LOOKING BACK: Classic winner helped racing empire
TODAY a planning inspector will hear evidence linked to a proposal to sire 1,200 homes on Newmarket land owned by Lord Derby. The plan has been condemned by representatives of the town's racing and thoroughbred breeding industry, who believe it will cause irreprable damage to Newmarket's reputation as the headquarters of racing. Assistant editor looks at the influence the forebearers of the current Earl had on the town.
The racehorses owned and bred by Frederick Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby, and his son Edward, who became the 17th Earl on his father's death in 1908, and trained for them in Newmarket by the Honourable George Lambton, dominated English racing for more than 30 years.
Many believe that the men who bred and raced such champions as Keystone II, Hyperion, Phalari, Fairway, and Sansovino would be spinning in their graves to hear that their descendant, the present and 19th Earl of Derby, was planning to build a small "village" on land that once formed part of one of the most successful thoroughbred nurseries of them all.
According to Michael Seth-Smith in his book A Classic Connection: "Once the 16th Earl succeeded his brother it was readily agreed that the Stanley fortunes on the turf should be revived.
"The two vital questions were where to train. Newmarket, acknowledged as the headquarters of racing, seemed the obvious answer."
And so it was that in the summer of 1893, Lord Derby leased Bedford Lodge stables in Bury Road from the executors of the will of Abington Baird, known as The Squire, and George Lambton moved across town from his stables in St Mary's Square to take over as trainer.
Thanks to Journal reader Margaret Cole, who loaned pages from a feature published by Racing Illustrated in April 1896, this week's Looking Back recalls how the yard looked three years later when it was to send out its first Classic winner.
The filly Canterbury Pilgrim, pictured bottom left, had been bought by the 16th Earl out of a dispersal sale when the Duchess of Montrose announced she was selling up all her bloodstock interests. This acquisition sewed the seeds of the entire success of the Stanley racing empire through the next 50 years.
Although placed only once in five starts as a two year old, Canterbury Pilgrim not only developed physically during the winter but also developed a terrible temper.
But her ability shone through her vixenish demeanour and it was decided that she was good enough to take her chance in The Oaks for which the Prince of Wales' Thais, winner of the 1000 Guineas, was hot favourite.
When she arrived at Epsom on the eve of the race, the filly was in a vile mood and in such a state it seemed she might not line up at all. But race she did and, ridden by Fred Rickaby, grandfather of Lester Piggott, won by two-and-a-half lengths from the Royal filly.
As the crowds cheered the first Classic success for Lambton, as well as the first for a horse carrying the Stanley colours for 45 years, no-one could have guessed they were witnessing the raising of the curtain on the great days that lay ahead for George Lambton and the family that bore the greatest racing name of all.
Canterbury Pilgrim went on to prove hugely influential. She bred seven winners, including St Leger winner Swynford, who in turn sired Derby winner Sansovino, and Blanford, who sired Classic winner Trigo, Blenheim, Windsor Lad, Bahram, Pasch, Campanula and Udaipur, as well as Brantome – one of the best horses to race in France between the wars and some believe the best of all his sons.
A few years after these photographs were taken, Lord Derby decided to build Stanley House Stables, now Godolphin Stables, on land further up Bury Road, which had formed part of the Duchess of Montrose's Sefton Stud. The yard was completed in 1903 and Lambton moved.
A succession of trainers followed him at Bedford Lodge, including Captain R Dewhurst and Harvey Leader, who renamed part of the yard Shalfleet after the colt that won him 16 races, including two Portland Handicaps in 1935 and 36. When he moved his string into new boxes on the eastern side of the yard he retained the name Shalfleet.
In 1963, Classic-winning jockey Fred Winter, father of the legendary National Hunt jockey also named Fred and top Flat trainer John, returned to Newmarket from Gravesend to train at Bedford Lodge, which he renamed Highfield after his Kent yard. On his death, the yard was taken over by his son John.
Today, the Bedford Lodge is a hotel, while what once were its stables are still the training yards Shalfleet and Highfield.The racehorses owned and bred by Frederick Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby, and his son Edward, who became the 17th Earl on his father's death in 1908, and trained for them in Newmarket by the Honourable George Lambton, dominated English racing for more than 30 years.
Many believe that the men who bred and raced such champions as Keystone II, Hyperion, Phalari, Fairway, and Sansovino would be spinning in their graves to hear that their descendant, the present and 19th Earl of Derby, was planning to build a small "village" on land that once formed part of one of the most successful thoroughbred nurseries of them all.
According to Michael Seth-Smith in his book A Classic Connection: "Once the 16th Earl succeeded his brother it was readily agreed that the Stanley fortunes on the turf should be revived.
"The two vital questions were where to train. Newmarket, acknowledged as the headquarters of racing, seemed the obvious answer."
And so it was that in the summer of 1893, Lord Derby leased Bedford Lodge stables in Bury Road from the executors of the will of Abington Baird, known as The Squire, and George Lambton moved across town from his stables in St Mary's Square to take over as trainer.
Thanks to Journal reader Margaret Cole, who loaned pages from a feature published by Racing Illustrated in April 1896, this week's Looking Back recalls how the yard looked three years later when it was to send out its first Classic winner.
The filly Canterbury Pilgrim, pictured bottom left, had been bought by the 16th Earl out of a dispersal sale when the Duchess of Montrose announced she was selling up all her bloodstock interests. This acquisition sewed the seeds of the entire success of the Stanley racing empire through the next 50 years.Although placed only once in five starts as a two year old, Canterbury Pilgrim not only developed physically during the winter but also developed a terrible temper.
But her ability shone through her vixenish demeanour and it was decided that she was good enough to take her chance in The Oaks for which the Prince of Wales' Thais, winner of the 1000 Guineas, was hot favourite.
When she arrived at Epsom on the eve of the race, the filly was in a vile mood and in such a state it seemed she might not line up at all. But race she did and, ridden by Fred Rickaby, grandfather of Lester Piggott, won by two-and-a-half lengths from the Royal filly.
As the crowds cheered the first Classic success for Lambton, as well as the first for a horse carrying the Stanley colours for 45 years, no-one could have guessed they were witnessing the raising of the curtain on the great days that lay ahead for George Lambton and the family that bore the greatest racing name of all.
Canterbury Pilgrim went on to prove hugely influential. She bred seven winners, including St Leger winner Swynford, who in turn sired Derby winner Sansovino, and Blanford, who sired Classic winner Trigo, Blenheim, Windsor Lad, Bahram, Pasch, Campanula and Udaipur, as well as Brantome – one of the best horses to race in France between the wars and some believe the best of all his sons.
A few years after these photographs were taken, Lord Derby decided to build Stanley House Stables, now Godolphin Stables, on land further up Bury Road, which had formed part of the Duchess of Montrose's Sefton Stud. The yard was completed in 1903 and Lambton moved.
A succession of trainers followed him at Bedford Lodge, including Captain R Dewhurst and Harvey Leader, who renamed part of the yard Shalfleet after the colt that won him 16 races, including two Portland Handicaps in 1935 and 36. When he moved his string into new boxes on the eastern side of the yard he retained the name Shalfleet.
In 1963, Classic-winning jockey Fred Winter, father of the legendary National Hunt jockey also named Fred and top Flat trainer John, returned to Newmarket from Gravesend to train at Bedford Lodge, which he renamed Highfield after his Kent yard. On his death, the yard was taken over by his son John.
Today, the Bedford Lodge is a hotel, while what once were its stables are still the training yards Shalfleet and Highfield.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Newmarket
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: 0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
