in first, HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND having received orders from the horse's manager to * take a back seat.' An action against the stake- holder resulted in the defeat of Bloodstone's owner. As for Ratan, Mr. (ex-fishmonger) Crockford's horse, ridden by S. Rogers, he ran so inexplicably that, after a tardily held inquiry, Messrs. S. Rogers and Braham were ' warned off,' chiefly through the detective abilities of Lord G. Bentinck. The shadow of the coming event of which Running Rein was to be the hero had been 'cast before' quite recently, of all places in the world, in France, where horse-racing was still almost in its infancy, and where, nevertheless, as early as 1840, the French Derby haa been won by a ' supposititious Tontine ' (of French extrac- tion), which (according to the decision of the French ' Stud Book ') was not the French Ton- tine at all, but the Enalish Herodias, though the substitution was not suf^ciently established at the time of objection. There was in that case, however, no question, it would seem, of the age ; and, of course, we could show a precedent, if only in a small way, long anterior to that date, as, for instance when, in 1 8 10, the Royal Plate at Warwick was thouo^ht to FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 183 have been won by a Mr, C. Browne's * b. g. by Worthy,' but ' on an investigation before the Jockey Club at Newmarket, it was ascertained that the horse entered by the description of a " b. g. by Worthy, four years old," was the bay gelding Hylas, six years old.' Another case occurred in 1825, at York, when a stop was put to a match that should have been run between Mr. Rowlay's professedly half-bred Tom Paine and (? Mr. Longden's) Bogtrotter, on the ground that the former horse was — as it turned out on investigation that he certainly was — a thoroughbred horse, whose proper name was Tybalt. And no doubt there had been many other instances of ' personation,' but they all sank into utter insignificance before the variety of swindles detected and suspected in connection with the Derby in which Running Rein and Leander (Messrs. Goodman and Lichtwald) were so very conspicuously concerned. The next little article in the way of scandal was what is known as 'the Old England case,' in the very next year after ' the Running Rein case,' and, as it has lately been revived by the Duke of 1 84 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Portland in a controversy with Mr. William Day, there is reason for a short account of it. The Stewards of the Jockey Club, after examination, ordered Messrs. J. F. Bloodsworth, William Steb- bings and William Day to be "warned off,' for a conspiracy to make money out of Mr. Gully's horse Old England by betting against the horse for the Derby and to prevent the horse from running for that race, whether by maiming or otherwise. As a matter of fact, Old England did run for the Derby, and was third to Annandale and The Merry Monarch (winner) ; and it is only fair to remark that if the Stewards of the Jockey Club had clear proof of the atrocity charged against Mr. W. Day (who declares that he was unjustly dealt with, and who does not appear to have entertained the suggestion as to maiming the horse), their subsequent leniency towards him, after only about two years' suspen- sion, notwithstanding what they still, in 1847, called ' the enormity of his offence,' is incompre- hensible and most blameworthy ; and that, if they had, on the other hand, convinced themselves that they were mistaken, they owed Mr. Day a handsome apology. FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 185 Other scandals there have been, including the (justifiable by racing law) ' pulling ' of Maroon to allow Launcelot to win the St. Leger of 1840; the murder of the racing man, Mr. Cook, by his racing friend, Mr. William Palmer ; the establishment of ' betting houses ' (not too speedily suppressed) ; the apparition of ' leviathans,' of whom the first was Mr. William Davis, ex-journeyman carpenter ; the disturbances at Doncaster Races, in 1857, which caused a letter to be written by the Stewards of the Jockey Club to the Corporation of Doncaster ; the extra- ordinary circumstances, it really must be said, under which the immaculate Lord Stanley (four- teenth Earl of Derby) himself won the Goodwood Cup with Canezou ; the unsportsmanlike spirit (with pain be it written) in which the first im- portant successes of foreigners were received, when objections were raised in the case of Mr. Ten Broeck's Umpire, Comte Lagrange's Fille de I'Air and Gladiateur, and Mr. Baltazzi's Kisber; the troubles about ' reciprocity ' ; the objection made to the Duke of Westminster's Bend Or, on the ground that he was Tadcaster ; the case of the ' millionaire-jockey,' Charles Wood (to whom, i86 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND it was said, 'all Newmarket belonged'); the therewith closely connected ' Chetwynd-Durham case ' (which led to the retirement of a member, who had been a steward, from the Jockey Club) ; the sad death, by his own hand, of the horse- breeding Mr. Hume Webster, who would fain have mended his fortunes by the aid of Ormonde ; the uproar created by the sale of that illustrious 'roarer,' an unbeaten horse (for he never raced, as was incorrectly reported of him, in the land of his importation) and wearer of the 'triple crown,' but very wisely sold for ^12,000 to Sefior Boucau by the Duke of Westminster, to the advantage, most probably, of English thoroughbreds ; the unpleasantness attending the sporting match be- tween Colonel North's Nunthorpe and Lord Rosslyn's Buccaneer, when 'each spake words of high disdain,' and one hinted very broadly at ' sharp practice ' on the part of the other ; and, to omit the remaining score or two, the melancholy misfortune of Professor Loeffler, and the mystery, not yet cleared up and not altogether unconnected, no doubt, with that melancholy misfortune, of the Orme that was to have surpassed his unsur- passable sire. FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 187 Nothing has come of the offer made of a thousand pounds for the ' nobbier' of Orme ; and, if Orme's friends have found cause to reconsider their expressed opinion that there was ' nobbHng ' in the case, the pubHc — and especially the Kings- clere stable, on which a cloud, however slight, of suspicion could scarcely fail to rest — would no doubt be glad to hear of the reconsideration. What changes have been produced in the aspect of the turf during her Majesty's reign, may be inferred from the following considerations. At her Majesty's accession not a single foreigner had ever won a race, at any rate a race of any account, upon any English race-course, with a horse bred in any foreign country. Now there is scarcely an English race of any importance which has not been won, once at least, and perhaps twice or thrice, by some horse bred in a foreign country. When Louis Philippe's son, the Due d'Orleans, won the Goodwood Cup with Beggar- man in 1840, the winner was an English horse. Nor, though the French naturally, from their greater contiguity to our shores, to say nothing of other reasons, swooped down upon us in the greatest numbers, and have eventually run us 1 88 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND hardest in the arena of horse-racing, were they the first, after the wars which culminated in the decisive affair of Waterloo, either to run for or to win, whether with English or foreign horse, any English race, whether of small or any other account. Count Batthyany (a Hungarian), Count Matustchevitz (a Russian), Herr Broenenburg (a German), M. Dulewski (a Pole), Count Hunyadi (a Hungarian), and probably the notorious Messrs. Lichtwald, preceded by some few years Lord Henry Seymour (who, for racing purposes, was a Frenchman), Comte de Courcy, Messrs. Aumont (who bought the notable Mr. Wags and ran him at Canterbury in 1839), the Due d'Orleans, and the whole French brigade, for Baron de Teissier, though he was a ' perpetual steward of Epsom races,' in conjunction with the popular Sir Gilbert Heathcote, and a member of our Jockey Club, and though he nominated a filly for the Durdans Stakes in 1833, does not seem to have raced at all ; and, moreover, was a naturalized English- man. The French, no doubt, soon outnumbered the other foreigners, and made incessant attacks with horses ' bred in France ' (such as the Due FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 189 d'Orleans's Nautilus, Lord Henry Seymour's Oakstick, M. Latache de Fay's Dansomanie, Baron N. de Rothschild's Drummer, and M. A. Aumont's Fitz-EmiHus) upon our Goodwood Cup especially, and for very good and obvious reasons, if the conditions of that race be perused ; but, for all that, the honour of having been the first foreigner to win a notable English race with a foreign-bred horse must be assigned to the German Count Hahn, who won both the Stewards' Cup and the Chesterfield Cup, in 1850, with Turnus, bred in Germany. This was three years before M. A. Lupin won the Goodwood Cup for France, in ]853, with the French-bred Jouvence, and set going that series of French successes on English race-courses which not only caused Lord Falmouth and other members of our Jockey Club, among whom Mr. W. G. Craven was one of the most conspicuous, in 1877 and some subsequent years, to cry aloud for ' reciprocity,' and to put all sorts of obstacles, though they turned out to be rather advantages, in the way of French horses that should compete in our handicaps, but also made the Gallic cock to crow lustily over what seemed to be an acknow- ledgment on the part of perfidious Albion that I90 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND France had not only equalled but surpassed her in horse-racing- and horse-breeding. 1 he crow was a little premature, as events have shown, for the French still come to us for ' tap-roots.' The reign of Queen Victoria, nevertheless, has seen the foreigner, especially the Frenchman, pressing to the front, and the English racing-man has now to take into serious account a number of horses bred in other countries. After the French came the Americans, represented by Mr. Ten Broeck single-handed, who did little more than threaten great things which were unaccomplished, until Mr. Sandford's Brown Prince had made a fair bid, and had been followed by Mr. Lorillard's Iroquois and Mr. Keene's Foxhall, both in the same year, and the two best horses of that year. It is curious that the Germans, who began so well, and who, in 1854, won the Cambridgeshire, which has so often fallen to the Frenchmen, with Baron Williamowitz-Mollendorf (Gadow)'s Scherz (bred in Germany), long before the French won it for the first time (with Palestro in 1861), should have remained, as it were, in the second class, and should have been out-run by the Austro- Hungarians with Kisber, a performer of the first FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 191 class. But such is one of the phenomena of this reign, during which a stray competitor from the most unHkely regions has occasionally put in an appearance. As long ago as 1S57, Baron Petroffski (who was a walking Racing Calendar and Stud Book) had run the brown colt Vision (by Signal and Vest, by Henriade), 'bred in Russia/ unsuccessfully, how- ever, at Newmarket Second October and Hough- ton Meetings; and ' bred in Jamaica ' was Portland (by the American horse Rodney and the Jamaica- bred mare Wee Pet), a horse that was running ' all over the shop ' at five and six years of age, in 1862 and 1863, and derived considerable celebrity and lustre from having belonged, among his many owners, to the ' Benicia Boy,' the famous pugilist, J. C. Heenan, the antagonist of Tom Sayers and Tom King, and the Hercules to the Omphale of the fair Ada Isaacs Menken. ' Bred in Den- mark ' and ' bred in Poland ' (whose king, when she had one, tried to purchase the famous King Herod for ^2,000 more than 100 years ago), and ' bred in Roumania ' have been appended to the names of horses that have been entered, if not run, for our races, and Signor Ginestrelli, 192 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND owner of Star of Portici (dam of the once incom- parable Signorina) has made us famiHar with ' bred in Italy.' In course of time there came, in 1876, King of the West (by Imported Kingston, son of England's Beauty), Commodore (by the famous Australian -bred Yattendon), and quite recently (1890-91) Ringmaster, Lady Betty, Mons Meg (winner of the Gold Vase at Ascot), and Kirkham and Narellan. all ' bred in Australia.' Since their importation there have been entries of colts or fillies or both ' bred in Argentina ' and ' bred in New Zealand.' In fact, the reign of Queen Victoria has seen what was once called the ' national ' pastime transformed into something ' international,' and what was regarded as 'the sport of kings' into what Lord Falmouth pronounced, in i^JJ, to be a mere matter of ' business,' of which the members of ' the Ring ' have the effrontery to profess that they are the backbone, instead of a mere para- sitical excrescence, and for the benefit of which they claim to be thought to pursue as legitimate a calling as that of a registered member of the Stock Exchange or of Lloyd's, and to be recog- nised by the Legislature and Society accordingly. FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 193 It may be remembered that the worthies who swindled Madame de Goncourt, in 1876, out of about ^10,000, to be invested in bets on horse- races, seemed to have adopted this same view of their profession, since they described themselves as ' sworn bookmakers,' in imitation, no doubt, of ' sworn brokers.' Her Majesty's reign may or may not have been as remarkable as any other for the excellence of its thoroughbreds, but it has certainly been more remarkable than any other for the prices paid. Lunacy was believed to be obviously on the in- crease when 1,000 guineas were paid for the Flying Dutchman, and the same sum for his half- brother, Kirkleatham, as foals, and for Priam and Zuyder Zee, each, as yearlings ; but that is nothing to what we have arrived at. Sidonia, as a year- ling, fetches 2,000 guineas, and wins his first race, the Batthyany Stakes at Lincoln, not a very valuable affair, at six years of age, in 1880; Maximilian fetches ^4,100 as a yearling, and, after winning next to nothing, is sold at a sale of the Duke of Westminster's horses, in 1880, at five years of age, for 410 guineas, just a tenth of the original price; Mr. Brodrick-Cloete, in 1884, gave 104 iioh'si-: icACiNc; in ICNCLANJ) .\,ooo ouini'iis \ov \ .owl I'';ilnunith's Koiiisboiiro^ (so hhuuhI Ikmu ihc scene i^i a naval victt^ry gained hy Aduiiral Boscawcn), luii ilu- niaj;iiili<.H'iU-K)ok- iui; iinjHislor (.ollapstxl aiul died {he inoiiUMU his preparation bi-oan ; aiul so \vc> inii^lu coiuimic at consiJ(-ral>!o lon^th. C >n iho tUluM' haiul Miiiuur. piirchastnl at; the 1 lampion Court stinl in i SSo 1)\' ttu- Pukc^ oi TcM'tlanil tor a coniparatixcK sniail sum. amply ropaiil tho purrhasor, and tlu^ sanu' may he said lor hor sistta', La I'doclu'. purrhasod at iho saiiu' stud in 1 St)o h)' Haron llirsrh Km' thr lar^-o sum ol 5,500 i^uincMS. tin- Iimil^csI pru'o o\or paid lor a Nt\irlini4' in haiL^land until Mr. (altcrwards Sir |.) lUundoU MapU^ i^ayo d.ooo guineas [ov Ldiild- wick (by St. SinuMi and tlu> famous h'riMu-h marc riaisantcaat\ purciiascxl Irom tho I'lnMU-h In' Sir V. S\kos). Hut whotlua' Cdiildw ick and C lion- wood (arrus(.\l ol hoiui^ a ' roaror,' and purchased h\ Mr. Sinoc-r lor 5.000 i^uinoas) will hrini;" siniihu" protil [o their ' plui~k\' " purchasers (as the euphemistie lashi(.)n is to eall suoh purchasers) re- mains to he st-en. And then, .is [o stud horses, George 1\ . was thou;,d\t h\ many pta'sons (who cc>nceaK\l their FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA. 195 thouj^hts) to have shown symptoms of his father's malady in givini^ 4,000 guineas for The, Colonel (before the horse had done racing, how- ever) ; but the subjects of Queen Victoria were to see the ^12,000, or more, given for Blair Athol followed by the / 14,000 given by the Duke of Westminster for Doncaster, and the ^15,000 given for Common (winner of Two Thousand, Derby, and Leger, in 1891), ^iHpoo, it is said, for Kendal, by Mr. Piatt, and ^27,000 offered for Ormonde by Sir J. l^lundell Maple. Americans, however (who were unknown to Hamlet), are even madder than Englishmen in these matters, and carry out their principle of American 'bigness' in everything, from a goose- berry to the price of a thoroughbred ; for an American gave 40,000 dollars, according to the published reports, or about ^8,000, for King Thomas (? brother to King Fox and 13an Fox) at Madison Square Gardens, New York, in 1888. Now, King Thomas won his first race at five years of age in 1892, at Brighton l^each, and it was worth just a hundredth part of the sum paid for him. Moreover, an American, Mr. Reed, gave ;/^20,ooo (at an American snle) for St. P)laise 196 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND (winner of the English Derby in 1883), according to the accounts ; and at last a young Californian, a Mr. Macdonough, sanus utrisque auribus atque oculis (as Horace says), was found to relieve Senor Boucau, the Argentine, of the * roaring ' Ormonde, and to pay ^30,000, or more, for the privilege. It is to be hoped that the ' plucky ' (that is the word generally used) — that the ' plucky ' Californian will have no reason to regret the purchase. But to show how precarious a possession is even a sound stud-horse, it will suffice to mention that Mr. Brodrick-Cloete, of Ecchinswell Stud Farm, Newbury, Berks, lost his splendid horse, Paradox (not to have been bought of the owner for ^20,000, much less for the ^14,000 actually offered), before the unfortunate sire had been four years at the stud ; whereas, on the other hand, Mr. Chaplin's Hermit lived to beget sons and daughters for a period of nearly twenty years, and must have been worth something like ^200,000 to his owner, what with his fee, which was for some years at the unprecedented figure of 250 guineas, and the high prices paid for the produce of Mr. Chaplin's own mares, with which he was mated. FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 197 For the most excellent among the race-horses of her Majesty's reign one would naturally look, as usual, at the lists containing the names of those that won what are called the ' classic ' races ; but this would be to miss several that, whether from want of entry, or from some other cause, are not included among those winners. Such are Mr. John Plummer's almost legendary Alice Hawthorne, who was nearly as dear as Yorkshire Jenny or Beeswing to the Northern heart, rivalled Fisherman in the number of her Queen's Plates, and was the dam of Oulston and Thormanby ; Mr. Ferguson's (the Hibernian attorney's) Harkaway (known as ' the Irish Eclipse,' sire of Baron Rothschild's celebrated horse King Tom), whose wonderful performances on the Curragh are said to have almost out- Childersed the great Flying Childers. To come to more recent times, the eccentric Peter, who (like Slane and Phlegon in their exer- cise gallops) would stop to kick in the middle of his work, as he did in the race for the Royal Hunt Cup, and after this relief would go on again, catch, and beat his field ; the unbeaten St. Simon, and unconquered Barcaldine ; and lastly, Lord 198 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Wilton's Wisdom (by Blinkhoolie and Aline, the dam of Grand Coup, by Gladiateur), a horse that deserves particular notice, because, though he ran a dozen times or more, for the Derby as well as for other less important stakes, he never once won, and yet has turned out an excellent sire. Amongst his progeny were Mr. John Ham- mond's famous mare Florence and Mr. A. W. Merry's splendid horse Surefoot, as well as several others, as was to be expected from his high connections, illustrating the truth of the saying that bon sang 7ie ment pas. Of the distinguished horses that have been exported during her Majesty's reign the chief are : To America, Leamington, of course, as sire of Iroquois, and, though a very indifferent per- former. Phaeton, of course, as sire of King Alfonso (sire of Foxhall) ; Australian (a great sire in America, by West Australian), first called Mil- lington ; Balrownie, that had cost Mr. Padwick ^4,000 ; Belshazzar, son of Blacklock ; Bonnie Scotland (a great sire in America), ran a dead heat for second in the St. Leger of 1856 with FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA. 199 Artillery ; Canwell, winner of the Newmarket Stakes, 1862; the notorious 'savage' Cruiser, second for the Criterion Stakes, 1854 (imported by the celebrated ' tamer,' Mr. Rarey) ; Eclipse, winner of the Clearwell Stakes, 1857, by Orlando ; Fly-by-night, a winner at Ascot in 1855 and 1856, by The Flying Dutchman ; and Glenelg, a noted American sire, by Citadel, son of Stockwell. Add to these Haddington, winner of the Great Metropolitan Stakes in 1863 (went first to China and thence to California) ; Hartington, winner of the Cesarewitch in 1S62 ; Hibiscus, winner of the Epsom Gold Cup in 1 838, by Sultan ; Knight of St. George, winner of the St. Leger in 1854 ; Mickey Free, a winner of Queen's Plates in England and Ireland, by Ishmael or I. Birdcatcher ; Scythian, winner of the Chester Cup in 1855 ; True Blue, winner of the Great Eastern Handicap, imported into Quebec, by Vedette ; and Don John, winner of the St. Leger in 1838, said to have been pur- chased for ^200 and imported, but to have been neglected, so that he died within a few months leaving not a single foal. Also Glen Athol, a noted American sire, by Blair Athol ; Buckden, a noted American sire. 200 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND by Lord CHfden ; Saxon, a noted American sire, by Beadsman ; Hurrah, a noted American sire, by Newminster ; Blue Gown, winner of the Derby in 1868, but he died on the passage (as Wenlock afterwards in 1891), in the winter of 1880-81, after sojourning a long while in Germany ; Blue Mantle, fourth for the Derby of 1863, by Kingston ; St. Mungo, son of St. Albans ; St. Blaise, winner of the Derby in 1883, imported by Mr. Auguste Belmont, and purchased at the sale of Mr. Belmont's stud in America for ^20,000 ; and, above all, the ' prince of roarers ' (unless that should be the title of the late illustrious son of Blair Athol, Prince Charlie, whose latter end came upon him at Eldmerndorf Farm, Lafayette County, U.S., on November 11, 1886, whilst engaged in the propagation of his species, whether ' roarers ' or not), the renowned Ormonde, at the prodigious cost of ^30,000 or more. Besides, of course, very many mares ; although, as regards that sex, Brother Jonathan seems to have formed an opinion, for which there is weighty authority, that brilliant achievements are a matter of little consequence, if not a posi- FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA. 201 tive drawback, and that good blood and little work are the main desiderata. In fact, Brother Jonathan was rather disposed to lend us a mare or two, witness Maggiore (by Lecompte), Myrtle (by Lexington), Prioress (by Imported Sovereign), Summerside (by Lexington), and even the halt- bred mares Cincinnati and Desdemona, that found their way ' unbeknown ' into Mr. Savile's stud and into the sacred English * Stud Book ' {vide vols, ix., X., and xi.). To France : Gladiator (second to Bay Middle- ton for the Derby, and perhaps the best sire the French ever obtained from us) in 1846 ; The Prime Warden (by Cadland) and Sting (by Slane) in 1847 ; the unfortunate Ion (second for the July Stakes, second for the Chesterfield Stakes, second for the Derby, and second for the St. Leger, as if he inherited a curse from his sire Cain), an excel- lent stud-horse ; Nuncio, son of Plenipotentiary ; The Baron, winner of the St. Leger, and sire of Stockwell ; Faugh-a-ballagh, winner of the St. Leger, and sire of Fille de I'Air ; the laborious Lanercost ; The Nabob, the unfortunate Lord Ribblesdale's ill-starred but * terribly high-bred ' horse, the sire of the famous Vermout and Bois- 202 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Roussel ; and The Emperor, twice winner of the Ascot Cup, and co-sire, with The Baron and Sting (or, as the greatest authorities declare, the true sire), of the celebrated French horse Mon- arque, sire of the unapproachable Gladiateur. Also Heir of Linne, an esteemed sire ; Pyrrhus the First, winner of the Derby ; The Flying Dutch- man, winner of the Derby and St. Leger ; The Cossack, winner of the Derby ; West Australian, winner of the Two Thousand, Derby, and St. Leger, first winner of all these three races, and of what is thence called ' the triple crown,' pace the Pope of Rome ; Silvio, winner of the Derby and St. Leger, sold to the Due de Castries just before Lord Falmouth's sale in 1884 for about ^7,000, it was said ; Plutus, a great sire, by Trumpeter ; Tournament, another great sire, by Touchstone ; Weathergage ; Womersley ; Saucebox, winner of the St. Leger of 1855 ; Nunnykirk, Hernandez, Atlantic, and Peregrine, all winners of the Two Thousand ; Ceylon, winner of the Grand Prix ; the American horse Optimist, imported by the Duke of Hamilton, who is also the Due de Chatelherault ; Blinkhoolie, Elland, Lozenge, V\ilcan, Wingrave, and the very memorable FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA. Wellingtonia (sire of Plaisanterie) ; to say nothing of Scottish Chief (in 'the sere, the yellow leaf), and, after him, Energy (the short-lived sire of Gouverneur, Reverend, Rueil et Cie). We may add a perfect galaxy of ' well per- formed' mares, including such winners of the Oaks as Fulwar Craven's Deception (won in 1839), the Duke of Richmond's Refraction (won in 1845), Mr. John Scott's Songstress (won in 1852), Mr. Wauchope's Catherine Hayes (won in 1853) temporarily, Lord Londes- borough's Summerside (won in 1859), Mr. R. C. Naylor's Feu de Joie (won in 1862), and Mr. W. Graham's Regalia (dam of the magnifi- cent Verneuil, won in 1865) and Formosa (won in 1868); such winners of the One Thousand as Mr. Cookes' (Mr. Thornhill's) Tarantella (won in 1833, sold at fourteen years of age to M. A. Lupin at the death of ' Squire ' Thornhill in 1844), Mr. Houldsworth's Destiny (won in 1836) temporarily, Mr. Batson's Potentia (won in 1841, purchased by Comte de Hedouville in 1854), Mr. John Scott's Imperieuse (won the St. Leger also in 1857), and such ' toffesses ' as Sir J. Hawley's Green Sleeve and Morna. Vivid (with 204 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND which English mare the French ran third for the Oaks of 1S63), and Mr. W. G. Craven's Woman in Red (ex-Jessie Brown), that became the dam of the redoubtable brothers, Revigny and Montargis (winner of the Cambridgeshire of 1873), by the well -named, romantic, short-lived, meritorious Orphelin. Of these importations the venerable M. A. Lupin bore the brunt in point of expense, but Messrs. Lefevre and Aumont had a share in them ; and certainly the French cannot be accused of going a-warfare on English race-grounds with- out calculatinof the cost thereof To Germany : winners of the Derby — Milndig, Phosphorus, Bloomsbury, Attila (though he died en i^ozUe, at the early age of seven, in 1846, after a curious career, having cost but 120 guineas at two years of age, and having been, on several occasions, an object of villainous attempts on the part of the 'nobbier'), Daniel O'Rourke, Blue Gown (afterwards died on his way to New York), and St. Gatien (for ^14,000). Winners of the Two Thousand — Augustus (pur- chased through Lieut. Ficker in 1839), Riddles- worth (purchased by Messrs. Lichtwald for a Berlin Company, but sent back to England in 1839, and FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA. 205 thence to America), Grey Momus (purchased by- Count Hahn of Basedow in 1 839), The Corsair (pur- chased through Messrs. Lichtwald in 1843), Fazzo- letto (purchased for the Graditz Stud in 1863 by Baron von Kotze), Fitz-Roland (purchased in 1872 by Count John Renard), and The Wizard (purchased at a cost of 3,000 guineas in 1862, but a great failure at the Graditz Stud). Winners of the St. Le^er — Rockingham (im- ported in 1 841), EHs (in 1844), and Satirist (pur- chased by Baron Maltzahn-Cumerow, then sold to Herr