view raw text
LEOPOLD DE ROTHSCHILD IN RACING. Exploits of tho Many Fine Horses Which Raced in the Colors of tho Now Dead Financier. Article One. "Mr. Leopold" first succeeded to the racing mantle of his uncle of "follow the Baron" memory and his father, tho late Baron Lionel, who for a few years raced under the nom do course of Mr. Acton, and won the Derby of 1879 with Sir Bevys, to the present day. No victories delighted the public more than those gained by horses carrying his colors, whether trained by Hayhoe, John Watson or by the Cannons. When Mr. Leopold ran out onto the course in all the drenching downpour of a June thunderstorm to lead back St. Amant after he won for him his first Derby, the roar of applause with which his colts success had been greeted was renewed in the most enthusiastic fashion. "I shouldnt mind a wetting to get a reception like that," was a thought expressed by more than one onlooker, and one can see now the deceased gentlemans beaming smile as he led back the gallant son of the good horse, who eight years earlier had come within an ace of wresting an earlier "Blue Hibbon" from Persimmon. Alas! Of those most nearly concerned in that royal Derby. King Edward, Mr. Leopold, the two jockeys, John Watts and Tom Loates, and Persimmon arc gone. Tho Family and Racing. Mr. Leopold dc Rothschild was born on November 22, 1845, and was the third son of Baron Lionel Nathan de Rothschild, and younger brother of Nathaniel Meyer, first Baron Rothschild of the peerage of Great Britain, of Tring, Hertfordshire head of the famous financial house in St. Swithins lane. It should be mentioned that although Baron Lionel only raced for a few years after the death of his brother, the owner ot Favonius and other celebrities referred to above, he was primarily responsible for the connection of the Rothschild family with racing in this country. Baron Lionel was, in fact, the owner of Evening Star and Emerald, mares with which the stud was founded, but he was content with breeding from them, the produce being given to his brother, Baron Meyer. From Evening Star came Daughter of the Star, whose name was chosen for her by Benjamin Disraeli afterwards the Earl of Beaconsfield, nnd from the latter came, amongst others, Hippia Oaks, Tomyris, and Hippolyta, while Emerald produced, inter alia. Mentmore Lass. Mentmore .Lass won the One Thousand Guineas, and at the stud she produced, to King Tom, such as Breeze, Zephyr, aud Hannah. The last-named won for the Baron the "One Thousand," Oaks and "Leger" of 1871, and the Derby winner of the same year, Favonius, was by Parmesan from Zephyr, while from Breeze came Eeolia, whose daughter, Eira, became the dam of Galeazzo. It was to Daughter of the Star, however, that Mr. Leopold was indebted for St. Amant, for her daughter, Hippia by King Tom, threw Nellie to Hermit, and it was Nellies daughter. Lady Loverulc. from which sprang the 1904 Derby winner and others less known to fame. Tomato, the Barons second "One Thousand" winner, did not do so well at the stud as the others mentioned. St. Frusquin and tho Derby. It was at about the time when Mr. Actons Sir Bevys won the Derby of 1879 that Mr. Leopold de Rothschild first became actively identified with racing, and in 1881 he was elected a member of the Jockey Club, in whose, counsels his words, always practical and to the point, ever found a ready hearing. One of the most considerate and least impetuous of men, he never served as a steward of the Jockey Club, owing, no doubt, to the calls on his time made by the business of the great financial house of which he was an active member. It was ill-health rather than pressure of business, however, which prevented ids being present at Epsom on the day when St. Frusquin fought such a great losing battle against Persimmon in the Derby.aud in this connection it may be mentioned that when the contest for that memorable race for the "Blue Ribbon" was taking place he stood at the tape machine in his office. Many of the employes, greatly interesting in the doings of St. Frusquin, came in at his bidding and stood there awaiting the result. Presently tho machine ticked out the "off," and a few minutes later Mr. Rothschild read out "Persimmon won." For a few moments he stood in thought, and then he turned round to say that St. Frusquin was second. The words were uttered to an empty room. Immediately the staff heard that the gallant winner of the Two Thousand had failed to get the "blue and yellow" first past the post for the greater classic event they had silently slipped out of the room, deeming that at such a moment which comes to a man nerhaps once in a lifetime, more often