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- Herausgeber: Merlin Unwin Books
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
Foreword by Henrietta Knight. From King Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth II, via the introduction of the Classics, a duel at Ascot, the first steeplechase, a Derby Day fraud, a huge Cambridgeshire gamble, the desolation of Fred Archer, a thousand-mile walk around Newmarket Heath, the greatness of Ormonde and Sceptre, Man o' War's record-breaking runs, National Velvet and Emily Davison, to the brilliance of Lester Piggott, Tony McCoy and Frankel, Peter May has selected over one hundred days that encapsulate five hundred years of the Sport of Kings. His short, informative, easy-to-read essays bring to life racing's milestone events that set the nation on a different path, such as the 1913 Derby, and the sacrifices horseracing made to support the British military campaigns overseas. A host of anecdotes tell of the exploits of the racing fraternity and cast light on the psyche of those who were prepared to take on bets which, at today's rates, would stretch into millions. Sure to rekindle fond, and maybe distant, memories of the races and horses that once dominated the sporting section of the daily newspapers.
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Contents
Weights, Distances, Currency
Weights, Distances, Currency
Many measurements given in this book are presented in imperial format. The following list possibly will make conversion to decimal easier, should that be necessary.
Weights
One imperial ton comprises twenty hundredweights (cwt)
One hundredweight is equivalent to eight stone (st)
One stone is fourteen pounds (lbs)
One pound weighs the same as 0.45 kilograms
Distances
There are eight furlongs to the mile
Each furlong is 220 yards in distance, making one mile 1760 yards
There are ten chains to the furlong, therefore 22 yards to a chain
One yard is equivalent to 0.91 metres
One yard is also three feet or thirty-six inches
A hand is four inches
One inch is the same as 2.54 centimetres
Currency
Pre-1971 there were twenty shillings (s) to a pound (£sterling)
One shilling was equal to twelve pence (d), making 240d equal to £1
A guinea was equivalent to twenty-one shillings, effectively £1.05 in decimal currency
Note: Figures in square brackets in the text throughout this book represent equivalent monetary values in 2020
Foreword by Henrietta Knight
Racehorse Trainer
This is a fascinating book which chronologically traces the history of horseracing by way of highly informative sections relating to a variety of different aspects of the sport. From the first horserace ever run under rules in 1519 to the more familiar races and racehorses of the modern era, Peter May gives the reader in-depth information laced with facts and figures.
Flat racing was where horseracing began and many famous races were run in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries but owners were not able to select their colours until 1762. In 1828 there was a dead heat for the Derby but the first recognized steeplechase did not take place until 1830 and thoroughbred racehorses were not given their January 1st birthdays until 1858. In Australia, the initial Melbourne Cup was run in 1861 but the first Sunday race meeting in Great Britain was not until 1992.
In addition to historical facts, Peter has selected horses and jockeys whose racing lives have significantly contributed to the sport. From Fred Archer, the brilliant champion jockey of the 19th century who tragically took his own life at the age of 29, to the successful careers of horses like Arkle, Best Mate, Desert Orchid, Enable, Galileo and Nijinsky, we are reminded of great names in racing’s history.
A Day at the Races is a must for any horseracing enthusiast and should, without doubt, take its place on the bookshelves in the homes of all true students who will have their knowledge enriched by opening its pages. Peter May’s enthusiasm is infectious. His research is phenomenal.
Preface
Horseracing has a fascinating history. In the beginning, it featured perhaps just a couple of faster than average colts ploughing their way across a mud-filled, open field; probably just a matter of a minor local rivalry and a small wager on the side.
Today, this global enterprise is very far removed from such a humble birth. It is lucrative and high-tech. It is fiercely competitive and has become the lifeblood of millions of avid followers, on the course, on television, on tablets, and on stream worldwide. The following chapters focus on a selection of critical days that served to shape the destiny of this sport of kings, as we now know it, at the start of the third millennium.
Since c.1500 (the starting line for this journey of discovery), not all the special days celebrated here are associated with landmark episodes that transformed the industry itself. Many are preserved to shine a light on extraordinary human and equine achievements that keep so many racing fans coming back for more.
Others mark key events in the evolution of the sport such as the introduction of the latest technology, the vagaries of dress codes, new races, and the countless tweaks to basic racing rules, which have all had an impact. References to the gambles won and lost are a reminder of horseracing’s close association with, to some observers, the less desirable facet of the game. In an attempt to paint an even broader picture, these staging posts in racing’s past are presented alongside other highly significant contemporaneous historical events in order to provide additional social context.
