TURF CELEBRITIES

Otago Witness, Issue 1761, 22 August 1885, Page 21

TURF CELEBRITIES

THE SECOND EARL OF ZETLAND

In 1839 the Second Lord Zetland was 44 years old, and in 1823 he hud married the daughter of Sir Hedworth Williamson, a lady descended from one of the most ancient racing families in the north of England, and sister to the celebrated" Billy Williamson," whose name for something like 60 years, was as well known and as popular in Yorkshire as that of Major Yarburgh or of Sir Tatton Sykes. The future owner of Voltigeur entered upon the pursuit which was to endear him so greatly to his northern fellow-countrymen with characteristic prudence and circumspection. The firs>t animal that ever carried the white jacket and red spots was a nameless filly by Physician, who ran last in the Dundas Stakes at Richmond in %1839.% 1839. For three or four years Lord Zetlaud .trained with Gill, and hardly won a single race. Being heartily sick of a public stable his lordship engaged a rough and illiterate Yorkshire groom •called Robert Hill for his private trainer, and established him at Richmond, within two miles of his own, country seat at Aske. Bob Hill was commonly said to have been born in a loft, and although inflexibly honest, was sadly addicted throughout life to the immoderate consumption of spirituous liquors. When first he began to train for Lord Zetlaud, who had no taste for extravagant expenditure, Bob Hill was his own head lad, and often strapped horses with his own hand. His noble muster, zealously assisted aud seconded by his brother-in-law, Billy Williamson, gave constant attention to the training of his racehorses, but the united efforts of all three were long unsuccessful. Lord Zetland never gave long prices for yearlings, and continued to breed from mares of unfashionable blood, which he mated with equally unfashionable sires. The first year in which that now historical jacket, commonly called "The Spots," was cheered, with some gleams of success was in 1848, when Troica, Castauette (afterwards the dam of that good horse Fandango), Queen of the May, and Ellen Middleton (the dam of Wild Dayrell) carried away some useful races. They were followed next year by Polonai.se and Cantab ; but until the close of 1849 no animal belonging to Lord Zetland had ever won a place upon the roll of fame. The history of Voltigeur and of the way in which he came into Lord Zetland's possession have often been told in print, but seldom correctly' recited. The purchase of that celebrated horse by the Lord of Aske at the close of 1849 is the great event in the latter's sporting life, and upon it we propose to dwell in some detail.

