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ENGLISH WOMEN IN RACING Their Advent Dates from Queen Anne 215 Years Ago Recent Successes of Lady James JamesDouglas Douglas Lady Queensberry Queensberryand and Mrs Hugh Peel In Luttrolls Diary it is related that in the year 1705 Queen Anne ordered her house at Newmarket to be rebuilt and gave 3000 toward paving the town and bought a running horse of Mr Hollo way which cost 5000 more and gave it to the prince The prince was Prince George of Denmark her consort and the horse was Leedes by Leedes Ara bian dam a mare by Spanker sue Lord dArcys Old Morocco mare In 1711 the queen instituted Her Majestys Plate of 100 guineas will be run for round the new heat on Ascot Common near Windsor on Tuesday August 7 next by any liorse mare or gelding being no more than six years old the grass before as must be certified under the hand of the breeder carying 168 pounds three heats to be entered the last day of July at Mr Hancocks at Fern Hill near the starting post postThe The race did not actually take place until August 11 when Queen Anne and a brilliant suite drove from WinTIsor1 to inaugurate the Ascot races and see the Duke of St Albans win it with his chestnut horse Doctor At York in 1712 her majestys gray gelding Pepper was third for the Gold Cup which she had instituted the previous year to the Hon Mr Watsons Farmer and in 1714 on July 30 the day of her majestys death from apoplexy her horse Starr afterward called Jacob won a 70 plate from four others othersDuring During the time of racing on the following Monday the news of her death reached York As Ortou writes During the time of running this day an express arrived of the death of Her Majesty Queen Anne upon which the nobility and gentry immediately left the field fieldAbout About this time there seems to have been a lot of lady owners as Mrs Carrs Dancer was among the also ran at Hambleton in 1717 Mrs Laytons bay horse was in the Boyal Plate at Hambleton in 1719 Mrs Betsy Savilles Foxhunter ran at York in 1724 lady Lowthers Cuzzoni ran there in 1730 and Mrs Meekes Merry Andrew saved her stakes in the Galloway Plate there in 1733 1733SOUTH SOUTH FAMILY AND MRS THORNTON THORNTONTbese Tbese are isolated families but the Routh family from Snafe Hall Bedale all seem to have been owners and winning owners at that Miss Judith Ilouth had Nutmeg a gray horse at Doncaster in 173G and was behind Coneyskins then Miss Betty Kouth won the 250 plate at York in 1742 with Rib by Crab and in 1744 took the Kings Plate at the same place with Othello by Oronooko and in 1747 scored again with Stadtholder in a 250 plate plateThe The third sister Miss Dolly Routh won the Indies Plate at York in 1742 with Crazy and as thus took place at the same meeting at which Othello won the two sisters took two of the five races at the meeting a record to date To these may be added Lady Conlngsby who with Ruby a roan ran up to Sedbury for the Ladies Plate at York in 1739 the Duchess of Gordon whose gray Highland Lassie was disqualified at York in 1750 and Miss Hales whose Miss Doe was among the also ran to Blacklegs at York in 1749 1749From From 1749 unfil 1804 is a long stretch but during that time lady owners do not seem to have been prominent In 18O4 the famous match between Mr Flints Brown Thornville and Colonel Thorntons Vinagarella with Mrs Thornton riding took place Orton writes The above race from the singu ¬ larity of a female appearing on the turf in the character of a jockey produced an unprecedented degree of interest and attention from the public so much so that an assemblage amounting nearly to one hundred thousand people attended the course to witness the contest contestAbout About 4 oclock the fascinating fair appeared an the course her horse led by the celebrated porting Colonel Thornton and H Boy n ton Mr Flint came shortly afterward when the two started Vinagarella taking the lead for about three miles when Brown Thornville took the lead and won easily Within the last mile Vinagarella fell lame and Mrs Thornton in consequence pulled up about two distances from home homeMrs Mrs Thornton rode her own weight against Mr Flints Vinagarella had much the shorter stride of the two and was nearly twenty years old The lady rode in a leopard colored and buff body with blue sleeves and cap Mr Flint rode in white At Ats s starting 0 and 6 to 4 on Vinagarella in running 2 to I on him The time was 959 TJiis race or match took place at York on Satur dayNAugust 25 1804 and was for 1000 Both competitor in this match were rather weird people as Mrs Thornton was a respectable watchmak 4 ers daughter of Norwich whose real name raa Continued o third page ENGLISH WOMEN IN RACING Continued from first page Alicia 3Ieynell and whose only claim to the title of Mrs Thornton lay in the fact that she was the cherie amie of Colonel Thornton ThorntonShe She was at this time about 22 years of age handsome fair complexion light hair blue eyes and was fascinating Mr Flint was a sportsman a bold rider to hounds and a scientific angler who in addition was author of a book Treatise on the Management of the Horse HorseMODERN MODERN WOMEN AS RACING OWNERS OWNERSAt At the York August meeting of the following year Mrs Thornton walked over in a match for 2000 guineas half forfeit four hogsheads of Coti Roti and 600 guineas post paid bet by Mrs Thorn ¬ ton four miles and won a match for a cup value of 700 guineas two miles In this latter she rode Colonel Thorntons Louisa which carried 134 pounds and beat Mr Bloomfields Allegro giving fiftysix pounds and ridden by Francis Buckle BuckleOrton Orton writes About halfpast three oclock the above match commenced Mrs Thornton appearing attired in a purple jacket and cap nankeen skirts purple shoes and embroidered stockings The vet ¬ eran Buckle wore a blue cap and jacket with white sleeves At starting Louisa took the lead and made the running for a considerable way when Allegro went up to and headed her for a few lengths the lady then challenged Buckle and after a pretty contest won her race in good style by half a neck Her bold and excellent jockeyship elicited the ad ¬ miration of the assembled thousands who hailed her successful struggle with the most enthusiastic shouts of applause and congratulation This terminated Mrs Thorntons riding career and in the following year the first lady owner to see her colors carried in the Derby was the The Margravine of Anspach Lady Craven which ran third with Hector to Lord Foleys Paris ParisAgain Again there was an interval of years until In 1895 Merman by Grand Flaneur a great Australian nice horse was bought by Mr Allison for Mrs Langtry now Lady de Bathe who raced under the name of Mr Jersey Merman arrived in Eng ¬ land in the second week in February in 1897 and took the Cesarewitch in the following October carrying 104 pounds and beating The Rush by a neck after a terrific race All connected with him won fortunes He afterward won the Jockey Club Cup in 1898 the Goodwood Cup and Plate in 1899 and set the seal on his fame by taking the Ascot Gold Cup in 1900 1900Mr Mr Jersey also owned Maluma which won the Prince Edward Handicap Brayhead which won the Liverpool Cup and Gatwick Handicap Aurina which won the Prince Edward Handicap and Yen toi which credited her with a second Cesarewitch in 1903 From this date on racing has become popular with the fair sex and 1915 saw Lady Nel ¬ son take the Grand National with Ally Sloper to be followed last year by Lady James Douglas taking the Two Thousand Guineas Derby and St Leger with Gainsborough GainsboroughMrs Mrs Hugh Peel took last years Grand National with Poethlyn and Mrs A James got first past the post for the Oaks with Stonyfprd only to be disqualified This year opened with Lady Queens berry taking the Lincoln with Royal Bucks Mrs Hugh Peel the Grand National with Poethlyn the Marchioness of Queeusberry the City and Suburban with Royal Bucks and Lady James Douglas the Oaks with Bayuda Manchester Eng Cbroolcta