I have no doubt that some readers will not entirely agree with the list of horses, people, and races I have decided to include and will be surprised by some of the omissions. But a line has to be drawn somewhere and as much as I would have liked to include essays on Highflyer, Persimmon, Sadler’s Wells, Danehill, Dancing Brave, Badsworth Boy, Remittance Man, Sprinter Sacre, Martin Pipe, Sir Henry Cecil, Aidan O’Brien, Fred Winter, and Henrietta Knight, unfortunately space prevented it. What is left is, hopefully, both entertaining and informative.
Peter May January 2022
Timeline of Events
Early Years 1500-1799
Though races did take place in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it was not until the emergence of a more rigorous structure, characterised by regular meetings, that interest in horseracing in Great Britain began to grow – and it did, rapidly. By the early years of the eighteenth century, racecourses were appearing all over the country and the sport had become so popular that legislation had to be passed to limit its expansion. Ascot racecourse was founded, suspended due to this new act of parliament, then reopened some years later.
As racing evolved, greater regulation was introduced to help manage the ever-expanding sport: by the end of the period, jockeys were required to wear the colours associated with their runners’ owners, and James Weatherby, under the watchful eye of the Jockey Club, took over the publication of the racing calendar and introduced the stud book. Three Classics were added to the racing programme, and towards the end of the 1700s greater importance was attached to the Ascot June meeting. This era also saw one of the turf’s most influential horses dominate races, a hugely successful jockey die in poverty, and more than one duel on Ascot Heath.12
The First Horserace Run Under Rules20 March 1519
Of course, the exact point in history when humans decided that riding horses was better than walking cannot be identified with total certainty. What can be asserted is that this newly found relationship bred in man an impulse to move at speed and a simultaneous urge to go faster than others. The competitive instinct to race was born.
The earliest registered accounts of horses competing against each other were during the reign of Henry II. With the exception of festival days, each Friday at Smithfield market, then named Smoothfield due to the smooth, level ground, horses were auctioned and also raced two or three at a time on occasion. These events attracted large crowds of London residents including earls, barons and knights, who no doubt made wagers on their fancies. One contemporary writer described the action thus: ‘the grand point is, to prevent a competitor from getting before them. The horses tremble, are impatient and are continually in motion; and, at last, the signal once given, they strike, devour the course, hurrying along with unremitting velocity. The jockies… clap spurs to the willing horses, brandish their whips, and cheer them with their cries.’ While these contests could be considered a very basic type of racing, there were no rules, no apparent regulation, and no recording of results.
Identifying the earliest race run under some form of rules, and accompanying regulations, is not something about which anyone can be definite. The most likely candidate, though, is the Kiplingcotes Derby. Documentary evidence exists that puts the inaugural running of this race in the year 1519, a time when Henry VIII was writing music, playing tennis, hunting, jousting, and having the occasional disagreement with his neighbours across the Channel.
The Founders of the contest, a body of Foxhunters, calculated that in order to attract public attention and put the race on a sound footing, a certain amount of regulation was required. They stipulated that:
A horse race to be observed and ridd yearly, on the third Thursday in March; open to horses of all ages, to carry horseman’s weight, 10 stones, exclusive of the saddle, to enter at ye post, before eleven o’clock on the morning of ye race. The race to be run before two.
The designated course was four miles in length and traversed tracks, lanes, and fields. The site, near modern-day Market Weighton, was chosen 13because that particular part of Yorkshire most closely resembled the Downs of the southern counties. In accordance with the initial pronouncement the race had to be run every year, so even if conditions meant an event was unable to take place, a single horse was walked along the route. This is similar to walkovers in races under Jockey Club rules where the only declared runner is required to walk, or canter, past the Judge’s box in order to be awarded the win.
By quirk of the rules, the runner-up in the Kiplingcotes Derby normally receives more money than the winner. Whilst a fixed amount is allocated to the race winner, the runner-up receives a proportion of each entry fee that can often exceed the winner’s reward.
The Kiplingcotes Derby is still run every year, attracting spectators from around the world. The 2019 race marked its 500th anniversary and was won by Tracey Corrigan on her horse named Frog.
The Newmarket Plate8 October 1665
Customs and traditions have played a role in shaping British culture for many hundreds of years. From cheese and tar-barrel rolling to Morris dancing, every part of the nation has its own traditions. Each Shrove Tuesday at Chester it was customary for a company of saddlers to present the Drapers with a wooden bell embellished with flowers. The ceremony, in which the bell was placed on the point of a lance, was attended by the Mayor and took place on the Roodee. In 1539 the wooden bell was replaced by one made of silver, valued at 3s 4d. The Mayor of Chester, Henry Gee, offered the newly named St George’s Bell as a prize ‘to be given to him who shall run the best and fastest on horseback’. The first race was run in February 1539. Supposedly, it was from the Mayor’s surname that the phrase “gee-gees” was coined.