not at all he might prefer to taste of the bitters of defeat in solitude. His First "Winner. It was in 1S79 that Mr. Leopold de Rothschild first registered the family colors in his name, and at the close of that season ho won his first race, the Old Nursery Handicap at the Houghton meeting, by aid of Fashion appropriately enough a daughter of Favonius, which with Futcher in tho saddle, brought off an 8 to 1 chance. In the following year he had a good string in training, and won twenty-nine races worth 3,225. Fetterless began well by taking the Molyneux Stakes at Liverpool Spring and four other races afterwards inclusive of two matches. His biggest winner that season was Fashion, whose three successes included the Newmarket International Handicap, the Chester Cup, and tho Epsom Gold Cup. in the Chester race she beat Lord Droghedas Philam-mou, Lord Roscbcrys Rhidorroch, Reefer, Sword Dance, and others. At Epsom she defeated Parole, Master Kildare, etc. Earlier in that season Master Kildare had won tho City and Suburban under 12S pounds, and Parole in the preceding year had carried off the double of the City and Suburban and" Great Metropolitan. Tho Blue and Yellow. From 1879 to 1910 it would be tedious for our readers and considerations of space for that matter would prohibit our mentioning them, were we to enumerate all the winners nearly all of which were bred at the Southcourt Stud owned by Mr. Rothschild. Suffice it therefore to outline briefly some of the more important races which fell to the bearers of the historic "blue and yellow." Among those that did successful work in 18S1 were Fetterless, Tunis, Brag, Valentino and three fillies of much note in Isabel, Nellie and Emmeline Marcia. Tunis won the Newmarket Biennial, but failed in the Payne Stakes. Of the three fillies Isabel later became the dam of St. Frusquin and St. Gris, and Nellie produced the dam of St. Amant. Emmeline Marcia, after winning twice in her two-year-old days, was sold on the second occasion to R. Peck for 220 guineas. She, too, became a noted brood mare, for if she only produced one good one, he was a veritable clinker, Marcion, winner of the Ascot Gold Cup, etc., for R. C. Vyner. In 1882 Nellie was third for the "One Thousand" to St. Marguerite and Shotover, a neck and a head dividing the three, but she was only a bad third in the Oaks to Gohoim-nlss and St. Marguerite. Later she won several races, inclusive of the Newmarket, St. Leger and .Continued on second page. LEOPOLD DE ROTHSCHILD IN RACING. Continued from, first page. then 1 dead-heated with Kermesse Lord Roseberys for the Select Stakes, in which Shotover, trying to concede ten pounds, was beaten a length. Isabel won six times in succession that year, commencing the run at Ascot in the High-Weight Handicap Plato 1 1-4 miles. Tlien she beat Fortissimo for the Queens Plate at Hampton", the second being the .proiKirty of Joe Davis, the managing director of Hurst Park, which covers part of tin; old Hampton course. At Goodwood she Avon the Drawing Room Stakes and Racing Stakes. Valentine Xu-cerpe, Brag, Biserta and Chesterfield were the best known of the "ether winners that year, in which for the first tinie the aggregate winnings ran into five figures. This was likewise the case in the two following seasons, when Brag. "Lucerne, Middlethorpe, Ilumako, Eira, Ivoiuriiss, Damietta and Talisman were tlie most successful of the numerous Winners. In 1882 the string secured thirty races, in 1883 no fewer than fifty and in 18.84 twenty-eight; Rira, by Kisber Aeolia and Koumiss by Macaroni Coo-massie, opened their winning account. the same day, the one cantering away with the Double Trial Plate and the other just scrambling home in a selling race, and each did well at the stud, Eira becoming dam of such as Galeazzo and Atbara, and Koumiss of the speedy Laetaiitius, etc. Haniako, which was a brother to Nellie by the Derby winner Hermit, tire Oaks winner, Hippia, upset in one of his races the odds on M. Lefevres Ladislas and he also won the Free Handicap. Middlethorpe won three mile handicaps in 1SS3 and likewise in the next season. Talisman was thought to have a chance in the Derby of 1SS4 and was backed down to 7 to 1 starting third favorite, but he failed to get a place behind the dead-heaters St. Gatieii and Harvester. JIe scored, in a minor race sit Ascot, however. From 1885 to 1888 w:is a" comparatively lean period, the sums won ranging from 1,575 in the first and about double that amount in 18S0 to sohie 1,500 in 88. the chief wiimers being Cairo, Brag, Beaver, Middlethorpe, Lucerne, Eros, St. Bride, Rosalie, Heptarchy, Gagoul and Galloping Queen. .To be continued.