Martha Lynn, the dam of Voltigeur, was born in 1837> being the daughter of Mulatto and of Leda, by Filho da Puta. She was bred in Yorkshire by Mr Sharpe, and sold as a yearling to Mr Ramsay, of Barntou, who took her to Scotland, and ran her as a two-year-old in three little races, all of which she won, in very moderate company. In 1840 she ran twice unsuccessfully, and in 1841, after she had been beaten at Kelso, Mr Ramsay sold her for a small sum to Mr R. Stephenson, a yeoman farmer, who lived at Hart, in Durham, and who, in addition to Voltigeur, had the good fortune, to breed Virago — two of the very best animals of the century. Immediately after he became possessed of Martha Lynn, Mr Stephenson put her to Voltaire, to whom she missed in 1842. Her next four foals were Eulogy, by Euclid, in 1843 ; Barnton, by Voltaire, in 1844; Volley, by Voltaire, 1845; and Maid of Hart, by The Provost, in 1846. Next year the f amour colt was born who will for ever entitle Martha Lynn to be regarded as a "Belgravian matron." Voltigeur, by Voltaire, was an early foal, aud from the day of his birth was blessed with a very hardy constitution. In those days it 1 was not the custom to stuff foals with Alderney milk in addition to that which they imbibed from their mother, and Voltigeur was reared after the good old Yorkshire fashion, which found favour in the eyes of Sir Tatton Sykes, Sir Charles Monck, Mr Garforth (who bred Don John), and Mr Foljambe (who bred Ellen Middleton) He grew into a very lusty yearling, of a hard, dark brown in colour, with tremendous loins and back, but with very loaded shoulders, and a ponderous neck. He was taken as a yearling to Doncaster, but no one would look at him. John Scott pronounced him a machiner, and Mr Stephenson, sorely disappointed, took him back to Richmond in Yorkshire, where he was left in the paddocks of Mr R. M. Jaques, of Easby Abbey, as it was thought more likely that he would attract the eyo of a cu&tomer than at his out-of-the-way birthplace at Durham. At Easby he was seen by a host of good judges, who without exception preferred a chestnut colt — Mildew, by Slave — to the heavyshouldered brown by Voltaire. Throughout the winter of 1848-49 Voltigeur remained at Easby, and it was perhaps fortunate for his future fame that so heavy a yearling was allowed plenty of time to mature. At length, iD the early months of 1848, Billy Williamson chanced to find his way to Easby, and upon seeing Voltigeur gallop round the paddock he was' struck by his magnificent hind action. He begged Lord Zetland to give Mr Stephenson permission to send the colt, then two years old, into training at Richmond under Bob Hill's care, and when Voltigeur had been broken aud began to understand how to gallop at exercise, Billy Williamson and Bob Hill were not long in falling in love with him. All through the year he was on price to Lord Zetland at 500 guineas, and less would probably have been taken, as Mr Stephenson was notoriously hard-up. Billy Williamson constantly urged his noble brother-in-law to buy, but the latter, with Scotch caution, had little fancy for a colt who had come back unsold from Doncaster, and whose shoulders were unmistakably heavy. Mr Williamson took care, however, that no stranger should see Voltigeur gallop or examine him in his box, and he also put him into the Wright Stakes, at Richmond, to be run for at the end of the year. It was the only engagement for which Voltigeur ran as a two-year-old, and, ridden by Bumby, he won it in a canter, beating Mark Tapley, who had shown some form, and two others. At length Lord Zetland hardened his heart sufficiently to give Mr Stephenson 1000 guineas for Voltigeur after ho had won the Wright Stakes, aud to promise him another £500 if tho colt won -the Derby. In those days the winter betting upon the Derby wa« enormous, and no reports of the

gallops taken by horses all over the kingdom found their way into sporting jourrials. The electric wire had not as yet come into common use, and the fame of a horso who had not won home of the great two-ycar-oM races, and was (rained in a private stable iti what were then regarded ,as the wilds of Yorkshire, was strictly confined to his own neighbourhood. The list kept by William Dnvies, the Leviathan, in Salisbury btroet, Strand, was then open, and many a pound was sent up from Richmond, and from the adjoining districts, to back Voltigeur for the Derby. The money was all got on at 30 to 1 , and even so late as Northampton Races, in the .spring of 1850, Mr Justice laid Mr Padwiek £4000 to £100 against Lord Zetland's Derby colt. The small sums staked upon Voltigeur duriug the winter emanated almost exclusively from the humbler classes, and there was hardly a servant in Yorkshire of either sex who had not a " bit " invested upon him. As the day drew near a few of Billy Williamson's personal friends, with the last Sir William Milner but one at their head, were found among Voltigeur's supporters for the Derby, and the colt advanced to 14 or 15 to 1 in the betting. John Scott for almost the first time since he had gone to live at Whitewall, was without a Derby favourite, and gave his undivided allegiance to Lord Airlie's Clincher, who was trained by Henry Wadlow, uncle to the present occupant of Stanton, aud was ridden for the Derby by the crack Whitewall jockey, Frank Butler.

At length the time arrived for Voltigeur to be transported from his training quarters to Epsoru. Unfortunately the excitement of the approaching race, and the consciousness that lie had a great horse under his care, were more than •Robert Hill could stand. Always inclined to take more liquor than was good for him, Bob Hill kept on " stoking up " until his favourite was safely enclosed in the van, wbich was to bo put upon a railway truck and wafted to Epsom. It was never the custom in those days for trainers to trust valuable horses to ordinary railway boxes, and the vans which had been introduced by Lord George Bentinck in 1836 were strapped upon a truck and sent upon rails, instead of being drawn by post-horses. With the key of the van which contained Voltigeur safe in his pocket, Bob Hill got into tho train, and slept heavily until he reached York. There he was met at tl c station by hosts of sympathising friends, who pledged him heartily in bumpers filled to Voltigeur's success. The night of the Friday preceding the Derby was passed by Voltigeur .and his more than half-inebriated trainer upon the rail between York and London. Upon arriving at Eustou Square station — there was no Great Northern Railway in 1850 — Bob Hill was in a maudlin condition, but resolutely determined that he would not part with the key of Voltigeur's van. ' The unhappy colt who had already been locked up for 16' or 17 hours without being able to lie down, had four posthorses attached to his van at the Euston Square station, ' and was drawn to Epsom, where, upon Saturday afternoon, he arrived more dead than alive.

