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SOMETHING OF THE ST. LEGER. Interesting Incidents in Connection with the History of One of the English Classics. Whet nor the history of the St. Leger should commence in 177S or date back two years earlier is a matter which need not be argued. At the earlier dales the race was run as I swee] .stakes, and it was at a dinner after the first anniversary that Lord Kockiugham proposed the title of the race iu compliment to Colonel St. Legcr, who introduced it. To most of our readers it may be news that it has not always been run on Doucaster Town Moor. During the two years prior to its being named the contest took place an Caatley Common, but iu 177S it was decided to construct a course, "with commodious stands." on the moor, and the aldermen and corporation! were invited to join the nobility and gentry of the county in carrying out the scheme. The idea was quickly grasped and Doucaster has ever had reason to bless the day upon which the corporation came to its decision. The annual races have benefited the townsfolk to an enormous extent, and the relief from local taxation which results from each meeting is such that if ever anything happens to cause Lancaster to drop out of the fixture list the pinch of the shoe will be sorely felt. As the leading patron of the turf of the period, it was quite appropriate that Lord Kockinghani should have won the first St. Leger in 1770. This he did with a filly called Allabaculia, which beat four oppo-n« nts. tiie subscribers only numbering half a dozen, and Colonel St. Ix-ger was second with Trusty II. Lord Rockingham, who was the most influential huntsman of the period as well as the chief patron of horse racing, did not live long after the institution of the great race; in fact, he died in 1782. His loss to the turf was sincerely deplored, and great was the relief when it became known that the successor to the estates, Lord Fitzwilliam. would fill the breach. For nearly half a century his lordship continued his support, and it was a sore disappoint mint when in 1831 he withdrew his patronage. The cause of the severance was regrettable in the ixtreine. for it was on the advice of his close friends MM relations that his jockey. Harry Kdwards. hail not done his best to win on Aledora. Whether the suspicions were well founded matters not, but the general opinion of the critics of the period was that the jockey had ridden a very bad race. Two years later Lord Fitzwilliam passed away at the ripe age of eighty-live, and his name will ever be remembered in Doucaster and the district as the maker of the meetings which have proved go beneficial to the town. In 17N! Doacastec races, which occupied a week in September, Brat received royal patronage, for Lord Fitzwilliam entertained for the meeting the Prince of wales, afterwards George and the Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV., at Wentworth. Practically the whole of the county had been invited to the festivities, and the assemblage on the Town .Moor was such as had never been witnessed at a race meeting. To crown all, the St. Leger fell to Lord fitzwilliam. but the circumstances of the triumph were not altogether happy, as it was only through a disqualification that the Wentworth party won their money, lewet, to which the stakes were awarded, finished second to Lord A. Hamiltons colt by Laurel — Moorpont afterwards named Z.-mgai. which was disqualified on the grounds that his jockey, "bangle, had jostled Singieton. the rider of lewet. The same jockey had won on Allabaculia. Lord Fitzwilliam was twice afterwards successful, with Orville IMS and Iaulina lSOTj. The race lias been won more often than the Derby by "little men." a, id early in its history the lucky owner was Mr. Hutchinson, who had risen from the posHiSBj of a stable hoy. He scored with Young Traveller in 1T 1, in Which year he also owned another of the eight runners. Overton, one of whose sons. Cocktighter. was the hero in 1791. Mr. Hutchinson made a far greater hit in 17!»4 with Kening-biough. like Young Traveller, a son of King Fergus, which defeated seven opponents. The distance of