Will Wheatley | |
---|---|
Occupation | Jockey |
Born | 1786 Cambridgeshire |
Died | 1848 Kingsland, London |
Major racing wins | |
British Classic Race wins as jockey: 2,000 Guineas (1817, 1823, 1824) Epsom Derby (1816, 1831) | |
Significant horses | |
Mameluke, Manfred, Marcellus, Nicolo, Prince Leopold, Schahriar, Spaniel |
William Wheatley (1786-1848) was a British Classic winning jockey of the early 19th century. His father was the 1795 Derby-winning jockey, Anthony Wheatley. [1]
He was, according to the Sporting Magazine of 1831, "one of the best jockeys in England." [2] He was particularly known for creeping up slowly during a race to win unexpectedly. [3] This was shown to memorable effect in the 1831 Derby. Wheatley was booked to ride 50/1 outsider, Spaniel, a horse known for only possessing one steady pace. The race principals ran together in a tactical battle and appeared to have forgotten about Wheatley on the unfancied Spaniel, who racing at his customary pace, "came up with perfect ease... [and] won in a most triumphant style". [4] Wheatley's ride was deemed "a splendid performance." [5] Despite this, Spaniel has gone down in history as possibly the worst ever Derby winner. [6] He was also known for having an untainted character, [5] and in Spaniel's Derby he had had a £25 bet at odds of 40/1 on his mount winning, only to cancel it at the last minute, thereby missing out on £1000. [6]
Wheatley rode the Derby winner Mameluke in some of his best races (although not the Derby itself). One of his most noted rides was in the "ever-memorable" Ascot Gold Cup when he rode Mameluke against Zinganee, ridden by Sam Chifney, Jr. [3]
His principal patron was Lord Lowther.
William Wheatley lived up to the 1840s at Newmarket where his father and family had settled but died at Kingsland, then a small settlement in Middlesex but now part of Hackney, in February 1848 aged about 62.
Francis Buckle (1766–1832), known to the British horse racing public as "The Governor", was an English jockey, who has been described as "the jockey non-pareil" of the opening quarter of the 19th century, and the man who "brought respectability to race-riding". He won at least 27 British Classic Races during his career, a record which would not be beaten for over 150 years.
Hermit (1864–1890), sometimes known, incorrectly as "The Hermit", was a 19th-century British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from April 1866 until July 1869 he ran 23 times and won eight races. He was a leading two-year-old in 1866 and won the 1867 Epsom Derby, despite breaking down in training shortly before the race. He continued to race until the age of five, but never recovered his form after running three times in three days at Doncaster in September 1867. After his retirement he had a long and highly successful career at stud.
Sailor (1817–1820) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a brief racing career in the spring and summer of 1820 he won both of his races including The Derby. He collapsed and died on the Newmarket gallops shortly after his Derby win.
The Merry Monarch was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from July 1844 to May 1846 he ran four times and won only one race. That race, however, was the 1845 Epsom Derby, in which he recorded an unexpected victory in a chaotic race. After one race in 1846 he was retired to stud where he made no impression as a sire.
Teddington (1848–1866) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from April 1850 to October 1853 he ran eighteen times and won ten races. Teddington won important races in each of his four seasons, most notably the Derby in 1851. In the next two years he proved himself to be a formidable stayer who excelled at distances in excess of two miles, winning the Doncaster Cup in 1852 and the Emperor of Russia's Plate in 1853. He was regarded by British experts as one of the best racehorses of his era. Teddington was retired to stud at the end of the 1853 season where he had limited success before being exported to Hungary in 1862.
Cotherstone (1840–1864) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from September 1841 to July 1843 he ran eleven times and won eight races. After being beaten on his debut, Cotherstone won his next six races including the 1843 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby. A narrow defeat in the St. Leger Stakes prevented him from being recognised as the first winner of the English Triple Crown. He was regarded by contemporary experts as one of the best British racehorses of his era. After sustaining a serious injury in his only race in 1844 he was retired to stud where he had moderate success.
Phosphorus was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In his British career he ran three times and won two races. His most significant win came when he overcame a leg injury to win the 1837 Epsom Derby. Phosphorus was later sold and exported to Brunswick, but was unable to reproduce his English form. He was unsuccessful as a stallion.
Spaniel (1828–1833) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career that lasted from July 1830 to early 1833 he ran eighteen times and won nine races. After an unsuccessful season as a two-year-old he made significant improvement in 1831 to win his first three races, culminating in The Derby. Spaniel failed to win again for over a year but then recovered to win five races on Welsh racecourses in 1832. He died after being injured on his first start as a five-year-old in 1833.
Mameluke was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from April 1827 to October 1829 he ran thirteen times and won seven races. Unraced as a two-year-old, he proved himself to be one of the best colts of his generation in 1827 when he won The Derby and finished second in the St Leger. Both races were surrounded by allegations of race-fixing and corruption. Mameluke raced with some success at four and five before retiring to stud. He was not a great success as a stallion.
Virago (1851–1869) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career which lasted from November 1853 to July 1855 she ran sixteen times and won eleven races. All but one of her victories came as a three-year-old in 1854, a year in which she dominated British racing, winning major events at distances ranging from one mile to three miles. Her wins included the classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Nassau Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks against her own age and sex. More notable were her successes in open competition, including the Goodwood and Doncaster Cups and three of the season's most valuable handicap races. She was regarded by many British experts as one of the greatest racehorses of the 19th century.
Achievement (1864–1872) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career that lasted from April 1866 to June 1868 she ran twenty-three times and won sixteen races. She was arguably the best British two-year-old of either sex in 1866 when she won eleven times and was only beaten when attempting to concede weight to colts. As a three-year-old she won the Classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and then returned from a surprising defeat in The Oaks to beat The Derby winner Hermit in the St Leger at Doncaster. After failing to show her best form in 1868 she was retired to stud and died four years later.
Oxygen was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic Oaks Stakes at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 1831. In a racing career which lasted from July 1830 until April 1833 she won eight of her fifteen races and finished second on five occasions. Oxygen's Oaks was the last of twenty classic wins for her owner George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton.
Anthony Wheatley was an Epsom Derby winning jockey of the 18th century. He won the 1795 Derby riding Spread Eagle, a horse owned and bred by Sir Frank Standish and trained by Richard Prince. Wheatley's son Will also became a successful jockey - winning the Derby twice and 2,000 Guineas three times in the early 19th century.
Ernest Johnson is an Epsom Derby winning British flat racing jockey.
Thomas Goodisson (1782–1840) was a four times Epsom Derby winning British jockey. He was the son of Dick Goodisson, the jockey who won the first three runnings of The Oaks.
Dennis Fitzpatrick (1764–1806) was an Irish, five-times British Classic winning jockey. He was the first Irish professional jockey to ride in England and competed in some of the most notable match races of the 19th century versus fellow jockey Frank Buckle.
James "Jem" Chapple was a British Classic-winning jockey. A "first-class and thoroughly English jockey" he won the Derby-Oaks double in 1833, and a further Derby in 1838.
Alfred Day was a British classic winning jockey. He won seven classics between 1849 and 1859, including the Derby on Andover, and was nicknamed "King Alfred" for his success.
Ralph "Geordie" Bullock was a Derby-winning British jockey.
John Howe Osborne, also known as John Osborne Jr. was a multiple British classic winning jockey. He was the most successful and most popular jockey in the north of England in the second half of the 19th century. His riding career lasted 46 years.