view raw text
FOUR FAMOUS EX-SELLING PLATERS. A thoroughbred of which the highest n.i|tes have 1m 11 entertained lhcs. perhaps, to eventually will ■ trumpery race at a minor meeting, while another for which no valuable or prominent engagements are taken blossoms, mavbe. into a racer of repute. A recent case is that of Long Set, which was purchased for 000 guiueas out of the Hainton Selling Plate at Lincoln in the autumn of 1910 by Sol J iel. and afterwards did him yeoman service and liecame one of the most popular horses of the day. A good one is always promptly recognized bv the racing public, and he rises particularly high in their good graces when he wins at a long price, as Lung Set did the Cambridgeshire the following year. That easy victory — though gained under the light impost of ! 6 pounds — ensured him a great following for the Lincolnshire Handicap of 1912. for which he was favorably weighted, and which he won with equal facility. Backers never left him after that, and were on his side when he took the Newbury Spring Cup subsequently, as well as on the other occasions of his running. It is possible. not to say probable, that l.ong Set would have repeated his Cambridgeshire success that year had he been allowed to run for it. notwithstanding his burden of 130 ixmnds. and it was to the great chagrin of his traiuer. Batho — who had unbounded faith in the son of Rabelais and Balle Perdue— that an eleventh-hour decision was come to to entrust Mr. Joels fortunes to Maiden Erlegh instead. How that horse met with some sort of mishap in the race Is a matter of history, as are the performances of Long Set last year. They need not be referred to in detail, but it may be mentioned that though he failed to win he Lincolnshire Handicap under 131 pounds, and the City and Suburban with a pound less, he showed fine form in some other events, notably the Royal Hunt Cup. Here again Mr. Joel relied more on Maiden Erlegh than on Long Set, but backers stuck to the latter des-dte his 127 pounds and horse and rider came in for a great reception on passing the post. But the most illustrious of all ex-selling platers was Hampton. It is just forty years since, then ■ two-year-old, he made his first appearance at the now defunct Oxford Meeting and won a Maiden Plate of 50 sovereigns. None who saw him that day — and probably few people are now alive who did — could have imagined in him they were looking upon a destined doer of big things and a sire-to-be of classic winners. He entered the selling division at Hampton in October, aud the South-Western Stakes he won there was followed by his purchase for 200 guineas by James Nightingall, for whom he secured a race of the same character at Brighton. He failed twice afterwards as a juvenile, but the following year gave a taste of his quality by a victory at Croydon, and then in the Great Metropolitan at Epsom. The staying qualities then shown — and for which he was always remarkable — led to his running for the Ccsarewitch that year, but he had what in those days was considered the considerable impost of 100 pounds for a three-year-old, aud he was unplaced, the race falling to the lightly-weighted Duke of Parma. He did no better at Brighton subsequently, and in the winter of that vear he was put "over the sticks." and ran second to that great horse, Chandos, for the ;rand National Hurdle Race at Croydon. Becoming afterwards the property of Mr. F. G. Hobson. he won the Goodwood Stakes in 1876 and tried again for the Ccsarewitch. but it was Roseberys year, and with 124 |x unds as a four-year-old Hampton was unplaced. At the close of flat-racing his attention was again turned to jumping, he showing his aptitude for the game by winning the Gre*t Maiden Hurdle Race at Sandown in December. The policy of going for long-distance races with Hampton was continued in 1S77. and on the occasion of his first show in the Northumberland Plate he fought out a great battle with Glendale, and won by a short head, thanks to his indomitable gameness. He then essayed to win the Goodwood Stakes a second time, but found 131 pounds too much for him. but the following day added the Cup to his list of victories. Failure attended him afterwards in the Great Ebor Handicap, but he was undefeated the rest of the year, aud included the Doncaster Cup in the races he won. At the end of that season he was purchased by the late Lord Ellesmere for 7,200 guineas, aud rau in his colors in 1878. the* stakes going down to him including the Epsom Gold Cup and four Queens Plates. Commencing stud life after that year at Worsley Hall at a fee of 30 guineas, he was not long in making his mark, and amongst his earliest hostages to fortune were Highland Chief, Rookery, and Ladislas. Other good performers subsequently credited to him were Belinda, Duke of Richmond. Royal Hampton, and Somerton. and then came Reve dOr. Ayrshire. Merry Hampton, Sheen, Cataract, Gay Hampton. Lord Lome, and Ladas, the latter Hamptons best and most celebrated son. In this connection it is unnecessary to refer to the brilliant doings of the horses enumerated: enough to say that many of them left their mark on the racing of the day. aud some were classic winners. Thus Reve dOr won the One Thousand Guineas and Oaks in 1887. Ayrshire the Two Thousand and Derby in 1888. Mer ry Hampton the Derby in 1897. and Ladas the Two Thousand and Derby in 1894. During his sixteen years service at the stud Hamiltons progeny won in stakes the big total of 232,535 pounds, and when he died at the end of 1897. at the age of twenty-live, he had done enough for fame, and left behind him a reputation for gameness and quality such as has never been approached by any other horse which was introduced to a turf career through the medium of a selling plate. Another horse which in his time achieved great popularity was Victor Wild, and he also was purchased out of a selling race. Beaten in an affair of that character when he first appeared in public, he was put into another at Portsmouth Park, and it was a lucky visit Mr. T. Wortou paid to that August