Running horses against each other for a prize gained interest amongst ‘the noblemen and gentlemen, and the more opulent class of yeoman’ during the reign of King James I, the monarch responsible for importing the Markham Arabian to England and building Palace House Stables in Newmarket. Initially, horseraces were simple affairs. There was no weighing of riders, who were either the owners or grooms; no racetrack, just a defined stretch of land over which to race; and few, if any, rules. However, towards the end of the first Stuart King of England’s time in power, a more structured form of racing had been introduced, with rules governing the contests rigidly enforced. 14
During the reign of King Charles I, races continued to be held throughout the country with Hyde Park and Newmarket often used as racing venues. The English Civil War brought a halt to this ever-growing pastime, and horseracing was banned by Cromwell for periods in 1654 and 1658. Civil and military authorities were instructed to seize all racehorses and arrest any spectators who ignored these proclamations. With the Restoration, though, came King Charles II and the sport once again began to flourish with no little assistance from the monarch.
While the Great Plague ravaged the population of London, King Charles II, a keen equestrian, turned his attention to horseracing. At his insistence, bells were no longer offered as trophies and were replaced by more elaborate cups and plates often modelled on historical events. An sculpture of Boadicea standing in a chariot drawn by two horses, her injured daughter by her side, accompanied by a guard with sword, and a Roman standard bearer being trampled under hooves, formed the concept of the first Stewards’ Cup. The original Goodwood Cup was a depiction of King Charles II, on horseback, presenting a cup to the winning jockey who is accompanied by a racehorse. Perhaps, even more significantly, the monarch declared that a horserace should be run at Newmarket ‘on the second Thursday of October for ever’. The Newmarket Town Plate was thus inaugurated and has been run every year since.
A long list of rules accompanied the declaration of the race. These covered aspects of the contest such as which side of the flags to pass; the weight each horse had to carry (12st); entry fees; the time of the parade; and a regulation relating to who was, and more importantly, was not, allowed to ride. It would be natural to expect that such a rule would refer to riding ability, but not in this case. The focus was on employment status. The rule made it abundantly clear that the race organisers thought the holders of some jobs were not worthy to compete. It simply stated: ‘No man is admitted to ride for the plate or prize that is either serving-man or groom.’ A clear divide between the classes had been established and would be maintained in racing for many years.
King Charles II was not only a keen horseman but a very accomplished rider, and in the first few years of the Plate he won the race at least twice; possibly three times depending on which source of results is believed. Apart from the unique prize of a box of Newmarket sausages, the race also broke with convention by allowing women jockeys. Indeed, until 1972 it was the only race in Great Britain run under Jockey Club rules that allowed female riders. 15
First Race Meeting at Ascot11 August 1711
With the death of William of Orange, Anne, the second daughter of James II became Queen of England in 1702. It was not an easy time for a new monarch to assume control. The military was engaged in a seemingly unending series of wars with France; the judiciary remained heavily influenced by the Church to the extent that trials for witchcraft were still routinely held; and parliament had descended into turmoil with the Whigs and Tories fighting to gain the upper hand. To alert an uninformed public to the difficulties the country was experiencing, the first daily newspaper was launched. The single-page Daily Courant was published by Elizabeth Mallet on Wednesday 11th March 1702. Fortunately, it was not quite all doom and gloom for the nation, and the paper was able to report many successes and advancements. Despite the conflict with France and the political chaos, in a number of ways, the country was flourishing especially with regard to agriculture, literature, and the sciences.
Queen Anne and her Consort, Prince George of Denmark, were patrons of Newmarket so it was no surprise that the sport of horseracing found favour. In 1711 the Queen purchased the Common at Ascot for a sum of £558 [£107,000] from William Lowen and, declaring it to be an ideal place for ‘horses to gallop at full stretch’, gave instructions for a course to be prepared.
Many men representing various trades were tasked with constructing the new racecourse and were rewarded well for their efforts considering the average rate of pay for skilled tradesmen was less than two shillings per day. As Cawthorne and Herod note in their history of the course, the carpenter, William Erlybrown, received the sum of £15 2s 8d [£2,900] for ‘making and fixing the posts and other work’. Benjamin Cuthbert was paid £2 15s [£550] for painting those same posts; and a further £1 1s 6d [£200] was awarded to John Grape for ‘engrossing the Articles for Her Majesty’s Plate’, enough to buy a stone of wool if he so desired.
The 12th July edition of the London Gazette included an announcement to the effect that ‘Her Majesty’s Plate of 100gns [£21,000] will be run on Ascot Common near Windsor on Tuesday 7th August.’ The race was to be staged over three heats and was open to horses up to the age of six years, all of which had to carry 12st. Another race worth 50gns was subsequently declared for 6th August. However, due to the length of time it took to prepare the course, both races had to be postponed until the following week and it was not until Saturday 11th August 1711 that Queen Anne ‘in a brilliant suite drove over from Windsor Castle’ to enjoy the sport. 16
The following month Queen Anne was back at Ascot for a two-day meeting. These events were conducted at a leisurely pace with only one race scheduled for each day. The conditions attached to the races were very much the same as for some weight-for-age contests of today: entry was restricted to horses of a particular age that had not previously won a race to the value of £20.