Upon the Sunday morning before the Derby it was, at that time, customary for racing men of all classes to repair to Epsom in order to see the favourites gallop. , The downs were crowded with owners of horses, with bookmakers, with trainers and jockeys, and with all the waifs and strays who contribute by their presence to swell the racing community. When Voltigeur was brought out to take his gallop he was so stiff that he could hardly move. So wretched was his performance that Job Mar&ton, who rode him in his gallop, strongly advised Sir William Milner to hedge his money, if he could, and the horse went back in the betting to 30 to 1 offered. .It was fortunate for him that three clays had yet to elapse before the Derby was run; and when the day arrived the colt's hardy constitution had enabled him to regain the free use of his limbs. There was, however, another formidable danger to be surmounted before he was allowed to start for the Derby.

Towards the close pf the week previous to the Epsom meeting an intimation was conveyed to Lord Zetland by Messrs Weatherby that Mr Stephenson, by whom Voltigeur was nominated for the Derby, was a defaulter for forfeits amounting to more than £400, and that unless this sum was paid before the following Wednesday, the horse would not be allowed to start. Lord Zetland was furious at the disclosure, and telegraphed to Mr Williamson at Richmond, bidding him call upon Mr Stephenson to pay the money to Messrs Weatherby, upon pain of having Voltigeur scratched for the Derby. Mr Williamson, having ascertained that Mr Stephenson could not discharge his overdue forfeits, hurried up to London in order to implore his brother-in-law not to scratch Voltigeur for a race which, in Mr Williamson's opinion, he was sure to win. Furthermore, Mr Williamson represented that all Yorkshire was upon the horse ; that if Lord Zetland paid up the £400, he could deduct it from the £500 which he had promised Mr Stephenson if Voltigeur won ; and finally, that the disappointment occasioned to the inhabitants of Richmond and its vicinity if the horse was scratched would make his owner very unpopular. Lord Zetland still remained obdurate, and vowed that nothing upon earth would induce him to pay the money. He had not backed Voltigeur for one shilling, and was content to wait until the horse could start for some race in which Lord Zetland himself was the nominator. So the matter remained until Sunday night, when Sir William Milner, having pleaded in vain with Lord Zetland to pay the forfeits, extracted a promise from him before leaving Arlington street, where he lived, that he would not scratch Voltigeur out of the Derby before Tuesday morning. The next day Sir William Milner cut the knot by sending the money to Messrs Weatherby, and repaired on the afternoon of Monday to Tattersall's Subscription Rooms, were he backed Voltigeur for several hundred pounds. The horse left off at 100 to 6— the price at which he started. The race may be described in a few words. Lord Airlie's Deicoon and Mr Ford's Penang made the running at a strong pace, the first in the interest of Clincher, the second of Mildew. ' As they approached Tattenharn Corner Clincher and Voltigeur were leading, and Frank Butler upon the former, seeing that Lord Zetland's horse was the faster of the two, forced the running upon Clincher, and came down the hill at his best pace. The descent did not suit Voltigeur's heavy shoulders, but when they began to ascend the rise oppposite the stand the Richmond horse made up his ground in a few strides, and went in first by an easy length. At the last moment Pitsford pounced upon Clincher, who was not persevered with, and finished second.

11. was not a pleasant race for the still living Lord Strafford to contemplate. Nearly a year before, at Goodwood House, he had laid £10,000 to £150 against Clincher to one of the horse's stoutest supporters, and the same bet to Sir William Milner against Voltigeur. Clincher .started at 7to 2 aud Voltigeur won. Sir William Milner landed £20,000 upon the race, in which, but for him, Voltigeur would not have been a starter. Upon the following day, Davie6

the Leviathan paid away £50,000. which went chiefly into the pockets of Lord Zetland's tenants, of inhabitants of Richmond and its vicinity, of gentlemen's gentlemen, of coachmen, grooms, and maid-servants. There was hardly a hack cab driver in London but won his money; aud with the exception of Sir William Milner and of Mr Moore, an almost unknown Irish gentleman who had nothing to do with his fellow countryman, " Woolfdog Moore," there was hardly a winner among the upper classes. It is said that many Freemasons threw in for a considerable sum upon their Grand Master's horse.