meeting in 1S92. when he picked up "Victor" after his success for .30 guineas. He got his money back at the first time of asking, for he won the Midland Nursery Handicap of 500 sovereigns at Leicester, aud though not again winning that year, he was destined for greater things later. He had a good time in 1893. for he won six of the eleven races in which he took part, and they included useful items in the Leicestershire September Handicap and the Hurst Park Club Cup worth not far short of 1,000 sovereigns. Higher things were aimed at the following season, and the sou of Albert Victor was a competitor for the Lincolnshire Handicap and the City and Suburban, for l oth of which he finished fourth, and on the Carholme he was responsible for the death of Arise, which he kicked so bitdlv at the post that she had to be destroyed. His turn came in the Royal Hunt Cup, which he won as an outsider at 50 to 1. That the Ascot victory was not a fluke was shown by his winning the Hurst Park Club Summer Handicap the next time out, and by November be had risen sufficiently in the estimation of the handicappers to be awarded 133 pounds in a race at Leicester, which he failed to carry into the first three. The next season was one of comparatively little effort, and Mr. Wortons horse only carried silk on three occasions. But the first was a memorable one. for he won the Keinpton Park "Jubilee" in a field of good class, starting at the useful price of 20 to 1. His enthusiastic owner never tired of telling all and sundry that Victor Wild was certain to win. and small backers especially benefited, while not a few layers of odds were rather badly hit. In the Royal Hunt Cup Victor Wild put up a great, if not a winning, performance in running that good horse tlorane to a short head and giving him nine pounds, and that he could sprint he next showed in taking the Bretby Stakes at Newmarket when the speedv Grig was beaten into third place. It was left for 1896 to put the seal on his fame by a second victory in the "Jubilee." this time carrying the substantial impost of 133 pounds. His form had been so good, and so strong was his backing that no •ats" were forthcoming this time about his 1 bailee, and his startiug price was .• to 1. t„ which it was brought largely by the support ae corded bv he public, who strongly rallied round their favorite. A little luck faored them, however, for Kilcock. well backed and lightly weighted, would doubtless have won had he been better rid den. But at Ascot he found the Cup course beyond his compass, and after an unsuccessful journey to France for the Prix du Conseil Municipal, and running unplaced for the Cambridgeshire won by Wink-fields Pride, he was sent to the stud. There he did not stav long, and came out racing again next vear, when he had a third try for the "Jubilee" finishing third with l.!5 pounds and a third for the Royal Hunt Cup. At Ascot he achieved another great thing in conceding Knight of the Thistle no less thau 35 pounds and running him to three-quarters of a length and after winning the Coronation Cup la handicap with 139 pounds up. lie was once more retired to the stud, this time at an enhanced fee. His record shows him as a game and honest thoroughbred, and it bore out very strongly the theory of "horses for courses," for his greatest exploits were achieved at Keinpton, Ascot, and Hurst Park. Coming at a later date than Victor Wild, another one-time selling plater to ultimately distinguish himself was Dean Swift, which did such good service for J. B. Joel, and it is a moot point whether the son of Childwlck and Pasquil was a greater favorite with the racing public than Mr. Wortons horse. The memory of the old gelding will always be chiefly associated with the City and Sud-urban. in connection with which he holds a unique record. He lan for that popular handicap on no fewer than seven occasions, and they were consecutive, from 1904 to 1910. and was only unplaced once — in 1!»07. He was successful in 1906 and 1908. second in 1904 and 1909, and third in 1905 and 1910. Dean Swift was early in the ranks of the "sellers," and. in fact, as a two-year-old made his first public appearance in one at the Keinpton Park Spring Meeting of 1903. for which he was unplaced, but in his second, on the same ground a little later, he was successful, and as he scored easily his owner thought it worth while to retain him for 510 guineas. He was only risked in a similar event once afterwards, when he was well barked but. unplaced, and ran more or less prominently during the rest of his juvenile career. One of his best performances was in getting second, under 120 pounds, for the Liverpool Nursery, and he carried two pounds less into the same position afterwards for the Champion Nursery at Hurst Park. Thereafter was continued a long period of service, of which his annual appearance in the City and Suburban was a conspicuous feature. Siimmarazing. he failed to earn a bracket as a three-year-old, fared no better at four vears. won twice at five including the "City", twice at six. four times at seven the City and Suburban airain. as well as the LI erpool Summer Cup, once at eight, when he easily accounted for the Coronation Cup at Epsom, had a blank at nine, and won one race at ten. This was the Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood, in which he carried 115 pounds and won by a short head from Decision, a four-year-old. which he was meeting at even weights. There was a scene of much enthusiasm when the old gelding won. and as he started at I to 1 and howled over the favorite, those who followed his fortunes had a good race. This was Dean Swifts last time of carrying colors, and it was a fitting close to an honest horses career, during which he served his owner and the public well. Though he was bv no means a good-looking tlioroughbred. the old adage, "handsome is that handsome does," never applied more fittingly than in his case. He has beeu sent to end his days far from the excitem-nt of the race course in Mr. Joels paddocks at Child-wickbury. — London Sportsman.
