A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



qucntly it was increased to 300 and given at 

 the same meeting in alternate years only. 



In 1869 we find a writer bewailing the fact 

 that, with such an excellent course, magnificent 

 inclosure, and capital ground for witnessing the 

 races, the fields should be so small and the class of 

 horses engaged so moderate. This was the first 

 year of the Biennial Stakes of 10 sovs. each with 

 i oo sovs. added, for two-year-olds, and it was won 

 by Agility, a sister to Apology, the winner of the 

 St. Leger in 1874. Both belonged to Parson 

 King, who ran his horses under the assumed 

 name of Launde. Something to redeem the 

 Nottingham meeting from the charge of medioc- 

 rity was contributed by The Colonel, winner of 

 the Grand National in 1869 and 1870, Fidelia 

 which competed six times, winning in 1868 and 

 1869 and running second in 1870 and 1871 ; 

 and Lilian, a rattling good mare, which carried off 

 Queen's Plates all over the country. She ran at 

 Nottingham for six seasons, and won the Queen's 

 Plate four years in succession. 



No more upright sportsman ever patronized the 

 Nottingham meeting than Mr. Henry Savile of 

 Ruffbrd Abbey. He sent some splendid animals 

 to compete on the old race-course, among them 

 being Uhlan, which in July 1872 defeated a hot 

 favourite in Mr. Launde's Agility, and thus after 

 a magnificent race secured the coveted Queen's 

 Plate. Another splendid finish was that in which 

 Mr. Vyner's Thunder participated in the Mid- 

 summer Handicap, 1874. Jem Goater was in 

 the saddle, and opposed to him was Fred Archer, 

 who had already begun his unparalleled series of 

 triumphs, but Thunder, carrying 8st. lolb. 

 managed, after a desperate struggle, to get home 

 first. So intense was the enthusiasm excited by 

 his victory that even some who had laid against 

 him joined in the shouting. All distances from 

 six furlongs to two miles seemed alike to him, 

 and he won the City and Suburban under the 

 burden of gst. 4lb. in a canter. 



When Mr. W. J. Ford assumed the reins of 

 management, the Nottingham meetings were 

 soon improved, and gradually more valuable 

 stakes were provided. For example, by 1879 

 the Spring Handicap was worth nearly ^500, 

 and the interest in that meeting was enhanced 

 by Drumhead and Mars fighting their Lincoln 

 battle over again. The former, however, could 

 not give the weight away to Julius Celsus, which 

 won by a head, after a rare set-to from the dis- 

 tance. At this period the names of the Duke of 

 St. Albans, Sir J. D. Astley, Sir G. Chetwynd, 

 Captain Machell, and Mr. Savile frequently 

 appear in the list of owners of horses engaged. 

 The duke had a very good horse in Crann Tair, 

 which in 1876 appropriately won the Bestwood 

 Nursery. Moorhen was more than once a 

 winner during the seasons 1879 and 1880. 

 The daughter of Hermit, she was the dam of 

 Gallinule and Pioneer, and founded a line of 



such champions as Pretty Polly, Slieve Gallion,. 

 Galvani, and Polar Star. Although up to that 

 time he had never been beaten, there were few 

 who saw St. Gatien win the Little John Plate^ 

 on the Forest in 1883 who dreamt that they 

 beheld the virtual winner of the next year's 

 Derby, for, although he ran a dead heat with 

 Harvester, there can be no doubt which was the 

 better horse when a comparison of their subse- 

 quent records is made. 



At the October meeting in 1884 an outstand- 

 ing performance was accomplished by Thebais, 

 a first-class mare by Hermit out of Devotion. 

 She was the property of the Duchess of Mont- 

 rose, who raced under the pseudonym of ' Mr, 

 Manton,' and won both the One Thousand and 

 the Oaks. In the race for the Queen's Plate- 

 she was opposed by the Doncaster Cup hero,. 

 Louis d'Or, which had throughout the season 

 been busy collecting Queen's Plates. Louis d'Or,. 

 ridden by Charles Wood, made all the running,, 

 but Thebais, with Fred Archer in the saddle, 

 came along with a rush in the last furlong, and 

 won a very fine race by a neck. It was a con- 

 summate piece of horsemanship, but some of the 

 mare's backers thought that Archer had cut 

 things a bit too fine. This was the last occasion, 

 upon which a Queen's Plate was raced for in 

 Nottingham. 1 



The October meeting of 1884 was memorable 

 for other reasons. The Nottinghamshire Handi- 

 cap was increased from 206 at the previous 

 October, to about ^500, and naturally attracted 

 more entries, and of a better class. Eight 

 started, and Hauteur, the One Thousand winner 

 of 1 883, was beaten by Antler, Natilus, with 

 Archer up, being tired out by the weight he 

 carried. But the most sensational incident of 

 the day was the double dead heat ' in the Friar 

 Tuck Selling Plate, between Scotch Pearl and 

 Candahar II. 



A striking illustration of the difference between, 

 steeplechasing and flat-racing was afforded in 

 1885, when Roquefort, winner of the Grand 

 National, was beaten in a mile and a half on the 

 flat by a horse that was only a good selling plater. 

 Other notable horses that have appeared on the old 

 track include Tommy Tittlemouse, Seahorse, Son 

 o' Mine, and Marco, whose fame was renewed, 

 in the deeds of such distinguished progeny as. 

 Querido, a Chester Cup winner, and Marcovil. 



1 These royal plates were originated by Queer* 

 Anne and were provided from the privy purse until 

 their abolition in 1887. 



1 Never since 1871 had there been a parallel case. 

 In that year, at the Newmarket Houghton meet- 

 ing, Captain Machell's Curtius, and Mr. Joseph 

 Dawson's Marquis of Lome ran the course twice with- 

 out the judge being able to separate them. Instead, 

 however, of dividing the stakes, as was done in 

 Nottingham, the two horses ran a third time, the 

 Marquis of Lome winning by a neck. 



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