The Gascoignes and the St Leger
Back to the Main Historical Society page
Back to the Barwicker Contents page
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
Back to the top
Back to the Main Historical Society page
Back to the Barwicker Contents page