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The Gascoignes and the St Leger

From the Barwicker No.117
March 2015



Visitors to Lotherton Hall may take no more than a cursory glance at two of the paintings hanging in the inner hall. One is entitled Soothsayer, and shows a jockey mounted on a horse and is thought to be by Ben Marshall (the signature is very faint but it probably is Marshall as he was active at the time). The other displays a man in period dress, holding a mounted horse by the name of Jerry, a work by John Frederick Herring senior. These two horses along with two others, namely Hollandoise (sometimes Hollandaise) and Symmetry were to play their part in the Gascoigne family's successes in the early years of The Doncaster St Leger.

In 1766 a horse race was contested at Cantley near Doncaster to test the country's best three year old thoroughbreds against each other. The idea of the contest came from a group of like minded horse racing enthusiasts and was such a success it was repeated the following year. Following the second race the group met at a dinner party at the home of Lord Rockingham to discuss the race's future, they decided to move the race to town moor (where it has been held ever since) and give it a name. The Rockingham Stakes, after the dinner party's host was suggested, but after some discussion it was decided to name it after one of its founders, Anthony St Leger. So was born the world's oldest classic horse race, The Doncaster St Leger, a race still run every September almost two hundred and forty years after its inception, a race the Gascoigne family were to win in the early years on four separate occasions, including the first under its formal title.

"As good a mare ever to have run in England" was how a correspondent for The Sporting Times described Hollandoise, a grey mare foaled in 1775 at Sir Thomas Stapleton's stud at Castleton near Snaith, and jointly owned by Stapleton and Sir Thomas Gascoigne. Hollandoise never ran as a two year old, making her winning debut in the 1778 St Leger by beating seven other horses in what was described an easy race. Hollandoise seems to have encountered some health problems only running intermittently between 1778 and 1781, missing the whole of the 1779 season she was eventually sold to Lord Claremont. Claremont seems to have had some success with Hollandoise, winning among others the prestigious 1781 Kings Cup, but then tragically, a few weeks later the horse died. Sir Thomas Stapleton seems to have kept some interest in Hollandaise lamenting "she was one of my favourite horses," her untimely death depriving him of having her portrait painted by the famous equine artist George Stubbs (to add to his already valuable collection by the artist).

Sir Thomas Gascoigne had to wait twenty years before Symmetry; a grey colt he both owned and bred secured him his second St Leger victory. After making his first appearance as a three year old at Catterick in April 1778, Symmetry was matched against the previous year's Leger winner Lounger, the race the finishing in a dead heat, so it was no surprise when Sir Thomas's horse beat nine others to take that year's Leger crown. The following year a race was arranged to run,arguably the best two horses in training against each other, one being Symmetry the other being the previous years' Derby winner, Sir Harry. The race took place at York for a stake of 500 guineas to the winner. Sir Harry was the outstanding favourite, but the Yorkshire weather was to play its part, torrential rain turning the course into a quagmire, allowing Symmetry to take the prize. A year later however, Sir Harry was to have his revenge winning a rematch at Newmarket. stayed down at Newmarket, being sold (like Hollandoise) to Lord Claremont, who in turn sold him to a Mr Heathcote with whom as a five year old he won his final three races, two of those against the two leading horses of the time, Sorcerer and Diamond. Symmetry was then sold and exported to Russia as a breeding stallion. There was a painting of Symmetry beating Sorcerer, by Ben Marshal its whereabouts are unknown.

By 1811 Richard Oliver Gascoigne, Sir Thomas's step son in law had taken up the reins (pardon the pun) of the stud, winning that years St Leger with a horse that literally had no name, listed only as Mr Gascoigne's colt by Sorcerer (it was as late as 1913 before it became compulsory to name horses). Richard Oliver was quick to cash in on his Leger winner selling him later that year for 2000 guineas to Baron Thomas Foley who immediately named his new charge Soothsayer, which begs the question, how come the painting at Lotherton Hall is named?, was the painting already done, then named later?, or was it commissioned by Foley and bought back at a later date?. In 1814, after a successful racing career (The American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine named Soothsayer along with Phantom as the best horses in England) Soothsayer was retired to stud where he was an instant success. Beginning his career for a standing fee of 20 guineas plus a guinea for the groom, he went on to become champion sire in 1819, which says a great deal about the quality of the Gascoigne bred horses. Soothsayer, like Symmetry was eventually exported to Russia where he ended his days in 1827.

The final Gascoigne victory in the St Leger was Jerry, another home bred colt, described as black and muscular, Jerry was sent to Middleham to be trained by James Croft (is he the man holding Jerry in the painting?). Having his first outing as a three year old at Catterick in 1824, Jerry was soon in winning ways, taking the prize in a big race at Newcastle in July, setting him up to beat twenty two other hopefuls in that years St Leger. Once again Gascoigne was swift to cash in, selling Jerry to Viscount Kelburn (Lord Glasgow) for 2000 guineas. Viscount Kelburn, Jerry's new owner was an eccentric and often cruel aristocrat; it was not unknown for him to have horses that displeased him on the morning gallops shot, one trainer noting that he had six shot on one morning alone. Jerry escaped Kelburn's wrath being transferred to his stud near Paisley. In 1832 Jerry was back in Yorkshire standing at a stud in Boroughbridge before moving to Mr Edwards stud in Newmarket where his offspring were selling for high prices. Jerry was eventually sold to The Duke of Grafton, at whose stud he sired his last foal in 1845.

I came across the Gascoigne's triumphs in the St. Leger while looking for something else entirely. While Sir Thomas and Richard Oliver were in their time, representative of an aristocracy and gentry whose birth and wealth enabled them to indulge in the expensive pursuit of race horse breeding and ownership, their successful involvement has to be admired. Their stud produced some of the finest bloodstock of the period, particularly Soothsayer, whose offspring included winners of the Derby, the Oaks, 2000 guineas, and 1000 guineas. I have dealt here only with their St Leger victories, but of course they had countless other winners, including the 1803 Oaks with Theophania, which re- enforces that in their passion, they were like their horses, front runners.

Source: American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine Vol 4

RAY MEDD


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