For this second Ascot meeting the Queen was accompanied by the ‘reigning beauty of the period’ Miss Forester, a Maid of Honour. It was reported that Miss Forester was ‘dressed like a man’ with a ‘long white riding coat, a full-flapped waistcoat, and a small cocked hat, three cornered, bound with broad gold lace, the point placed full in front over a white powdered long flowing periwig.’ Ascot had not only taken the first tentative steps on the way to becoming one of the most prestigious racecourses in the country, but had already been noted for its patrons’ fashionable attire.
Minimum Prize-Money Introduced24 June 1740
In the early part of the eighteenth century, racing was evolving rapidly. The arrival of the Byerley Turk, the Darley Arabian, and the Godolphin Arabian who, apparently, was high on the withers, deformed by a hollow back and stood fifteen hands, established the foundations of the English Thoroughbred.
According to the racing analyst Admiral Rous, the first Arabian-Anglo crosses averaged fourteen hands two inches in height and had increased to fifteen hands by 1800. Rous calculated that their height was increasing year on year and by 1870 was fifteen hands two-and-a-half inches. Soon after the arrival of these stallions, bloodstock sales were taking place on a regular basis in London. One of the very first was staged at Hyde Park Corner by Richard Tattersall – a name associated with the sport ever since.
By 1740 horseracing was gaining in popularity with every sector of the population while other pastimes faded from the public gaze. Bear- and bull-baiting were such pursuits in which interest was lost. As one writer of the age noted ‘The decline of demoralising pastimes and pursuits, must invariably be taken in proof of mental and social improvement.’ However there was also a downside to this rapid expansion of horseracing. Minor unregulated meetings were springing up all over the country, which ‘did nothing towards the advancement of the Turf’ and, to some minds, cast discredit on the sport due to the high degree of lawlessness. Such unsavoury conduct was not restricted to the minor tracks though. The race for the Gold Cup at York in 1719 resulted in 17the disqualification of the winner ‘for foul riding’, a fight between the jockeys, a dispute of ‘no very amiable character’ between the runners’ owners, and a court case, the outcome of which was a re-run of the contest.
Despite the evidence that all race meetings were subject to disagreements and occasional violent behaviour, the spotlight fell unfairly on the smaller meetings. The Duke of Bolton and his contemporaries outlined a bill with the specific intention of putting ‘an end to the objectionable race meetings’ by which they meant the minor meetings. This bill became an Act and, as summarised by James Whyte in The History of the British Turf (Vol. 1), stipulated:
Be it enacted by the authority aforesaid that from and after June 24th 1740, no person or persons whatsoever shall start or run in any match with or between any horse, mare, or gelding, for any sum of money, plate, or prize, or anything whatsoever, unless such match shall be started or run at Newmarket Heath, in the counties of Cambridge or Suffolk, or Black Hambleton, in the county of York, or the said sum of money, plate, or prize, or other thing be of the real intrinsic value of £50 or upwards.
Furthermore, the Act specified that runners could only be entered by their bona fide owners, and an owner could not enter more than one horse for a race. The penalty for illegally running a horse was not suspension for a short period of time, or even a cash fine, it was far more extreme. Any owner found to have breached these rules would have to forfeit the animal.
Parliament was keen to use horseracing as a way to ‘improve and strengthen the breed’ for military engagements where horses needed to be able to carry heavy weights over long distances. In an attempt to satisfy this objective the Act dictated the weights horses should carry: 10st for five-year-olds, 11st for six-year-olds and 12st for older runners. It was hoped that this stipulation would encourage breeders to focus on stronger more robust horses that would be better suited to the demands of the cavalry and provide an advantage in any future combat situation. The seriousness with which the Administration believed in this ill-considered plan was evident from the penalties imposed for failure to meet this new law. Weight-related infringements were exceptionally harshly penalised: forfeiture of the horse and a £200 [£40,000] fine. The early eighteenth century was not a good time to “weigh-in light”.
Remarkably, Ascot racecourse became one of the casualties of the minimum prize regulation. Considering the Berkshire track’s prominence in the hierarchy of modern day racecourses, it seems incredible that it could 18not satisfy the new financial conditions required of the Act. In 1740 the venue was poorly funded, despite being well supported by racegoers and, as a result, no further meetings were held at the course until 1744.
Owners Select Their ColoursMid October 1762
Although in England the use of coloured silks by jockeys can be traced back to the early 1500s, the writings of the Roman poet Juvenal referred to chariot races in which distinguishing jackets coloured green and red were worn in Rome as early as the second century.
