Racing career The Flying Dutchman (horse)

1 racing career

1.1 1848: two-year-old season
1.2 1849: three-year-old season
1.3 1850: four-year-old season
1.4 1851: five-year-old season

1.4.1 great match

racing career
1848: two-year-old season

the flying dutchman undefeated in 5 races two-year-old in 1848. won july stakes @ newmarket , £400 sweepstakes @ same course. @ liverpool won sweepstakes £1400. in autumn appeared @ doncaster won champagne stakes , 1 other race. winnings season £4,095.

1849: three-year-old season

as three-year-old, flying dutchman did not race before derby , rumoured less fit. nevertheless started joint-favourite tadmor race @ odds of 2/1 in field of twenty-six runners. ridden charles marlow led after half mile overtaken in straight outsider hotspur, travelling in havey, muddy ground. marlow had use whip twice (the time whip used on flying dutchman in career) ensure regained lead , won half length over, tadmor third. lord eglington won heavily in betting on race, , members of army , navy club ( rag ) of member, reportedly took £30,000 in winning bets. john fobert celebrated holding feast hundred poor families @ middleham. king william iii of netherlands great admirer of flying dutchman, presented fobert magnificent breast-pin in shape of horseshoe commemorate victory.

he had walk-overs when no rivals opposed him in next 2 races, produce stakes , bickerstaff stakes, both @ liverpool. returned on 12 september st leger @ doncaster, in started 4/9 favourite against 9 rivals. although many of fashionable visitors deterred poor weather, race attracted huge crowd, many arriving rail first time. flying dutchman held in stages before making steady progress turn straight in second place behind vatican. favourite took lead furlong finish , won 2 lengths in time of 3:20.0 2000 guineas winner nunnykirk finished deprive vatican of second. few days later had walk-over in foal stakes. won forfeit, £500, after honeycomb (also bay middleton) withdrawn scheduled match race between two: win not part of flying dutchman s official race record. finished season belvoir stakes, winning 8 lengths.

1850: four-year-old season

at four, flying dutchman first won 2 , half mile emperor of russia s plate 8 lengths @ royal ascot in june. won 29-furlong goodwood stakes four-year-olds 10 lengths in july.

it wasn t until doncaster cup defeated in two-horse race, 1850 derby winner voltigeur had won st. leger 2 days before. possible flying dutchman s defeat due fact horse not conditioned, since trainer had thought voltigeur forfeit. factor behaviour of jockey, marlow, had been drinking , ignored instructions wait on colt, instead crying ill show ve got under me today! , pushing him @ break-neck speed @ beginning of race. having started race @ odds of 2/11, flying dutchman s odds in running shortened 1/10 pulled progressively further ahead of rival. stamina, however, being used , although held lead straight voltigeur, receiving nineteen pounds, wore him down win half length. decided scrap original plan of retiring flying dutchman after doncaster, , instead run him in match race against voltigeur try regain reputation.

1851: five-year-old season
the great match

the two-mile race held @ york on 31 may 1851, purse of 1,000 sovereigns. weights match set henry john rous, decided flying dutchman should carry 120½ pounds voltigeur s 112. race between 2 yorkshire horses generated enormous public interest, drawing estimated 100,000 spectators, largest crowd knavesmire since execution of eugene aram in 1759. horses exercise gallops attracted large crowds of fans attempting assess relative condition. on day of race crowd divided partisan camps, cheering either volti or flyer . flying dutchman restrained in stages voltigeur made running. in final furlong flying dutchman moved level rival , pulled ahead win length. retired stud.