Thanks Tontonan. I hadn't seen that detail about Bayly and his both short and long-sighted attitudes towards thoroughbreds. Jorrocks screams out for a book! I certainly wouldn't disagree with his 8x HOTY between 1843 and 1850.
I've been working through his racing record, as i know some others have, and it would seem possible to come up with something close to accurate but whether it could ever be definitive is another story! It's a matter of cross-referencing and removing some of the "best guesses" in contemporary sources. Checking it through thoroughly would be a holiday job for me!
Cossack, the "invincible Russian", reads like the first "modern" colonial horse. He's more like The Barb and Fishhook than his early 1850s contemporaries. Would love to see your record of his career.
Here's Sportsman's record and below him, that of his brother, Sampson. Between August 1852 and September 1854 Sportsman won 21 out of 22 starts and the only one he didn't win was when his brother was "declared". Sampson was probably the second-best horse in the colony for a while but became a "cash-cow' at minor country meets for a succession of owners post-1855.
Jorrocks-Cossack-Sportsman-Veno would seem to be the absolute champions before the start of the "modern" era from 1859(!?)
SPORTSMAN (1849)
28 starts, 23 wins, 1 second, 4 unplaced
1851-1852 (3yo)
5 starts, 2/-/-/3
1st – 28/4/1852 Windsor Maiden Plate £40, once round and a distance, 2 heats, Sportsman won both, 2nd Fly
1st – 30/4/1852 Windsor St Leger £30, 1½ miles, 2nd Surplice, head
Unpl – 2/6/1852 Homebush Metropolitan Maiden Plate 100sovs, 1st The Brewer, 3min 23sec
Unpl – 4/6/1852 Homebush Queen’s Plate, 100sovs, 3 miles, (2yo – 5st 12lb, 3yo – 7st 2lb, 4yo – 9st 2lb, 5yo – 10st, 6yo and aged – 10st 4lb, mares and geldings allowed 3lb), 1st Cossack, 6min 1sec,
Unpl – 4/6/1852 Homebush Welter Stakes, 3 miles, 1st Sampson, 6min 6sec
1852-1853 (4yo)
10 starts, 9/1/-/-
1st – 12/8/1852 Singleton St Patrick’s Plains Glenridding Purse (£25) 1½ miles, 2 heats, 2nd Bessy Bedlam
1st – 26/8/1852 Maitland St Leger, 1½ miles, 2 heats, 2nd Hebe, second WO
1st – 7/10/1852 Homebush Drapers’ Races Drapers’ Purse (100sovs to winner), once round, 2nd Bronzewing, 3min 21sec, 6 lengths
2nd – 8/10/1852 Homebush Drapers’ Meeting the Finish Sweepstakes (50sovs), once round, 1st Samson
1st – 9/11/1852 Braidwood Welter Stakes (£300, three times around the course, 2nd Tam O’Shanter
1st – 11/11/1852 Braidwood Diggers’ Purse, 2nd Cinderella
1st – 29/4/1853 Windsor Australian Plate (40sovs), mile and a distance, 2nd Sir Charles, 2min 16sec,
1st – 1/6/1853 Homebush Welter Stakes, 3 miles, 2nd Jack Shepherd, 6min 20sec
1st – 3/6/1853 Homebush Queen’s Plate, 3 miles, wfa, (9st 2lb), 2nd Samson 5min 55½ sec
1st – 19/7/1853 Newcastle Publicans’ Purse (40sovs), 2 miles, 2 heats, 2nd Clementina, 2nd heat WO
1853-1854 (5yo)
9 starts, 9/-/-/-
1st – 29/9/1853 Homebush Match Race for £1500 wfa 1½ miles, vs Cooramin (3yo), 2min 56 sec, 20 lengths “hard held”
1st – 6/10/1853 Homebush Drapers’ Spring Meeting Champion Hcp (200sovs), twice around and a distance (9st 3lb), 2nd Sampson, 5min 20sec, 3 lengths
1st – 21/2/1854 Goulburn Town Plate (£75), twice around the course, 2 heats, 2nd Muleyson, length, half a neck
1st – 23/2/1854 Goulburn County Stakes (£100), twice around d the course, 2 heats, 2nd (first heat) Seducer, 2nd (second heat) Muleyson
1st – 23/2/1854 Goulburn Forced Hcp, twice around the course, 2nd Vanity