It was not until 1762 that colours were formally regularised and made compulsory in England. Before this date jockeys were allowed to wear any racing attire they chose. Most opted for a particular style that comprised of a black velvet cap with French peak, a white cambric cravat, long body coat, knee breeches, white cotton stockings, and black leather shoes. As well as being far from aerodynamic, the similarity of the clothing caused a great deal of confusion at the start and finish of races. Consequently the Jockey Club, which had been formed a few years earlier in 1750, took action and required jockeys to wear the owner’s designated colours ‘for the better convenience of distinguishing each horse during a race, and to avoid disputes that may arise from non-recognition of colours’. Owners chose sets of colours and, as of the second meeting in October, it was required of them to ensure their jockeys wore suitably coloured clothing. The colours registered for the Duke of Devonshire at the time were described simply as “straw”, and they still are today some 250 years later.
Eclipse by a Distance1 April 1764
Eclipse was so named because he was foaled during the solar eclipse on 1st April 1764 at the Cranbourne Lodge Stud owned by the Duke of Cumberland. As a yearling, Eclipse was of dubious temperament. In appearance he was on the large side, not particularly attractive, with a white blaze and one white sock on his off-hind. His owner-breeder, the youngest son of King George II, never fully recovered from a wound sustained at the Battle of Dettingen during the War of Austrian Succession and did not live to see Eclipse, a son of Marske, grow into the powerful horse that dominated racing for two seasons. At the dispersal sale of the Duke’s bloodstock, after his death in 1765, Eclipse was purchased by William Wildman for around 80gns [£16,000]. 19
Horses tended to start their racing careers later in life in the 1700s, so Eclipse was given time to grow fully into his frame before he started racing. Although he improved physically, his temperament did not, so Wildman sent him to a “nagsman” at Epsom to be broken. There he was ‘ridden all day and occasionally all night’ but, to the bewilderment of his riders, this did not appear to tire the animal. He just seemed able to keep running.
This approach to “training” may seem extreme, even verging on cruel, by modern standards. Similarly, running horses over distances of four miles three times in a single day may also be deemed excessive nowadays. The harshness of these methods was not intentional, there was no desire to effect some type of punishment on the animals. Horseracing was still in its infancy and a great deal of knowledge was yet to be gained regarding training, preparation and racing. In fact, horses had always been highly prized in Britain and, as a result, were well treated by their owners. As far back as the Anglo-Saxon era horses were revered, and in the hierarchy of animals were ranked second only to humans. Evidence for this exists in a document dated 1,000 A.D. in which the level of financial compensation for loss of various animals was delineated. Quoting this document, Admiral Rous explains in Racing Past and Future:
If a horse was destroyed or negligently lost, the compensation demanded was thirty shillings; for a mare or colt, twenty shillings… a cow, twenty-four pence; a pig, eight pence; and a man, an Anglo-Saxon pound, forty-eight shillings.
The punishment for anyone convicted of deliberately injuring or killing racehorses was severe in the extreme. By way of an example, in 1811 Daniel Dawson was convicted of poisoning several horses ‘by means of a crooked-syringe’. His penalty was execution by hanging.
Fortunately for all those involved, Eclipse survived his initial training and by the age of five had become a particularly impressive-looking horse, the ‘object of universal comment’. According to one chronicler, ‘His shoulders had great size, lowness, and obliquity; his fore-quarters were short, his quarters ample and finely proportioned, the muscles of his fore-arm and thigh greatly developed.’ Wildman finally considered Eclipse ready to race and after some notable pre-dawn trials he finally made his racecourse debut at Epsom on 3rd May 1769. Word of his impressive performances in the trials had undoubtedly reached the ears of the betting public because he started as the 1/4 favourite. He won the first heat he contested easily, and as the myth 20goes, the trackside observer Dennis O’Kelly forecast the result of the second heat as “Eclipse first, the rest nowhere”. In other words Eclipse to win by a distance (240 yards).
In the mid-1700s, it was not uncommon for racing at Epsom to start at 11am. After one or two heats, the racegoers returned to the town for a leisurely lunch before making their way back to the track for the next round of racing in the afternoon. This midday break also gave the horses a chance to recover from their morning’s exertions. The rules of the time allowed for a certain amount of recuperative remedial treatment on the part of the trainer. Horses were rubbed down and any wounds treated, generally with solutions and poultices that contained alcohol. In fact, a great many recipes for healing and feeding thoroughbreds consisted of alcohol to a greater or lesser degree. To quote the advice proffered by Thomas Fairfax:
If [the horse] is parched, he is to have a julep, made of gin, two quarts of barley water, and two ounces of syrup of lemons.
