Flying Fox was a horse that stood out prominently in racing records, not only as a triple crown winner, but as the horse that fetched the highest price ever paid at a sale by auction for a racehorse, namely £39,375, Kingsclere and Prince Palatine being bought by private contract by Mr. J. B. Joel at £40,000, a price that would perhaps not have been reached under the hammer.
In the Two Thousand Guineas value £4250 Caiman only ran second, Sloan up, Flying Fox winning this time, Cannon riding. For the St. Leger at Doncaster value £4050 Flying Fox again won, Caiman second, both ridden by the same jockey as in the previous races.
In 1900 Caiman only won the Lingfield Park Stakes value £2420, his wins, however, as a two year old in 1898 were £3557, as a three year old £3884 and as a four year old £2420, making the pleasing total of £9861.
The chief races won in 1898 were the Clearwell Stakes and Middle Park Plate by Caiman, Esher Stakes by Diakka, Thirty-fifth Biennial at Ascot by Sandia, Exeter Stakes by Dominie. Mykka the Lancaster Nursery First October Two Year Old Stakes, Prendergast Stakes, and Sandown Great Sapling Plate. On September 30th, Sloan won the Bretby Welter on Draco for Lord William by six lengths, the next race the Scurry Nursery on Manatee, the next race again the Rous Memorial Stakes on Landrail by three lengths, another on Libra, by two lengths, the Newmarket St. Leger on Galashiels by a head, making five wins and a second out of seven mounts, not a bad day for one stable.
Huggins, who was training the horses, lived at Heath House, the former home of the great Dawson trainers, “Mat,” and after him his nephew George. Heath House will always remain most famous in connection with the name of the uncle, as most of “Mat” Dawson’s greatest classic efforts came from that home; for the late Lord Falmouth, Duke of Portland, Lord Hastings of Melton fame, and lastly crowned with the success of Lord Rosebery’s Ladas.
The historic Democrat now came on the scenes in 1899. An American bred horse, his sire being Sensation, his dam Equality. This handsome and gentle chestnut with four white legs won no less than seven out of eleven races as a two year old, worth £12,939, including the Coventry Stakes at Ascot, the National Breeders’ Foal Stakes at Sandown, and the Middle Park Plate and Dewhurst Plate. The light blue and black cap was doing good business.
A record of all Democrat’s races may be interesting:
I am under the impression that the last time Lord William’s colours were seen on a racecourse was at Manchester, when his Billow II, bred in Australia, won the Autumn Plate, ridden by Reiff. Jolly Tar won six races in 1900.