Voltigeur's next appearance was for the Doncaster St. Leger, in which he was opposed by a feeble field numbering only nine starters. Among them, however, was included Mr Maugan's Russborough, an Irish horse, about whom nothing was known. In our Memoir of James Robinson we have already shown how superbly the Iri&h horse, was ridden by that accomplished jockey, who made a dead heat with Voltigeur. In defence of what seemed his poor performance upon the Derby winner, Job Marsou pleaded that Foley, mounted upon Chatterbox, another Irish horse, who was started to help Russborough, rode very unfairly, and got so often into Voltigeur's way that Marson was compelled to come sooner than he desired. So little did Bob Hill understand the art of training, that after the head-heat, he was going to put Voltigeur into the stable and to dress him over before the second heat. From this mistake he was saved by the earnest interposition of John Scott, who instructed him to keep Voltigeur walking about, to prevent his getting stiff. In the deciding heat Voltigeur made the running, and won very easily

Next day but one followed the most memorable racj! of the present century. Readers of our " Memoir of Lord Eglinton " will remember under what circumstances Marlow made tremendous running upon Flying Dutchman for the Doncaster Cup against Voltigeur, his solitary opponent, upon whom Flatman was mounted, Marson being unable to ride the weight. Soon after the Dutchman had rounded the Red House turn, the pace began to tell upon him, and Nat drew up to his quarters. " Volti's got him ! Volti's got him !" shrieked Bob Hill in an agony of delight, and in the midst of excitement such as had never been witnessed upon Doncaster Racecourse, Voltigeur went in first by half a length. *

Yet once again the two double first Winners were to meet in the following spring at York when the Dutchman proved himself the better horse. It is probable that neither the Dutchman nor Voltigeur, when they met at York, were in their best form. Voltigeur was drawn so fine by the over-work given him by Robert Hill that he staggered from weakness after-.the great match. In none of his subsequent races did the horse ever again show such form as he had exhibited at three years old. As a stallion, however, he conferred one further benefit upon Lord Zetland as the sire of Vedette, the only, other great horse that ever carried the Richmond spots. There were not wanting good judges who held that Vedette, when he won the Two Thousand in 1857, and the Doncaster Cup in 1857 and 1858, was as good as his sire, Voltigeur, and it is certain that in Galopin, Vedette got a better animal than ever sprang from Voltigeur's loins. But Vedette was subject to chronic rheumatism — an infirmity which he inherited from his dam by Irish Birdcateher.

Two years after Voltigeur's St. Leger, Bob Hill's partiality for the bottle had increased to such an extent that Lord Zetland was compelled to retire him upon a pension, which he did not live long to enjoy. His place as Lord Zetland's private trainer was taken first by Atkinson, who had been hunting groom at Aske, and then by George Abdale, who was recommended for the post by old John Osborne. Abdale remained at the head of Lord Zetland's stable for 18 months, when he died, and was succeeded by his head lad, Coates, who now trains for the French Marquis de Talon. Coates was Lord Zetland's last trainer, and during the reigns of Atkinson, Abdale, and Coates the Aske stable turned out many good winners, of whom Vedette was by far the best. Among them, however, were included Augur, who won the Champagne Stakes; Fandango, who won the Metropolitan Handicap, the Ascot Gold Cup, and Doucaster Cup ; and Skirmisher, who won the Ascot Gold Cup. In addition, Sabreur, Bivouac, and Vanquisher, all of them sons of Voltigeur, maintained the prestige of the Aske stable, until death overtook the Second Earl of Zetland in 1 1873. He was succeeded in the title by his nephew, the Third Earl of Zetland, who although, much to the regret of Yorkshiremen, he trains at Newmarket instead of afc Richmond, has shown himself worthy of the racing blood that runs in his veins. — The Sporting Times.