1st – 31/5/1854 Homebush Stakes (75sovs), once around, 2 heats, 2nd Sampson, 2 lengths, 1 length, 2min 30sec, 2min 31sec
1st – 2/6/1854 Homebush Queen’s Plate (100sovs), 2nd Cooramin, 5min 55sec, 10-12 lengths
1st – 2/6/1854 Homebush Forced Hcp, once round, (9st 8lb), 2nd Volunteer, length “well held”
1st – 7/6/1854 Homebush Match Race for £1000 a side wfa 1½ miles, vs Cooramin, 2min 58sec, 1½ lengths
1854-1855 (6yo)
4 starts, 3/-/-/1
1st – 5/9/1854 Mudgee Town Plate (150sovs), 2 miles, two heats, 2nd Vanguard
1st – 6/9/1854 Mudgee Cudgegong Purse (75sovs), 3miles and a distance, 2nd Tocul
1st – 7/9/1854 Mudgee Publicans’ Purse (100sovs), twice round the course, 2 heats, 2nd Planet
Unpl – 13/3/1855 Flemington Queen’s Plate (200sovs), wfa, 1st I Want It, 6min 3sec Sportsman broke down during the race on a “very macadamised” track
SAMPSON (aka Samson) 1848
At least 58 starts with 43 wins
1850-1851 (3yo)
1 start – 1/-/-/-
1st – 18/6/1851 Dungog Purse (£20), 2miles, 2 heats, 2nd Panther, 3min 59sec, 4min 2sec
1851-1852 (4yo)
9 starts 5/1/2/1
1st – 27/8/1851 Singleton St Patrick’s Plains Purse (£30), two miles, 2 heats, 2nd Lieutenant, 3min 57sec, 3min 59sec
1st – 29/8/1851 Singleton Publicans Purse (£50) 2 miles, 2 heats, 2nd Pasha, 4 min 7½ sec, 4min
1st – 9/9/1851 Maitland Town Plate (£50), 2 miles, 2 heats, 2nd Pasha, 3min 59sec, 3min 57sec
1st – 28/4/1852 Windsor All-Aged Stakes £40, twice around, 2 heats, 2nd Plover, 2 lengths, close struggle, 4min 3sec, 4min 1sec
2nd – 30/4/1852 Windsor Richmond Purse £40, wfa, 3 miles, 1st Vanity
3rd – 2/6/1852 Homebush Australian Plate 50 sovs, twice round, 1st Plover, 5min 12sec
Unpl – 4/6/1852 Homebush Queen’s Plate, 100sovs, 3 miles, (2yo – 5st 12lb, 3yo – 7st 2lb, 4yo – 9st 2lb, 5yo – 10st, 6yo and aged – 10st 4lb, mares and geldings allowed 3lb), 1st Cossack, 6min 1sec
1st – 4/6/1852 Homebush Welter Stakes, 3 miles, 2nd Almack, 6min 6sec, dozen lengths
3rd – 4/6/1852 Homebush Forced Hcp, twice round, 1st Plover
1852-1853 (5yo)
14 starts 12/2/-/-
1st – 11/8/1852 Singleton St Patrick’s Plains Purse (£50), 2 heats, 2nd Sappho
1st – 13/8/1852 Singleton Publicans’ Purse (£30), 2 miles, two heats, 2nd Wentworth
1st – 25/8/1852 Maitland Town Plate £50, two miles, 2 heats, 2nd Sluggard, WO second heat
2nd – 27/8/1852 Maitland Purse, 2 miles, 2 heats, 1st Wentworth, length, 3-4 lengths
1st – 7/10/1852 Homebush Drapers’ Meeting Metropolitan Hcp (100sovs), twice round and a distance, (8st 5lb), 2nd Vanity, 5min 25sec, dozen lengths
1st – 8/10/1852 Homebush Drapers’ Meeting the Finish Sweepstakes (50sovs), once round, 2nd Sportsman (Sampson “declared to win”)
1st – 9/11/1852 Braidwood Town Plate (£50), twice around the course, 2 heats, 2nd Cinderella
1st – 11/11/1852 Braidwood Publicans Purse 2 heats 2nd Royal Oak
1st – 27/4/1853 Windsor All Aged Stakes, 2miles, 2 heats, won both, 2nd Plover, 4min 9sec, 4min 17sec
1st – 29/4/1853 Windsor Richmond Purse, 3 miles, 2nd Jack Shepherd
1st – 1/6/1853 Homebush Australian Plate (50sovs), twice round the course, 2nd Little John, 5min 14sec, “easily”
1st – 1/6/1853 Homebush Ladies’ Purse (50sovs), once around the course, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Cossack, 20 lengths, 2min 29sec
1st - 3/6/1853 Homebush Corinthian Stakes (Gentlemen Riders), twice round, (11st 11lb), 2nd Jack Shepherd
2nd – 3/6/1853 Homebush Queen’s Plate, 3 miles, wfa, (9st 11lb), 1st Sportsman, 5min 55½ sec,
1853-1854 (6yo)
7 starts 4/2/1/-
2nd – 6/10/1853 Homebush Drapers’ Spring Meeting Champion Hcp (200sovs), twice around and a distance (10st), 1st Sportsman, 5min 20sec, 3 lengths