Homeyer-Murchin, and afterwards to Baron Seckendorf), besides Euclid (though he died en route), that ran the famous dead-heat with Charles XII. in 1839, and a host of other more or less distinguished horses, including Loutherbourg, Sweetmeat, the unlucky War Eagle, the historic Old England, Saunterer (temporarily), Sheet Anchor (the son of Lottery), Breadalbane, Rustic, Savernake, Chief Baron Nicholson, Sittingbourne, Fandango, The Palmer, and others (though, of course, Kisber and Chamant were obtained from Hungary and France), and countless mares, including Our Nell, Poison, Iris, and Brown Duchess (all winners of the Oaks), and Galantine, 2o6 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND by Reveller (purchased as early as 1832, the year after her success), Firebrand, Sagitta, and Scottish Queen (all winners of the One Thousand). To Austria-Hungary : among winners of the Derby — Teddington, Kettledrum, and Doncaster (obtained for ^5,000 from the Duke of West- minster, who is said to have paid ^14,000 for him) ; and among winners of the Two Thousand — Conyngham and Diophantus, besides such noted horses as Clincher, Buccaneer (sire of Kisber and of the many excellent ' Buccaneerids '), Cambuscan (sire of the legendary Kincsem), Carnival, Coast- guard, Ostreger, Rama, and a host more, and almost alone to be mentioned among the imported mares (because she became the dam of Kisber, winner of the Derby in 1876), Mineral, bred by the Rev. Mr. ' Launde ' (that is, the Rev. Mr. King, breeder and owner of Apology), and, with the usual short-sightedness of prophetic souls, originally called ' Rubbish.' To Russia, which has not deserted us, though perhaps a little coolness may have been displayed by her since the early days of her Majesty's reign, when the comparatively old-established Grand Duke Michael Stakes (dating froni 1821), FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA. 207 reinforced by the Cesarewitch or Czarewitch (in 1839), and by the Emperor's Plate (from 1845 to 1853, in lieu of the Ascot Cup), testified of a ' cordial understanding,' which was doomed to be interrupted by a difference of opinion about the ' Sick Man ' of Turkey, there went, among winners of the Derby, Coronation, Running Rein (afterwards Zanoni, disqualified, to the disgust of his friends, who asked, ' What's the good of winning a Derby when they won't let you have it ?'), Andover, and Caractacus ; and among winners of the St. Leger, the sensational Ebor (stated to have been pur- chased for 500 guineas by the Czar from Mr. W. Barton of Fulford, near York, in 1835, at which time the horse must have been twenty-one years old, having begun life with a cart-mare for foster-dam, and having ' fluked ' the great Black- lock out of the St. Leger of 181 7), and the very notable Van Tromp, together with a long string of more or less distinguished horses, such as Lord Caledon's and Lord Clifden's Wanota (by Simoom), Uriel, Peep-o'-Day Boy, Jereed, and Ithuriel. So much for our old friends and customers, whose purchases are noted with the greatest frequency in the earlier volumes of the ' Stud Book ' in the 2o8 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND years before her Majesty came to the throne and commenced that reign during which foreign purchasers have increased in number, difference of nationahty, and extent of business, to a degree that can be best imagined from the statement that, whereas the exportations expressly notified in the hst (though others are dotted about the textual pages) appended to the first volume pub- lished after the commencement of her Majesty's reign amounted to but eighty (all horses, as it does not seem to have been worth while to specify the mares), and, therefore, there was no necessity, when they were so few, to collect them under the heads of the various countries to which they were exported, the similar list to the sixteenth volume, published in 1889, contained an account of no fewer than some 939 horses and 1,330 mares, of all ages ; and the specification of the countries to which they were exported showed that we have customers for our thorough-bred stock in British North America, in South America (whence — for this time only, the holders of Argentine bonds will, no doubt, prophesy — came the most numerous 'deals,' to the tune of about 381 horses and 438 mares), in the United States FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 209 of America, in Australia, in Austria- Hungary, in Belgium, at the Cape of Good Hope, in Natal and in South Africa, in Denmark, in France, in Germany (on a large scale in both countries), in Holland, in India, in Italy, in Japan, in Java, in Mexico, in Poland, in Portugal, in Russia, in Spain, and in Sweden ; to which may be added, from the evidence of preceding volumes, China, Egypt, Jamaica, Mauritius, New Zealand, and Roumania, which, let us hope, have only recuU pour mieux sauter. This, of course, looks cheerful for breeders of blood-stock and for the turf, inasmuch as horse-racing follows blood-stock-breeding as a corollary a proposition. There is, however, another side to the question. It has been calculated that during the years 1881-92 the winnings of 266 race-horses, which had cost up- wards of ^460,000 between them as yearlings, amounted to not more than ^160,000 in stakes. This is not an encouragement to pay between 1,000 and 2,000 guineas for a yearling, in the hope of winning some of the huge sums of money offered as prizes by the majority of those ' gate- money meetings ' which (with the exception of 14 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Epsom, York, Doncaster, Ascot, and Goodwood, for Newmarket has become almost as ' private ' as Sandown or Kempton) are now the rule, and which, with the companies that ' run them,' and the stud companies (with shareholders to satisfy) that breed thoroughbreds for sale all over the country, are among the distinctive growths of the present reign, when, at last, ' the sport of kings ' has reached the point towards which it had been constantly tending more and more, as ' the ring ' expanded and put the temptation of betting within the reach of the little and the great, with an ease before unknown, and on a scale both smaller and larger than would otherwise have been readily attainable, and has become, for the most part, a mere matter of money- making or money-losing, whether in the course of legitimate business or by sheer gambling. It is all very well to tell us that something like half a million of money is offered to be run for in a year ; but that is not a permanent fund ; the greater part of it comes out of the pockets of the very men who enter their horses for it, and a very considerable part out of the pockets of ' the ring ' and of the public, whether ' backers ' or FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA mere spectators, and about a quarter of it is won by some dozen owners with a score or so of horses, leaving the other three-quarters to be divided among the owners of more than 2,000 horses : an average of less than ^200 apiece, which would not pay for a horse's keep and travelling expenses, to say nothing of entrance- money and forfeits, even if the owner had no other horses utterly useless on his hands. The cure for this, we are told, is to bet ; that is, in most cases, to throw good money after bad, or, at the very least, to make the public pay expenses for which the public is in no way responsible. On the whole, one would say that, notwith- standing the wholesale manner in which foreign countries at present patronize our blood-stock- market, and notwithstanding the vast sum offered in public stakes, both the breeding and the running of race-horses are more precarious than ever, and on the whole more unprofitable, for few breeders can hope to get the prices paid for none but very ' fashionable ' yearlings (and ' fashionable ' sires mean exorbitant fees), and few runners can count upon winning enough to cover expenses. Moreover, the late sales at New- HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND market and Doncaster, followed by the exporta- tion of stock to be sold by auction abroad, are very disheartening for breeders in this country, where the alternative seems to be an extravagant price or next to nothing. And if the foreign customers, as is not improbable, find themselves over-stocked before long, or begin to feel con- fidence in their native produce, the look-out will be very black indeed. Especially as the object both at home and abroad appears to be, not the general improvement of horses, but rather the production of a phenomenon and the performance of some wonderful deed. But to return to a brighter theme, namely, the importation of our ' crack ' horses by countries which were in a comparatively benighted condition up to the commencement of the present reign. Australia really began to progress when she im- ported, about 1838, at a very early age, Cap-a-pie (son of The Colonel, son of Whisker) into New South Wales (where, as already stated, he became the sire of the New South Wales Sir Hercules, sire of Yattendon, sire of Chester, now so well known in this country), laying the foundation of the cele- brated ' Waler ' of the present day. She afterwards FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 213 reinforced her importations with New Warrior, Pitsford (winner of the Two Thousand), Boiardo, Dolo, the redoubtable Fisherman (the 'farmer' of Queen's Plates), Hermit (Mr. Gully's winner of the Two Thousand in 1854, not Mr. Chaplin's winner of the Derby in 1867), Indian Warrior, War Hawk, The Marquis (winner of the Two Thousand and the St. Leger), Tim Whiffler (that ran a dead heat for the Ascot Cup with Buckstone in 1863), Hawthornden (a winner of the St. Leger), and Gang Forward (a winner of the Two Thousand). Also a great many mares, including such good ones as Marchioness (by Melbourne), winner of the Oaks in 1855, Gildermore (ran a dead heat for the Oaks with Governess in 1858), Pate (third to Gamos and Sunshine for the Oaks in 1870, when Hester was 'got at'). La Princesse and Princess Maud (dams of our Australian visitors in 1 890-1, Kirkhamand Narellan). Her sister. New Zealand, distinguished herself by importing Musket (one of the best sires ever known in any country, leased for ninety-nine years, as he was ' not to be sold ' according to his owner's testamentary direc- tions, sire of the splendid horses Carbine and Martini-Henry, and of Nordenfeldt, the horse 214 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND for which Mr. Hordern, of Sydney, is said to have refused ^20,000), and the mare Atlantis (so famous as a two-year-old) by Thormanby. So that we may expect to see Australia some day carrying everything before her on the turf of the 'Old Country.' To the Cape have gone a number of horses, of which not the least remarkable was Brian Boru (foaled i860, by Gemma di Vergy and Wild Irish Girl), because it is recorded of him that ' he was a bad "roarer" when he left England, but re- covered at the Cape and ran well there ;' but Mr. W. Day, who ought to know, as he was the trainer of the mare, vouches for the occurrence, even in England, of a similar recovery in the case of Sir E. Johnstone's famous mare Brigantine (winner of the Oaks and Ascot Cup in 1869), as well as in the case of the celebrated Mr. Osbaldes- ton's The Devil among the Tailors. Thither, too, went another ' roarer,' Mr. Merry's famous Bella- drum (by Stockwell), but whether he recovered or not cannot be stated, and thither went Mr. Merry's excellent horse The Student (by Oxford). To China, where he died, went in the very year, 1863, in which he ran his historic dead heat with FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 215 Tim Whiffler, Mr. Merry's Buckstone (by Vol- tigeur), whose curious fate it was — though he was wholly English — to be foaled in France (like Prince Charlie) and to die in the Flowery Land. To Denmark went Baron Rothschild's King Alfred (by King Tom), that ran second to Blue Gown for the Derby ; and as for Italy, for whom Andred and Scobell have done so much as sires, and whose first Derby was run so recently as April 24, 1884, did not her Government only the other day (in November, 1889) give ^10,000 for Melton (winner of our Derby and St. Leger in 1885), or the equivalent for that sum in (paper) lire ^ As for Poland, whether her son, Count Krasinski, has a prophetic soul of more than ordinary trust- worthiness or not, he at any rate became pos- sessor of the colt (son of Isonomy) which Reate (by Vespasian) was to foal after her importa- tion into that country, named it Ruler, and with it won the Russian Derby at Moscow in 1887. Having thus sown the wind broadcast, can we wonder if we now and then reap the whirlwind ? Can we be surprised if once in a while there descend upon us, from east or west, or north or 2i6 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND south, from the Podes or the Antipodes, a giant of a horse, such as the wonderful Gladiateur, to sweep our race-courses of all the principal prizes ? But we can always lay this flattering unction to our souls, we can always apply this relief to our overwrung withers : it is, to all intents and pur- poses, an English horse that has done these great things- — we English made the breed from which he sprang. Although her Majesty's reign has witnessed such a wholesale exportation and disposal of our best blood-stock, we did not part with all that was best. Of the horses that have been famous in this reign, we retained — at any rate until old age — among winners of the Derby, Cotherstone, Or- lando, Surplice, Voltigeur, Wild Dayrell, Beads- man, Thormanby, Macaroni, Blair Athol, Lord Lyon, Hermit (said to have cost only i,ooo guineas as a yearling, and to have been a 'gold- mine ' to his owner). Pretender, Kingcraft (till he died at sea on his way to America in 1886), Favonius, Cremorne, Doncaster (long enough to beget Bend Or), George Frederick (sold for 65 guineas at poor Mr. Hume Webster's death on the compulsory sale of the Marden stud, and then FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 217 by Mr. Guy Bethell for 3C0 guineas to go to Canada, at twenty-two years of age), Galopin (sire of St. Simon), Sir Bevys (sold at Mr. Hume Webster's death for 500 guineas), and Bend Or (sire of Ormonde). Among winners of the St. Leger, Charles XII., Launcelot, Nutwith (at Lord Exeter's Burghley Paddocks, Stamford), Sir Tatton Sykes (died in i860), Newminster, Stockwell, Lord Clifden, Petrarch, Robert the Devil, etc. ; and, among winners of neither of these two ' classic ' races, such predominant sires as Saunterer, Rataplan, King Tom, Parmesan, Vedette (first called West Hartlepool, and a winner of the Two Thousand), Sterling, Isonomy (said to have cost but 360 guineas as a yearling), the speedy Springfield, the ' Royal ' Marsyas, the very useful Speculum, the eccentric Peter, the incomparable St. Simon, and the unique Wisdom. Nor did we part with such mares as Crucifix (died in 1857, the dam of Surplice), Blue Bonnet (died 1859, dam of the Claverhouse that was to have won the Derby of 1852), Alice Hawthorne (died about 1861, the dam of Thor- manby), Queen Mary (not a performer of any HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND account, but dam of Haricot, Braxey, Balrownie, Blooming Heather, Bonnie Scotland, Broomielaw, Bertie, and Blinkhoolie, never saying die until 1872, when she was twenty-nine years of age), the short-lived Blink Bonny (died in 1862, the dam of Borealis, Blair Athol, and Breadalbane), Paradigm (shot in 1872, at twenty years of age, the dam of Lord Lyon and Achievement), Marie Stuart, Shotover, St. Marguerite (dam of Sea Breeze, and of the ill-starred Riviera), etc. Of these mares, the most popular, in point of remembrance, is probably Blink Bonny, as the only mare, besides Eleanor in 1801, that ever won both Derby and Oaks (for Shotover did not win the Oaks in 18S2), and it is, therefore, all the more noteworthy that probably she owes her double success to the fact that Vedette (winner of the Two Thousand in 1857, and afterwards sire of the magnificent Galopin, popularly pronounced ' Gallop-in,' as indeed he invariably did with a vengeance) could not run for the Derby any more than for the St. Leger, else both she and Impe- rieuse, winner of the latter in that year, almost certainly would have had their glory diminished. Among the great sires that have died (for FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 219 there is no saying what the Hving may come to) during Queen Victoria's reign, two are noticeable beyond all the rest, Stockwell and Hermit. It has been calculated, though the calculations are somewhat shaky, that the former (whose stud-fee could not be maintained at the 200 guineas which it reached for awhile) sired, during his fourteen years at the stud (from 1856 to May, 1870), 428 winners (reduced, by allowance for repetitions of the same winner, to 228), in England, of 1,148 races, worth about ^353,741 ; and the latter (whose stud-fee rose to 250 guineas in 1886 and so remained to his death) sired (during twenty years, from 1870 to April, 1890) an unrecorded number of winners, whose aggregate winnings in England amounted to ^315,968. It may be interesting, for the sake of a rough comparison between old and new times, to append some calculations of a similar kind (to be accepted with similar caution) made by men of old time, as regards the sums won by the progeny of dis- tinguished sires in former days, when there were no ' monster ' stakes, when the Derby and the Oaks and the St. Leger were of comparatively small value, and when most money was to be 220 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND won by matches, sometimes for very considerable * figures.' Match'em (sire of the first winner of the St. Leger proper), whose stud-fee varied from 5 guineas to 50 guineas, sired, during twenty- three years of stud-Hfe (from 1758 to 1781, when he died, aged thirty-three), according to the calcu- lators, 354 winners (several, no doubt, being repeated in the calculations) of about .;!^i5i,097, exclusive of divers ' Cups ' and ' Subscriptions ' (including the Jockey Club Challenge Cup twice with Pumpkin and Circe), whereof the value could not be ascertained. And it is stated that ' Mr. Fenwick cleared by Match'em, as a stallion, upwards of ^17,000, which was about ^16,000 more than Mr. Martindale .... gained by the celebrated Regulus.' In our day Mr. Chaplin is supposed to have cleared about ^200,000 by Hermit. Herod, alms King Herod (sire of the first winner of the Oaks), whose stud-fee varied from 10 guineas to 25^ guineas, sired, during thirteen years of stud-life (from 1767 to 1780, when he died, aged twenty-two) 497 winners of ;i^20i,505, exclusive of forty-four hogsheads of claret, the FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 221 Clermont Cup and Challenge Whip at New- market, and the City Silver Bowl twice at Salis- bury. Florizel (sire of the first winner of the Derby), whose stud-fee varied from 10 guineas to 21 guineas, sired, during sixteen years of stud-liie (from 1775 to 1 791, when he died, aged twenty- three), 175 winners of about ^75,901, exclusive of three Jockey Club Plates and the Ladies' Plate at York. Eclipse, whose stud-fee fluctuated between 50 guineas, 30 guineas, 25 guineas, and 20 guineas, and whose services were stated by his owner, Mr. O'Kelly, to have been worth upwards of ;^25,ooo, sired, during eighteen years of stud- life (from 1 77 1 to 1789, when he died, aged twenty-five), some 344 winners of about ^158,047, exclusive of the Clermont Cup thrice at New- market, six Jockey Club Plates, the Jockey Club Challenge Cup twice (w.o.), the Newmarket Challenge Whip thrice, and the City Silver Bowl at Salisbury, to say nothing of ' forfeit ' and 'compromise.' P0T-8-OS (the best son of Eclipse), whose stud- fee varied from 5 guineas to 21 guineas, sired, 222 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND during seventeen years of stud-life (1783 to 1800, when he died, aged twenty-seven, having been racing from three to ten years of age), some 172 winners of about ^^6 1,971, exclusive of two Jockey Club Plates (called also Purses), the Newmarket Challenge Whip, the Ladies' Purse at York, and the Silver Whip at Carlisle (won by Sir H. Vane- Tempest's Lord Mushroom, by Pot-8-os, in 1797). Highflyer (the most illustrious, if not the best, son of King Herod, a/zas Herod), whose stud-fee varied from 15 guineas to 50 guineas, sired, during thirteen years of stud-life (from 1 780 to 1 793, when he died, aged nineteen, having begun to race at three years of age, and never started after he was five), some 470 winners (repetitions, no doubt, to be allowed for) of about ^170,407, exclusive of Jockey Club Plates, Silver Bowls and Cups (but neither the Jockey Club Challenge Cup nor the Newmarket Challenge Whip), and matches both in England and at the Curragh. He was worth a fortune and Highflyer Hall, near Ely, to his owner, Mr. Tattersall. Sir Peter Teazle (the most illustrious, if not the best, son of Highflyer), commonly called Sir Peter, whose stud-fee varied from loj guineas to FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 223 25 guineas, sired, during twenty-one years of stud- life (from 1790 to 181 1, when he died at twenty- seven years of age), some 352 winners (repetitions, no doubt, to be allowed for) of about ^141,018. Waxy (the best son of Pot-8-os and sometimes called the ' Ace of Trumps ' of the whole pack), whose stud-fee varied from lo^ guineas to 26 guineas, sired, during twenty years of stud-life (from 1798 to 18 1 8, when he died, aged twenty- eight, within three weeks), a vast number of winners, out of which only ninety-one are specified (which the usual repetitions would, of course, in- crease to double or treble), and they are calculated to have won 'no less a sum than 66,481 guineas (from 1802 to 1826) besides ten Gold Cups and one Silver Cup.' From these data it will probably be concluded that the average amount won by the progeny of ' crack ' sires from the time of Eclipse to the time of Stockwell and Hermit did not increase — and even now has not increased — in anything like the proportion in which the value of a ' crack ' sire (if he only lives for a decent number of years) has been augmented, when stud-fees have risen from 50 guineas (which was about the highest 2 24 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND ' honorarium ' in old times, though Marsk, as sire of Eclipse, reached lOO guineas for a little while) to lOO guineas quite commonly, 150 guineas not rarely, 200 guineas sometimes, 250 guineas now and then, and 300 guineas for a prodigious ' roarer ' like Ormonde ; and when their progeny fetch, as yearlings, from 1,000 to 5,000 and even 6,000 guineas, or 8,000 guineas in the United States, like the American failure, King Thomas. Her Majesty's reign has not been so con- spicuous as the reigns of her predecessors for the personal participation of ' lady turfites ' in horse- racing (the betting is quite another thing), though we, no doubt, have still the Duchess of Montrose and Mrs. Langtry racing under pseudonyms ; and perhaps there are as many more as there are thumbs upon two hands. True, at Eglinton Park (which, however, was a 'private ' meeting) there was for a few years the Atalanta Challenge Whip ' for horses the property of ladies or that have been in the habit of carry- ing ladies,' where Lady Scott, Lady Waterford, Lady Eglinton, Mrs. Ramsay, Miss Boswell, and other ' quality ' would run against one another ; Lady Adeliza Manners just once (in 1844) ran FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 225 her bay mare Gazelle at Croxton Park ; and we from time to time have seen the sforgfeous colours of a Mrs. Snewing (reminding us of him who won the Derby with Caractacus), and the less imposing livery of Mrs. Osbaldeston (recalling memories of the hard-riding ' Squire '), and a few other meteoric appearances of horse-owning and horse-running persons of the more admirable and ornamental sex ; still the present reign, on the whole, has been deficient in examples of the ' lady turfite,' however prolific it may have been, for a certain period, in the matter of ' pretty horse- breakers.' Besides, a Mrs, Massey, in 1839 and in sub- sequent years, ran vigorously all over the country — at Worcester, Shrewsbury, Chester, Warwick, etc. — with Tubalcain and Naamah, and perhaps with other and better animals. But one swallow does not make a summer, nor does one Mrs. Massey suffice to restore entirely an evanescent feature of the 'good old times.' Her Majesty's reign has witnessed the complete ascendancy and, in one or two respects, the self- stultification of the Jockey Club, the prodigious extension of the betting nuisance, the augmenta- 15 226 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND tion of the sporting press (as regards the number, the diurnality, the voluminousness, the self-asser- tion, and the accepted authority of newspapers), the all but absolute immunity of the ' tout ' under the patronage and the segis of the said press, the glorification of the 'gambling hell/ the institution of elective handicapping (first tried for the Babraham Plate at Newmarket, 1892, when a choice was made between three separate handicaps), the final and utter collapse of ' the Arabian ' (exemplified by the poor performances and poor sale of Mr. Wilfrid Blunt's breed of Arabs), the abolition of Royal Plates (1887) in England, the competition of nobility and gentry for the post of paid 'starter,' the mystery of the 'Jockey Ring,' the elevation of the trainer (who is now but a very little lower than the angels, is ' interviewed ' by ' Society papers ' and has long biographical articles written about him, sees the weddings of his sons and daughters, with ' full choral service ' and pre- sents of diamonds and rubies, recorded in the ' fashionable intelligence,' as if he were a ' Royalty,' or at the very least a Duke, and has FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 227 attained the dignity of a 'literary gent'), and the apotheosis of the overpaid jockey. It was in the twenty- first year of her Majesty's reign (in 1857) that the complete ascendancy of the Jockey Club may be said to have attained accomplishment, by a sort of coiip d^dtat, as a committee was then appointed to draw up a new code for the regulation of racing, which code was published in the next year without the usual limitation of this, that, or the other 'to New- market only.' From that time to this the Club has exercised the mastery, without any modest reservation and without any opposition, all over the country ; binding and loosing whom it will, licensing race-courses and jockeys and all and sundry, imposing fines and charging fees, ' warn- ing off' and anon remitting punishments and pro- hibitions, altering rules from time to time, and fixing dates for race-meetings, not only at New- market, but everywhere else in Great Britain. The self-stultification of the Club is twofold, and is made apparent thus : in 1838 it passed a resolution expressing its extreme disapprobation of horses beingr started that were not intended to 228 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND win, yet ever afterwards it winked — notwithstand- ing the protests of Admiral Rous and others — at the 'declaration to win,' which has now been expressly sanctioned by a rule, and which means neither more nor less than that you 7nay start horses without intending to win with them ; and in 1842 it made an announcement (still in force) that ' the Jockey Club and the Stewards thereof will henceforth take no cognizance of any dispute or claims in respect to bets,' This is a very different thing from ' ignoring betting ' (which is the popular interpretation of the rule), and very difficult to reconcile with che obligation, which the Club has deliberately taken upon itself, to ' warn off' persons who are reported to it by the heads of the gambling department as being defaulters. Most people would think that this is taking very great notice indeed of betting and the disputes connected therewith. The spread of the betting nuisance (if anything beyond the daily reports of the newspapers, the daily lamentations of wives and mothers, and sorrowing friends and relatives, and the piteous appeals sometimes addressed to gentlemen as FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 229 they issue from their clubs by jaunty but seedy ' Montague Tiggs/ who have evidently ' seen better days,' and who back their appeals by a laughing but bitter remark that they ' belonged to the clubs only the other day ' themselves, were required to prove it) might be inferred from the fact that some of the more successful, rather than the more respectable, ' layers of odds,' popularly known as ' bookies ' (though there is no reason why a ' backer ' should not be, as, indeed, he frequently is, a maker of a ' book '), have been agitating for protection from themselves — that is to say, from the less successful, and therefore more disreputable, of their fraternity — and have expressed a desire to be reo^istered, or licensed, or certificated, or distinguished and discriminated by some easily recognisable sign or badge. As if, like Dogberry, one should desire to be written down an ass (though that would apply to the * backer ' only or chiefly), or to bear * the mark of the beast ' as plain as a pikestaff. For it cannot be too often pointed out or too persistently urged that to speak of the dealings of 'the betting ring' as legitimate 'business' is a 230 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND mere abuse of language. Such operations are no more legitimate business than the gambling at Monte Carlo is. Nor does it matter, as regards the foundation of the so-called business, whether the member of the ring commences with appre- ciable capital or not. He either increases that capital by nefarious means, or he loses that capital in trying to increase it by nefarious means, for in both cases his object is to enrich himself by impoverishing his neighbour ; and that object is nefarious. Mutual advantage, or a possibility of mutual advantage, is the basis of all legitimate business. But in betting there is no such pos- sibility. Nor by betting is the aggregate wealth of the community augmented ; the result is merely a transference of property from Peter to Paul, and Paul may be even a w >rse proprietor than Peter. Of course the ' backer,' if he bets for a livelihood, or is fired with the noble ambition to ' break the ring,' is just as bad as the ' bookie.' Nor should another point be omitted. The ' bookie ' is not unfrequently a ruined * backer,' who has discovered by sad experience how hope- less it is to contend with those who have the FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 231 command of the odds, and has to desert to the enemy in order to gain his bread. Mark how dangerous is the professional ' layer of odds,' whether he calls himself an * accountant,' or a ' commissioner,' or a ' bookie,' or a ' man and a brother.' He makes it easy for the young ' backer ' (whether young in years or in experi- ence) to do systematically what might otherwise, because of the difficulties in the way of obtain- ing 'odds,' never become habitual, and might be perfectly or comparatively innocuous. Here is what the ' Druid,' a sporting writer whom even the ' bookie ' professes to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest, has written on the subject of betting : ' Not five men in twenty can afford to lose, and certainly not one in twenty afford to win. ... A young man drawing his first winnings is like a tiger tasting his first blood ; he seldom stops again till he is brought to a dead-lock as a defaulter. ... It may be a very Arcadian notion, but still we hold that, to really enjoy sport, a man should never go on to a racecourse more than thirteen or fourteen picked afternoons in the course of the year, and never bet a penny.' 