For eye infections, one recommendation was to use the ‘gall of a pike or partridge, or the juice of celandine’ mixed with gum tragacanth. Although this may sound more like an excerpt from a Shakespearean play, celandine is still sold as a treatment for warts and other skin ailments, and gum tragacanth is often incorporated into pharmaceutical products. Anglers will be relieved to know that the gall of a pike is no longer used as a cure for infections.
An alternative way of treating an infection of the eye was to create a funnel from a sheet of paper then ‘set fire to the wide end and as it burns, a small quantity of oil will descend to the narrow part’ which could be applied to the eye using a feather once it had been ‘diluted with spittle’. Naturally alcohol also had a role to play with this treatment. After half an hour, it was suggested that the eye should be washed with water mixed with brandy. Based on the widespread use of the alcohol-based remedies that were so popular at the time, it is a wonder that any horse ran in a sober state.
O’Kelly’s audacious claim regarding Eclipse’s dominance would have remained uppermost in the thoughts of all those who had witnessed the morning contest, and would have been discussed at length on the journey back to the track. Due to the ease of his initial success, Eclipse did not require any form of “alcoholic healing” nor did the morning’s exertions appear to have taxed his stamina to any great extent. The next race was over four miles, and for the first three miles he matched strides with his rivals, giving onlookers the impression that the race may unfold into a hard-fought 21finish. But in the final mile Eclipse powered away, and as he approached the winning post it was clear O’Kelly’s prediction had been realised. No one was left unimpressed by the display, not least the Irishman who immediately purchased a half share for 650gns [£125,000]. It was an excellent investment, and much to O’Kelly’s delight Eclipse raced a further eight times (including walkovers) in 1769, winning all eight contests. The following year O’Kelly purchased him outright.
Dennis O’Kelly was not a typical eighteenth century racehorse owner in that he was not a member of the aristocracy. In his early days, O’Kelly spent a short period of his life in the Fleet Prison where he had been confined for issues relating to debt. This jail-time had heightened his awareness of the many corrupt practices that were so successful in parting so many wealthy men from their money, especially those with an interest in gambling. After his release his luck turned and through various borderline-legal activities and shrewd investments, many of which were betting-related (no doubt a product of his newly acquired knowledge), he began to accumulate a substantial fortune which allowed him to expand his horseracing interests.
At that time in England the class system still reigned supreme. Even though O’Kelly owned one of the best racehorses ever to run, as well as a training estate near Epsom, many doors were still closed to him. The one he dearly wanted to open was that of the Jockey Club. O’Kelly was repeatedly refused admittance to the select institution, a decision that also deprived him from racing his horses in the more valuable Newmarket Stakes contests. He protested against this clear injustice any way he could, but to no avail.
Although the actions he took ultimately failed to achieve his objective of shaming the Jockey Club into granting his admission, they must have given him a degree of personal satisfaction. One such attempt at fighting back was to employ a stable jockey. This was nothing new, and many jockeys today are tied to particular owners, but O’Kelly’s offer had a twist.
He approached a jockey and outlined the basic terms: for an annual stipend he could only ride for O’Kelly in races in which O’Kelly had runners. The jockey agreed to this, but then the owner offered to double the fee if the jockey further agreed never to ride for ‘any of the black legged fraternity’. The jockey was confused and asked for clarification. O’Kelly replied ‘[what] I mean by the black legged fraternity [is] the Duke of Grafton, the Duke of Dorset... ’ and continued naming all the current members of the Jockey Club. He then added ‘and all the set of thaves that belong to the humbug societies, and bug a boo clubs, where they can meet and rob one another without fear 22of detection.’ Though taken aback by this rant, given the amount of money involved the jockey had no hesitation in accepting the offer.
A second year of racing brought more success for O’Kelly and Eclipse. Nine wins from nine races in 1770 took Eclipse’s tally to seventeen straight victories. His undoubted dominance was, ultimately, to end his career. Eclipse was so superior to all other runners it was becoming difficult to find opponents to take him on. Five of his races in 1770 were walkovers including his final engagement that had promised to be an intriguing contest. In early October, Eclipse was declared for the King’s Plate at Newmarket where he would face the unbeaten Goldfinder, winner of the second running of The Jockey Club Cup. Goldfinder ‘possessed extraordinary speed and power’ and many racing enthusiasts thought that he would be a match for Eclipse. Unfortunately, racegoers did not get the chance to see these two great horses compete against each other. On the morning of the race, Goldfinder broke down while exercising. He never raced again, and nor did Eclipse.
With the likelihood of few, if any, challengers in 1771, O’Kelly had no choice but to retire Eclipse to stud, although his racing career was over Eclipse’s impact on British racing continued. He soon became one of the leading sires of the age producing over 160 winning horses, including four Derby winners, which between them won over 850 races according to Baily’s Sports and Pastimes. Admiral Rous asserted that Eclispe was ‘unequalled in those days as a racehorse, and equally celebrated as the sire of remarkable horses’, adding that ‘every good racehorse of the present day [1870] can boast of Eclipse blood’.