1st – 6/10/1853 Homebush Metropolitan Hcp (100sovs), (9st 9lb), 2nd Little John 3min 15sec, length “hard held”
1st – 21/2/1854 Goulburn Welter Stakes, 3 times around the course, 2nd Irish Kate, close finish
1st – 22/2/1854 Goulburn Publicans’ Purse (£50), twice around the course, 2 heats, second heat WO, 2nd Warratah
1st – 23/2/1854 Goulburn Ladies’ Purse, once around the course and a distance, 2 heats, 2nd Black Ball, second heat WO
2nd – 31/5/1854 Homebush Stakes (75sovs), once around, 2 heats, 1st Sportsman, 2 lengths, 1 length, 2min 30sec, 2min 31sec
3rd – 2/6/1854 Homebush Queen’s Plate (100sovs), 1st Sportsman, 2nd Cooramin, 5min 55sec, 10-12 lengths
1854-1855 (7yo)
4 starts 2/1/1/-
1st – 2/8/1854 Singleton Patrick’s Plains Purse (£40), 2 miles, two heats, 2nd Cato, “a made-up race”, the other two only being entered as a ‘matter of form”
1st – 4/8/1854 Singleton Town Plate (£60), 3 miles, 2nd Venison, 2 lengths
2nd – 5/10/1854 Homebush Drapers’ Meeting Champion Handicap, twice around and a distance, 1st Volunteer, 5min 11sec
3rd – 5/10/1854 Homebush Metropolitan Hcp (£100), 1st Volunteer, 2nd Cooramin
Disputed ownership and court cases seem to have stopped him running in 1855
1855-1856 (8yo)
11 starts 10/1/-/-
2nd – 5/2/1856 Beechworth Publicans’ Purse (£100), twice around, 3 heats, 1st Orlando, Sampson 2nd, 1st, 2nd , 1st heat 3min 58sec
1st – 6/2/1856 Beechworth Miners’ Purse (£100), 3 times round, 2nd Mosstrooper
1st – 7/2/1856 Beechworth Town plate (£100) 2 miles and a distance, 2nd Stranger
1st – 18/3/1856 Mulwalla Squatters Purse (50sovs), twice round the course, 2 heats, 2nd Stranger
1st – 19/3/1856 Mulwalla Publicans’ Purse,(50sovs), twice around the course, 2 heats, 2nd St John
1st – 8/4/1856 Albury Publicans’ Purse (60sovs), twice round and a distance, 2nd Orlando, 5min 14sec
1st – 10/4/1856 Albury Town plate (100sovs), 2 miles and a distance, 2heats, 2nd Mosstrooper, both heats won in 4min 9sec
1st – 10/4/1856 Albury Squatters’ Purse (40sovs), 3 miles, (11st 11lb), 2nd Orlando, 6min 24sec
1st – 26/6/1856 Beechworth Birthday Races Birthday Plate (100sovs), twice around, 3 heats, 2nd mosstrooper
1st – 26/6/1856 Beechworth Ladies’ Purse (60sovs), WO from another horse from his owner (Robert Brown)
1st – 27/6/1856 Beechworth Stakes (75sovs), once round and a distance, 2nd Electricity
1856-1857 (9yo)
5 starts 2/3/-/-
1st – 19/11/1856 Flemington Victoria Plate (150sovs) 3 miles, 2nd Hotspur, 6mins, 2½ lengths
1st – 20/11/1856 Flemington Victoria Turf Club Cup (100sovs), 3 miles, 2nd Rose of May, 6min 17sec, 10 lengths
2nd – 21/11/1856 Flemington Sweepstakes, 3 miles, 1st Hotspur, 6min, short half-head
2nd – 16/12/1856 Ballarat Town Stakes (100sovs), 3 miles, 1st Alice Hawthorne, 6min 49sec
2nd – 17/12/1856 Ballarat Ladies’ Purse (50sovs), once around the course, 1st Camel, 2 lengths
1857-1858 (10yo)
At least 7 starts 7/-/-/-
1st – /11/1857 Wagga Publicans’ Purse (75sovs) 2 miles, 2 heats, 2nd Tallyho
1st – /11/1857 Wagga Town Plate (100sovs), 2 miles, 2 heats, 2nd Alpha
March 1858 2 races won at Ten Mile Creek
“The sporting owner of Sampson, unable to resist the opportunity which offered itself of picking up a few sovereigns by taking this crack animal to run against a few stock horses at a small country meeting completely succeeded in spoiling the whole affair” Races on the second day cancelled (The Border Post)
He then won 3 races at Goulburn in May but lameness seems to have forced his retirement