the race in those days was two miles, but Brains; brough was pulled out again on the following afternoon for the Cold Cup four BtHes, which lie also won. lie was sold as a four-year-old for 5,600 to Sir Charles Turner, who, for a still higher figure, purchased from Mr. Hutchinson another son of King Fergus. This was Ilambletonian, which followed in the footsteps of his half-brother by winning the St. Leger and the Cup in 17M. The horse again changed hands the following year, when he was purchased by Sir H. T. Vane afterwards Vano-Te Sanest, lor whom he won the Doucaster Cup, a match for 1,000 guineas, and received forfeit In a match for ."i, K o guineas. He ran until he was eight years old and on his last appearance in public was tlie hero of a great match, in which he beat Mr. Cooksons Diamond for ;, MK guineas over the Pea son Course four miles, one furlong and 138 yards. Sir Herbert had sold Diamond to Mr. Cook- on. and the match, which took place on March Z5, JT.Kt in which year Sir II. T. Vane won the St. Iger with Cocktighter. excited enormous interest. The two owners had big side bets besides the original stakes, and odds of 8 to 5 were at tlie start laid on Hanibletonian. which won by "a short half neck" after a desperate struggle, in which it is paid both horses were cruelly spurred. Bening-lirough turned out a great stud success, and in his early years sired Orville winner of the St. Leger. 180and. which was la turn the sire of lriam sire of Crucifix and Plenipotentiary. Gully, the prize fighter, won the race in 1SM2 with .Margrave, and two years earlier Birmingham scored for Mr. Deardsworth. a Birmingham horse dealer, while trainers to whom the prise has fallen may be noted in Tom 1arr. with Saucebox 1865; John Scott1, with Imperieuse isr 7: the late William IAnson. witli Caller On IStil. and Blair Athol !Ki4l. while It. S. Sievier owned and trained Sceptre 1902. John Scott was a partner with his brother William, in whose name Sir Tattoo Sykes won in 1S4 !. and Charles Bhinton was part owner with the bookmaker. Charles Brewer, in Kobert the Devil, the hero of 1SNO. Apology, which won in 1X74. belonged to "Parson" King, who raced in the name of "Mr. La nude." and Mr. Graham, the owner of Formosa, was one of the heads of Nicholsons distillery. Only once has tin- race gone to Franco, iu 1985. when Gladhvtear added it to his Two Thousand and Derby triumphs, while Iroquois, in the colors of Mr. Lorillard, seared for America in 1881. The training honors rest with John Scott, who prepared no fewer than sixteen winners, and if space permitted a long and interesting history of hhl career might be written. The fact that he was known as "The Wizard of the North" has doubtless caused many to regard him as a Northoountryinaii, but. though lie spent the greater part of his life apd died in Yorkshire, he was a Southerner. He was bora in 17ii4 at Chippenham, in the Duke of Jieau forts famous hunting country, but at an early age removed to Oxford, where his father kept./ ran ami trained horses. At the age of thirteen "The Wizard" rode in races, and had his first winning mount on the Fort Meadows, where Oxford races WOT? held until 1880. He had been in several establishments before finally settling down at White-wall. Mai ton. the scene of his wonderful triumphs, mid where he died in 1871 at the age of seventy-setca. lb survived his younger brother, William, the celebrated jockey, twenty -one years. Whilst the training record stands with John f*eott, the riding honors rest with his brother, •Bill." who, before winning on The Colonel, Itow-ton. Don John. Charles XII.. Launcelot. Satirist and Sir Tatton Sykes. "The Wizard" had been successful on Jack Spigot 1 £!1 and Meninon lS2,"ii. thus searfac nine times. This, however, is only one better than the record of Jackson, who rode eight winners between 17.tl and 1822, and was fifty-four years old when he gained his last triumph. His winners were Young Traveller 1791. Beningbrough 17H4I Anibrosio 1798. Symmetry 1798, Stave-lev ilso.