view raw text
NOTED TURFMEN FOR GENERATIONS. Sadler Family Long Prominent in the Affairs of the English Turf. Nearly a hundred years have paaeai since Dangerous, the property of Mr. Isaac Sadler, won a sensational Derby: but it is always interesting to me and all lovers of turf history to ramble through these ancient days. The name of the owner of Dangerous is familiar to everybody today, for it has come down through all taose v rs of racing iu a direct line without a break to A. B. Sadler, of Stockbridge House, and his sons, Alf gad Harry, who are among the most prominent of our Newmarket trainers. That no doubt is news to many, and I confess taut I was as Ignorant as any. until I dived deeply into the past, that it was from the "squire of Oxford" that the present generation had sprung. According to the Rev. Thomas Henry Taunton. Mr. Isaac Sadler, the grandfather of A. B. Sadler and great grandfather of Alf and Harry, was ass i dated with the Days, and had stud farms at North -leach, near Cheltenham, and also at Btockbridge, whilst at Oxford he only kept liunti rs and hacks. lie was successful in his racing ventim s. and among the earliest of the great horses he bred was the powerfully -built Defence, which acquired such imperishable renown at the stud. Defence only ran once, unplaced for the Derby to Mameluke, but at the stud he was sire of the Hon A. l.reg-•rys Barrier, the Duke of Richmonds Bulwark, of Lord Albemarles Emperor sire of the great Preach horse Moasnqnr. of Mr. RtwaJls Palladium. with numerous other good colts, and of the mares Barricade, Bencdetta. Fortress. Deceit. Deception winner of the Oaks!. Decision. Decisive. Diversion. Lalla ll Rookh. Protection, Science and Victoria, in addition to Defender and Defensive, which Mr. Sadler retained for himself. Dangerous was trained at Btockbridge, whore Mr. Sadler had quite a large string of horses, by Ben Daffy. Daffj used to lead Dangerous and other horses in their long walks from Stockbridge to the various race meetings. The field for the pnitieu] IT Derby included Jlaueus, and with Wright on Forester and Sam Maun on Catalonian. each receiving orders to take the lead at once, and keep it at all costs, they ran practically a match as far as they could, and mad- the pace tremendous. Catalonian held on the longer, but before Hearing the stands Dangerous drew up to him. and won with the outmost ease. It was said by high authorities that he was one of the best horses over seen. He was a large, powerful fuiimal. with good bone and muscle and rare quarters, and his action was low and sweeping. He went amiss after the Derby. but the secret was well kept, .and he was allowed. to walk over for a sweepstakes at Stockbridge in July of 100 sovereigns each, half forfeit. I have two portraits of the colt by J. F. Herring, from an engraving by J. P.. Scott, giving the horse fuily extended, and before being led to notice him so particularly as now I have often thought that he was one of the most beautiful horses and gallopers that I had ever seen. According to John Kent, the author of "The Life of Lord George Bentinck." the Hon. W. H. Gregory was his lordships most intimate friend, and when up at Oxford iu 18M , the great Irish statesasan was influenced to start racing through riding to Epsom from Oxford to see Bloomsbiiiy defeat Deception for the Derby. Deception, Kent describes as a beautiful mare, and she was backed by all the nobility and gentry in the country. Lord OCOTge blamed the jockey, but the Hen. W. Gregory was as pleased that he straight away en-gaged Treen. the defeated jockey, and bought him the Defence mare Barricade; Yitellius. which defeated St. Laurence: Rhesus, the lxst horse Treen ever trained: and Clermont. Treen was brought tip with the Days .-ml Sadh r at Stockbridge. and another great trainer who owed his early tuition to the Sadlers was Bill Scott, who was sent to Mr. Sadl -rs. at Allworth. at the time his brother John was sent to Stevens. Mr. Isaac Sadler apparently had two sons. Willi.