2 32 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND And who is it that enables the young tiger to indulge his thirst for blood ? The professional * layer of odds,' who not only belongs to ' the ring,' and is a member of Tattersall's, and of the Subscription Rooms at Newmarket, but keeps a body of clerks and an office, into which dribble from the North and the South and the East and the West, by postal and various means of transit, what he is pleased to call 'commissions,' sent by all sorts of persons, from the 'toff' to the 'tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, apothecary, ploughboy, thief,' and (sometimes) detective policeman. Apropos, it would be curious if the proposal to register or license ' bookies ' should lead to something which would bring ' Tattersall's ' (at the various race-meetings), and the Subscription Rooms at Newmarket, without any shadow of that doubt which at present prevails or seems to prevail upon the subject, under the operation of i6 and 17 Vict., c. 119, and should render the Stewards of the august Jockey Club itself, as owners or managers of certain premises, liable to be indicted for a nuisance, after a more and more brilliant existence for about 150 )ears. FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 233 But as long as the practice endures of keeping a sound lawyer upon its books, as Messrs, Moses and Sons and other great firms keep or used to keep a poet, the club will always have the advice of a Baron Martin, or a Justice Hawkins, or some other legal luminary to steer it clear of legislative rocks. Of course, some 'bookies,' like some jockeys (such as the Chifneys, or Chiffneys — Sam the father, and Will and Sam the sons), however successful they may be, offer examples of the catastrophe which sometimes occurs to the beggar on horseback, and, after rolling in gold and affluence for some years, come to bankruptcy and misery ; but her Majesty's reign has pre- sented many cases of fortunes, from moderate to large, made chiefly by the ' laying of odds,' with a ' coup ' now and then in the department of ' backing.' Mr. Gully, for instance, is said to have left behind him between ^240,000 and ;^2 50,000, though his former 'friend and pardner,' Mr. Ridsdale, died with no more than three- halfpence in his pocket, which probably even the good bishop of whom we have all read would 234 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND have considered ' parum viatici ad coelum.' The ' Leviathan ' Davis is asserted by some authorities to have left ^150,000, but by others a modest ^50,000 only. Yet surely that was pretty well for one who had been a journeyman carpenter. Then there was a Mr. Swindell or Swindells (a most unfortunate name, it must be allowed, under the circumstances, though no imputation rests upon his memory, apparently), who is credited with a personalty of ^146,000. To these might be added a score more, though they might not include the celebrated John Jackson, or 'Jock o' Fairfield,' who is understood to have been worth less than had been supposed, and whose property of Fairfield was purchased, as already mentioned, by Mr. R. C. Vyner. Among the 'pencillers ' (as the ' bookies ' are also called) of to-day, whose * nod ' is good for thousands of pounds, Mr. R. H. Fry is considered to hold the foremost place, and he is the champion of ' registration of book- makers,' but he is strongly opposed by ' imported ' Mr. Joseph Thompson, a leading Australian bookmaker, who has had experience of the practice in Melbourne, New South Wales, FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 235 and other Antipodean centres of horse-racing and betting, and therefore speaks as one having authority, and not as the scribes of the news- papers. The glorification of ' Tattersall's ' culminated in the year 1865, when Messrs. Tattersall, at the expiration of a ninety-nine years' lease — which the Duke (then Marquis) of Westminster, actuated, no doubt, by the sentiment displayed by him at Chester in respect of the betting-ring, refused to renew — removed, on April 10, from Hyde Park Corner to the present establish- ment at Knightsbridge. On April 1 1 Messrs. Richard and Edmund Tattersall, cousins, pro- prietors of the said establishment, were en- tertained at a complimentary dinner, whereof Willis's Rooms supplied the scene, and were honoured by the presence of some three hundred celebrants, comprising, in the words of Mr. Edmund himself, ' the highest and the noblest of the land ' (with Admiral Rous in the chair), as well as ' those gentlemen whose names are so well known to the world as the great spirits of the sporting Stock Exchange, who will lay you 2 36 HORSERACING IN ENGLAND the odds to any amount, and are safe as the bank to pay.' As regards the 'jockey ring,' its existence seems to be problematical at present, if it ever really existed at all. However, Sir G. Chetwynd, in 1890, wrote an article in which he referred to the subject — to the allegation of a ' confederacy between certain jockeys, " professional backers," and one or two bookmakers ' — and seemed to think that there was ' something in it' But, according to his own evidence in a certain notorious case, he is placed in a somewhat awkward dilemma if he accepts the statement of the bookmaker whom he quotes, to the effect that ' all the money goes into the pockets of a few jockeys and their friends,' inasmuch as his evidence seemed to show that he had made a considerable annual income in his capacity of ' backer,' To mere lovers of horse-racing as a sport, however, the bare possibility of a 'jockey ring' causes intolerable uneasiness, because such a combination renders it doubtful whether the result of a race ever shows what it is intended to FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 237 show, and whether many a horse may not have achieved an undeserved celebrity, or incurred undeserved obloquy. It Is scarcely credible, fortunately, that such a sinister confederacy as a 'jockey ring' could endure for long without detection, as the thieves would be sure to fall out over the ' swag ' ; and there is reasonable hope, consequently, that, if such a conspiracy ever existed, it has been ' blown upon,' and exists no longer. As for the apotheosis attained by the jockey during her Majesty's reign, there can be no doubt about that. The sporting newspapers went into deep mourning and launched forth into pages of obituary notice at the death of George Fordhafn, known to fame as ' the demon ' and ' the kid ' (not so much from anything infantile about him as from his propensity towards ' kidding,' otherwise simu- lation, when he would pretend to be beaten and would use his whip on his boot instead of his horse's hide), who died at Villa Montrose, Slough, October 12, 1887; and of the still more celebrated Fred Archer, who died November 8, 1886, by his own hand, sad to relate, in a 238 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND paroxysm of delirium, at his house in New- market, and left personalty valued at upwards of ^60,000. Interest is still so keenly felt in the career of both Fordham and Archer that editors of sporting newspapers are almost daily plied with questions concerning the two jockeys, especially as regards the following facts : that Fordham rode 2,369 winners, and Archer (who died a much younger man, only twenty-nine to fifty-one), 2,748; that Fordham never rode a winner of the Doncaster St. Leger, and only one, Sir Bevys, of the Derby ; that the last horse ridden by Fordham was Mr. Leopold Rothschild's Aladdin, at Windsor August Meeting, 1884, and the last winner ridden by him was the same gentleman's Brag for the Brighton Autumn Cup in 1883 ; and that the last horse ridden by F. Archer was the evergreen Tommy Tittlemouse, and the last winner Blanch- land. Moreover, it was only the other day that the veteran jockey, John Osborne, was the 'hero of a presentation and a compliment unprecedented in the history of jockeydom and the British turf. The FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 239 jockey, on retiring (whether as a prima donna from the stage, with many reappearances in petto, or strictly bond fide) from his ' profession,' was presented at Newmarket, by the senior Steward of the Jockey Club, assisted (as they say in the announcements of fashionable weddings) by another Steward of the club (a ' belted Earl '), and two other members (one a British judge, and the other a British Attorney-General), with an ' ad- dress ' and a cheque for ^3,600 (subscribed by admirers all over the country) in acknowledgment of the jockey's ' fidelity and rectitude ' during a period of ' well-nigh half a century.' Nobody will question the qualities ascribed to Mr. Osborne, or grudge him either the honour 'or the substantial recognition ; but the same qualities are not so rare in other walks (or rides) of life, whether of the postman, or of the groom, or of another, wherein old age is equally encountered, that one can avoid wondering whether the chief actors in the interesting ceremony were or were not aware of the reflection which their amiable proceeding might be considered to cast upon the body whereof the excellent recipient of their grace 2 40 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND was a prominent member. Fidelity and rectitude, combined with long service, are unquestionably good reasons why an individual or a corporation that may have been so well served should make a handsome provision, accompanied by words of appreciation and thanks, for a superannuated ser- vant on retirement ; but they do not seem to call for a public and pointed, and even invidious, notice, attended with pecuniary emolument, upon ordinary relinquishment of an exceedingly lucrative and profitably exercised vocation. Else every man who makes a competence, without cheating, in any line of life, should be publicly complimented and substantially rewarded by all and sundry, high and low, whom his manner of life may concern. But, at any rate, the 'John Osborne Testimonial ' has undoubtedly tended to set the jockey's horn on high. There was, on the other hand, the dissimilar public appearance of Charles Wood, the jockey, who, though he did not come in for any compli- mentary address, figured as the possessor of wealth beyond the dreams of avarice, of archbishops, or even of brewers, as the Lord of Newmarket (with FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 241 certain modifications), as the master, to all intents and purposes, of the training stable for which he was nominally the titular jockey, and as being on such terms with one member at least of the Jockey Club, and with two born and bred gentlemen at least, who were owners and runners of race-horses, as could not fail to raise jockeys in their own, if not in the general, estimation, and to tend towards the exaltation of the fraternity. Add to this the increase, the perfectly unauthorized increase, in the scale of fees paid for riding even the paltriest races, the retainers of from ^500 to ;^ 1,000 a year, the presents which have risen in value from ' two ten-pound -notes ' (as a rare piece of liberality) to the ' whole Derby stakes ' (it has been not in- disputably asserted), as an acknowledgment of a very successful gambling venture (meaning an equally heavy loss to somebody or somebodies else, without any advantage to the community), and a good idea will be gained of the golden pros- pect opened to the successful jockey during the present reign. But only to the successful jockey, and of him it may be said still, though perhaps, thanks to Turkish baths and other inventions, the 16 242 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND discipline is not quite so severe as it was In former reigns : ' Qui cupit optatam cursu contendere metam, Multa tulit fecitque puer, sudavit et alsit.' And not ovAy ptier, hut j'ttvatis, and even senex, when weight increases and Is more and more diffi- cult to ' get off.' The most noted jockeys, besides those already- mentioned, who have been constrained by death or by some other cause to give up the wearing of racing colours, are the following : Tom Aldcroft, who died May 4, 1883, and had won the Two Thousand on Lord of the Isles, when he smashed his whip in the effort, and on General Peel, the One Thousand on Sagltta, the Derby on Ellington, the Oaks on Oueen Bertha, and the St. Lep-er on Gamester. Ashmall, who won the Two Thousand on The Wizard and The Marquis, the One Thousand on Governess and Hurricane, the Derby never, the Oaks on Governess, and the St. Leger never. T. Chaloner, who won the Two Thousand on Macaroni, Moslem (a dead heat with Formosa), and Gang Forward, the One Thousand never, the Derby on Macaroni, the Oaks on Feu de Joie, and the memorable St. Leger on FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 243 Caller Ou, as well as four other St. Legers on The Marquis, Achievement, Formosa, and Craig- millar. Arthur Edwards (identified with the pretty colours of Lord Stamford for awhile), who won the Two Thousand on Diophantus, the One Thousand on Lady Augusta, the Derby never, the Oaks on Fille de I'Air, the St. Leger never, and rode Gladiateur in his two-year-old races. The brothers Harry and Jemmy Grimshaw, of whom the former was the invariable rider of Gladiateur in all his greatest races, and died of injuries received through being thrown from a dog-cart on October 3, 1866 ; and the latter, after being a fashionable light-weight, and after having won the One Thousand on Hester and the St. Leger on Hawthornden, emigrated to Germany, where he became a trainer, and died not long ago at Pardubitz. Sim Templeman, who died March 12, 1884, aged seventy-nine, at Heworth, near York, having retired from the turf and taken to farming, first of all, at Burnley, near Pocklington ; but for the last year or two of his life he was in poor health, and was ultimately afflicted with blindness, which, however, did not prevent him from pondering 244 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND upon pleasant memories of how he had ridden Bloomsbury to victory in the famous ' snowstorm ' Derby, had won the Derby on The Cossack and SurpHce, the Oaks on Miami, Cymba, and Mar- chioness, and the St. Leger on the great New- minster, sire of Hermit. H. Custance, who won the Derby on Thormanby and George Frederick, was prevented by a provoking broken arm or collar-bone from riding Lord Lyon in the Two Thousand (in which his place was taken by Thomas, a stable-boy), as well as in the Derby and the Leger, and retired from jockeyship to other functions connected with the turf. ' Tiny ' Wells, whose proper Christian name was John, who won the St. Leger on Saucebox as early as 1855, was so long identified with Sir Joseph Hawley's successes, In the days of Fitz-Roland, Beadsman, Musjid, Blue Gown, and Pero Gomez, and their Two Thousand, Derbies, and St. Leger; whom memory still recalls sitting like Patience on a monument upon Count Batthyany's Tam- bour Major (that refused for three-quarters of an hour to start for the Derby of 1863, answered every bit of ' persuasion ' by a firm planting of the fore-feet in the ground and a vigorous tilt of the FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 245 hind-feet into the air, and was ultimately left at the post, whence he returned to his stable with alacrity) ; who won the One Thousand on Mr. * Howard's ' {alias Mr, Pad wick's, alias ' the Spider's ') Virago ; and who, * tiny ' as he was, is credibly reported to have fallen a victim to the dire necessity of ' wasting,' akin to ' phthisis.' John Norman (almost the * sole property ' of the Marquis of Exeter), who won the Two Thousand and the St. Leger on Stockwell, the king of the stud (which alone is enough for fame), and the Oaks on Regalia ; and, after being in the employ- ment of E. Martin, the trainer, died and was buried in Newmarket Cemetery, February 5, 1886. The famous John Day, who became a trainer, and died at the age of sixty-eight in 1883. Henry Constable, who won the Derby on Sefton, and died at the early age of twenty-eight at Epsom, February 16, 1881. Luke Snowden, who died at the youthful age of twenty-two in 1862, having won already the Oaks on Mr. Saxon's Brown Duchess and two St. Legers, one on Mr. Merry's Sunbeam, and the other on Lord Ailesbury's St. Albans, besides being twice second for the St. Leger, with Defender in 1859 and with 246 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Kettledrum in iS6i ; and James Snowden, whose privilege it was to ride Blair Athol at the horse's first appearance in public, and to win the Derby then and there. To these should be added Charlton, J. Daley, J, Mann, T. French (' eques ipso melior Bellero- phonte'), Maidment, J. Parsons (for the reason that he was only a stable-lad when he unex- pectedly had to ride the outsider Caractacus for the Derby, and won it, and because ridiculously untrue stories were told about the remuneration he received for the feat), and the lately deceased James Goater, who died at Park Lane, New- market, on April 6, 1892, aged fifty-four. He proved (especially in France) that he was ' haud ulli veterum virtute secundus ' (though he never won either Derby or Oaks or One Thousand in England), by his many victories. He won with Joe Miller and the feather-weight of 4 st. 10 lb. the Chester Cup of 1852, when there were forty-three runners ; and he continued through many years, with Lord Portsmouth's horses for awhile, and then with Comte Lagrange's for a much longer while (to say nothing of Lord Dupplin's Petrarch), to win a number of races, FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 247 including a Two Thousand with Chamant, two St. Legers with Petrarch and Rayon d'Or, the first Grand Prix with The Ranger, and three French Derbies and a half, with Insulaire in 1878, with Zut in 1879, with Albion (on the rider's forty-third birthday) in 1881, and with Dandin (a dead-heat with St. James) in 1882. His light weight and his riding in France call to mind another jockey, Kitchener, whose bodily weight, when he won the Chester Cup on the Duke of Richmond's Red Deer (3 years, 4 stone) in 1844, is a constant subject of curiosity on the part of the public, to judge from the sporting papers' ' Answers to Correspondents,' and is invariably stated by a great authority to have been 2 st. 12 lb. On the other hand, Mr. John Kent, in his ' Racing Life of Lord George Bentinck,' p. 122, mentions ' the tiny jockey, Kitchener, who weighed only 3 st. 4 lb.;' and, as Mr. Kent had the boy under his charge, one would suppose that this estimate is the more trustworthy. Mr. J. B. Muir, who seems to think that the excellent rule ' palmam qui meruit ferat ' has been neglected grossly in the case of the men who have trained from time to time the winners of our 248 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND greatest races, and whose names deserve to be handed down to posterity quite as much as those of the horses themselves, or, at any rate, of the riders, and even more, has been at infinite pains to discover who those trainers were in the case of the Derby, the Oaks, and the St. Leger, and has pubHshed his discoveries in the book already referred to. With his assistance, therefore, when- ever it was necessary, the following information has been gleaned for the benefit of all whom it may concern. Of the winners of the Derby, Diomed, Eleanor, and Smolensko were trained ' privately ' (which appears to mean that the trainer's name has not been recorded) at Sir C. Bunbury's, Great Barton, Suffolk, though Crouch is said to have trained Smolensko ; Young Eclipse and Serjeant ' pri- vately ' at Epsom ; Assassin, Saltram, Noble, Sir Thomas (sold, after running once and winning at two years of age, to the Prince of Wales for 2,000 guineas), Sir Harry, Hannibal, Cardinal Beaufort, and Election, at Newmarket, by F. Neale ; Aimwell, Rhadamanthus, John Bull, and Daedalus, at Newmarket, by J. Pratt; Sir Peter (Teazle) at Tarporley, Cheshire, by the elder FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 249 Saunders ; Skyscraper, Eager, and the Sister to Pharamond colt, at Newmarket, by M. Stephen- son ; Waxy at Lewes, and Tyrant, Pope, Whale- bone, Whisker, Azor, and Emilius, at Newmarket, by Robert Robson, ' the trainer-king.' Spread Eagle, Didelot, Archduke, Paris, Blucher, and Tiresias, at Newmarket, by Richard Prince, whose drinking -troughs were poisoned by the notorious Daniel Dawson in 181 1; Champion, Octavius, and Cadland, at Newmarket (in every case, most likely), by R. D. Boyce ; (Williamson's) Ditto and Pan at Middleham, Yorks, either by Christopher Jackson or J. Lonsdale (Lord Strath- more's trainer) ; Phantom, Cedric, Middleton, Mameluke, and Bay Middleton, at Newmarket, by James Edwards ; Prince Leopold and Moses (both the property of H.R.H. the Duke of York), at Newmarket, by William Butler ; Sam, by James Perrin, and Sailor and Priam, by W. Chiffney, at Newmarket ; the £-ray Gustavus, at Newmarket (Six Mile Bottom), by Crouch ; Lap- dog, at Newmarket, by R. Stephenson. Frederick (ridden by his trainer, whose own £-ray horse, The Exquisite, ran second), Little Wonder (said to have been sold for 65 guineas) 250 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND and The Merry Monarch, at Michel Grove, Sussex, by J. Forth ; Spaniel (said to have been sold for ^150), at Newmarket, by J. Rogers ; St. Giles and Bloomsbury, at Newmarket, by J. Webb ; Dangerous, at Stockbridge, Houghton, Hants, by the owner, J. Sadler, former keeper, it is said, of a livery-stable at Oxford ; Pleni- potentiary, at Newmarket (Horseheath), by George Pain ; Mundig, AttiLi (said to have cost but /^,i20 at two years of age), Cotherstone, Daniel O'Rourke, West Australian, and Ellington, at Langton Wold, Yorks, by John Scott ; Phosphorus, at Newmarket, by J. Doe (without the help of Richard Roe) ; Amato, at Epsom, by R, Sherwood ; Coronation, whose training-ground is doubtful, by Isaac Day, of Northleach, Gloucestershire ; Orlando, at New- market, by W. Cooper ; Pyrrhus the First (said to have cost but ^300), The Cossack (said to have cost but 200 guineas), and Andover, at Danebury, Stockbridge, Hants, by John Barham Day. Surplice, at Goodwood, by John Kent, jun. The Flying Dutchman, at Middleham, by Fobert Voltigeur, at Richmond, Yorks, by Robert Hill Teddington (purchased, as a foal, vi^/i his dam. FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 251 Miss Twickenham, for ^150, and as much again if he won the Derby, from a blacksmith named Tomlinson, of Huntingdon) and Sefton, at Fyfield, Marlborough, Wilts, by A. Taylor ; Wild Dayrell (by Rickaby, father of the father of the present well-known jockey), Tnormanby (by Matthew Dawson), and Doncaster and Bend Or (both by R. Peck), at Lambourne, Berks ; Blink Bonny and Blair Athol, at Malton, Yorks, by their owner, W. I'Anson, jockey and trainer ; Beads- man and Musjid (said to have cost but 150 guineas at two years of age), by G. Manning, and Blue Gown, Shotover, St, Blaise, Ormonde, Sain- foin, and Common, all by J. Porter, at Kingsclere, Hants. Kettledrum, by G. Oates, and Pretender, by T. Dawson, at Middleham ; Caractacus (said to have cost but 300 guineas as a yearling), at Harpenden, Herts, by R. Smith ; Lord Lyon, at Ilsley, Berks, by J. Dover ; Macaroni (by Godding), Gladiateur (by T. Jennings), Hermit (by G. Bloss), Kingcraft and Silvio and Melton (all three by M. Dawson), Favonius and Kisber and Sir Bevys (by one or other of the Hay hoes), Cremorne (by W. Gilbert), Galopin (by John Dawson), Iroquois (by the 2 52 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND American, J. Pincus, of Hermit House), St. Gatien (by R, Sherwood). Harvester and Isinglass (by J. Jewitt), Merry Hampton (by Gurry), and Ayrshire and Donovan (both by G. Dawson), all at New- market ; George Frederick, at Wroughton, Wilts, by T. Leader; and Sir Hugo, at Stanton, Salop, by T. Wadlow. Of the winners of the Oaks, Bridget and Her- mione were trained by the elder Saunders at Tarporley; Teetotum (by some unrecorded hero), at Newmarket; Faith and Ceres and Maid of the Oaks, by John Pratt, perhaps, at Newmarket, but perhaps at Langdon Wold, Yorks, by John Hutch- inson ; Stella, by a great unknown, at Newmarket ; Trifle, Volante, Nike, Bellina, and Meteora, by J. Pratt, at Newmarket ; the Yellow Filly, Parisot (the name of a French she-dancer), Bellissima, and Augusta, by R. Prince, at Newmarket ; Nightshade, Tag, Platina, and Ephemera, by J. Bird or F. Neale, at Newmarket ; Hippolyta, Portia, and Caelia, by M. Stephenson, at New- market ; Eleanor, as for the Derby ; the gray Scotia, by an unknown, probably at Newmarket, as it was there that she ran on the only other occasion on which she did run, and her owner, FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 253 though a Yorkshireman, was better known at Newmarket than ' at home.' Theophania, by Samuel King, at Padington, Yorks ; Pelisse, Briseis, Morel, Maid of Orleans, Music, Minuet, Landscape, Corinne, Pastille, and Zinc, by R. Robson, at Newmarket ; Bronze, Sorcery, Medora, and Neva, by R. D. Boyce, at Newmarket ; Oriana, by W. Peirse, at Belleisle, Richmond, Yorks ; Manuella, undetermined ; Shoveller, by S. Chiffney, jun., at Newmarket ; Caroline, Turquoise, and Oxygen, by (? R.) Stephenson, at Newmarket ; Cobweb, by J. Ed- wards, at Newmarket; Wings, by J. Hart, at Newmarket ; Lilias (daughter of Fair Ellen, daughter of the Wellesley Grey Arabian), by her owner, J. Forth, at Michel Grove; Gulnare (by J. Kent, sen.) and Refraction (by J. Kent, jun.), at Goodwood ; Green Mantle and Galata, by C. Marson, at Newmarket ; Variation, by R. Pettit, at Newmarket ; Vespa, by H. Scott, at New- market ; Pussy, by W. (? Walter) Day, at Ascot ; Queen of Trumps, by Blenkhorn, at Holywell, Flintshire; Cyprian, Industry, Ghuznee, The Princess (the heroine of that ghastly story about Crockford, who died on the very day on which 254 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND she won), Iris, Songstress, Marchioness, Summer- side, and Queen Bertha, by John Scott (the owner of Cyprian and Songstress), at Langton Wold, Yorks. Miss Letty, by John Howe, at Newmarket ; Deception, by W. Treen, at Lambourne ; Crucifix (said to have cost, as a foal, wz^/i her dam, then twenty-two years old, but 65 guineas), Mendicant (cost but 300 or 400 guineas as a yearling), Cymba, Mincepie, and Placida, by J. B. Day and J. Day between them at Danebury ; Our Nell, by T. Dawson, at Middleham ; Poison, by R. Fisher, at Newmarket; Miami, by G. Manning, at Kingsclere ; Lady Evelyn, by T. Taylor, at Bretby Park, Ashby-de-la-Zouch ; Rhedycina and Mincemeat, by W. Goodwin, at Newmarket ; Catherine Hayes, by Matthew Dawson, at Lam- bourne ; Blink Bonny, as for the Derby ; Gover- ness, by T. Eskritt, at Michel Grove; Butterfly, by G. Gates, at Middleham ; Brown Duchess, by Barber and Saxon, at Lambourne ; Feu de Joie, by Godding, at Newmarket ; Fille de I'Air, Reine, and Camelia (d. h.), by T. Jennings, at Newmarket ; Regalia, by W. Harlock, at New- market ; Tormentor, by C. Blanton, at New- FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 255 market ; Hippia and Hannah, by J. Hayhoe, at Newmarket ; Formosa and Games, by H. Walcot, at Beckhampton, Wilts. Brigantine, by W. Day (the author), at Wood- yeates, SaHsbury, Wilts ; Marie Stuart, by R. Peck, at Russley, Lambourne, Berks ; Apology, by the Osbornes, at Middleham ; Spinaway, Jannette, Wheel of Fortune, and Mimi, by Matthew Dawson, at Newmarket; Enguerrande (d. h,), by Wetherall, at Newmarket; Jenny Howlett, by W. I'Anson, at Malton ; Thebais and Reve d'Or, by A. Taylor, at Manton, Wilts ; Geheim- niss, by James Hopper, at Newmarket ; Bonny Jean, by Joseph Cannon, at Newmarket ; Busy- bod)', by Thomas Cannon, at Danebury ; Lonely, by W. Gilbert, at Newmarket ; Miss Jummy, by R. Marsh, at Newmarket ; Seabreeze, by J. Jewitt, at Newmarket ; L'Abbesse de Jouarre (said to have cost but ^300, which is notable in these days of high-priced foals, yearlings, and two- year-olds), by R. Sherwood, at Newmarket ; Memoir, by G. Dawson, at Newmarket ; and La Fleche (cost ^5,500 as a yearling), by J. Porter, at Kingsclere, but removed to R. Marsh's, at Newmarket, at the end of the season. 