O’Kelly was never granted membership of the Jockey Club, but continued to accumulate money through shrewd investments and his partnership with Charlotte Hayes, an acquaintance from his time in the Fleet Prison, until his death in 1787.
Jockey Club Appoints James WeatherbySometime in 1770
While Captain James Cook was trying to get sand from the newly discovered Botany Bay out of his shoes, Jockey Club members were persuading a solicitor to transfer his practice from Newcastle to Newmarket. After much discussion he finally agreed, and in 1770 James Weatherby became ‘Keeper of the Match Book’ and Secretary to the Jockey Club.
As racing’s popularity rose, so did the amount of work required to both organise and regulate it, tasks which fell on the Jockey Club’s secretariat. 23Along with James, his elder brother John was recruited to a management role. Together the brothers formed a new enterprise from their base in Old Burlington Street, London. Within a few years the pair had made significant improvements to the way racing was administered. In 1773 James Weatherby incorporated the publication of the Racing Calendar, first published by John Cheny in 1727, into their portfolio of racing-related work. Eighteen years later Weatherbys published the first Stud Book now known as the General Stud Book. Weatherbys have been responsible for the maintenance of all records relating to thoroughbreds in Great Britain and Ireland ever since, with the General Stud Book updated every four years.
The First St Leger Stakes24 September 1776
The late 1770s was a difficult time for the ruling classes of Great Britain, especially for those with an interest in the New World. Control was slipping from Britain’s grasp, and by July 1776 the Thirteen Colonies, which constituted British North America, had declared independence from Great Britain. Whilst this had a serious impact on wealthy speculators who had considered America as a way to make easy money, those who had adopted a more cautious approach and kept their money in the homeland were breathing a sigh of relief. Anthony St Leger was one such person. Born in Ireland in 1731 and educated at Eton and Cambridge, St Leger settled in Yorkshire in 1763 where, after a short spell in the House of Commons, his focus shifted to horseracing.
Yorkshire was a hotbed for racing and, as expressed by one writer, ‘there are no people so strongly imbued with a love of the “sport of kings” as the natives of the wide county of York.’ Racing had taken place at Doncaster since the end of the sixteenth century. Maps of the area dated 1595 show the location of two courses. These meetings had always been well attended, and while the overwhelming majority of racegoers were reasonably well behaved, the lethal combination of swords and wine did cause a certain amount of unruly conduct. The Mayor and Aldermen both complained of ‘quarrels, murders and bloodsheds’ during the races. Keen to see racing continue for economic reasons, the Corporation of Doncaster was required to act and ensure good order at future meetings. Therefore, in 1614 they paid Anthony Hog the sum of 1s 6d [£20] for ‘makinge the waye at the horse-race.’ Over the coming years, with a more diligent approach to organisation, the popularity of racing in Yorkshire continued to expand. This encouraged 24greater investment in horseracing and, not wanting to miss out, in the early 1770s Anthony St Leger augmented his involvement in the burgeoning sport by building a racecourse on the Park Hill estate near to his stud.
Together with Charles Watson-Wentworth (2nd Marquess of Rockingham), a former First Lord and leading critic of Prime Minister Lord North’s handling of the American affairs, St Leger devised a new race for three-year-old horses to be run in the Doncaster region over a distance of two miles. The first running was at Cantley Common on 24th September 1776 and the winner was Allabaculla owned by none other than Charles Watson-Wentworth. To mark the transfer of the race to Town Moor in 1778 it was given a new title. Originally the race was to be known as the Rockingham Stakes, however the Marquess insisted that it should be named in honour of its other Founder, Anthony St Leger.
First Running of the Oaks Stakes14 May 1779
The discovery by Henry Wicker of a mineral spring between Ashstead and Epsom may not have benefitted his cattle herd that were grazing in its vicinity during a hot, dry summer, but in a short space of time it transformed the village of Epsom into a fashionable health resort. Londoners descended in their thousands to partake of the ‘extremely disagreeable saline matter’ named “Epsom Salts” in the hope of improving their health. Even the noted diarist Samuel Pepys was attracted by the promise of the spring’s healing properties and on one occasion ‘did drink four pints’.
As the fashions changed during the era, spas at Bath and Cheltenham were suddenly more in vogue, and the once flourishing town of Epsom began to decline. Fortunately for local businesses, the region had other key attractions that played host to the more appealing vices. Epsom was located close to one of the best racetracks in the country that had staged races in the spring and summer since the reign of King James I, another life-long devotee of racing. And for those who preferred drinking to betting, or drinking and betting, a number of alehouses were to be found the area.