-.i. Altisldora 1S13, Filho da Futa 1815 mid Theodore 1822. Ted Archer did slightly better in the St. I/oger than the Derby, for whereas lie had live winning mounts for the Kpsoin event, he scored six times in the Doucaster race, viz.. on Silvio 1877, Jaunette 1878, Iroquois 1881, Dutch Oven 1882, Melton lKSTi and Ormonde 1KN ;. Strange to relate. Fordhani. tbaa whom there never wa.s a liner jockey, could not get his name on the whspJas scroll. He was second on Bdekstoae to The Marsjam, and on Paal Jones to Formosa both ridden by Tom Chalonerl. and 00 Martyrdom to Pero Gomes Welhi . He had ridden Formosa to victory in the line Thousand and Oaks, and also when she dead-bealed with Moslem for the Two Thousand. Though the Derby is only four years younger than the St. Leger. onlv twenty-one horses have secured the double event, and it was not until 1820 that the feat was first accomplished by Champion. Since tbea his exampl" has been followed by Surplice 1948 The Flying Dutchman 1S4!I. Voltigeur HUSO West Australian 1853. Blair Athol 1884, Qadlatenr 1985, Lord Lyon 1988. Silvio 1877, Iroquois 1881, Melton 1885, Ormonde Ism;,. Donovan 18tft. Common 1S!H. Isinglass lsi!t:D. Sir Visto 1995, l*i 1 ■ lamina 1898. Gal toe More 1987, Flving Fox 1899. Diamond Jubilee 1909 BBd Book Sand 1908. Of these West Australian. • Iladiateur. Lord Lyon. Ormonde. Common. Isinglass. Oaltee More. Flying Fox. Diamond Jubilee and Hock Sand also won the Two Thousand. The only filly to win the Two Thousand. One Thousand. Oaks and St. Iyoger outright was Sceptre, whilst those to triumph iu the Pahs and Doucaster race were Queen of Trumps 1835. Formosa 1889, Hannah 18711. Marie Stuart 1873, Apologv 1S74, Jaunette 1878, Seabreeze 1988, Memoir 1890, La Fleche ivti and Pretty Folly lsti4 . Of these Formosa, Haapah. Apology, La Fleche and Pretty folly also scored in the One Thousand. The colts whose classic victories comprise the Two Thousand and St. Leger were Sir Tatton Sykes 1940. Stock well 1852, The Marquis lKfl-i and Petrarch lx7«i. Inipori Mae and Achievement, beaten in the Oaks, won the One Thousand and St. Ieger. The St. Leger has not been free from suspicious surroundings, especially in the first half of the nineteenth century. la 1834 Plenipotentiary was made "safe." as was Bloonisbury in 1S39, while three years later, when yet another Derby winner. Attiia, failed, the crowd was so dissatisfied that there was a wild demonstration outside the weighing room. This was quelled by John Cully, who in the following year came in for a hostile reception from the mob. which imagined, without any grounds, that he had squared Frank Butler to pull Cotherstone in favor of Irizetighter. in the same stable, which he had bached to win ."i».000, but which was beaten by Nutwith. When Cully won in 1882 with Margrave the race had excited suspicion owing to one of the favorites. Ludlow, having been purchased by K. Bond, the keeper of a London gaming house, on l ehalf of his two brothers sad a fourth party, for 25,000, a big price for a race horse in those days. Whether the horse was got at or not he was badly beaten, and over the affair Cully, who had was 9225,000 by the success of Margrave, fought a duel with "Objure" Oshaldiston. in which the former narrowly escaped with his life, his adversarys bullet piercing his hat. Matters had been by no means smooth at the meeting a year earlier, when, in consequence of rumors, said to be well founded, that certain parties intended starting horses for the sole par pose of interfering with the favorites, the stewards met together on the first day and issued a notice severely warning the jockeys that were to ride in the race. Happily, there was no cause for action after the event. Another scene was in 1854, when Acrobat, the property of the Earl of Derby, was unplaced. Tlie colt had won the Great Yorkshire Stakes, and after securing the Doncaster Stakes on the Friday, the crowd suspected that he had not done his l est in the St. Leger. There was a great commotion and Lord Derby had to lie protected by his friends. That there were grounds for the suspicion was not the opinion of right-minded sportsmen, and amongst living men who can rememtier the circumstances are Messrs. doorgo Hodgman and Sidney Jacobs. — Winning Past.