256 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Of the winners of the St. Leger (counted from 1776), AlabacuHa (at Swinton or Malton) and Pewet, Orville, and Paulina (all three at Pigburn, Doncaster) were trained by Christopher Scaife ; Bourbon (but perhaps by J. Hoyle) and Pheno- menon, by Isaac Cape at Tupgill. Middleham ; HoUandaise and Tommy, by J. Rose at Hamble- ton, Yorks ; Ruler and Imperatrix, by C. Jackson at Middleham ; Serina, by * Black Jack ' Lowther at Bramham Moor, Yorks ; Omphale (? by C. Jackson at Middleham, or M. Mason at H amble- ton) ; Cowslip, Ambidexter, Lounger, and Quiz, by G. Searle at Norton, near Malton ; Paragon, Spadille, Young Flora, and Tartar, by John Mangle at Middleham ; Young Traveller, Bening- brough, and (?) Hambletonian, byjohn Hutchinson (the original owner of all three) at Langton Wold ; Ninety-three and Fyldener (uncertain) ; Ambrosio (Mr. Muir says by F. Neale, at Newmarket) ; Symmetry, by S. King at Parlington, Yorks ; Cock- fighter, by T. Fields at Hambleton ; Champion, presumably by R. D. Boyce at Newmarket ; Remembrancer by J. Smith at Streatlam, Dur- ham ; Sancho and Stavely by B. Atkinson at Richmond, Yorks. FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 257 Petronius, Ashton, and William, by W. Threak- stone at Ashton, Lancashire ; Octavian, Sooth- sayer (? by J. Croft), and Otterington (uncertain) ; Altisidora, by Thomas Sykes at Langton Wold ; Filho da Puta, Duchess, Theodore, and Jerry, by J. Croft at Middleham ; Ebor, Reveller, Antonio, and St. Patrick, by J. Lonsdale at Middleham ; Barefoot, by Joseph Dixon (place unknown) ; Jack Spigot, by J. Blades at Middleham ; Memnon and Rockingham, by R. Shepherd at Langton Wold ; Tarrare, by S. King at Tick- hill (Doncaster) ; Matilda, The Colonel, Rowton, Touchstone, Don John (cost ^100 as a yearling), Charles XIL, Launcelot, Satirist, The Baron, Newminster, West Australian, Saucebox, the roan Warlock, Imperieuse (the trainer's own property), Gamester, and The Marquis, all by John Scott (called ' The Wizard of the North,' for obvious reasons) at Langton Wold. Birmingham, by T. Flintoff at Hednesford (Cannock, Staffs) ; Chorister, by John Smith at Raby (Durham) ; Margrave, by J. Webb at Newmarket ; Queen of Trumps (as for the Oaks) ; Elis (nominally Lord Lichfield's, really Lord G. Bentinck's), by John Doe at Goodwood ; Mango, 17 258 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND by M. Dilly at Littleton ; Blue Bonnet (by Thomas Dawson) and Nutwith (by Robert John- son) at Middleham ; Faugh-a-ballagh, by J. Forth at Michel Grove ; Sir Tatton Sykes, by W. Oates at Langton Wold ; Van Tromp and The Flying Dutchman, by J. Fobert at Middleham ; Surplice, by Robert Stephenson at Newmarket ; Voltigeur (as for the Derby) ; Stockwell, by J. Harlock at Newmarket ; Knight of St. George, by R. Long- staff at Hambleton ; Sunbeam, by J. Prince at Lambourne ; St. Albans and Craigmillar, by A. Taylor at Fyfield ; Caller Ou and Blair Athol, by W. IWnson (their owner) at Malton. Lord Clifden, by E. Parr at Telscombe (Sussex); Gladiateur, Lord Lyon, Silvio, Iroquois, Melton, Ormonde, Donovan, and Common (as for the Derby) ; Achievement, by J. Dover at Ilsley ; Formosa, Hannah, Marie Stuart, Apology, Jan- nette, Seabreeze, Memoir, and La Fleche (as for the Oaks) ; Pero Gomez, by J. Porter at Kings- clere ; Hawthornden, by Joseph Dawson at New- market ; Wenlock, by T. Wadlow at Stanton (Shifnal, Salop) ; Petrarch (by John Dawson) ; Rayon d'Or (by T. Jennings), Robert the Devil (by C. Blanton), Dutch Oven (by M. Dawson), FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 259 Ossian (by Richard Marsh), and Kilvvarlin (by J. Jewett), all at Newmarket ; and The Lambkin, by the Osbornes at Middleham. The breeders of these and other distinguished horses may seem equally entitled to commemora- tion ; but their names for the most part can be discovered from the ' Stud Book.' A few words in conclusion must be devoted to the questions of colour, height, and nomenclature. Her Majesty's reign has witnessed the almost total disappearance, so far as horses of note are concerned, of all colours except bay, brown, and chestnut, though there have been one or two good blacks, such as Saunterer ; grays, such as Chanticleer and Strathconan ; and roans, such as Warlock and Rapid Rhone. As for height, 16 hands, which was thought marvellous in the old days, when a horse that stood 15.2 was named Sampson, is a common height nowadays, even for two-year-olds, and race-horses have been known to reach 18 hands. Of such was a horse well named Magog ; but, as he is reported to have been unequal to running more than half a mile, and that certainly not at the rate of a mile a minute, or even a minute and a half, his sort 26o HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND are not to be encouraged, especially as they are said to take kindly to ' roaring,' after the fashion of Ormonde, without Ormonde's less objectionable qualities. In respect of nomenclature, a marvellous condi- tion of things has been established in these latter days. We find breeders and owners, at their wits' end, making plaintive appeals in the columns of the daily papers (of sporting tendency) to the public for help in elaborating appropriate appella- tions for foals, and yearlings, and two-year-olds, and thoroughbreds in general, and the public responding by dozens almost as eagerly as in a * missing word ' competition. A Sir Tatton Sykes, with countless Sleight-of-hand mares, and a Lord Glasgow, with unnamed ' wretches ' running all over the country, would have a worse time of it in these days than ever they had before. There is quite a Parliamentary roar of ' Name ! name !' when some unhappy owner is under the impression that his horse is his own property, and that he can do as he likes with it, even to leaving it nameless, if he please. The increase in the number of horses that are bred and run in any given year, and especially the propagation FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 261 of the betting plague, have brought things to this pretty pass. The pubHc, out of whose pockets all the money necessarily comes in the end for keeping up the speculative meetings, the monster prizes given thereat, the studs of such owners as depend upon bets for the maintenance thereof, and a very considerable portion of the huge donations won by those princely patrons of the turf who, whether they bet or not, do not depend upon bets in the least for the defrayment of their expenses, but take up horse-racing in the spirit of old times, when it was truly ' the sport of kings,' have now to be reckoned with. The public, as payers of the piper, claim to call the tune. It is, of course, convenient to the public (and particularly to the writers who cater for the public) that any colt or filly in which any member of the public may be pleased to take an interest, and even to make an investment, though it be to the amount of but half a crown, whether honestly come by or quocumque inodo, should cease forthwith to be at its owner's discretion, and should be distinguished as soon as possible in some way that will render its career as easy as possible to be followed by the public. 262 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND The sporting newspapers, therefore, which exist solely through and for the public, have taken in hand the breeders and owners of race- horses, and by preaching and bullying and inter- viewing and employing horse - watchers, and issuing 'training reports,' and by various other means, have, as representatives of the public, usurped, as it were, a position which enables them to coerce more or less gently the owner or breeder, or both, of race-horses, until he wonders whether he can call his soul his own, and until, though he be a Hamar Bass, he is constrained at last to yield, even in a matter of mere nomen- clature. Nor is it only as regards the absolute necessity of giving some kind of name that a sort of revolution has been effected ; but there now seems to be an accepted opinion among the competitive name-givers — that the appellation conferred must tell a tale of breeding, and reveal something indicative of the paternal and maternal origin, as in such a happy instance as St. Blaise (by Hermit and Fusee). It would be a pity if this opinion and the practice founded upon it were to prevail so far as to rob the * Stud Book's ' index of the FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 263 character which, to judge from some of the volumes, belongs to it, of being an epitome, as it were, of historical, social, literary, commercial, theological, theatrical, legal, and scandalous re- cords (as in the very recent name of L'Abbesse de Jouarre, which appertains to both literature and scandal, and was happily bestowed upon a daughter of Trappist and Festive). Take, for instance, such horses' names as Pot- tinger. General Sale, Lady Sale, and Jellalabad, Lee, Longstreet, Stonewall Jackson, Merrimac, Monitor, and Kearsage, mtermingled with Sir James Graham, Admiral Lyons, Sir Colin Camp- bell, Nana Sahib, and the like, to remind us of memorable historic events; Exhibition, Kohinoor, and the like, to recall a great social and inter- national movement ; Dickens and Anti-Dickens,, with Nickleby, Nicholas, Pickwick, Oliver Twist, Nancy, Dolly Varden, Barnaby Rudge, Mark Tapley, Miss Miggs, Florence Dombey, Adam Bede, and the like literary reminders ; Dr. Pusey, Miss Sellon, and A. D. Wagner, to call to mind, not very respectfully, theological controversies ; and George Stephenson, George Hudson, and Mrs. Hudson, to carry us back to the infancy of 264 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND railroads and the ' leaps and bounds ' of com- merce. Jenny Lind, Jetty TrefTz, Yaller Gal, Coal Black Rose, Sich-a-gettin'-up-stairs, La Polka, Polka, and The Polka, testify to popular favourites and novelties in the upper and lower musical world. Qui Tam and Sauter-la-Coupe, recall vexatious law-suits and a cmtse cHebre in 1837 ; and Baron Martin testifies of the connection which existed (and still exists) between the Bench and the Bar on the one hand, and the turf and the Jockey Club on the other. To return to the fair sex, we find Helen Faucit, to do honour to the great lights of the stage ; Clara Webster (the unfortunate opera-dancer, who was burnt to death, and whose fate created quite an uproar at the time), to commemorate a sad catastrophe of the ballet ; and Baccelli, Delpini (a he-dancer), Violante, Parisot, and scores besides before Pitteri, to show the attachment between the turf and Terpsichore ; and Lola Montez, Skittles, Laura Bell, and a host more, to celebrate the heroines of scandal. There can be no desire, however, to see a FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 265 repetition of such foolish names as Ginnums, Kittums, Oddums, and the like ; far less can anyone wish for a return to the apparent irrever- ence of Crucifix (which Lord G. Bentinck de- clined to alter at the instance of Lady Grosvenor), Bethphage (another of Lord George's queer fancies, but the name was changed by the Duke of Bedford to Villiers), Crucifixion, Vera Cruz, Redemption, Atonement, and the brothers Elijah and Elisha, though no irreverence may have been intended, and though probably nobody would object to Huz and Buz as the names of two brother-horses, or to Mesopotamia for the name of a mare, notwithstanding that these names also occur in Scripture. It is all a question of the associations connected with certain words, and that should be the guide. At the same time, it may not always strike the giver of a name that any suggestion of irreverence can occur to anybody therefrom. Take D. V., for instance, a colt (foaled 1863) by Voltigeur and Rosa Bonheur ; it might shock pious souls, who smell a rat where there is not so much as a mouse, and they would 266 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND assuredly conclude that some irreverence was meant. But when they were informed that (Sir Henry) Des Voeux was the breeder and owner of the colt, whose body-clothes would bear the initials ' D. V.,' they would probably see that there was ' nothing in it.' While there is reason to object to names occa- sionally adopted, either on the score of inanity, or even sometimes, in former days, of indecency, one would desire to encourage originality, and not too closely to limit the field of selection. Allusions to passing events which might other- wise be forgotten, or indications of the pedigree of a horse, or of the stable it came from, are valuable, and a distinctive name not merely assists anyone in searching the records of the turf, but is also said to be sometimes of financial advantage when a horse is changing owners. To return, however, to the Victorian era. Never, of course, was there a reign when the turf seemed to be so flourishing. Never were prices higher, or nearly so high, for 'crack' sires (though they may ' roar you as gently as any sucking dove,' or ' an 'twere any nightingale '), for horses in training, or for fashionably bred year- FOURTH PERIOD: VICTORIA 267 lings. Never were there so many owners, breeders, and runners of race-horses ; never so many horses to run, never so many thousands of pounds in ' public money ' to be won upon the turf. The question is whether this is likely to continue. Let us consult the instructive statistics collected by a gentleman who writes in the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News in the noni de gtterre of ' Rapier.' According to his calculations, then, in 1892, 2,559 horses ran flat-races for ^486,556 (and a few shillings), which sum was won by 947 competitors, leaving 1,612 to go empty away, without winning a single race, though many of them ran many times. Of the ' monster prizes,' moreover, the Eclipse Stakes (which has already twice fallen through) has decreased in value from ^11,165 in 1889 to ;^9,405 ; the Lancashire Plate from ^10,131 to ^7,930 ; the Kempton Park Great Breeders' Foal Stakes from ^6,177 to ;^4,937 (and even some ^600 less in 1891) ; the Newmarket Stakes (a newly subsidized affair) from ^6,000 to ^3,795 ; the Whitsuntide Plate (now Stakes) from ^3,400 to ^1,194; ^^^^ the Prince of Wales's Stakes (now Plate) at Leicester from ^11,000 to {})£(^2j. At the same time 268 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Mr. ' Rapier ' rejoices in the fact that the Derby and the Oaks had increased in value from ^4,050 to ^6,960, and from ^2,600 to ^5,270, and the St. Leger from ^4,800 (and ^4,300 in 1891) to ^5.400 (and ^5,125 in 1890), but omits to point out that the stewards of the Jockey Club had been obliged (as ex -officio stewards of Epsom Races) to come to the rescue of the Derby and the Oaks by obtaining a guarantee of a certain minimum (^5,000 to the former and ^4,000 to the latter) to each, whereby subscribers were encouraged and the number of subscriptions was increased. So that if we add to this the evidence afforded by the July sales at Newmarket, and the later sales at Doncaster, the condition of the turf seems to be at present a state of unwholesome and temporary inflation rather than of natural, healthy, permanent embon- point ; and, perhaps, the sooner a needle is ap- plied, an aperture effected, and the swelling reduced by the outflow and disappearance of dele- terious secretion, the better in the long run for the sport of horse-racing and the business of horse-breeding. No doubt the system of gate-money meetings, FO UR TH PERIOD : VIC TORI A 2 6 9 competing- race-course companies, and the con- sequent gigantic Stakes or Plates (exhibiting a tendency to dwindle, however, as we have seen), may enable a few owners of race-horses to win prodigious sums in sheer stakes, without betting ; but that makes the chances of the rest more hope- less, and it is obvious that horse-racing, as a sport, can only be practised by ' kings ' and others who can afford to pay for their hobby and look for no return, and, as a profitable business, only by persons who combine horse-breeding with horse- racing, and are content with a few successes at the ' post ' to enhance the value of what they offer for sale in the ' paddock.' As for betting, who- ever looks to that to recoup him for his expenses or to keep him in clover, might just as well, so far as true sport is concerned, deal with the dice- box or the roulette -table as with race -horses. At the same time he helps to the best of his ability to perpetuate the evils of * nobbling,' and ' touting,' and ' welshing,' and ' ticket-snatching,' and ' runners,' and ' all-right-men,' and other abominations which the very ' bookie,' as long as he is successfu., abhors, and to which may be added the/ons et origo mali, the ' bookie ' himself. 2 70 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND The largest amount of 'public money' ever won, without betting-, by an owner in a single season, is the ^73,858 los. won by the Duke of Portland in 1889 ; and the largest sum ever won by a single horse, in ' public money,' during his career, is the ^55,154 los. won by Donovan. Lord Falmouth, who did not bet, and hardly lived into the era of ' monster stakes,' having retired from the turf in 1884, won nearly ,^212,000, in- credible as it may appear, in eleven years, from 1873 to 1883 (both included), and in that way and by the sale of his horses (when he had quite done with them, for he seldom or never sold yearlings), such as Atlantic and Silvio, and of his whole stud in 1884 for at least ^150,000, must have made a rare good thing of his racing and breeding. On the other hand, that very astute gambler, Comte F. de Lagrange, who not only often stood at the head of ' winning owners ' in this country (where he won upwards of ^73,000 of 'public money' in the course of five consecutive years, from 1876 to 1880) and in his own, but betted heavily, and as successfully as a ' backer ' very well can, into the bargain, made anything but a fortune for himself and his ' confederacy ' by his Gargantuan style of FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 271 horse-racing, insomuch that his executors had very Httle to show for his horse-racing and betting at his death in November, 1883, and his favourite nephew and right-hand man, Comte Gouy D'Arsy, was said in the newspapers to have died, not so very long after his uncle, in a state of impoverishment bordering upon destitution. So much for racing-^?^;^-gambling and racing- sans-gdiTwhYmg. There are symptoms, too, of a panic among the members of the betting ring ; the voice of the 'bookie' is heard complaining that the 'gentle- man welsher,' that is, the ' backer' who pays the entrance -money at the so-called ' Tattersall's rings ' and bets on credit, but does not ' part,' is becoming more and more common, having never been so rare as a blue moon, and that many ' book-makers ' consequently are overtaken, and many more are pursued, by ruin. The fact being that ' the ring,' like every other ' profession,' is overstocked, and this leads to competition among the members, who are only too glad to trade with anybody whom they have reason to consider able (if not willing) to pay ; the persons who are im- portuned to bet find it pleasant to take the 2 72 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND odds ' on the nod ' (which the Legislature permits or at any rate does not forbid) ; and the descent to Avernus is proverbially easy, so that the ' backer ' often finds himself landed very soon in 'default.' And it is said, by authorities who ought to know what they are talking about, that nobility and gentry will go on in default unblushingly from year to year, and that the long-suffering ' bookie ' will go on betting with them and refrain from taking such steps as it is in his power to take to protect himself, for fear of offending the defaulters' ' high connections ' who not only bet with him but * part.' What will be the end of it all nobody of course can say ; but perhaps the storm will come and the crash will take place some day, after which the prices paid for thorough-bred horses, old and young, the 'public money' given by competing race-course companies, and the ' betting mania,' will be reduced within as reasonable limits as can ever be considered to bound a mania, to the great advantage of a fine sport and to the great im- provement of the English thorough-bred, eman- cipated from the use to which he is now too often put, partly as a mere instrument of gambling. FOURTH PERIOD : VICTORIA 273 partly as a runner of short distances for prodigious stakes, and partly as a (sometimes premature) stud-horse at exorbitant fees, before his progeny have done anything to justify the sum, and ex- orbitant even when they have. It will have been observed that the retirement of the Prince of Wales (George IV.) from the turf in 1791-92, in consequence of a quarrel with the Jockey Club, has been attributed, as usual, to the ' Escape ' affair. Mr. John Kent, in his lately published and, in many respects, very admirable 'Racing Life of Lord George Bentinck,' says (p. 50): 'It is not generally known that H.R.H. the Prince Regent was not driven away from Newmarket by the ' Escape ' affair, but by another race, in which his horse Sultan was supposed to have been foully ridden.' Without stopping to inquire whether Prince Regent was the Prince's proper title before February, 181 1, though, no doubt, a Regency Bill had been passed as early as 1788, be it remarked that Mr. Kent does not support his bare statement by any sort of authority, and that no such horse or misadventure can be traced to the Prince (unless it has been overlooked in 18 2 74 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND * Weatherby ') in several works of reference, in- cluding 'Pick' and ' Baily.' It has, therefore, been thought better to stick to the old story handed down from generation to generation in the absence of any documentary proof on the part of Mr. Kent. [ 275 ] CHAPTER V. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES. Some Preliminary Remarks about ' Clocking ' — The Prince of Wales (Richard II.), Charles 11. and William III., and their Matches — Messrs. Lepton, Calvert and Norden v. Time — Honeycomb Punch — Mr. Sinclair and Mr. and Miss Pond v. Time — Prince George of Denmark — Queen Anne — Mr. Frampton and Sir J. Lade and Mule v. Horse — First recorded ' Tipping ' of a Successful Jockey — First recorded ' Dead Heat ' — Long Distances — Big Wagers — Heavy Weights — Epigrammatic Matches — Mr. Cooper Thornhill v. Time — Lord March's Carriage-match — A Stupid and Cruel Match — A Thousand Miles in a Thousand Successive Hours on the same Horse — Two Thousand Nine Hundred Miles in Twenty-nine Succes- sive Days — Holcroft the Dramatist's Story — Gimcrack — Two-year-Olds — A Mile in a Minute and Four and a Half Seconds — A Cruel Match — The Race-horse as a Trotter — The Prince of Wales (George W.)— Thirty Stojie carried by each Rider in a Match — Hambletonian and Diamond — Two Curious Matches — Sir Solomon and Cockfighter — ' Mrs. Thornton's ' Matches — Sancho and Pavilion — Sir Joshua and Filho da Puta — From Canter- bury to London in Three Hours — Tiresias and Merlin — Sharper and the Cossack Horses — Mr. Osbaldeston's Match — The Flying Dutchman and Voltigeur — Two Matches won by Galopin — The Prince of Wales's ' Arab ' 2 76 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Alep — A Cruel Match between French Horses — St. Simon and Duke of Richmond — James Selby v. Time — Lord Lonsdale ?'