Sporting Review . . AND . . LICENSED VICTUALLERS’ GAZETTE. with which is incorporated the weekly standard. Thursday, January 30, 1896 LADIES OF THE TURF

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VI, Issue 288, 30 January 1896, Page 6

Sporting Review . . AND . . LICENSED VICTUALLERS’ GAZETTE. with which is incorporated the weekly standard. Thursday, January 30, 1896 LADIES OF THE TURF

Now that the New Woman is spreading her sweet presence in the walks of life hitherto left sacred to men, we may expect her to pay some attention to Turf life, the excitement of which should be particularly attractive to her. The New Woman has already appeared on the Australian Turf, a lady owner having made her appearance in Melbourne pony circles, attending training operations every morning, and saddling her pony up on race days as though she had been born in a racing stable. But the lady owner can rank much earlier than the advent of the New Woman. There have been many instances of ladies possessing sufficient knowldge of horses and the ways of the Turf to enable them to successfully run a racing establishment. The late Duchess of Montrose was a case in point and the famous Lily Langtry, who races as Mr Jersey, is a later instance. In the case of the Duchess of Montrose her love of the Turf was given her by her husband. The Duke and Duchess were married when the latter was eighteen years of age, and the young Duchess quickly became interested in the sport, accompanying her husband to all the meetings where his horses were running. When the Duke died, Her Ladyship married Mr Stirling Crawford, the wellknown Scotch ironmaster, who kept a big racing establishment, even more extensive than the one run by the Duke of M ontrose. In Mr Crawford’s latter years he was unable to pay much attention to his racing stable, which was managed by the Duchess. After Mr Crawford’s death, the Duchess disappeared from the Turf for a time, but soon returned to it, and raced as “ Mr Manton,” with Sir Geo.

Chetwynd and Capt. Machell as her managers. However, the Duchess, who had a large will of her own, quarrelled with both of them, and managed her racing affairs in person. About this time she married young Air Milner and supervised her training personally. An instance of how thoroughly she was alive to all the intracacies of racing occurred only last season. A filly of the Duchess s was ?vl atchbox’s most dangerous opponent in the Dewhurst Plate, and, as she was getting a liberal allowance of weight, to make strong running would under ordinary circumstances have been the correct thing. As it happened, a pace was just what the Matchbox people wanted. Meeting the duchess before the race. Sir Frederick Johnstone remarked, “ Well, I suppose you will make us carry our weight all the way,” and was told for answer that was just what the Duchess did not intend to do. One of Her Grace’s biggest disappointments was when St. Mirin was beaten a head by The Sailor Prince in the Cambridgeshire of 1886. According to Custance it was his attempt to perform an impossible fe it of wasting to ride St. Mirin that brought about the death of Archer. A diet of medicine and continual turkish bathing brought on the illness which unhinged the famous rider’s mind and caused him to take his life. Eiridspord, now located in Australia, was another horse with which the Duchess tried to land a big coup. She started backing him for the Derby at 100 to 1, and never stopped pencilling until he stood at o to 1, but he only finished fifth. On one occasion the Duchess made a. big mistake, viz., selling a batch of yearlings for £I 0 J)()0 to Lord Calthorpe. Included in that batch were Seabreeze and Satiety, who won over £30,000 in stakes alone. The Duchess was a very hard taskmaster and constantly changed her trainers and riders. If her horse lost and the trainer attempted to excuse the defeat the string was shifted instanter. The only way of placating her was for the trainer to confess himself at fault and promise amends in the future. There have been other lady-owners, but none of them ever took such a prominent part on the Turf as did the Duchess of Montrose.