70 THE BLUE RIBBON OF THE TURF. 



business : William, son of John, who in his youth 

 went to sea, but returned to Newmarket and became 

 a public horseman and attracted the attention of his 

 Grace the Duke of Grafton. Two of Singleton's 

 nephews also became jockeys, and one of them, John 

 Singleton, is said to have been the rider of Alabaculia 

 when she won the first Three-year-old Stake at Don- 

 caster, in 1776, afterwards known as the St. Leger 

 This member of the Singleton family had entrusted 

 to him, at one time, the management of the racing 

 stud of the Duke of Orleans, father of Louis Philippe. 

 A son of this John Singleton also became a jockey, 

 and won the St. Leger for Earl Fitzwilliam. He was 

 at first in the stables of the Duke of Bedford, where, 

 taught by Mr. Stephenson, his Grace's head-groom, he 

 soon came out as a rider of great promise. He died, 

 however, in the prime of his youth, at Newmarket, in 

 December, 1802. 



II 



Among a group of jockeys of the last century there is 

 to be found the name of ' The Flower of the North' — 

 Joseph Rose- — in Avhose career was exemplified the 

 kind of work which fell to some of those olden time 

 horsemen. It is recorded, for instance, that on 

 Monday, September 3rd, 1764, Rose rode Beaufreraont 

 against Mr. Charteris' Favourite, for the King's riate,at 

 Lincoln ; on Wednesday, tlie 5th, he rode the same horse 

 amiinst Vizier, for the Ladies' Plate, also at Lincoln ; on 

 Thursday, the 6th, he rode Young Davy at Rich- 

 mond, Yorkshire ; and on Friday, the 7th, he rode 