. Time — Prince B. de Rohan's Dangerous Feat — A Thousand Miles' Drive with One Horse in Nineteen Days — The Long Distance Military Match between Austro-Hungarian and German Officers. Matches were the form of racing most in vogue among the men of old time on the accepted race-courses, especially at Newmarket. It would obviously, therefore, be ridiculous to do more than pick out of them a few that, for some reason or other, were and are memorable beyond the rest. Moreover, some of the most remarkable matches, especially against time, have not been run on a race -course at all, or by race -horses. Still, as they, for the most part, grew out of horse-racing in general, and are of cognate interest, they, too, have not been neglected altogether. Be it premised that details respecting ages, weights, and times, and sometimes distances, are occasionally omitted in the most provoking manner in the records, and that it is now impossible to supply the defect ; and let a few preliminary remarks be added for the assistance of the ordi- nary reader who has not been accustomed to try and realize what is meant by the announcement that a certain race, whether match or other, was SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 277 won in a certain time, or by a certain distance, or both. First of all, as regards 'timing' or 'clocking' (as it is called in America). Nothing is more perplexing or untrustworthy than this mode, though it has its uses, of measuring the merit of an achievement. So many accessories have to be taken into consideration — age, weight, weather, the natural formation of the race-ground, condition of the ground, initial pace, and other little items, including the accuracy of the time-piece depended upon and of the person or persons using it, and the rider's or driver's skill and knowledge of the horse or horses ridden or driven. Evidently, however, from the nature of the case, in a match against time the ' clocking ' is likely to be more trustworthy than in any other race. But, whether or no, it is curious to note that in America, where ' clocking ' is thought much more of than among ourselves (and also in France and Australia), the horses bred there, though they are unable, as a rule, to hold their own with our horses in this country, perform given distances in shorter times (according to the foreign records) than our horses at home, or than those same horses in this country. It may be that the 278 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND American time-piece is a little slower than the English, and therefore more favourable to short times, or there may be (and, indeed, there are) some other reasons ; but the fact remains. The fastest times for the American race-horse (not the 'trotter,' but the 'galloper') at home are (or were a few years ago) : for half a mile, 47f seconds ; a mile, i minute 39! seconds ; a mile and a half, 2 minutes 34f seconds ; two miles, 3 minutes 27^ seconds ; three miles, 5 minutes 26^ seconds ; and four miles, 7 minutes i5f seconds. These times appear to be gene- rally admitted as official by Americans, Unfortunately we have few, if any, officially certified ' clockings,' unless in matches run against time, and it is difficult to discover any such match wherein the time within which a certain feat had to be done was less than an hour. However, 'The Druid' relates that Semiseria and Queen of the Gipsies ' are said ' to have done half a mile 'in 37 seconds,' and this would, of course, be I of seconds less than the American 'record,' which seems preposterous ; but he (ignoring, naturally, the ' mile in a minute ' ascribed by Baron Munchausen's descendants and the children of the Jew Apella to Childers, as well as the SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 279 'mile in one minute, four seconds and a half* to Firetail and Pumpkin) assures us, neverthe- less, that ' I minute 46 seconds is a good general average for a mile, 2 minutes 46 seconds for a mile and a half, and 3 minutes 46 seconds for two miles.' Our usual authorities give us i minute 42*- seconds (Amphion), i minute 43 seconds (Galo- pin), and i minute 45 seconds (Diophantus) as the best times for the Rowley Mile, which has varied from a mile and seventeen yards to a mile and one yard (perhaps by a misprint for one mile eleven yards, the present distance), and instances could be quoted of horses that have been * clocked ' at shorter times for a mile at Lincoln and elsewhere in England ; but, unfortunately, we have no * clocking' which appears to be ' officially' recognised. The reader, however, will be pretty safe in striking an average between the times given by * The Druid ' (unless, perhaps, in the very ques- tionable case of the 'half a mile in 37 seconds') and by the American record (which seems to be ' official '), and, as regards the distances not timed by *The Druid,' in taking the American 'clock- ings ' as certainly ' favourable '; and, if he finds 2So HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND these latter slower than those submitted for the corresponding distances run by English horses in England, will be perfectly entitled to suspect that there may be a mistake somewhere, either of dis- tance or time, in the English record. For instance, if the very shortest 'clocking' for four miles in America — where ' clockings ' are noto- riously shorter than in England — be Ten Broeck's 7 minutes 15 seconds and a fraction 'against time,' anything under that time in England for the same distance may well be regarded with a certain amount of doubt, for the odd fifteen seconds or a quarter of a minute represent more than a furlong in distance for a horse that is reputed to run (as Filho da Puta for the Gold Cup at Richmond, after meeting with an accident too, in 18 15) four miles in 7 minutes. Else a Filho da Puta could have more than ' distanced ' a Ten Broeck or a Lexington (four miles in 7 minutes igf seconds in 1855), which is either absurd or a terrible reflection upon the race-horse of the latter half of this century, for even in the short distances we have apparently made no headway, though we are accused of * sacrificing everything to speed.' And now for a word to the reader as to another little matter. There may be many to whom the SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES ordinary comment 'won by a head,' or 'won by a length,' and so on, conveys no particular meaning and offers no guidance, such as would be desirable if they were called upon to appreciate, from a handicapper's point of view, the relative capabili- ties of the horse that wins and the horse that loses. For them it may be useful to remark that there is a rough-and-ready method of calculation, widely but by no means universally accepted, whereby distance is converted into representative pounds avoirdupois, so that ' a head ' is regarded as representing (it being supposed, of course, that there is a genuine close struggle) a difference of 'one pound ' between winner and loser ; * a neck,' of ' three pounds'; ' half a length,' of 'five pounds '; ' a length,' of 'seven pounds'; and ' two lengths,' of ' ten pounds.' But that this corresponsive mensuration is arbi- trary and disputable is to be inferred from the practice of professional handicappers. Admiral Rous, for instance, who was a great handicapper, estimated the difference (if memory may be trusted) between Lord Lyon and Savernake at three pounds, when the former had beaten the latter both for the Derby and for the St. Leger, in each case by a head, after an undoubted genuine HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND struggle. However, the rough rule given above will serve sufficiently well. With these preliminaries we may now proceed to the matter in hand, having just noticed one extreme case of the absurditv to which 'clockinof' may reach when the accompaniments are not accurately weighed. In 1850, at York, the Ebor St. Leger was won by a head after a slashing finish between William the Conqueror (winner) and Mark Tapley (second), with Pilgrim a bad third ; the distance was tivo miles, and, according to ' The Druid,' the time was foiLrteen viinutes and seventeen seconds, which is ' slower than a man.' Of course, the explanation is that the jockeys of the three ' runners ' (and there were only three) had ' waiting orders ' in each case, and did not really 'run' more than a few yards. In fact, it is never safe to assume, even in a race ' against time,' that the ' clocking ' of a horse in a race is conclusive of anything at all beyond the fact that he does or does not do, on a particular occasion, what he was required to do. For example, we sliall see that Galopin, carrying 8 St. 2 lb, only, was 8^ seconds longer over the Rowley Mile than when he carried 8 st. 10 lb. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 283 at the same age ; and we find such horses as Merry Hampton and Ayrshire (at a slight dis- advantage in point of weight too) running the Derby in less time than The Flying Dutchman and West Australian ; in the same time, in fact, as Isinglass this year ( 1 893). Moreover, ' The Dutch- man ' was all but beaten by the half-bred Hotspur We must * look at the clock ' circumspectly. Memorable Matches. A.D. 1377 : In this year the Prince of Wales, afterwards Richard the Second, was beaten ap- parently in a match, ' owners up ' (but other par- ticulars of time, place, weight, etc., are unknown), by the Earl of Arundel. (See Mr. J. P. Hore's ' History of Newmarket,' vol. i., p. 23, where some doggerel French verse, written by the con- temporary Marquis de Saluces, alias Marchese di Saluzzo, are quoted as referring to such a match. The Prince of Wales could not have been more than eleven years of age at the time. He seems to have afterwards purchased the Earl of Arundel's horse for a large sum of money, equal to ^4,000 of ours, according to Mr. Hore, who quotes a writ of Privy Seal, April 5, 1378, in attestation. 284 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND The French verses do not make it clear whether there was a match between two or a race between more.) A.D. 1604 : John Lepton, Esq., of (?) Kenwick, Yorks, groom of the chamber to James I., under- took (for a wager, no doubt), as is narrated in Fuller's ' Worthies,' to ride five times between London and York (which are nearly 200 miles apart) within a week of six days, from a given Monday to the Saturday of the same week. He performed his task in five days ; starting from St. Martin's Le Grand, London, on a certain Monday and finishing ' his appointed journey to the admiration of all men ' at York on the evening of the following Friday. The next Monday 'he went from York, and came to the court at Green- wich upon Tuesday .... to his Majestic, in as fresh and cheerful a manner as when he first began,' though ' many gentlemen, who were good horsemen, and divers physicians did affirm it was impossible for him to do (the feat) without apparent danger to his life.' This account would, of course, be more interesting if the conditions as to the weight carried and the number of horses ridden were forthcoming. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 285 A.D. 161 9 (according to Pierce Egan's ' Sporting Anecdotes') : ' On July 17, one Bernard Calvert, of Andover, rode from St. George's Church, Southwark, to Dover, from thence passed by barge to Calais, in France, and from thence back to St. George's Church the same day ; setting out about three o'clock in the morning, and returning about eight in the evening, fresh and hearty.' *A.D. 1671 : Mr, Elliot's Flatfoot, ridden by the owner, beat King Charles II.'s Woodcock, ridden by the owner, October 12, at Newmarket, distance and weights unknown. (Notable as an instance of the King's own performances ' in the pigskin.') A.D. 1692 : A Mr. Norden undertook to ride on the high road (between Ware and London, as it turned out) 180 miles in 20 hours, having as many horses, apparently, as he pleased. He started on Thursday, September 22, 'at eleven at night by moonshine ' from Ware, and rode 100 miles to and fro between Johnny Gilpin's town and London by seven o'clock the next morning ; then rested and slept two hours, and set out again a little after nine o'clock, and finished his task by two o'clock in the afternoon, ' in the 286 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND whole, fifteen hours.' He * used six horses and won, for 200 guineas, ;^2,ooo himself, and many wagers more.' (Luttrell's ' Correspondence,' quoted by Mr. J. P. Hore. It appears that the betting was 10 to I against the feat, which it will be instructive to compare with Mr. Osbaldeston's, A.D. 1 83 1. Particulars as to Mr. Norden's weight and the sort of horses he rode are unfortunately not given.) *A.D. 1698 : King William III. ran a horse (rider unknown) against a horse of the Duke of Somerset's (rider unknown), April 9, at New- market, for two tkotisand g\i\n^2iS (? a side), distance and weights unknown. (Notable as an instance of heavy betting on the part of the austere King William.) *A.D. 1699 : Lord Wharton's Careless (sire of the dam of Flying Childers and of the dam of Hobgoblin) won a match (six miles) against an unnamed horse, weights unknown, for ^1,900 a side. (Notable for the distance, the stakes, and the fact that the named horse is mentioned in Lord Macaulay's ' History of England.') *A.D. 1699 • Honeycomb Punch (by the Taffolet [Tafilet], alias the Morocco, Barb) won a match SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 287 (four miles), 300 sovs. a side, against an unnamed horse, in April, weights unknown, at Newmarket. N.B. — H. P. was own brother to the dam of the Duke of Devonshire's Makeless mare (dam of Old Mermaid), ancestress in direct female line of the celebrated Dungannon, son of Eclipse. (Notable as an authentic case of a match won by a horse, of whose performances little is known, though his name is conspicuous in the pedigrees.) ^'A.D. 1 701 : Lord (the Marquis of) Wharton's St. Martin (by Spanker and Mr. Burton's natural Barb mare) won ' an extraordinary fine ' match (distance and weights unknown) in April at New- market, for ' a good deal of money,' against the Duke of Devonshire's Dimple (first recorded holder of the famous Newmarket Challenge Whip, said to have been presented by Charles II.). A.D. 1 701 : ' Mr. Sinclair, a gentleman of Kirby Lonsdale, in Cumberland, for a wager of 500 guineas, rode a galloway of his on The Swift, at Carlisle, a thousand miles in a thousand succes- sive hours.' (The same feat, incredible as it may appear, Miss Pond was said to have performed — and her father, Mr. John Pond, of ' Kalendar ' 2 88 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND celebrity, zvas said to have performed the same distance in two-thirds of the time, though that is really, perhaps, a less remarkable thing — some fifty or sixty years later, in 1758 ; but some decep- tion seems to have been practised by one or both of these worthy relatives.) A.D. ? 1 702- 1 703: Sir Matthew Peirson's (Sir William Strickland's) (Old) Merlin, ridden by Jerome Hare, of Cold Kirby, Hambleton, Yorks, beat (? B. C.) at Newmarket Mr. Tregonwell Frampton's favourite horse, ridden by (? Mr. Frampton's ' groom '), and caused the gentlemen of the South to lose so much property to the gentlemen of the North that the statute of Queen Anne (9 Anne, c. 14) to restrict betting was enacted. (It is, of course, absurd to suppose, as is assumed by some authorities, that Frampton's horse was ridden by Heseltine ; for Heseltine was a northern groom, in charge of Merlin and in the employment of Sir. W. Strickland.) *A.D. 1702 : Lord Godolphin's (the Lord Treasurer's) horse (weights and distance un- known) won a match in April at Newmarket, against Mr. Harvey's horse, for ^3,000 (? a side). (Notable as an instance of the first Lord Godol- SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 289 phin's scale of betting. It was the second who owned the * Arabian.') ''^A.D. 1705 : The Prince Consort's (Prince George of Denmark's) gray Barb won a match (conditions and stake unknown) at Newmarket, April 12, ac>ainst Mr. Tregonwell Frampton's Thiller. (Notable because authentic cases of the Prince's horse-racing are rare, though the general fact that he did race at Newmarket is well known ; and also because a ' Son of the Desert ' won the match.) "^'a.d. 1709 : Her Majesty Queen Anne's Gray Peg was beaten at Newmarket on October 7 by Lord Ryalton's unnamed mare, 10 st. each, four miles, 200 guineas. (Notable as the only dis- coverable recorded instance in which Queen Anne ran a horse in her own name ai Newmarket, though there are several instances of her so running at York.) A.D. 1713, 1715, 1723, and 1726 saw Mr. Tregonwell Frampton running matches at New- market with mules, sometimes a ' lesser ' and sometimes a * bigger ' mule, against horses, distance six miles (the mules not always obtaining any allowance) ; a style of racing which was revived 19 290 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND by Dr. Johnson's friend, the spendthrift Sir John Lade (who would ride his own mule in the days of ' the first gentleman '), but would now be re- garded, no doubt, as desecration of the Heath. *A.D. 1 71 8: The Duke of Wharton's Chanter won a match on April 8 at Newmarket against Mr. Brodrick's mare, 8 st. 7 lb. each, four miles (a noteworthy match, because ' the scorn and wonder of the age,' Philip, Duke of Wharton, is stated to have given the successful jockey, whose name has not been preserved from oblivion, ^50 for winning — about the earliest recorded example of the excessive * tipping ' which has been carried to a ridiculous pitch in modern times). On October 8 in the same year, and at the same place, there was a match between the Duke of Wharton's Chance and Lord Hillsborough's gray mare, 9st. each, four miles, 500 guineas, half forfeit: which is worthy of notice, because it is the first recorded case of a ' dead heat ' at Newmarket, though the phenomenon must have occurred (pretty often, no doubt) before, and is recorded in the records of York as early as i 709, when, for a ^10 ^\dX&, fottr-mile heats, on September 15, Mr. Welburn's bay horse Button, and Mr. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 291 Walker's brown mare Milkmaid, 'in running the last heat' (that is, the third, twelve miles altogether), ' came in so near together that it could not be decided by the tryers.' But it was not run off, because the riders had shown foul play, and had fought on horseback, and the valuable plate was given to the owner of the only other horse that ran in that heat. A.D. 1719 : The Duke of Wharton paid 140 guineas forfeit in a match for 300 guineas (? a side) at Newmarket, April 30 (which is noteworthy because the Duke's galloway was to have carried 4 St. only to the 12 st. of Lord Hillsborough's Fiddler, and the distance was to have been six 7}iiles. So that * feather-weights,' though com- paratively rare, were already throwing ' their shadow before '). A.D. 1 7 19: On November 3 the Duke of Devonshire's bay mare by Basto beat Mr. Tre- gonwell Frampton's Nutmeg, 8 st. 6 lb. each, in a match, eight miles. (Notable for the distance.) A.D. 1720-1722 saw Newmarket Heath the scene of ' pacing ' matches (now banished to the other side of the Atlantic), sometimes over a distance of twelve miles, under the auspices of 292 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND the celebrated Sir Robert Fagg, Mr. Pelham, Colonel Pitt, and others, A.D. 1721-1722: The Duke of Rutland is said to have offered to run his famous mare Bonny Black against any horse, mare, or gelding, four times over the Round Course (King's Plate course) at Newmarket, but the offer was not accepted. A match of four continuous courses over that distance (three miles, six furlongs, and ninety- three yards in the old days) would, obviously, be more or less severe than the very common ' four mile heat' races (with a 'dead heat' thrown in), according to circumstances, but, at the best, could not be much less severe, and, at the worst, would be very much more. A.D. 1722: Matches for ihrce thousand guineas, were to be run (April 5) by Mr. Panton's Cub against Lord Drogheda's Snip mare, and (April 6) by Lord Milsintown's (Milsington's) Bonny Betty against Lord Drogheda's Grey Director ; but, though the former was run and won by Mr. Panton, the forfeit (1,500 guineas) was paid by Lord Mil- sintown in the latter. A.D. 1722: On October 30, at Newmarket, Mr. Cotton's Fox, carrying 9 st. 12 lb., won a SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 293 match, four miles (200 guineas) against Lord Drogheda's Snip mare, carrying 8 st. 5 lb. ; and on the same day the same Fox, carrying 10 St., won another match (150 guineas) against the same Snip mare, carrying 8 st. 6 lb., six miles. (What would be thought nowadays of running a horse two matches, ten jniles, in one day ?) A.D. 1723: On March 23, at Newmarket, Mr, Cotton's Fox, 10 St., beat Lord Drogheda's Snip mare, 8 st., in a match (300 guineas), eight miles ; and on the same day the same Fox, 10 St., beat Mr. Tregonwell Frampton's Miss Wassop, 8 St., in a match, two miles, 200 guineas. ( Vide supra.) A.D. 1723: On November 2, at Newmarket, Mr. Thomas Panton's chestnut mare Molly (by the Thoulouse Barb, and, it is believed, a Leedes mare that was own sister to Quiet, though the dam was under suspicion of being not well bred) was matched to run four miles against the Duke of Bolton's Terror, and, two hours afterwards, four miles against the same Duke's Badger ; but Molly (of whom it is written that she * was not a mare of great size, nor had she so considerable a share of speed as some others have had, but was of such durable last in running that she was 294 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND never beat at Newmarket till in a match which cost her life ') [died * in great agony between the Stand and the Rubbing-House,' whilst running the first match, and was therefore spared the cruelty, as it would now most certainly be con- sidered, of the second. A.D. 1724: The sacred Heath was the scene of a match between Mr. Stanhope's * chaise and pair' and Lord Essex's 'chaise and pair' (one mile, 100 guineas, half forfeit), which was won by the former ; and, in course of time, Lords Rockingham and Orford would desecrate the soil with 'geese' races {ProJi, pudor /)y though these latter are not entered in the regular records. A.D. 1727: Captain Appleyard's (Mr. Vane's) Bald Charlotte (by Old Royal), carrying eighteen STONE, beat Mr. Ashby's gray horse Swinger, carrying seventeen and a half stone, at New- market, on May i {four ?mles, 200 guineas). A.D. 1730: At Newmarket, October 2, Mr. Roger Williams' Whipper-Snapper (carrying a ' feather') was ridden, for a wager of 20 guineas, 'five times round the Heath' [i.e., twenty miles) within the hour, but how much within the hour SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 295 is not stated, nor is it noted that the horse was thorough-bred. A.D. 1731 : On April i or 2, at Newmarket, Lord Portmore's Whipper-Snapper beat Mr. Fleet- wood's chestnut horse in a match of four miles, ca.vrY'\^g Jifteen stone each. A.D. 1731 : The human biped arrived at the dignity of having his prowess, displayed upon Newmarket Heath, recorded in the 'Account of all those Matches that have been run at New- market,' whence it appears that at the May meeting ' Mr. Phillips won the foot match against Mr. Bray, play or pay, four miles, 100 guineas' (though, unfortunately, no ' clocking ' is recorded); and that, at the October meeting, ' Thomas Butler, running-footman to the Earl of Sunder- land, walked six miles and four hundred yards within the hour, for 50 guineas,' Many a man would do it now for half the money. A.D. 1731 : February 7, not on any race-course, there took place a match which is very interest- ing as an example of what a horse (not neces- sarily a great race-horse, or a race-horse at all, and not necessarily thorough-bred) was expected to do. Sir Robert Fagge, or Fagg, the then representa- 296 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND tive of an enthusiastic Royalist family (with a seat at Rye, Sussex, and a baronetcy dating from the Restoration), made a bet that Lord Cavendish (though, if there be no mistake in the date, he must have been simply Marquis of Hartington by courtesy at the time) would not ride from Hyde Park Corner to the Lodge in Windsor Forest, twenty-one miles, on the same horse, in an hour and five minutes. About a fortnight before the appointed day the noble lord ' took a feeler,' that is, rode a trial, and found that it took him a minute over the specified time to do the distance. When, however, the day of the match arrived, he, riding probably a relative, whether whole-bred or half-bred, of the famous Flying Childers, accomplished his task within the allotted time and ' realized the stakes.' Unfortunately the rider's weight is omitted, and we have seen that in the previous year a ' feather weight ' had done twenty miles within the hour at New- market ; but the match is noticeable as a starting- point for measurement of the progress which will be revealed in some accounts of matches further on and nearer to our own date, when American horses, from the time of their first SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 297 example, Trustee, trot twenty miles within the hour. A.D. 1733: What may be called an 'epigram- matic ' match was won on April 2, at Newmarket, by the Duke of Bridgewater's Beauty against Lord Lonsdale's Ugly, the former giving the latter an advantage of three pounds ; and the epigrammaticism was imitated at Doncaster in 1790, when Sir W. Vavasour's filly Hope gave a beating to Sir Charles Turner's colt Despair (both two years old, and both carrying seven stone, distance one mile), though Despair, oddly enough, was the favourite. From which matches it would seem that there was more of the sportive vein about horse-racing in the good old times than in these days, when racing is all business. A similar pleasant humour seems to have suggested the match at Newmarket as early as 1722 (October 26), when Mr. Panton's Twig won 200 guineas by beating Captain Collyer's Pig (four miles). A.D. 1745: On April 29 was performed Mr. Cooper Thornhill's match, when he undertook, riding as many horses as he pleased, to cover the distance between Stilton and Shoreditch Church, London, which is seventy-one miles, 298 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND three times (making 213 miles altogether) within fifteen hours, and accomplished his task (on the performance of which ' many hundred pounds, if not thousands, were depending ') in 11 hours, 2,2) minutes, 52 seconds (from Stilton to London, 3 hours, 52 minutes, 59 seconds ; from London to Stilton, 3 hours, 50 minutes, 57 seconds ; from Stilton to London, 3 hours, 49 minutes, 56 seconds). Mr. Thornhill's house, the Bell Inn, at Stilton, Huntingdonshire, was a little short of seventy-one miles from Shoreditch Church ; still, his performance was thought quite the 'cheese,' and elicited the admiration of the famous naturalist, Count de Buffon, who wrote an account of it to the Earl of Morton. Mr. Thornhill (whose weight is not recorded) em- ployed fourteen different horses, eight in the first journey, six in the second, and seven of those in the third. A.D. 1750: On August 29 was run at New- market Heath the match (too often described to need a circumstantial account), for 1,000 guineas, between the ingenious Earl of March and Ruglen, afterwards 'old O.,' and the Earl of Eglinton, of the one part, and Messrs. Theo- SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 299 bald Taaffe, alias Count Taaffe, and Sprowle, of the other part, in which ' a carriage with four running wheels, and a person in or upon it,' was to be ' drawn by four horses nineteen miles in one hour.' The match was won by the two Earls, in ^ fifty -three minutes and twenty-seven seconds' The carriage weighed about twenty-four stone ; the four horses were all ' trained for racing ; the two leaders, including riders, saddles, and harness, carried about eight stone each, and the wheel- horses about seven stone each.' There was a rider on each of the four horses, of course. A.D. 1750 : On September i a stupid and cruel match was run at Epsom, between Mr. Girdwood's Crop and Mr. Harris's roan horse, for 100 guineas. Crop was to go one hundred miles before the roan went eighty. By the time the roan had gone eighty, Crop (having run ten times round the course, or about twenty miles, in the first hour) had done only ninety-four, and both horses had long been so dead beat that they could hardly crawl, and people walked in front of them, enticing them on with sieves full of oats. Crop was so bad that he was expected to die, and was accordingly sold by his humane and considerate 300 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND owner for ^5 ; but he lived eight years longer, and won about ^500 in matches. A.D. 1752-1753: Mr. (afterwards Sir Charles) Turner, of Kirkleatham Park, Yorks, won 1,000 guineas of the Earl of March and Ruglen (* old Q.') by performing on the back of a galloway, ' with great ease in thirty-six minutes,' the feat, for which he had been allowed one hour, of riding ten miles, in the course of which he was to take ^ forty leaps, each leap to be one yard, one quarter, and seven inches high ' {which is a suffi- ciently curious style of measurement to create a doubt in the mind as to the accuracy of the account). The feat is said to have been ac- complished on the Fell, Richmond, Yorks, in the presence of ' the Earl and Countess of Northumberland and several other persons of rank and distinction.' A.D. 1754 : 'On April 24 Mr. Daniel Corker's mare' (a truly unfortunate name to be used, if there be no misprint for ' Croker,' in connec- tion with a remarkable feat), finished her three hundred mile match for 100 guineas, play or pay, within the time allowed her, which was three times twenty-four successive hours, and had several SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 301 hours to spare.' The match took place on Newmarket Heath ; the mare (a brown) stood thirteen hands three inches high, and was ridden by a boy weighing 4 st. i lb., saddle and bridle not included. On Monday, 22nd, she went ninety-six miles in three instalments, namely, twenty-four miles and a bait, twenty-four and a bait, and forty-eight without baiting ; on Tuesday, 23rd, one hundred and eight miles in four instal- ments, namely, twenty- four and a bait thrice con- secutively, and thirty-six without baiting ; and on Wednesday, the 24th, ninety-six miles as on the first day, having done not more than six miles, it is said, out of the whole three hundred at full gallop. The performance is stated to have been accomplished in 64 hours and 20 minutes — that is, with 7 hours and 40 minutes (42 minutes, accord- ing to some authorities), to spare. It is to be hoped that * here be facts.' A.D. 1756: At the spring meeting, Newmarket, took place the great match for the Challenge Whip (of which there had been no recorded winner since the Duke of Devonshire's Dimple in some long previous, unspecified year) between Mr. Fenwick's famous Match'em, and Mr. Bowles's HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND less famous Trajan, when the former, ridden by the celebrated John Singleton, to whose judgment in riding the result was attributed, was the winner, after the odds had varied from 2 to i on Match'em at starting to as much as 5 to i on Trajan over 'the flat,' and then 100 to i on Match'em at ' the turn of the lands.' A.D, 1758 : In April and May took place the match against time referred to by Dr. Samuel Johnson, the lexicographer, in ' The Idler,' when Miss Pond (daughter of John Pond of the ' Kalendar ') is said to have ridden 1,000 miles in 1,0*00 successive hours at Newmarket on ^/le same horse ; but the statement has been discredited. A.D. 1759: On June 27, at Newmarket, Mr. or Captain Jenison Shafto (of North and South, Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire), is said to have won ^16,000 by riding in i hour, 49 minutes 17 seconds, the fifty miles which it had been betted that he would not complete in two hours, having as many horses as he pleased. He rode ten, mostly thoroughbred, including the cele- brated Wildair (son of Cade and sire of Tommy, winner of the St. Leger in 1779), temporarily imported into America. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 303 A.D. 1759 : On August 20, at York, took place the closely-contested match for 2,000 guineas between Lord Rockingham's Whistlejacket (John Singleton), the winner, and Mr. (afterwards Sir Charles) Turner's Brutus (Thomas Jackson), the loser, remarkable on account of the loser beino- favourite at 5 to 4, and of the comments, which illustrate the mode of starting in those days ; for we read that ' this was an exceedingly fine race, being strongly contested the whole four miles, and won by a length only. Both riders showed great skill in jockeyship, and so jealous were they of an advantage being gained at starting that tkey called one another back several times^ Which reminds one of watermen's boat-races in later times, when the start took place by consent, and the race was liable to be delayed by tricks until the spectators grew weary. A.D. 1 760 : On August 22, at York, ' the famous Mr. Johnson ' (who was probably a circus-rider, now clean forgotten, sic transit gloria mundi) ' rode one mile standing upright on horseback for 100 guineas,' and did the feat, for which 3 minutes had been allowed, with 18 seconds to spare (2 minutes 42 seconds). 304 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND A.D. 1761 : On May 4, at Newmarket, John Woodcock, a professional jockey who rode (as we have seen) against such celebrities of the pigskin as ' Match'em ' Timms, John Singleton, sen., the Jacksons, and the like, began the match for which he had been engaged by Mr. Jenison Shafto, who had betted the celebrated Mr. Hugo Meynell (the * Father of Foxhunting ') an even thousand guineas that he (Shafto) would find a man that should ride 2,900 miles in twenty-nine successive days, that is, 100 miles a day, on any one horse each day, for twenty-nine days in succession, em- ploying any number of horses, not exceeding twenty- nine altogether. Woodcock started at one o'clock a.m. on May 4, and finished about six p.m. on June i (which was to be the day of Lord Howe's perhaps more memorable victory in 1794), having employed but fourteen different horses, and thus won the match. He might very well have lost it, however ; for, after riding a horse called Quidnunc (whether Mr. Button's by Squirt, or Mr. Marshall's) sixty miles, it ' gave out,' as the Americans say, and the 100 miles had to be recommenced (at ten o'clock in the morning too, when the sun was probably beginning to be SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 305 very trying), so that the jockey rode 160 miles on that day. It may be interesting to note that eight horses (not, of course, counting Quidnunc) and six mares were employed by the rider ; that ' the course he rode was from the Hare Park to the Ditch, which made three miles ; from thence went a three-mile course round the Plat on that side the Ditch next Newmarket '; and that ' there were posts and lamps fixed round his courses, he chusing to start very early in the mornings, to avoid the heat of the days.' A.D. 1 761 (? 1759) : It must have been about this date that Holcroft the dramatist, according to Mr. Christie Whyte's quotation from Hazlitt's edition of Holcroft's ' Memoirs,' witnessed a match (four miles, B.C.) at Newmarket between Mr. or Captain 'Jockey' Vernon's horse Forester and Mr. or Captain Jenison (whom Holcroft calls ' Sir Jennison ') Shafto's Elephant, when Forester (ridden by John Watson), as the two horses drew near to the winning-post, Elephant leading, * made one sudden spring and caught Elephant by the under jaw, which he gripped so violently as to hold him back, nor was it without the utmost difficulty that he could be forced to 20 3o6 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND quit his hold. Poor Forester ! he lost, but he lost most honourably. Every experienced groom, we are told, thought it a most extraordinary cir- cumstance. John Watson declared he had never in his life been more surprised by the behaviour of a horse.' There is no record of a match in 1761 between Forester and Elephant, but there is a record of a similar match between the two horses in 1759, B.C., 10 st. each, 500 guineas, and this is in all probability the match to which Holcroft (who must have made a mistake, or must have had a mistake made for him by Hazlitt or Whyte, in the date) refers. As for the 'dramatic incident,' no mention is made of it in the prosaic records, but something like it, with improvements, which the as yet undeveloped dramatic talent of him who wrote ' The Road to Ruin,' and divers other plays, might suggest, may very well have happened, inasmuch as, notwith- standing ' every experienced groom ' and John Watson, it is not miraculously rare for one horse to ' savage ' another in running a race, as was seen quite recently in the case of Surefoot and the Derby of 1890. A.D. 1765 : The celebrated little Gimcrack, SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 307 then Lord Bolingbroke's, carried 7 st. 7 lb. in a match against Lord Rockingham's famous Bay Malton, carrying 7 St., both five years old, B.C., 500 guineas, at Newmarket in October, but was beaten (for the very fiirst time) easily. A.D. 1766: The same Gimcrack, then belong- ing to Comte de Lauraguais, went over to France and won a large sum of money by running 22^ miles within the hour. A.D. 1769: On February 20, Mr. William South's b.c. Precarious, by Merlin, a two-year-old, beat Mr. John Water's br.c. Newmarket, a two- year-old (} half) R. M., for 40 guineas, play or pay, and 30 bye. (Noticeable as the earliest recorded case in the South of two-year-old racing.) A.D. 1769: On April i, at Newmarket, Mr. Ogilvy's b.h. Y. Cato, rising 5 (that is, four years old), 8 St. 7 lb., beat Lord Orford's br.c. Scimitar (by Bond's Arabian), rising 3 (that is, two years old), a feather, half R. M., 100 guineas. (Notice- able as the earliest recorded instance in the South of a race between a two-year-old and an older horse.) A.D. 1772-73: Two curious three-cornered 3o8 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND matches took place in these two years. In the former year (May 22) the Right Hon. C. J. Fox and Mr. Foley (afterwards the Lord, who was so well-known and feared in ' Jewry ') backed their horses, Pyrrhus (five years) and Trentham (six years), for 2,500 guineas against 2,000 guineas, to beat Mr. Ogilvy's Pincher (aged), S St. 7 lb. each, B.C., at Newmarket, when Pincher was first instead of last of the three ; and in the latter, Mr. F'ox betted Mr. Ogilvy 500 guineas even that, weights and distance as before, at the Craven Meeting (April 2), Pincher would be last of the three, as he was, and as the bettors laid five to two that he would be, so that the order was Trentham, Pyrrhus, Pincher, instead of the Pincher, Trentham, Pyrrhus, in strict accordance with seniority (aged, six years, five years, as age was then reckoned from May i) of the year before. A.D. 1773: On April 14, at Newmarket First Spring, Mr. Christopher Blake's bay colt Firetail beat (the Hon.) Mr. Foley's Pumpkin, four years, 8 St. each, for 500 guineas a side, over the Rowley Mile, which is explicitly declared, and Was apparently believed by the late Sir Francis SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 309 Hastings Doyle, a professor of poetry, if not exactly a poet (who is supposed to have many qualities in excess), to have been * run in one minute four seconds and a half.' If so, there is small need to doubt the ' mile in a minute ' formerly ascribed to Flying Childers, and we must have sadly degenerated in these days (when, nevertheless, we are accused, as already observed, of sacrificing everything to speed). But it is very likely that the ' timer ' put figures in a form intended to express i minute 41 or 42 seconds (something like i minute 4<4), and thus a mistake arose. A.D. 1773 : On August 14 took place one of those cruel matches which make one's blood boil, but which, somehow or other, seem to repeat themselves, generation after generation, as soon as the speed and endurance of horses are allowed to become subjects of a wager or of a contest for a prize or for distinction. Mr. Thomas Walker and Captain Hay matched, the former a gelding, the latter a mare, to run (in Dick Turpin and Black Bess fashion, without the highwayman's excuse) from London to York (198 miles about), for a bet. Mr. Walker rode 3IO HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND his own gelding ; Captain Hay's mare was ridden by Captain Mulcaster. The gelding 'gave out,' as the Americans say, within six miles of Tad- caster, and died next day ; the mare arrived at Ouse Bridge, York, in thirty five minutes over forty hours, having drunk twelve bottles of wine on the journey, and, having started on a Tues- day, had recovered sufficiently by the next Thursday to be exercised on Knavesmire. The match was severely denounced in the papers of the day ; but there was then no Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to take the matter up properly. A.D. iJJJ-y^ : The race-horse Infidel (by Turk, dam the Cub mare that was the dam of Miss Nightingale), belonging to the great breeder and racer, Mr. Bethell, of Rise in Holderness, trotted (carrying between 9 st. and 10 st.), on the turn- pike road between Newcastle and Carlisle, fifteen miles within the hour. (Noticeable because a writer in 18 14 observes : ' No thorough-bred was ever known capable of trotting sixteen miles within the hour. . . . Several race-horses have been supposed capable of trotting fourteen miles in one hour, and it is reported that the late SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 311 Lord Grosvenor once offered to match Mambrino (sire of Messenger, ike sire of American trotters) to do it for 1,000 guineas.' The reason, of course, why trotting may not seem to suit the progeny of thorough-bred race-horses is not because they are thorough-bred, but because their progenitors and progenitresses have been trained to gallop, not to trot. The excellence of the thorough-bred blood, with the proper training, is as likely to assert itself in one case as in the other.) A.D. 1779: At Newmarket First Spring Meet- ing took place the memorable match between Lord Grosvenor's filly (afterwards well named Misfortune) by Dux and Lord Abingdon's Cardinal York, by Marsk, B.C., 1,000 guineas a side and a bye-bet of 6,000 guineas, laid by Lord Grosvenor to 3,000, when Lord Abingdon, being called upon to ' post,' would have had to forfeit, but for the unsolicited interposition of the 'Sporting Miser,' Mr. Elwes, M.P. for Berks, who came to the rescue with a loan of 3,000 guineas, and thus enabled Lord Abingdon (his neighbour in Berkshire) to beat the filly (which became the dam of the great Buzzard. 312 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND by Woodpecker, after her ' misfortune ') and to win both stake and ' bye.' A.D. 1779: In the month of June Mr. Burdon's (Mr. Coates's) Czarina, 8 st. 7 lb., beat Mr. Hutchinson's b. c. by Turk, 8 st. (about three months younger than the filly), both two years old. at Hambleton, ^wo miles ^ 100 guineas. (Noticeable for the distance and as the first dis- coverable instance of two-year-old racing in the Norths though it is said to have originated there in private matches between Mr. (ex-stable-boy) John Hutchinson, of Shipton, near York, and the horsey and Rev. Henry Goodricke, Prebendary of York Minster.) A.D. 1781 : During the last week of September ' a great match of 420 miles in one whole week (but whether of six days or of seven is not stated) was rode over Lincoln two-mile course and won (at what weight and for what stake is unknown) by Richard Hanstead of Lincoln and his famous gray horse with great ease, having three hours and a half to spare.' A.D. 1783: On October 15 'Samuel Haliday, a butcher of Leeds, undertook for a bet of ^10 to ride from Leeds to Rochdale, from thence to SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 313 York, and back again to Leeds (no miles) in 20 hours. He started at ten o'clock at night,' and * finished his journey with ease in less than eighteen hours.' The only remarkable facts about this match seem to be that the butcher weighed 14 St., and that he rode ' a slender mare not 14 hands high.' But 'light' mares that are ' all wire ' will do wonders ; ask the two sisters Emblem and Emblematic, the steeple-chasers, and La Fleche, the all but invincible flat-racer. A.D. 1784: On May 8, at Newmarket, there took place two matches, which are noticeable, because they gave the Prince of Wales (afterward George IV.), who had just come on the turf, an excellent opportunity of observing what a differ- ence it makes whether a gentleman jockey or a professional be upon the back of a given horse (it being taken for granted, of course, that all is ' on the square'). For, after his Royal Highness's horse Hermit (Mr. Panton up) had been beaten by Sir H. Featherstone's (or Featherstone- haugh's) Surprise (owner up), professional jockeys were substituted for gentlemen, and, under precisely the same conditions of weight, distance, and wager (50 guineas), Surprise was 314 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND beaten by Hermit. Of course, it is just possible that Surprise suffered more than Hermit in the previous race ; but to discover that the latter had more to be got out of him than the former, and to get it out, is just what the professional would probably have been good for. A.D. 1784 : According to a letter dated ' Lewes, August 2, 1784,' George P., afterwards George IV., being then twenty-two years of age, 'at seven o'clock on Monday morning . . . mounted his horse at Briojhthelmstone and rode to and from London that day . . . and was only 10 hours on the road, being four and a half going, and five and a half returning.' A hundred and twelve miles in 10 hours on the same horse, apparently. Good for ' Florizel.' A.D. 1786: On December 4 (.f* 29), at Newmarket, Mr. Hull's brown horse Quibbler (foaled 1780 by Minor, dam by Sampson), 'carrying a feather' (that is a boy weighing about 4 st. 7 lb.) 'was engaged to run 23 miles within the hour, which he performed in 58 {} 57) minutes and 10 seconds.' The match was for 1,000 guineas : 5 to 2 on Quibbler. It is said that the little jockey 'did not appear to be in the least tired,' and that 'con- SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 315 siderable sums of" money were laid on the event, it being the greatest performance ever done in England by one horse before that time.' A.D. 1788 : On May 21 a match for 100 guineas a side in the sportive (which sometimes, for want of thought, degenerates into the cruel) vein was run on Knavesmire, York, between Mr. Maynard (of the family of the extinct Lords Maynard) and the famous Mr. Baker (of Elemore Hall), who ran respectively a bay mare and a gray horse, carry- ing THIRTY STONE each, one mile, when the bay mare proved 'the better horse,' though the gray horse was the favourite at 2 to i on him. A.D. 1791 : At the Curragh October Meeting, ' Mr. Wilde, a sporting gentleman, made bets to the amount of 2,000 guineas to ride against time, viz., 127 English miles in 9 hours. On October 6 he started in a valley near the Curragh course, where two miles were measured in a circular direction ' (as Mr. Hannibal Chollop used to spit, but within a smaller compass) ; ' each time he en- compassed the course it was regularly marked. . . . He had 2 hours and 35 (? 39) minutes to spare. Mr. Wilde had no more than ten horses, but they were all blood and from the 3i6 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND stud of {? A. or D. B.) ' Daly, Esq. Whilst on horseback, without allowing anything- for chang- ing of horses, he rode at the rate of 20 miles an hour for 6 hours. He was so little fatigued . . . that he was at the Turf Club House in Kildare the same evening.' A.D. 1792 : On August 15, to decide a wager of ;^5o between Mr. Cooper and Mr. Brewer of Stamford, the latter gentleman's horse Labourer (weight carried not stated) ran twenty times round the race-ground (exactly a mile) at Preston in 54 minutes.' A.D. 1792: On November 10, at Newmarket, the young Duke of Bedford won a match on his horse Dragon (by Woodpecker) for 300 guineas a side, against young Sir John Lade on his horse Clifden (by Alfred), five y^Turs, Ji/teen stone each, over the Beacon Course (4 miles, i furlong, 138 yards), which is noticeable for the weights, for the example of a practice which, as we shall see, there was an attempt made to revive in our own days by Sir J. D. Astley and Mr. Caledon Alexander, and for the fact that both the stout horses that ran the match were secured by the Americans eventually. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 317 A.D. 1798: In the month of December a military or naval officer trotted 15 miles on the turnpike road, from Chelmsford to Dunmow, in I hour 9 minutes, with his face to the tail. A.D. 1799: At Newmarket Craven Meeting^, on March 25, Sir H. Vane-Tempest's Hamble- tonian (by King Fergus), 8 st. 3 lb., ridden by the celebrated Frank Buckle, beat by a short half-length Mr. Cookson's Diamond (by High- flyer), 8 St., ridden by the somewhat less celebrated Denis Fitzpatrick, both six years old, in a match for 3,000 guineas over the B.C. (4 miles, i furlong, 138 yards, as measured at that time). This was one of the greatest matches ever seen since the match between Old Merlin and Mr. Frampton's horse (a.d. 1702 about). It was once more North V. South, for Hambletonian was bred by Mr. (ex-stable-boy) John Hutchinson, of York ; and Diamond by Mr. Francis Dawson, of New- market, and, oddly enough, had belonged to Sir H. Vane-Tempest, who had purchased him at York August Meeting, 1796, and afterwards sold him to Mr. Cookson (a banker and ex-guardsman, and himself a 'Northerner'). The race created so much interest, it is said, that there never .had 31 8 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND been such a throng of visitors at Newmarket, that not a bed was to be had within 20 miles of the place, that grooms and jockeys and hangers-on had to camp out, and that no stabling was to be had for love or money ; and it was run — at any rate, during the journey 'across the flat ' — at ' an amazing speed.' But, to show how little reliance is to be placed upon the 'clocking ' of the period, the time is variously given from 7 minutes 15 seconds (which places the 'mile in a minute ' of Flying Childers, and the * mile in I minute 4^5 seconds of Firetail and Pumpkin within the bounds of credibility) to 8 minutes 25 seconds, and even 8 minutes 30 seconds (which does not compare favourably with Tranby's 8 minutes for 4 miles in * Squire ' Osbaldeston's match, when, as the race was against time, and not against an opponent, the ' clocking ' would probably be more accurate). Sir H, Vane- Tempest is said to have ridden Hambletonian in Hyde Park afterwards. Fancy the Duke of Westminster riding Ormonde or Orme nowadays in the Row ! More policemen would be required than at a meeting of the Four-in-hand Club. A.D. 1800: Early in June *a naval officer SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 319 undertook for a wager to ride a blind horse round Sheerness race-course, without guiding the reins with his hands. This he performed, to the no small amusement of the spectators, by cutting the reins asunder, and fastening the several parts to his feet in the stirrups.' The simple-minded Earl of Glasgow, who is understood to have been a 'salt' in his youth, would not have been so astute. A.D. 1800: 'A curious match was run in December at Doncaster, which brought into competition the speed of the race-horse and the greyhound. A mare was started, and after she had gone a distance of about a mile, a greyhound bitch was let loose from the side of the course, and ran with her nearly head to head to the distance post, where 5 to 4 was laid on the greyhound. At the stand it was even betting, but the mare eventually won by little more than a head.' Evidently more details would be necessary before this account could be of any service to anybody who, like Colonel North, the ' nitrate king,' in our day, should contemplate a similar match, and should be at a loss to know how the greyhound could be made to understand and to do what was expected of it. 320 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND A.D. 1801 : On April 2 a Captain Newland, of the Sussex Militia, whether 'Abraham Newland' or a 'cock-fighter' (and probably both), 'won a considerable sum ' by riding ' 140 miles in 7 hours and 34 minutes, although allowed 12 hours. . . . Longdown Hill, near Chichester, was the scene of action.' What is remarkable is ' that he rode principally hack horses from the Swan Inn of that town.' In the first hour he rode 21J;, miles; in the second, 18 ; in the third, 20 ; in the fourth, 18; in the fifth, 20; in the sixth, 16^; in the seventh, 17^; in the odd thirty-four minutes 8^. ' He met with a fall, was once oblio-ed to changfe his horse, as he became too restive, and was run away with a considerable distance out of the course,' in doing the first 100 miles. A.D. 1801 : On September 19, at Doncaster, Mr. Johnson's Sir Solomon (late Lord Fitz- williams' Tankersley, by Sir Peter), ridden by John Shepherd, beat Sir H. Vane- Tempest's Cockfighter (late Mr. Robinson's Abraham Newland), ridden by Richard Franks, in a match for 500 guineas, 4 miles, 5 years, 8 st. 7 lb. each. The odds were 6 to 4 and 11 to 8 on Cockfighter, as a winner of the St. Leg^er, in which Sir SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 321 Solomon (then Tankersley) was not placed. It is said that • the first 2 miles was {sic) run in 3 minutes, and the whole 4 miles in 7 minutes and between 10 and 1 1 seconds.' Here again is a piece of very questionable ' clocking ' ; for even the late Sir F. H. Doyle, the horse-loving professor of poetry at Oxford, who was a great 'laudator temporis acti,' so far as horse- racing is concerned, and especially in any case of a Yorkshire horse, is fain to doubt the ' first 2 miles ... in 3 minutes ' (which another authority transforms into 4 minutes igi seconds, with wonderful attention to fractions) and also the distance, which was certainly a good deal short of 4 miles, though known as the ' 4-mile course.' A.D. 1802 : In the month of April a Mr. Shaw (weight unknown) is recorded as having ridden from Burton on the Humber to the Vine Inn, Bishopsgate Street, London, a distance of 172 miles, in i hour and 27 minutes less than the 10 hours allowed him ; riding fourteen horses altogether, and doing 84 miles in 4 hours, and 112 in 6, leaving 60 to be done in 4 hours, and, according to the record, doing them in 2 hours and 33 minutes, which seems to be an assertion 21 322 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND not to be accepted by anybody but the Jew Apella without the help of the salt-cellar. There is perhaps a misprint somewhere. A.D. 1804 : On Saturday, August 25, on Knavesmire, York, was decided ' A match for 500 guineas, and 1,000 guineas bye, 4 miles, between Colonel Thornton's Vingarillo (spelt all sorts of ways) and Mr. Flint's br. h. Thornville, by Volunteer. Mrs, Thornton to ride her own weight against Mr. Flint's. Mrs. Thornton, so called, was Miss Alicia Meynell (daughter of a respectable watchmaker of Norwich, about twenty- two years old, and as fascinating as ' sweet Anne Page,' but hardly of such ' pretty virginities,' since she lived * under the protection ' of the very sport- ing Colonel Thornton, of Thornville, Yorks) ; and Mr., or Captain, Flint, was a ' fast ' gentleman, a sportsman of celebrity, and author of ' A Treatise on the Management of the Horse,' who ultimately squandered all his property and died by his own hand, though unintentionally, it was supposed, through taking an overdose of prussic acid, to the use of which he had habituated himself to relieve attacks of spasmodic asthma. The match created more excitement and drew larger crowds than SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES .323 when Bay Malton, or even Eclipse, put in an ap- pearance on Knavesmire. The lady was under great disadvantages, and was beaten (ungallantly) by Mr. Flint in 9 minutes 59 seconds. Two hundred thousand pounds, it is said, at the very least, depended on the result ; and only the pre- sence of the 6th Light Dragoons, it is supposed, kept anything like decent order on the course, where more than 100,000 people are stated to have assembled, and prevented loss of life. The lady's horse was about twenty years old, and had a much shorter stride than the gentleman's (after- wards called Black Strap) which was ' rising eight.' The lady was dressed in * a leopard- coloured and buff body, with blue sleeves and cap ' (and, presumably, in the ' nankeen skirts,' which she wore upon a subsequent similar occa- sion) ; the gentleman was clad in virgin white. (It has been thought well to repeat the hackneyed story in some detail, as not very long ago a scene at a theatre elicited the fact that ' Mrs. Thornton ' and her prowess had become clean forgotten.) A.D. 1805 • On Thursday, August i, at Lewes (then under the distinguished patronage of the Prince of Wales), the celebrated Colonel Mellish's 324 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Sancho, b}^ Don Quixote, beat Lord Darlington's Pavilion, by Waxy, 4 years and 8 st. 3 lb. each, 4 miles, 3,000 guineas, 2,000 forfeit, a match which created great interest at the time, chiefly, no doubt, for the extravagance of the stakes ; and on Saturday the same Sancho, 7 st. 12 lb., beat Mr. R. D. Boyce's ch. h. Bobtail, by Precipitate, aged (that is, te7t years old), 8 st. 9 lb., the last mile, 200 guineas, half forfeit (which match is notice- able for the age of the beaten horse, and for the fact that, ' by a mistake of the person starting them, these horses ran a 7mle -and a qttarter instead of a mile. On a reference to the Jockey Club, it was declared a valid race '). A.D. 1805: Another 'romantic' match took place on Saturday, August 24. ' Mrs. Thornton,' riding Colonel Thornton's ch. h. Mr. Mills, alias Clausum PVegit (by Otho), 'walked over,' either through the gallantry or the misfortune of the Mr, Bromford who was to have ridden against her, in a ' match for 2,000 guineas, half forfeit, four hogsheads of Cote Rotie, and 600 guineas, p.p., bet by Mrs. Thornton, 4 miles,' at York ; and on the same day and at the same place she, riding Colonel Thornton's b. m. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 325 Louisa, 6 years, 9 st. 6 lb., won by 'half a neck' a match for a Cup value 700 guineas, 2 miles, against the celebrated professional Frank Butler, riding Mr. Blomfield's ch. m. Allegro, 6 years, 13 St. 6 lb., the jockey having probably or pos- sibly ' ridden to orders.' A.D. 1806 : On Thursday, July 24, at Lewes, in the presence of the Prince of Wales and a splendid company, Lord Darlington's Pavilion (Chifney) turned the tables on Colonel Mellish's Sancho (Buckle), 8 St. 7 lb. each, 4 miles, 2,000 guineas ; a match remarkable for the bad luck of the gallant Colonel, who had backed his horse to win ^20,000, and was within apparent reach of success when the horse, having hit his l^g some days before at exercise, broke down on that very limb and on the winning-post side of the distance. A.D. 1 8 10: On Saturday, June 2, a Mr. Weston, of London Wall, Moorfields, who had betted 150 guineas to 100 guineas that he would drive his horse Scorpion in harness 100 miles in twelve successive hours, performed the feat thus : Started at 6 p.m. from Newmarket, and drove through Cambridge to Godmanchester (27-! miles) in three hours, and then baited (40 minutes) ; thence to 326 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Cambridge and back (29 miles) in 2 hours and 59 minutes, and baited (20 minutes) ; repeated the journey (29 miles) in 2 hours and 55J) minutes; greased the wheels (27 minutes, which, no doubt, included baiting) ; from Godmanchester to Cam- bridge (hJ- m.iles) in i hour and 10 minutes, making altogether 100 miles in 11 hours and 31^ minutes ; that is, with 28^ minutes to spare. A.D. 1810 : In the month of December a certain Mat Milton (15 st.) is recorded as having ridden (for a wager, no doubt) from London to Stamford (more than 90 miles) in 4 hours and 25 minutes, employing 18 horses). A.D. 1814. On September 29 there was a match (12 miles over Blackwater trotting-ground) between Captain Hanson's gray gelding and a bay horse, a charger, belonging to an officer of the 14th Dragoons, which was won by the charger in 25 minutes i i seconds (first mile, 2 minutes 10 seconds ; second, 2 minutes 8 seconds ; third, 2 minutes 4 seconds ; fourth, 2 minutes 4 seconds ; fifth, 2 minutes 6 seconds ; sixth, 2 minutes 2 seconds ; seventh. 2 minutes 4 seconds ; eighth, 2 minutes 4 seconds ; ninth, 2 minutes 4 seconds ; tenth, 2 minutes 6 seconds ; SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 327 eleventh, 2 minutes 9 seconds ; twelfth, 2 minutes 10 seconds). A.D. 1816: At Newmarket Craven Meeting, on April 15, took place the celebrated match for 1,000 guineas a side, R.M., between Sir Joshua, belonging to Mr. Ralph Neville (afterwards Lord Braybrooke, editor of ' Pepys' Diary '), and Filho da Puta, purchased from Sir W. Maxwell by Mr. Houldsworth for (it is understood) about 3,000 guineas. Sir Joshua (by Rubens, and a Sister to Haphazard) had beaten in 181 5 Whisker (winner of the Derby in that year), A.F., at Newmarket Houghton, giving him 4 lb. ; and Filho (by Haphazard and Mrs. Barnet) had won the St. Leger of 181 5, but neither of them had run for the Derby. They were both ' rising' four years ; Sir Joshua (ridden by W. Arnold) carried 8 st. 2 lb., and Filho (ridden by T. Goodisson, son of ' Hell-fire Dick ') 8 St. 9 lb. Sir Joshua was favourite at odds varying from 11 to 8 to 6 to 4 ; and after a fine race, for which Filho got a bad start by rearing at the post, won by a neck. There was ' an immense concourse of spectators,' and ' large sums depended upon the event.' Soon after this Sir 328 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND - Joshua (whose strange accident and death have been mentioned alread)', p. 98) was beaten (having already perhaps injured himself) by Castrella for a handicap sweepstakes, and Mr. Houldsworth proposed another match with Filho for double the former stake, but Mr. Neville declined the offer, and lost his horse in December of the same year. The race apparently was not ' clocked.' A.D. 1819: On May 6, Mr. W. Hutchinson, a horse-dealer, of Canterbury, undertook for a wager of 600 guineas to ride, employing apparently as many horses as he pleased, from Canterbury to London Bridge (55-I- miles) in three successive hours, and ' realized the stakes, sir, yes, sir,' in 2 hours 55 (? 25) minutes and 51 seconds, though of the horses he rode (some of which ran habitually in the ' Wellington ' coach) three bolted with him (one of them bolting thrice) and caused a certain amount of delay. They all, however, * performed their journey apparently with as much ease as their rider, who considers,' says the contemporary narrator, ' that he could have returned to Canter- bury the same day in three hours without incon- venience.' So impressed were Mr. Hutchinson's SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 329 friends (who may have included the Archbishop, and who, no doubt, ' had their money on ') with this patent proof of his merits as a citizen, that they purchased for him, and presented to him, ' the freedom of the city of Canterbury.' Mr. Hutchinson, it is thought worthy of remark by the contemporary, ' had his watch fastened on the left sleeve of his jacket in order that he might perceive how to regulate his exertions with ease to himself, and to accomplish his object with certainty.' The watch, which was a most excel- lent one for keeping time, it appears, lost fifteen minutes during his journey. This loss of time is attributed to the ' velocity of motion it must have experienced throughout this extraordinary feat.' Hereupon an interesting query arises: What good was Mr. Hutchinson's ingenious arrangement of his timepiece } It might easily have lost him and his friends their money if he went by it ; and if he did not go by it, but by the public clocks on his road, it was of no more use than the bracelet-watch — which was perhaps a revival in his honour, and which seems always to have ' stopped ' — of the fashionable lady in our days. Rider's weight unknown. 330 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND A.D. 1820 : On April 6 the Duke of Portland's Tiresias (by Soothsayer), winner of the Derby in 1819, beat {'rising' four years, 8 st. 2 lb.) Mr. George Lane Fox's Merlin (by Castrel), ' rising ' five years, 8 st. 9 lb., A. F., 300 guineas ; the match being remarkable because Merlin (so highly thought of at two years of age that Lord Foley gave 2,000 guineas for him) broke his leg whilst running it, and was so maddened by the accident, the ' slings ' that followed, and the whole process of mending, that he became one of the worst ' savages ' ever known, and murdered his groom with most ghastly accessories. A.D. 1824: On November 6, 1824, a Mr. Lips- combe undertook to ride 90 miles in 5 hours, employing not more than eight horses, for a bet of ^500. Odds heavy against him. He started early in the morning from Hyde Park Corner, went to the sixty-fourth milestone on the Bath Road, returned (26 miles) to the 'one mile to Reading ' post from London, and won the match in 4 hours 53 minutes 31 seconds, doing the last io miles on the best and fastest of his eight nags in 32 minutes, out of the 38 minutes 29 seconds left to him. Rider's weight unknown. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 331 A.D. 1825 : There was run 'on the public road' near St. Petersburg a match which has been too often described to need much attention, though, as Enghsh horses were engaged in it, it must not be passed over entirely. Two inferior English horses, Mina (son of Orville and Barrosa), five years old. and Sharper (son of Octavius and Young Amazon, by Gohanna), six years old, were matched to run 75 versts (about 50 miles) against two Cossack horses, which received an allowance of about 3 St. apiece. One of the Cossack horses fell dead after 25 miles; Mina went lame and had to be pulled up early ; and Sharper, though his rider lost a stirrup and had to ride several miles with only one, was an easy winner, and left the other Cossack to be ' pulled in with ropes,' it is said. A.D. 1826 : On April 17, at the Haigh Park, Leeds, Captain Polhill, King's Dragoon Guards, is recorded (weight unknown) the winner, with 4 hours and 55 minutes to spare, of a bet that he would walk 50 miles, drive 50 miles, and ride 50 miles within 24 consecutive hours. He varied his mode of progression ; walking, driving, and riding as he felt ' so dispoged.' And in November 332 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND of the same year, on the same ground, he won a 'considerable wager' by backing himself to ride, employing, apparently, as many horses as he pleased (but actually thirteen), 95 miles in 5 hours, a task which he accomplished with 53 minutes (only 7 minutes short of an hour) to spare. A.D. 1831 : On November 5, 'Squire' Osbal- deston, the ' all-round ' sportsman, who fought a duel both with the aristocratic Lord George Bentinck and the plebeian Mr. Gully (ex-pugilist), M.P., won at Newmarket his celebrated match, ridden in witches' weather (in 'thunder, lightning, and in rain,' at any rate in a deluge of rain), and so often described and discussed as to need but brief notice. The ' Squire ' was to ride 200 miles in 10 hours, employing any number of horses, for 1. 000 guineas a side (laid with Colonel Charretie), and, of course, bets beside. He was forty-four years of age, and weighed 1 1 st. 2 lb. ; he finished his task, as 'gay as a lark,' after several mishaps and stoppages, in 8 hours and 39 (according to others 42) minutes. He employed twenty-eight horses, including Tranby (son of Blacklock), ridden no fewer than four times, during one whereof he ran his four miles in the miraculous SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 333 time of eight minutes (cf. Hambletonian and Diamond's time of 8 minutes 25 seconds in their match over the B.C.), It is interesting to know- that Tranby traced h^ok, par les femines, to Queen Anne's Moonah Barb mare ; and that he was secured (as we have seen) by the Americans in 1835. A.D. 1836 : ' On October 17, a Mr. Daniel rode a half-bred horse in a match for ^50 a side from the Peacock Inn, Islington, to the Angel Inn, Northampton, a distance of 66 miles, against The Telegraph four-horse coach. They started from the Peacock at a quarter before six, and arrived at Northampton at a quarter before twelve, Mr. Daniel winning with a minute and a half to spare, and neither horse nor rider being seriously fatigued.' A.D. 1851 : Lord Eglinton's br. h. The Flying Dutchman (ridden by Marlow), five years, 8 st. 2>\ lb., beat Lord Zetland's br. c. Voltigeur (Flat- man, alias ' Nat '), four years, 8 St., at York Spring Meeting, 2 miles; 1,000 guineas, h. ft.; even betting. Won by a length. No official time given. (The last of the old - fashioned matches that stirred the whole kingdom.) 334 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND A.D. i860: Mr. R. Ten Broeck's ch. c. Umpire (G. Fordham) beat Lord Glasgow's b. c. Tom Bowline (T. Aldcroft), three year olds, 8 st. 7 lb. each, at Newmarket Houghton, Ab. M. ; 1,000, h. ft. ; by six lengths ; 5 to 2 on Umpire. {Noticeable because the winner, by Lecompte and Alice Carneal, was 'bred in the United States.') A.D. 1866 : Mr. Caledon Alexander's Robin Hood, by Wild Dayrell, received forfeit from Baron Rothschild's Robin Hood, by North Lin- coln, three years, 8 st. 10 lb. each ; 200 sovs. and the name, that is, which should be called Robin Hood ; D.M. at Newmarket. (Noticeable as about the last of the ' sportive ' matches.) A.D. 1874 : Mr. Joseph Dawson's Prince Charlie, five years, 8 st. 10 lb., beat M. Aumont's Peut- etre, three years, 7 st. 11 lb. (carried 7 st. 12 lb.), at Newmarket, 50 sovs., play or pay ; R.M. ; time I minute 52 seconds. (Noticeable because the ' roarer ' beat the ' Frenchman ' that had just won the Cambridgeshire.) A.D. 1875 ■ Prince Batthyany's Galopin (Morris), three years, 8 st. 10 lb., beat by eight lengths Mr. H. Chaplin's filly Stray Shot (H. SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 335 Jeffery), three years, 8 st. ; 500 sovs., h. ft. ; R.M., at Newmarket Second Spring ; time, 1 minute 43 seconds. (Noticeable for the time.) And the same Galopin (Morris), 8 st. 2 lb., beat by a length Mr. Bird's Lowlander (G. Fordham), five years, 9 St., also R. M., at the Second October; 1,000 sovs., 200 ft. ; time, i minute 51^ seconds. (Noticeable for the difference in Galopin's weight and 'clocking.') A.D. 1877 : Lord Strathnairn's Avowal, six years, 9 st. (T. Chaloner), beat H.R. H. the Prince of Wales's Arab horse Alep, aged, 9 st. (J. Jones) ; 500, h. ft. ; four miles at Newmarket ; 9 to 4 on Alep ; won by thirty lengths. No 'clocking.' (Noticeable for the collapse of the theretofore unbeaten Arab.) A.D. 1879 : Sir J. D. Astley's Drumhead, six years, sixteen stone six pounds (owner), beat Mr. Caledon Alexander's Briglia, five years, sixteen stone (owner), Suffolk Stakes Course (about one mile and a half) at Newmarket; 500, h. ft. ; 11 to 8 on Briglia ; won by three lengths ; and in the same year, at the same place, on the last two miles of the Cesarewitch Course, Mr. F. Gratton's Solomon (Mr. Bevill) beat Sir J. D. ^,2,^ HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Astley's Drumhead (owner), six years, sixteen stone ten pounds each ; 500; 5 to 4 on Solomon; Drumhead broke down. (Noticeable as an attempt to revive the old-fashioned very severe sort of racino-, and as sugfaestive of a doubt whether modern race-horses are as stout as the old — vide K.V). 1727.) A.D. 1879 : In this year our French neighbours indulged in two matches, which deserve notice for different reasons. One took place at Long- champs race-course, on June 10, between a thorough-bred steeple-chaser called Triboulet and a 'trotting pony' called Tambour-Battant ; forty kilometres (say twenty-five miles) ; for 10,000 francs (say ^400). The trotter was to be driven on the ' go as you please ' plan in a ' spider ' ; the thoroughbred was to gallop the whole distance ; and the latter won the match without being distressed, or, at any rate, so much distressed as his rider, in i hour, 20 minutes, 3 seconds, by something like four miles, which was supposed to prove the fallacy of the theory that ' the thorough-bred has more speed but less bottom than the half-bred.' The other match was a disgustingly cruel affair SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 337 between two ' trotters ' (half-bred no doubt), called Verny and Mauvaise-Tete respectively, and they were to accomplish thirty French leagues (about 120 kilometres, or about seventy- two miles) without stopping, out to Rosny and back, in the neighbourhood of Paris, on July 5, for 15,000 francs (about ^600). Poor Mauvaise- Tete had to be pulled up at St. Germain, on the way back, and died then and there ; and Verny, the winner, though managing to reach the goal, was not in much better plight, but dropped down on entering the stable and never got up again, the ' vet ' who was called and essayed to bleed the poor creature being unable to obtain anything but 'a sort of currant jelly.' The French news- papers expressed an indignation which did them credit, and would have done them more had it been anticipatory of the match, which was freely advertised. A.D. 1883 : The Duke of Portland's St. Simon (F. Archer) beat the Duke of Westminster's Duke of Richmond (T. Cannon), two years, 8 St. 12 lb. each, at Newmarket, Bretby Stakes Course (6 furlongs), for 500 sovs. a side, by three- quarters of a length. (Noticeable because of 22 338 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND these two horses, considered at two years of age to be worthy of being mentioned in the same breath, St. Simon has become the * crack ' sire, almost equal in fame already to Stockwell, and Duke of Richmond has been ' added to the list ' and taught to 'jump over sticks.' A curious example of the vicissitudes of race-horses.) A.D. 1885 : The Duke of Portland's brown geld- ing Iambic, by Martyrdom, four years, 1 1 st. 7 lb., beat Admiral Tryon's (Arab) Asil, four years, 7 st. (F. Barrett), last three miles of B.C. at New- market Second Spring; 100, h. ft.; 5 to 4 on Iambic; won by twenty lengths; no 'clocking.' (Noticeable as indicating the further collapse of the Arab.) Other memorable matches between race-horses are not readily recalled to mind — indeed, they are scarcely to be expected in these days of racing for ' public money ' to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds. But there are a few matches or quasi-matches which, though they belong to a different category, are deserving of notice. A.D. 1888 : On July 13, James Selby, the famous 'whip,' who died on December 14 in the same year, drove from London to Brighton and SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 339 back in 7 hours 50 minutes the four-horse coach ' Old Times,' for a wager of ^1,000 to ^500 that it could not be done under 8 hours. Stoppages to change, of which there were sixteen, and only one exceeded i minute, were included. A.D. 1891 : Lord Lonsdale drove 20 miles in 56 minutes 55* seconds. A.D. 1891 : About January 25, Prince Benjamin de Rohan, for a bet of 25 louis (a French ' pony '), drove a four-horse coach, improvised out of one of the hackney carriages and two pairs of the hackney-carriage horses that ply at Monte Carlo, up and down the flight of steps leading from the port of Monaco to the gardens of the palace, a stipulation being that the Prince should have no assistance. The steps, composed of slabs of stone, with a drop of about 4 inches, are carried up the side of the rock upon which Monaco stands, and there are two bends at right angles over a high precipice. The wager was brought off at three a.m. by the light of the carriage-lamps, and ' as at one or two points on the road the slabs were very slippery, the Prince threw down rugs in front of the horses to give them a better foothold.' The carriage, of 340 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND course, had the usual break ; and the Prince ' realized the stakes; but was considered to have done nothing beyond proving his own pluck (which nobody seems to have called in question) ; nothing from which any living creature could deduce anything that could be turned to useful account, whether as regards horses, or carriages, or slabs of stone, or sanity, or insanity. A.D. 1891 : In nineteen days, commencing from Monday, July 6, Mr. James Davies, of Argoed House, Barnes, drove (with at least one com- panion, apparently, as his words are, ' dog-cart, passengers, and luggage being registered over 8 cwt.') 07ie horse a thousand miles — that is, an average of 52 miles a day, the longest distance (63 miles) on the last day. The horse seems to have been a well-bred cob, 15 hands high, and was certified by a more or less competent authority to have been ' in good condition ' at the end of his task, and ' no worse for the long journey.' Mr. Davies's object, he declared, was ' to show how valuable a servant the horse is to man, and worthy the care and kindness extended to mine.' Whether this proposition stood in need of such stringent proof or not, Mr. W. Browne, SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 341 of The Firs, Burnt Ash Road, Lee, S.E.. promptly denounced the feat as a deed of cruelty, which Mr. Davies as promptly repudiated, claim- ing to have ' broken the record of one-horse driving,' without having over-taxed the strength or endurance of the horse, ' as,' he ingenuously remarks, ' that would have been fatal to the success of the journey.' Was there no other reason } There is no other reason mentioned ; but thit which is given is undoubtedly very potent, though, as some of these records will testify, it is not always sufficient to prevent abuse of a noble animal. A.D. 1891 : On Friday, September 4, Mr. E. Mackenzie, of Colchester, an ' amateur whip,' who ' tooled ' the Rocket coach between London and Colchester, drove for a wager a one-horse buggy (containing ' self and friend ') that had belonged to the ' professional whip,' James Selby, from London to Canterbury, about 60 miles, in about 5 hours, being about 10 minutes under the stipulated time. Horses had been sent on to Dartford, Gravesend, Rochester, and Sitting- bourne, and the last 16 miles of stiff road, between Sittingbourne and Canterbury, were said in the 342 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND newspapers to have been done in i hour 5 minutes, the average rate of speed, with allowances made for stoppages to change horses, having been 12^ miles per hour, A.D. 1891 : On Friday, September 18, in the neighbourhood of Scotswood (Newcastle - on - Tyne), Mr. J. B. Radcliffe performed (with 2 minutes 1 2 seconds to spare) the feat of rowing a quarter of a mile, swimming a quarter of a mile, running a quarter of a mile, ' treadmilling ' a pneumatic-tire bicycle a quarter of a mile, and riding a horse a quarter of a mile, all within a space of 15 minutes. The average rate per quarter of a mile was, therefore, about 2 minutes 34 seconds, with the weather very favourable for the rowing and swimming, which would be the slowest performances ; but, unfortunately, the separate times were not recorded in the account here relied upon. A.D. 1892 : In the month of October, commenc- ing with October i, under the patronage of the German and Austrian Emperors, both having a character for sense and sensibility, reason and humanity, there took place what was called ' the long distance ride,' or military match between SOME MEMORABLE MATCHES 343 Austro-Hunoj-arian and German officers, to see which batch of champions, and which particular champion in each batch, would cover the distance between Berlin and Vienna in the shortest time. The Austro- Hungarians ' took the cake,' but there was such an absence of proper conditions (no equalization of weights having been established, no allowance for advantage and disadvantage, arising from conformation of the ground traversed, having been made, and especially no precaution having been taken to secure the fitness and serviceability of both the riders and their poor horses on their arrival), that, as the newspapers said, the affair turned out to be ' a senseless sacri- fice of horses and riders,' degenerated into a scene of sickening cruelty, and proved nothing whatever but the callous brutality of which civilized (which seldom means much more than varnished) man- hood is capable for the sake of winning a paltry distinction. For days after the conclusion of the match the newspapers contained the most harassing details as to the atrocities which had been practised upon the horses, and as to the sufferings endured by many of those that survived their task ; and the perusal of those details made one blush to be a man. [ 344 INDEX. Aaron, Mr. Benjamin Rogers' famous little horse, 48 Abingdon, The (fourth) Earl of, his match, 311 Age (of race-horses), 136-38 AiMWELL, winner of the Derby, unique descendant of Alcock's Arabian, 20 AiSLABiE, Mr. William (son of Mr. John, one of the promoters of the South Sea Bubble), 26 Albemarle, The Duke (Monk) of, 4 Alcock, Mr., and his Arabian, 20, 26 Aldby Park, Mr. B. Darley's, 18 Alep, The Prince of Wales's ' Arabian,' 160, 335 Alexander, Mr. Caledon and his matches, 316, 335 Alice Carneal, The famous Ameri- can mare, 107, 334 Alice Hawthorne, The famous mare, 197, 217 Amateurs riding in ' the Derby,' vide Bartley Amato, a notable winner of the Derby, 65 America, Importation of English horses into, loi - 108, 125, 316, 335 Americans and their 'clocking,' vi, 277 Ancaster, Two Dukes of, 26, 45 , , A Duchess of, 21 Anne, Queen, 11, 13 ,, Ascot and, ix, 13 ,, Horses belonging to, 14 Newmarket and, 13, 289 ,, Prominent turfites in the reign of, 15 ,, Statute of, 12, 16, 17, Anspach, Lady Craven, the Mar- gravine of, 93, 95 Apperley, Mr., ' Nimrod," 128 Appleyard, Captain, 27 Arab Blood, Decline in the reputa- tion of the, 80, 81 Mr. Attwood and the, 151 Mr. Wilfrid Blunt and the, 226 Archer, Mr. F., the famous jockey, 237 Argentina, Importation of English horses into, 208 Arundel, Earl of (a.d. 1377), 283 Ascot, Races at, ix, 22 Queen Anne at, ix, 13, 22 George III. and his family at, 74. 75 ,, Cup, The, 74, 131 ,, William IV. assaulted at, T30, 131 AsiL, The 'Arab,' his match with Iambic, 338 AsTLEY, Sir J. D. (and his matches), 198, 316, 335 AsTLEY, Mr., and his Black Barb, 151 Attila, The ' nobbled,' 179 ; price of, 250 Attwood, Mr. , ' Arabians ' belonging to, 151 AUiMONT, Messrs., 188, 204 Australia, Importations into, 147, 212, 213 Australian Horses running in England, 192 Austria - Hungary, Importations into, 122, 206 Avowal, Lord Strathnairn's half- bred 'Arab,' 161, 335 H Babel, vide Lili.-vs Barb, The Gray, Mr. Hutton's, 9 INDEX 345 Barbarian (second for the Derby of 1852). 5 Barbs (imported into England from France), 24 Barbs, King William Ill.'s, 9 Barcaldine, The famous Irish horse, 8, 197 Bartley, Mr., rode in the Derby, as an amateur, in 1837 (like the late Mr. W. Robinson, of Richmond, Yorks, in 1858, on PfSlissier), 133 Bass, Mr. Hamar, 262 Bathurst, Mr., 27 Batthyany, Count and I'rince, 123, 188 Bay Barb, The (Mr. Curwen's), 24 ,, Mr. Hutton's, 35 Bay Bolton (ex Brown Lusty), The famous horse, 20 B.'\Y Malton, The famous horse, 58 Bayswatek, The hippodrome nt, 152 Be.\RDS\vorth, Mr., of the ' Reposi- tory," 151 Beaufort, Duke of (1742), 27 Bedford, The Duke of (1792), and his match, 316 Beeswing, The famous mare, 97, 197 Belgrade Turk, The, 24 Bell, Mr., the honourably disobedient jockey, 181 Bend Or, 180; objection to, 185 Bentinck, Lord George, 60, 76, 118, 152, 174-78 Bentinck Benevolent Fund, The, 152, 177 Bertie, Mr., 27 Berwick, The Duke of (son of James IL), 8, 88 Bethell, Messrs., the famous racers, 16, 27 Betting, ' The Druid" on, 231 ,, Statutes bearing upon, z'/it'c Legislation Betting Ring, The, 85-87, 192, 193, 228-32 Bingham, Mr., 27 [295 Bn^iD Matches at Newmarket, 294, Bishop, Mr., a ' nobbier,' 91 Black Hambleton (Yorks), vii, viii, n, 80 Blacklock, a story of the famous horse, 79, 80 Dr. Shorthouse and, 79 Blair Aphol, 65, 179 ,, Price paid for, 195 Blake, Messrs., 27, 28 Blenkiron, Mr. William, 177 Blew Capp, vide Blue Cap Blink Bonny, winner of both Derby and Oaks, 63 Blombergh, Baron, 89 Bloodstone, the three - years - old ' two-year-old,' 181 Bloodsworth, Mr. J. F. , warned off, 184 [64 Bloomsbury, winner of the Derby, Blue Cap, Charles II. 's horse, 5 Blue Gown, winner of the Derby, 66, 204 Blunt, Mr. Wilfrid, and his ' Arabs," 226 Bobadilla, ancestress of Iroquois, 1..6 BocAU, Senor, the purchaser of Ormonde, 186, 196 Bolton, The antepenultimate Duke of, 28 Bond, Mr. Ephraim, the 'hell- keeper," 151 I Bonny Black, The famous mare, vii, 292 Bookmaker, A sensitive, 108 Bookmakers, Some successful, 233, 234 ^ Registration or certin- 1 cation of, 229, 234 BOUCAU, Sefior, vide BocAU BowcHER (PBourchier), Mr., Charles II. and, 11 BovvES, Mr. (Sir George, ancestor of the famous Mr. John), 28 I Boys, Horses raced or nominated by, ' 4. 49. 94 I Brancas, The Due de (Comte Lauraguais), 87 i Brimmer, The famous horse, 4 Brocklesby, The famous horse, 8 ,, Betty, The famous mare, 8, 19, 20 Brodrick, Mr., his match (1718). 