In the eighteenth century, alehouses were increasing in popularity throughout the country. Many were simply residential properties that sold home-brewed ale, though towards the end of the 1700s custom built premises were appearing in the larger towns. One such alehouse was to be found on Banstead Downs, a short distance from Epsom racecourse. Located in what amounted to a ‘plantation of oaks’, “The Oaks” alehouse served the residents 25of Surrey with ‘homebrewed [ale] of the most bucolic kind’, and rapidly acquired a thriving trade.
General John Burgoyne, sometime politician, playwright and soldier (celebrated for his efforts in the American Revolutionary War), took a liking to The Oaks, most probably due to its location, and purchased it. Over the coming years Burgoyne ‘added to the extent and elegance of the building, and fitted the place up for a hunting lodge’. Never a man to refuse a good deal, Burgoyne leased the property, along with the land, to his nephew Lord Derby (Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby), who also enlarged the house and enclosed a large portion of the adjoining fields. The circumference of the extended property now stretched to approximately two miles.
At a dinner party at The Oaks, Lord Derby and Sir Charles Bunbury, whilst discussing the success of the St Leger, decided to instigate a race for three-year-old fillies over a shorter distance of one-and-a-half miles. The first running of this race, the Oaks Stakes, was in 1779. It attracted a field of twelve runners and was won by the 5/2 favourite, Bridget, owned by Lord Derby.
The following year Lord Derby and Bunbury introduced a similar race open to colts and fillies, this time over a mile though it was extended to twelve furlongs in 1874. Whereas Lord Derby named the Oaks Stakes after his property, this new race was given the name of his earldom. Whether it is true or not, the enduring myth surrounding the naming of the race declares that it was decided on the flip of a coin; had Bunbury won the toss then the race would have been named in his honour. Though he missed out on the naming, Bunbury gained a certain amount of satisfaction when his runner, Diomed, won the inaugural running of the race in 1780.
Three years later in 1783 the Oaks Stakes was won by Lord Grosvenor’s Maid Of The Oaks named after one of General Burgoyne’s more successful plays which he had written for the forthcoming marriage of Lord Derby and Lady Elizabeth Hamilton in 1774.
A Duel at Ascot18 June 1784
As the popularity of Ascot races grew, so did the diversity of other entertainment that was on offer. Around a dozen marquees were to be found at each meeting, all devoted to gaming in one form or another. Everyone was welcome, and racegoers were encouraged to ‘try their fortune with copper, silver or gold’. Naturally the gaming tables within these “betting booths” 26were heavily biased in favour of the proprietors who had paid a levy of as much as 12gns [£1,800] per table to be allowed to operate. As well as casino-style games, there were many other forms of entertainment such as cock-fighting, wrestling, and prize-fighting, all of which attracted significant sums on money in the form of wagers. On occasions, the visitors to the track provided their own entertainment. Such was the case on 18th June 1784 when a duel was fought between two racegoers.
Mr Richard England met William Peter Lee Rowlls, a man of considerable fortune and ‘of character unimpeached, except by those of youth’ at Ascot races in 1780. Rowlls was ‘a little too fond of attending the races, plays, and those fashionable amusements to which young men are apt to devote their time’ and after a series of transactions had quickly lost a considerable sum of money to England. Despite an apparent agreement being made between the two parties in which Rowlls would pay half the sum plus interest, a deep resentment festered within England. At a subsequent meeting at Ascot England was heard to claim that Rowlls could not be trusted to pay his debts. An argument ensued during which it was alleged Rowlls called England a ‘rascal and a scoundrel’ and threatened to strike him. A challenge was then proffered and accepted.
Duelling was not uncommon in Britain at the end of the eighteenth century. In the Sporting Intelligence section of The Sporting Magazine of 1795 three cases of duels were reported for November alone. Often a toss of a coin determined who took the first shot, the winner clearly had an advantage but such was the poor accuracy of the weapons used, more times than not, the first couple of rounds missed their intended targets. Seconds would then intervene in the hope that “honour had been satisfied” but, if not, new pistols were presented and a second round of firing would take place or the combatants would part with the disagreement unreconciled as was the case in Dublin when Pierce Power faced Lieutenant Hare on 22nd November 1795.
England and Rowlls, accompanied by their Seconds and a surgeon, met near Cranford Bridge where a brace of pistols was first presented and then, minutes later, discharged without result: in customary fashion, Rowlls fired into the ground and England into the air. At this point the Seconds attempted to intervene but the duellists were not to be deterred and the bout continued. According to John Sandiford, an eye witness, at this point Lady D’Arterie was heard to cry out “Gentlemen, is not three times enough to try your courage, or do you want to murder one another?” The two duellists then 27broke from the bout and conversed for a period of time before returning to their firing positions. Rowlls fired and missed, England’s pistol misfired. With his next shot, England struck Rowlls in the right side of his groin, the lead shot penetrating his body to a depth of four inches. Rowlls fell to the ground, mortally wounded.