-. in and James. The former of these was father of A. It. Sadler and grandfather of Alf and Harry, while James was father of Allen Sadler, who rode Dlllci-bella when she won the Cesarewitch. When A. P.. Saddler of the third generation was old enough, he commenced training for Lord St. Vincent and Mr. W. P.evill. at Rottingdean: ami Barford. which beat Dutch Skater and ran Rosi-crucian to a half length subsequently at Ascot for the Alexandra Plate, was his first good horse. Shortly after he removed to the old familiar Stockbridge. and prepared Vegetarian and Henry George renamed Reputation, which was among the speediest horses of his day. and was eventually sold to Lord Beresford for what was a big figure in those days. Littleton was his next venture, but in lS.so be came to Newmarket, and trained privately for Lord Durham and Mr. Coombe lor so,„. years. For Lord Durham he trained the brilliant Peter Flower. Son o* Mine. Soliman. Bellatrix. Gulbeyoz. and a host of others, and iu Bill of Portland he had one of the speediest horses of the day. Among other owners for whom he lias trained are Lord Cholmoiidehv. Lady Warwick, Mr. w. 11. Bwart, Mr. i:. A. Wolfe. Mr. R. A. Oswald, the Hon. F. Lnmbton, Lord Hastings, Col. W. Lawsoii. Mr. P. Buchanan and M. M. F.phrus-i. When upon the death of Mr. Gardner the famous Cemetery field was laid out iu paddocks, A. B. Sadler leased them and formed a large stud, which was augmented when the lite Mr. Stedall commenced breeding his own hulStS It was in 18M that Alf Sadler, the eldest son of A. I!. Sadler, commenced training for Mr. Stedall. and in the first year he had the flying little filly La Lune, which, won some good races. Though commencing moderately with a half SOOea, Mr. Stedall soon built up a big stable by buying every winner of a selling plate which he and ins trainer thought likely to win again, and with Alf Sadler just the man to improve any horse that had been a little overdone, their g*od fortune in this line of raring was phenomenal. Several times they secured a good horse, and such as Rayleigh, Vigilance, Vh-tory. Orquil and Duke of Spart.i were c.i]iable of winning good class handicaps. With Vigilance, which was cursed with vile temper, he won the Great Eastern Railway Handicap, and Duke of Sparta won a most sensational Lincolnshire Handle- p. To perpetuate the memory of Freemason. Mr. Stedall ailed the training establishment he built up the Bury road Freemason Lodge. Upon going to the stud the horse produced two useful horses in First Principal and Most Excellent, and the former won the Old Cambridgeshire, the Derby Cap and tie-City and Suburban, after proving aseh ss when a two-year-old. La Lune was good enough to win the Croat Sprrey Handicap at F.psom twice. Their judgment was also frequently shown at Me s,-s. TattersaHs sales and Sadler bought Donnea Moi for sixty guineas, which, when renamed Duke of Sparta II. with a view to changing his bad In ;. managed to win the Queens Prize at Kesapton. With Genius, which was purchased at auction for on guineas, he also won the Ascot Stakes and Goodwood Plate for Sir Henry Randall. Naturally, tie death of his principal supporter. Mr. Stedall. and the war greatly depleted his stables for a time, but Mr. Ralli provided him villi a aestegg in My Ronald, for whom he gave 3.000 guineas at the dispersal of Mr. Bartons stud. When Joyner returned to America the Earl of Lonsdale paid a high tribute t , Sadlers merits by sending him two grand looking yearlings and a three-year-old maiden named l.a.M.zid. which has not y.-t run. Following shortly after came the yearlings the noble lord had leased from the government. I do not propose any attempt at description of them today, on the grounds that it would be misleading for at no period of their lives do two-year-olds show to greater disadvantage or change more than in the passage from the old days of winter to the sunny days of spring. Recently Alt Sadler acquired the Borough iron Stud, which the late Colonel North fashioned out of the old Hall Farm of some 90S acre,, so long in the hands of Mr. I. i.-ey. It was here that Desmond. Verney and a number of good horses were reared, and with Such ■talHoflS as Florist. Tidal Wave, and Bridge of Allan, and a number of highly-bred mares, the stud is bound to be a success. Harry Sadler, the second sou of A. ];. S .idler, began training two .r three years later with s select lot of Mr. I .. Brasseys and. like Ins brother, be s.i m began winning races. His i st horse, however, was The While Knight, the property of the late Captain Wyndham. Mention of the horse awakes Mich sad mem plies that we will only briefly mention that Sadler won with him the Coronation Cup tWiCC the Ascot odd CaP twice, the GOld Vase. the Newberry Cup and the I Iwood up. whilst probabi.v greater performances than all wire his line displays under limiting burdens iu heavy Btoond for the Ccandjj.e.witcli, ridden by Y. llulsey. Loth Alf and Harry are just approaching the prime of life. Two Other sons of A. B. Sadhr are in the army, and another, much to his regret, was unfit. — "Warren Hill" in London Sporting Life.