290 Brodrick - Cloete, Mr. William, 168, 193, 196 Brograve, Suicide of Mr. (book- maker), 108 BrOnenberg, Baron (racing in England), 139, 188 Brown Prince, The noted American horse (ran in England), 14, 190 Buccaneer, The lamous sire^ (Lord Portsmouth's), 206 Buccaneer (Lord Rosslyn's), 186 Buckingham (George Villiers), second Duke of, 3, 10 Buckle, Mr. Francis, the famous jockey, 109 his 'challenge" whip pre- sented to the Germans, 121 346 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND BUDA, The siege of, 8 BuFFCOAT, The ' dun ' race-horse, 51 BuFFON, The celebrated Comte de, 298 BUNBURY, Sir Thomas Charles, 76 Butler, Mr. Frank, the famous jockey, 150 Buzzard, The famous sire, 107 Byerley, Captain, 10 ,, Turk, The, 10 Byron, Lord, who killed Mr. Cha- worth, 28 C Cade, The great sire (brought up on cow's milk), 24 Calendars, Racing, 25, 89 Calvert, Mr. (his match), 285 Cambuscan, sire of the celebrated mare Kincsem, 206 Canezou, Lord Derby's mare, 185 Canterbury, From, to London in three hours, 328 Cap-a-Pie, sire of the New South 'Wales Sir Hercules, 148 Cape, The, importation of English horses to, 214 Careless (Old), The famous horse, 10, 286 Carter, Mr. Thomas, (the ' father ' of French trainers), 139 Castaway, Mr. Bethell's horse, 12 Castianira, dam of the American horse Sir Archy, 107 Castrel, The famous sire (brother to Rubens and Selim), 98 Catherine (of Braganza), Queen of Charles II., 5 Cavendish, Lord (Marquis of Hart- ington, 1731), his match, 296 Chaise-and-Pair Matches at New- market, 294 Chanticleer, The famous (gray) horse, 8, 259 Chaplin, Mr., his 'gold mine' (Hermit), 196 Charger, An officer's (runs 12 miles in 25 min. 11 sec), 326 Charles II., King, v, 1-3, 5, 8, n, 52, 76, 285 ,, Gentlemen-jockeys in the reign of, 52, 53 ,, Horses of, 5 Plates founded by, 5 ,, The Newmarket Whip and, 6 Statute of, 7 Chedvvorih, Lord, 28, 4s Cheney, Mr. John, and his calendar, 89 Chester, The Australian sire, 148 Chester Cup first run for, 118 Chetwynd - Durham Case, The, 186 Chetwynd, Sir George, 236 Childers, Mr., or Colonel, 15 ,, Bartlett's, 10, 20 ,, Flying, 10, 19 Childwick, Price paid for, 194 Chillabv, 'William III.'s white Barb, 9 ' Classic' Races, Institution of the, 59-69 Cleveland, Lord (the Duke of), his opinion of the turl', 151 Clifden, Sir John Lade's horse, 316 ' Clocking,' 277-80, 318, 321 Cloete, Mr. W. , W(/('Brodrick-C. Coatesworth, Mr. (1751), 29 COBHAM, Suspected 'nobbling' of, 180 Cockburn, Sir Alexander (Chief Justice), 236 COCKEKELL, Mr. (1753), 29 Cockfighter, his match with Sir Solomon, 320 Colonel, The, famous race-horse, 64, 115, 129, 148 ,, Price paid for, 195 Colours (of race-horses), 50, 99, 259 Colville, Mr. (1732), 29 Commodore, The Australian horse, 192 Common, Price paid for, 195 Conflans, Marquis de, 88 Constable, Mr. (1741), 29 Cook, Mr., the poisoned, 185 Copenhagen, race-liorseand charger, 98 Corke, Charles II. 's horse, 5 Corker, Mr., Feat performed by a mare belonging to, 300, 301 Cossack Horses, A match against, 331 Cotherstone, The ' nobbling ' of, 179 CouRCY, Comte de, 188 Covvdrav (Sussex), 4 Craven, The Hon. Mr. Berkeley, Suicide of, 140 Craven, Fulwar(Mr.), 135 ,, Lady (Margravme of Ans- pach), 93, 95 Cricket, William III.'s horse, 9 Crofts, Messrs. (1742 and 1754), 29 Cruel Matches, 293, 299, 309, 310, 315. 331. 337. 343 Cruiser, The ' savage,' 199 Ci'H M.\RE, a famous Americ;\ii dam 107 INDEX 347 CuLLEN Arabian Make (called Diamond or Duchess, or both, in America), 107 Cumberland, The ' Culloden ' Duke of, 22, 45, 57 ,, Henry Frederick, Duke of, 57 Cui'iD, a horse belonging to William III., 9 Curiosities of Horse - racing, A few, 54, 55, 80, 297, 303, 317, 319 CURWEN, Mr., owner of the famous Bay Barb, 15, 24 CUKZON, Mr. (.Sir Nathaniel, 1731), D Dandizette (second for the Oaks in 1823), closely related to an 'Arab,' 118 Daniel, Mr., his ride against the ' Telegraph ' coach, 333 D'ARCY.Lord (his Yellow Turk, 16 — ), 10 Darley, Mr. Brewster (and the D. ' Arabian,' about 1707), 16, 18 Davies, Mr. James (a thousand miles drive), 3.(0, 341 Davis, Mr. William (the first ' Leviathan"), 185, 234 Dawson, Mr. Daniel, 'king of the nobblers,' 91, 249 Day, Mr. William (ex-trainer and author), his connection with the ' Old England ' scandal, 184 Dead Heat, First recorded instance of a, 290, 291 Delancey, Colonel (of New ^'ork, about 1760), 47, 108 Delme-Radcliffe, Mr., 114, 115,130 Denmark, Prince George of, 13, (wins a match with a gray Barb) 289 Derby, The race called the, 60-66 ,, won by George IV. (when Prince of Wales), 78 ,, won twice by Fredf rick, Duke of York, 78, 79 , , The twelfth Earl of, 60 ,, The fourteenth Earl of, 174, 179, 185 Devonshire, First Duke of, 6. 10 ,, Third and Fourth Dukes of, 30, 45, 46, 47 Diamond (or Duchess), (z'za'iN,The famous race-horse, 123, 334 Gar THSiDE, Mr. (about 1740), 32 Gate-money Meetings, The Origin of, 152 Geheimniss, winner of the Oaks, 63 General ChassiJ, The ' savage,' 143 [289 George of Denmark, Prince, 13, George I., King, The Turf and, 19 Prominent racers and race-horses in the reign of, 19, 20 George II., 18, 20, 45 Statute of, 17, 18, 22-24 ,, Prominent racers and racehorses in the reign of, 26-49 George III., 56, 112 ,, Prominent racers and race-horses in the reign of, 57-59 Ascot and, 57, 74 Geor(;k IV., 113-12S ,, Prominent racers and race-horses in the reign of, ii6-ii8 ,, Gold whip presented to the Irish Turf Club by, 121 Race-horses and jockeys of, 115 Germ. any. Importations of English horses into, 122, 123, 141, 142, 204- 206 INDEX 349 GiMCRACK, The famous little horse, 58, 306, 307 ; Club, 58 GiNiSTRELLi, Signer, 191 Gladiateuk, The objection to, 185 Gladstone, The Rt. Hon. Mr. VV. E., 131 Glasgow (' Peter,' the fifth Earl of), T28, 260 [144 Glencoe, the great American sire, Glenwood, Price paid for, 194 GoDOLPHiN, The first Earl of, 4, 15, 288 The second Earl of (about 1731, owner of the Godolphin Arabian), 15, 24, 32, 47 Godolphin Arabian (or Barb ; died December, 1753, aged about 28), 24 Goncourt, JVIadame de, 193 GOODRICKE, The Rev. Henry, 31, jj Goodwood Cup first run for, 118 ,, Stakes first run for, 119 GowER, The Earl of (about 1740), 32, 45 Gr^me, Mr. (about 1723), 33 Grafton, The Duke of (son of Charles II.), 4 ,, Dukes of, 48, 116 Granbv, Marquis of, 15, 47 Gray Barb, Mr. Hutton's, 9 Gray Peg, Queen Anne's mare, 289 Great Subscriptions, Establish- ment of, at York, 45 Greville, Mr. Charles, Clerk of the Council, 156 Mr. Fulke, 45 Grey, Sir Henry (of Hovvick, about 1755). 32 Greyhound, Race between horse and, 319 Grisewood, Mr. G. (about 1731), 32 'Grossley,' Mr. (Comte de Mira- beau), 88 Grosvenor, Sir Richard (first Earl of), 48, 311 GuADAGNi, Signor fabout 1750), 89 GuERCHY, Comte de (French Am- bassador to England about 1778), H Hahn, Count, 189 Haliday, Mr. Samuel (no miles in 20 hours), 312 Halifax, Lord (? George Mon- tagu, first Earl of) (about 1728), 33 Hambleton (Yorks), vide Black H. HamblI'-.tonian, Tlie famous horse, 85. 317 Hamilton, (the sixth) Duke of, 53 Hampton Court, The royal stud at, 19, 21, 130, (sale of) 155, (revival of) 156 Handicapping (Elective), 226 (Rough method of), 281 Hanstead, Mr. Richard, and his match (420 miles), 312 Hare, Jerome (rider of Old Merlin in the famous match), 13, 288 Harkaway, the ' Irish Eclipse,' 197 Hartington, Marquises of, 45, 170, 296 Hartley, Mr., or Captain (about 1740), 33 Havvley, Sir Joseph, the ' lucky baronet,' 174, 178, 179 Heaton Park, 139 Heber, Mr., and his ' Calendar,' 89 Heenan, Mr. J. C, the ' Benicia Boy,' on the turf, 191 Hendry, Mr. (about 1730), 33 Henley, Mr. (about 1728), 33 Henry VIII. , King, 52 Hermit, Mr. Chaplin's famous horse, 64, iq6, 219 Mr. Gully's, 213 Herou (or King Herod), The famous sire, 22, 57, 191 Herodias (falsely called Tontine), 182 Heseltine, Mr. (groom-in-waiting to Old Merlin), 13, 288 Hester, Supposed ' nobbling ' of, 180 Hevvson, vide Hughson Highflyer, the famous sire, 84, 222 Hippodrome, The Bayswater, 152 ,, Tan-gallops at, 152 Hirsch, Baron, 166, 194 Hobby Mare, The, 8 HoLCKOFT, Mr., the dramatist, 305, 306 Holme or Holmes, Mr. (about 1750). 34 Honeycomb Punch, the famous horse, 286 Honywood, Mr., or General (1734), 20, 34 HooMES, Mr., or Colonel (American), 88 HoRE, Mr., J. P., author of 'A History of Newmarket,' 283, 286 Horns (called Escape in America), 35° HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Howard, The Hon. Mr. Bernard (1669), 3, 76 ,, Mr., or Colonel (1728), 34 HuGHSON or Hevv.son (about 1740), 34 Humbekston, Mr. (1730), 34 Hunt, Mr. (alDout 1750), 34, 46 HunyAdi, Count, 188 Hutchinson, Mr. John, ex-stable- boy, 77, 85 ,, W. , his ride from Canterbury to Lon- don, 328, 329 Hutton, Mr., or Messrs. (of Marsk Hall, Yorks), 9, 15, 16, 34, 46 ,, Gray Barb belonging to, 9 Bay Barb belonging to. 35 I Iambic, The gelding, match with the ' Arab ' Asil, 338 Imaum of Musc.'VT, a present of 'Arabs' from the, 151 IMPOKTATION.S of English horses into foreign countries, vide America, Austria-Hungary, etc. Infidel, The trotting thoroughbred race-horse, 310 Iroquois, The famous American horse, 65, 88, 164, 190 his pedigree, 146 Isinglass, winner of the Derby of 1893 in 2 niin. 43 sec, ix, 283 J Jackson, Mr. (about 1750), 35 James 11., King, The turf and, 7 Jenison, Mr. Ralph (about 1740), 35 Jennings, Messrs. H. and T., the famous brother-trainers, 139 Jersey, Mr. (not Mrs,.), 50 Jockey Club, Institution of the, 21 ,, ix, 22, 225-228 Plates, The, 45 Jockey ' Ring,' A, 236, 237 Jockeys, Professional, 2 ,, their duration of life, ix ,, Noted, 52-54, 108-112, 115, 120, 121, 149, 150,237-47 ,, Apotheosis of, 237-40 ,, Professional and gentlemen, 313 Johnson, Mr., the supposed 'circus- rider,' 303 JouvENCE, the first French - bred winner in England, 189 Junto, The Whig, 9 K Keck, Mr. Anthony Tracy, 35 Keene, Mr., the American, 173, 190 Kelburne, Viscount, fifth Earl of Glasgow, 128 Kendal, Price paid for the sire, 195 Kent, Mr. John, ex - trainer and .author, 247, 273 Kettle, Mr., 35 Killigrew, Mr. Tom, Charles II. 's comrade, 4 Kincsem, The famous Hungarian mare, 206 King Herod (or Herod), The famous sire, 22, 57, 191 King of the West, The Australian horse, 192 King Thomas, Astounding price paid for the American, 195 [197 King Tom, The famous race-horse, Kingston, The last Duke of, 35 Kipling Coates (Yorks), 18 [129 Kikkh-^m, The Australian horse, 148, KikkleathAM, Price paid for the horse, 193 Kisber, Frivolous 'objection' made to, 185 Kitchener, Mr., the jockey (bodily weight of), 247 L'Abbesse de Jouarre, 263 La Fleche, Price paid for, 156, 194 Labourer (20 miles in 54 minutes), 316 Lade, Sir John, 290, 316 ,, ,, his mule-race, 290 Ladies, Horse-racing, 49, 93-95, 126, 150, 224, 225 L.\dy Betty (bred in Australia, won the Ellesmere Stakes, Newmarket, First July, 1890), 192 Lady Eliz.abeth, Blue Gown and, 'jide Derby Lake, Mr. Warwick, 114 Lamego, Mr. Aaron, 48, 89 Lankrcost, The 'nobbled,' 179, 180 Lat.\CHE de Fay, Monsieur, 189 Lath, son of the ' Godolphin Arabian,' 24 lyAUNCELOT, The ' pulling ' in favour of, 185 ' Launde," The Rev. Mr. (Fellow of Corpus, Oxford), 165, 206 Lauraguais, Comte de, 87, 307 Lauzun, Due de, 88 Leandek, Messrs. Lichtwald's four- years-old ' three-year-old,' 180, 181 Leedes, Mr. Edward, the great breeder (about 1740), 35 INDEX 351 Lefevre, Monsieur C. J., 204 Legislation, Exceptional, for New- market and Black Hambleton, 18 ,, The Turf and, 7, 12, i6-i8, 22, 23, 81, 114, 148, 159 Lepton, Mr., Match between London and York ridden by, 284 LiCHTVVALD, Messrs., racing in Eng- land, 139, 180, iSi, 188 LiLiAS (afterwards Babel), winner of the Oaks in 1826, closely related to an 'Arabian, 118 [330 Lipscombe, Mr. (90 miles in 5 hours). Little Driver, Mr. Aaron Lamego's famous, 48 Loeffler, Professor, 186 LouiSBOURG, Price paid by Mr. Brodrick-Cloeta for, 194 Lonsdale, Earls of, 35, 339 Lorillard, Mr. Pierre, the Ameri- can, 164, 190 Lowther, Sir James, 36, 45 Lupin, Monsieur Auguste, 189, 204 M Macdonough Mr. (the Californian purchaser of Ormonde), 196 Mackenzie, Mr. E., A driving feat of, 341 Magog, The gigantic (18 hands high). 259 ,, The ' nobbled ' horse, 91 Maltzahn, Baron (racing in Eng- land), 139, 156 Mambrino, the progenitor of ' trotters,' 311 Mangle, Mr. John, jockey (died at Middleham, Yorks, on New Year's Day, 1831, aged 79 80), 109 Mann, Messrs. (breeder and owner, about 1750), 46, (jockey) 246 Manners, Lord William (about 1740), 36 M ANTON, Mr. {not Mrs.), 50 Maple, Sir J. Blundell (his purchases), 194. 195 ^L\KC Antony, sire of Airawell, 20 ^LvRCH AND RUGLEN, The Earl of ('Old Q.'), 48, 298 Mares, Royal, 5 ; Montague, 3 Marley Mr. (about 1740), 36 Maroon, The ' pulling' of, 185 Marsk (or ^L\RSKE), The famous sire, 16, 45, 224 Martindale, Mr., owner of Regulus (about 1740), 36, 84, 220 Maryborough, Lord (Master of the Buckhounds to George W.), 114 Match'em, The famous sire, 46, 301 Match'em Timms (jockey), vide Tim. MS M.\TCHES, Some memorable, 275-343 ,, The Pnnce of 'Wales's (George IV.) two, 313 Heavy-weight, vide Weights ,, The last of the old- fashioned, 333 Sportive, 297, 303, 315. 317, 319, 334 Matuschevitz, The Russian Count (racing in England), 139, 188 Maximilian, Price paid for, 193 Mellish, Colonel, 128; his matches, 323- 325 Memoir, Cheap purchase of, ig^ Menken, Miss Ada Isaacs, 191 Meredith, Mr. Thomas (about 1750). 36 Merlin (Old), 12, 13, 16, 288 ,, (The ' savage"), 330 Messenger, progenitor of American trotters, 105, 311 Metcalfe, Mr. William (about 1740), 37 Meynell, Mr., the 'father of fox- hunting,' 304 ,, Miss Alicia (' Mrs. Thorn- ton '), 322, 324 Middle Park Plate, The, 177 Middleton, Sir William (about 1750). 37. 46 Middleton, The chestnut, 65 Mile (?run in i minute), 278 (Pin I minute 4} seconds), 278, 308, 309 Milton, Mr. Mat (a bookmaker, weight 15 stone), 326 Mineral (originally called Rubbish, dam of Kisber), 206 [88 Mirabeau, The celebrated Comte de. Misfortune, The well-named mare (1779). 3" ' Mrs. Thornton,' 322, 324 Mollendorf, Baron (racing in Eng- land), 190 Molly, Mr. Panton's famous mare, 20, 293 Monmouth, James, Duke of, 3, 53 MoNS Meg, The Australian-bred (winner of the Queen's Vase at Ascot in 1891^ 192 Montague, Lord (of Covvdray, Sussex), 3 ,, Mares, The, 4 [14 MooNAH Barb Mare, Queen Anne's, MORLAND, Mr. T. Hornby (a breeder, about 1780), 137 352 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND MOSTYN, Sir Roger, 9 I Mr. and Lord, 134 } MouNTGARRET, Lord (Vibcount, in | 1666), 3 Mouse, Charles II. s horse, 5 MUIK, Mr. J. B., compiler of ' Raciana,' vii, viii, 247 Mules versus Horses, 289, 290 [ Mustard, Queen Anne's horse, 14 Myrtle, ancestress of Iroquois, 146 Mytton, Mr. John, The eccentric and short-lived, 127 \ N Narellan, The Australian horse (m England!, 148, 192 , , , Naworth, Lord G. Benlmck s geld- ing, 176 Naylor, Mr. (about 1750-60), 45 Mr. R. C. (1859-1885), 162 Nelson, Mr. J ohn (his Calendar), 25, 89 1 Mr.George(jockey),iis,i28 j Neville, Mr. Ralph (Lord Bray- brooke), 97, 327 , Newland, Captain (140 miles in 7 hours 34 minutes), 320 Newmarket, The number of meet- ings at, 2, 92, 93 The Town Plate at, 5 100 guineas sweep- stakes at, 47 Right to warn off the Heath at, 118 Sale of the royal palace ''It. 155 A visitor at, in Queen Anne's reign, 14 (the two-year-old that ran in 1769), 307 Newminster, Suspected 'nobbling' of, 179 137 Newton, Sir Michael (about 1730), • Nobbling,' 90, 179, 180 Nomenclature (of race-horses), 51, 99, 126, 260 The newpapers and the, 260, 262 NoRUEN, Mr. (his match, 1692), 2B5 Northcote, Sir Stafford ('the Derby ' and), 60 Northumberland, The Countess of (about 17^8), 37, 300 The Earl and Duke of (1766), 37, 300 Nunthorpe, Colonel North's, vide Buccaneer O Oaks, The (estate), 66 ,, (horse-race) 60, 66-68 O'Kelly, Mr., Captain, Major, and Colonel (about 1765), 83, 84 Old Careless, The famous horse, 10, 286 Old England, Mr. Gully's race-horse (plot to ' nobble'), 184 Old Merlin, 12, 13, 16, 288 Old Smithson, 10 One Thousand, The, 60, 68-70 Orford, The third (or 'mad') Earl of (1751-91), 43. 78. 307 Orlando, Colonel Peels, 180 Orleans, Dues d' (racing in Eng- land), 87, 139, 188, 189 Orme, The Duke of Westminster's famous race-horse, 180, 186, 187 Ormonde, The Duke of West- minster's unbeaten race - horse, 126, 186, 195, 196 Osbaldeston, Mr., or 'Squire,' Match ridden by, 332 Osborne, Testimonial to Mr. John (the jockey), 238-240 Oulston, The celebrated horse, 197 OusE, Horse-racing on the frozen (Yorks), II OxENDEN or OxENDON, Sir George (about 1730), 38 Oxford, Aubrey de Vere, K.G. (died s.p.m. 1702), 'last (de Vere) Earl of, 3 P ' Pacing' at Newmarket, 291 Palestro, The French horse, 190 Palmer, Mr., the poisoner, 185 Palmerstcn, Lord, The celebrated, Panton, Messrs., 21, 38, 45 [60, 173 Paradox, Price refused for, 196 ,, Unlucky career of, 196 Paraguay, dam of N.S.W. Sir Her- cules, 120 Parker, Mr. William (about 1750),. 38 Parsons, Sir John (about 1690), Lord Mayor of London two successive years. 15 Pavilion, his matches with Sancho, 324, 325 Pi-.iRSON, Sir Matthew (about 1706), 13, 15, 288 Pelham, Mr. (1720-22), 'pacing' at Newmarket, 292 Pembroke, Mr. (about 1740), 38 Pepper, Queen Anne's horse, 14 Perr AM, Mr. , and his bequests (about 1770), 100 Pi'TEK (nickname of Lord Glasgow), 128 The eccentric race-horse, 128, INDEX 353 Petek the Great, The Czar (at Newmarket), ii Petroffski, Baron, the Russian (racing in England), 191 Petvvokth, a curious plague at, iig Phlegon, a peculiarity of the race- horse, 197 Pick, Mr. W. (died February 16, 1816, aged 58), vii, viii, 103 Pitt, Colonel, 'pacing' at Newmarket (1720-22), 292 [119 Plague among horses at Petworth, Plates, King's and Queen's or Royal, 23. 25 ,, Winners of, from 1727 to 1760, 25-45 ,, The Jockey Club, 45 ,, ,, ,, winners of, 45. 46 Platt, Mr. (purchaser of Kendal), 195 Plenipotentl\ry, The mystery con- cerning, 134 Poland, The King of, offers to pur- chase King Herod, 191 ,, importations of English horses, 191, 209, 215 Polhill, Captain, and his matches, 331, 332 Pond, Match ridden by Miss, 287, 302 ,, Match ridden by Mr., 287 POPHAM, Mr. F. L. (Fellow of All Souls), 162 Portland, Mr. prize-fighter Heenan's Jamaica-bred horse, 191 Portmore, Lord (about 1750), 38, 45. 46 P0T-8-OS, The famous sire, 221, 222 Pratt, Mr. John, of Askrigg (died at Newmarket on May 8, 1785), 83 Precarious, an early case of two- year-old racing, 307 [39 Prentice, Mr. George (about 1750), Preston, Mr. William (about 1750), 39. 46 Priam, Price paid for, 131, 193 [195 Prices paid for Race-horses, 193- by Americans, 195, 196 Prince, Mr., Poisoning of horses trained by, 91, 249 ,, Charlie, 200; his match, 334 ,, Consort, Albert, 155-157 ,, ,, George of Den- mark, 13, 289 Proctor, Mr. Henry (about 1740), 39 [308 Pumpkin, his match with Firetail, Q Queen Mary, The famous brood- mare, 217 Queensberry ( ■ Old Q. '), The (fourth and last) Duke of, 48, 115 Queen's Plates, 13, 23 ,. ,, Abolition of (in England), 23 Qui Tam, Actions at law called, 159 QuiBBLER (23 miles within the hour), 314 Quick and Castle, Messrs. , ' warned off.' 82, 83 Quidnunc (the horse that nearly lost a big match), 304, 305 R Race-horses, Age of, 137, 138 ,, Colour, height, and nomenclature of, 50, 51, 99, 126, 150, 260 Importations of Eng- lish, vide America, France, etc. Races, Some curious, 54, 55, 80, 297, 303. 317. 319 Racing CALEND.\RS,(ilie earliest) 25, (other) 89 Radcliffe, Mr. J. B., Feat performed by, 342 Ralph, the ' nobbled ' race-horse, 97, 179, 180 Ramsden, Sir John (about 1750), 46 Rapid Rhone, The noted (roan) horse, 259 Ratan, Designs against Mr. Crock- ford's race-horse, 182 Ratkord, Jack, George IV. 's 'fac- totum,' 115 Re.\d, Mr. Wilberforce (first master of the famous John Singleton, about 1730). 39 'Reciprocity,' Lord Falmouth, Mr. W. G. Craven, and, 189 Reed, Mr., the American purchaser, 195 Regulus, The celebrated sire, 220 Rich, Mr. (about 1730), 39 Richmond, The Duke of (son of Charles IL), 4 ,, The fifth, 130 Rickaby, Messrs., 39, 251 Ride, The ' long-distance,' Austro- Hungarian and German, 342 Riding face to tail, 317 without handling the bridle, 319 Ringmaster, The Australian-bred, a winner in England in 1890, 192 [32 ' Ring-worm," Spread of, 119, 229- 23 354 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Robinson, Mr. (owner of Sampson), 40, 46 Mr. W., vide Hartley Rockingham, The second Marquis of, 40 Rogers, Messrs., 40, 48, 182 RoH.AN, Prince Benjamin de. Daring feat of, 339 Rose, Mr. C. D., 177 Rothschild, Baron N. de (French), 189 ,, ,, Meyer, his spor- tive match, 334 Rous, Admiral, the famous ' dic- tator,' 174 ROUTH, Mr. Cuthbert (about 1740), 40 ,, The Misses (about 1740), 40, 49. 52 RoxANA, first mate of the ' Godolphin Arabian," 24 Royal Mares, King Charles II.'s, 5 RoY.VL Plates, 13, 17, 23 , , Winners of, from 1727 to 1760, 25-45 Rubens, The famous sire, brother to Castrel and Selim, 98 ' Running Rein,' Mr. Goodman's {alias ' Maccabeus '), 180 Russia, Importations of English race- horses into, 125, 143, 206, 207 Rutland, The second Duke of, viii, 15 Rye House Plot, The, 8 St. Blaise, Price paid in America for, 195 ,, Happy name of, 262 St. Gatien, Price paid for, 204 St. Leger, The Doncaster, 59, 71-74 ,, Colonel and General (about 1770), 59 [287 St. Martin, son of Spanker, 10, St. Quintin, Sir William, 16 ,, ,, (breeder of Cypron, 1750), 46 St. Simon, The famous sire, 197, 337 St. Victor's Barb, 24 Sancho, his matches with Pavilion, 324, 325 Sandford, Mr., the American, 190 Sandwich, Lord (about 1750), 46 Sanson, Mr. (about 1740), 41 Saunterer, The famous (black) horse, 259 [41 Scarborough, Earl of (about 1750), Scherz, The German horse, winner of the Cambridgeshire, 190 ScouRFiELD (or Scurfield), Mr. (about 1750), 41 Sedley (or Sidley), Sir Charles, 41 Selby, Mr., the famous 'professional whip," 338, 339 ,, Mr. (about 1740), 41 Selim, The famous sire (brother to Castrel and Rubens), 98 Seymour, Lord Henry (the 'father' of French horse-racing), 138, 139, 188, 189 Shafto, Mr., or Captain, Jenison (about 1750), 41, 302, 304 ,, Match ridden by, 302 Sharper, his match against Cossack horses, 331 Shaw, A-Ir. , his ride from Burton-on- the-Humber to London, 321 Shepherd, Mr. (about 1730), 41 Shorthouse, Dr. (and Blacklock), 79 Shotover, winner of the Derby, but not of the Oaks, 63 Shuffler, Charles IL's horse, 5 Shuttleworth, Mr. James (about 1750), 41 Sidonia, Price paid for, 193 Simpson, Mr. (about 1740J, 42 Sincl.\ir, Mr., Match (1,000 miles in i.ooo hours) ridden by, 287 Singer, Mr., Price paid for Glen- wood by, 194 Sir Hercules, The famous English sire, 120 Sir Hercules, The famous New South Wales sire, 120 Sir Joshu.a., 97, 98 ; his match, 327 Sir Peter (Teazle), The famous sire, 222 Sir Solomon (Tankersley), match with Cockfighter, 320 Sires and their Progeny, .Ancient and modern, 219-223 Slane, A peculiarity of the race- horse, 197 Socii^TE d"Encouragement, 138 Solon, The famous horse (sire of Barcaldint:'), 8 Somerset, Dukes of, 9, 42, 286 Spanker, 4, 10 ' Sport of Kings,' Vulgarization of the, 81-85 Sporting Press, Horse-racing and the, 226, 262 Stanley, Lord, fourteenth Earl of Derby, 185 Star (afterwards Jacob), Queen Anne's horse, 14 Star of Portici (dam of Signorin.i), 192 INDEX 355 Statutes, Horse-racing and the, vide Legislation Steering (or Stebbings), Mr. W. , The race-horse Old England and, 184 ' Stella,' Dean Swift's, ix, 14 Stiff Dick, Wilham III 's, 9 Stockwell, The famous sire, 219 Strange, Lord (improperly so self- styled, died 1771), 42 Stkathconan, The noted (gray) horse, 259 Strathnairn, Lord, 161 Strickland, Sir William (about 1703), II, 15, 288 ' Stud- Book,' First publication of the English, 98 Suasso, Baron (in 1741), 8g Suffolk, Earl of (in 1652), 3 ,, and Berkshire, Earl of, 3. 134 Sultan, The famous horse, 120 ,, (?) The Prince of Wales's (George IV. ),' 273 Surplice, Attempts to ' nobble,' 179 Sweepstakes and Subscriptions, Commencement of, 24 Swift, Dean, ix, 14 Swinburn, Mr. (Sir William, about 1750). 42, 46 Swymmer, Mr. Anthony Langley (died in Jamaica in 1760), 45 Sykes, Sir Tatton, 260 ,, another, 194 Syphax, Sir W. Strickland's, winner of the Hambleton Plate, 11 Tadcaster, Bend Or and, 185 Tan Gallops, The supposed in- ventor of, 152 Tangier, Royal mares from, 5 Tankersley, vide Sir Solomon Tankot, Charles II. 's horse, 5 Tattersall, Messrs., 84, 89 [235 Tattersall's Rooms, 86, 87, 232, Teissier, Baron de, 188 Tempest, Sir H. Vane, 318, 320 Ten Broeck, Mr. , the American, 185, 190 [315 Thirty Stone carried in a match, Thomond, Lord (O'Brien, Earl of, 1666), 3 Thompson, Mr. Joseph, eminent Anglo-Australian book-maker, 234 Thormanby, The famous horse, 197 Thornhill, Mr. Cooper, Match ridden by, 297 Thornton, ' Mrs.,' 322, 324 Thoulouse Barb, The, 15, 24 Three-cornered Matches, Two, 307, 308 Thynne, Mr. (about 1660), 3 Timing vide ' Clocking ' tImms""} ^^^^'■^- 'Jockeyb), 54 ' Tipping,' Jockeys and, 290 Tiresias, his match with Merlin, 330 Tontine, The French mare, 182 Touchstone, The famous sire, 139 Toulouse, vide Thoulouse Town Plate, The Newmarket, 5 Trainers, The most eminent, 248- 259 ,, Glorification of, 226 Tranby, the famous ' stayer,' 332 True Blue, both ' old ' and ' young,' 20 Trustee, the American trotter, 297 Try, Mr. (about 1730), 43 TuKF, Present tiourishing state of the, 266-273 Turk, The Stradling or Lister, 8 ,, Captain Byerley's, 10 ,, a horse belonging to William IIL, 9, II Turk, D'Arcy's Yellow, 10 ,, The Belgrade, 24 [by, 300 Turner, Sir Charles, Match ridden Turnus, the Germans' first winner in England, 189 Tuting, Mr., and his ' Calendar,' 89 Two Thousand, The, 60, 68-70 'I'WO-YEAR-OLU RACING, 75-77 Early pat- rons of, 78 ,, ,, Three - mile course for, 100 >, ,, in the South, 307 ,, , in the North, 312 U Umpire, The famous American horse, 185, 334 United States, English horses pur- chased for, 101-108, 143-147, 198- 200 UNiVERSiTYGRADUATES.The betting ring and, 119 V Vane, The Hon. Mr. (about 1730), 43 Vane-Tempest, Sir H. , 318 Vavasour, Mr. (or Sir) Thomas (1730-40), 43 ,, Sir W. , 297 Velocipede, the famous horse, 120 Vernon, Messrs. (about 1750), 43, 45 V^SiNET, King James H. at, 8 356 HORSE-RACING IN ENGLAND Victoria, Queen, Horse-racing and, v.. 154-273 ,, ,, at Ascot and Epsom, 157 ,, ,, Prominent racers and race horses during the reign of, 160-74,216-19 ,, ,, ' Cracks ' exported during the reign of, 198 Vision, The Russia-bred, running in England, 191 Vixen, Mr. Child's mare, 5 VoLTiGEUR, his famous match, 333 W Wales, Albert Edward, Prince of, 160, 161 [6t, 62 Frederick Lewis, Prince of, ,, George, Prince of, 74, 75, 78, 160, 313, 314 Richard (Richard II.), Prince of, 283 [89 Walker, Mr., and his ' Calendar,' Wallace, Sir Richard, 138 Walpole, Lord (about 1730), 43 [43 Wanlev, Mr. William (about 1760), Warlock, The noted (ro.in) horse, 259 Warning OFF Newmarket Heath, The ri!j;ht of, iiS Warren, Mr. John Borlase (about 1750). 43. 46 Waterloo Shield, The, 177 Waxy, The famous sire. 223 Weatherby, Messrs., 89, 98 [186 Webster, Mr. Hume, Suicide of, Weights, Heavy, 294, 295, 315, 316, 335, 336 [98 Wellington, The (first) Duke of, Wentworth, Mr. Peregrine (about 1750-60), 44 Weston, Mr. (drives Scorpion 100 miles in less than 12 hours), 325 [44 Weymouth, I-ord (about 1730-40), Wharton, Thomas, Viscount, Earl and Marquis of, 9, 286 ,, Philip, Duke of, 9, 19, Whig Junto, The, 9 [290 Whip, The Newmarket Challenge, 6, 10, 121, 287, 301 Whip, Frank Buckle's Challenge, 121 George IV. 's Challenge, 121 White, Mr. James, the Australian horse-owner, 148 ,, Mr. (about 1730), 44 Whyte, Mr. John, of the Bayswater Hippodrome, 152 WiLPAiR, The famous horse, 47 [315 Wilde, Mr. (127 miles in 9 hours), Wildman, Mr. (about 1760), 83 William III., 8, n, 2B6 ,, Horses belonging to, 8.9 ,, Famous racers and race-horses in the reign of, 9, 10 William IV., 128-152 ,, Promment racers and race-horses in the reign of, 132-36 Williams, Mr. Richard (about 1730), 44 Williams, General Owen, 138 Wilton, The accomplished (second) Earl of, 139 Windsor Forest, Races in, ix Wisdom, The unique sire (dropped down dead May 27, 1893, at Mr. Hoole's, Bickerton, aged 20 years), 198 Witty, Mr. George (1720-30), 44 WoLMER, Viscount, 61 Wood, Mr. Charles, the ' millionaire ' jockey, 185, 240 Woodcock, Mr. John, his ride against time, 54, 304, 305 [285 Woodcock, Charles II. 's horse, 5, Wyvill, Sir Marmaduke (about 1740- 50)- 44 X Xenophon, Lord Rossmore's famous horse (half-brother to Solon), 8 Y Yattendon, The famous Australian sire, 148, 192 Yearlings, The racing of, 75, 76, 78 Yellow Mare, The, 99 Turk, Lord D'Arcy's, 10 York, Fredeiick, Duke of, 57, 75, 78, 79, 116 ,, George, Duke of, ix ,, James, Duke of (James II.), 7 ,, Establishment of the Great Subscriptions at, 45 Yorkshire Jenny, The famous mare, 197 Z Zanoni, the so-called 'Running Rein,' 180 ZiNGANEE, The famous horse, 115, 129 ZuYDER Zee (half-brother to the Flying Dutchman), Price paid for, 193 BILLING AND .SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD. /. D. &' Co. Webster F.- Cummir;- :rinan/ Medicine ^ ir/ Medicine at ^..., ... „...., ";oad North Grafton, MA 01536 "'>H--'J:?;';.'f,;';-.-;'itvSli>:i' .■■;■'' J^':': .'