The City and Suburban Handicap is a

flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

handicap

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 2 furlongs and 17 yards (2,027 metres) at

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

in April during the Epsom Spring meeting. Inaugurated in 1851 it originally attracted top-class racehorses in the 19th and early 20th century; today its importance has been eclipsed by larger stakes races with more valuable purses.

History

The City and Suburban Handicap and its companion race, the

Great Metropolitan Handicap The Great Metropolitan Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2,420 metres) at Epsom in April during ...

, were devised by London hosteler Samuel Powell Beeton who owned ''The Dolphin'' in

Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, where ...

. The establishment was well known for gambling and was dubbed "the

Tattersalls Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founding It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. T ...

of the east end" by the racing public. In 1846 Beeton and a collection of other tavern owners (known collectively as the "Licensed Victuallers of London") raised £300 to establish a purse for the first running of the Great Metropolitan Handicap. The race was popular with the city betting houses and by 1851 Beeton had raised additional money by drafting subscriptions from both city and suburban gambling houses to establish a second race on Epsom Downs, the City and Suburban. The inaugural race was run on 4 April 1851 where it was open to three-year-old and older horses of either sex that had won a stakes race worth at least 200 sovereigns in their career. The winner was required to pay £10 out of the purse to the Licensed Victuallers' Protection Society, a fund and charity for retired British

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

owners. The first running was held on the New Derby course at a mile and a quarter and was close match between Lord Eglinton's 5-year-old horse Elthiron sired by Pantaloon and Mr. Carew's mare Eva, Elthiron winning by a head in two minutes and 25 seconds. Hostelers contributed to the winnings purse until 1853 when the Betting Houses Act outlawed gambling in taverns and public houses. The Handicap attracted some top-class racehorses in the late 19th and first half of the 20th century. Several British Classic race winners such as

Virago A virago is a woman who demonstrates abundant masculine virtues. The word comes from the Latin word ''virāgō'' ( genitive virāginis) meaning vigorous' from ''vir'' meaning "man" or "man-like" (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix ''-ā ...

, (1,000 Guineas),

Reve d'Or Reve d'Or (1884 – after 1904) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won two British Classic Races in 1887. She ran nine times as a juvenile in 1886, winning three races including an upset victory in the Dewhurst Plate in O ...

(Oaks), Sefton (Derby),

Bend Or Bend Or (1877–1903) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden. Nom ...

(Derby),

Robert the Devil Robert the Devil () is a legend of medieval origin about a Norman knight who discovers he is the son of Satan. His mother, despairing of heaven's aid in order to obtain a son, had asked for help from the devil. Robert's satanic instincts propel h ...

(St. Leger) and

Black Jester Black Jester (1911–1928) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the Classic St Leger Stakes in 1914. The colt won nine times from twenty-three races in a track career which lasted from 1913 until October ...

(St. Leger) won the race. The American-bred gelding

Parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

also won the City and Suburban and the Great Metropolitan Handicaps on consecutive days in 1879. The caliber of entries has declined in recent years and the City and Suburban is currently not a graded stakes race. In 1916 during World War I, turf activities at Epsom were curtailed and many of the spring races were run elsewhere. The equivalent of the City and Suburban, dubbed the "Suburban" Handicap was run at

Lingfield Park Lingfield Park Racecourse (commonly referred to as Lingfield) is a horse racing course at Lingfield in Surrey, United Kingdom. It is owned by the ARC Racing and Leisure Group, formerly Arena Leisure Plc. Lingfield is best known as a winter ...

in June and was won by Lord Carnarvon's colt Julian. The race was not held in 1917 and 1918 due to the war and was canceled in 1921 due to concerns over petrol and coal availability. At the onset of World War II, the racing meetings at Epsom Downs were suspended in 1940 and did not resume until the summer of 1946. The City and Suburban was reinstated at Epsom on 5 August 1946 to allow time for the course to be refurbished after the long hiatus.

Winners

The race has been won by several mares including the Oaks winner Reve d'Or. The first mare to win the City and Suburban was Butterfly in 1852 and the last was Starlet in 1990. The race was open to three-year-old horses in its early years, with the last three-year-old winner under the race's formal title being Mushroom (1911) and the last under provisional title, the "Suburban" Handicap, being Julian (1916).

Records

Leading jockey (6 wins): *

Morny Cannon Herbert Mornington Cannon (1873–1962), commonly referred to as Morny Cannon, was a six-time Champion jockey in the United Kingdom in the 1890s. He holds the records for the most wins by a jockey in the Craven Stakes, Coronation Stakes and Prin ...

: Reve d'Or (1890), Nunthorpe (1891), Reminder (1895), Worcester (1896), Newhaven II (1899), The Grafter (1900) * 5 wins:

Fred Archer Fred or Frederick Archer may refer to: * Fred Archer (jockey) (1857–1886), English jockey * Fred R. Archer (1889–1963), photographer and co-inventor of the photographic Zone System * Frederick Scott Archer (1813–1857), inventor of the photogr ...

: Thunder (1876), Julius Caesar (1878),

(1879), Master Kildare (1880),

(1881) ----

1851–1911

1912–1987

1988–present

Notes

* In 1916 the race was run at Lingfield Park in June as the "Suburban" Handicap due to curtailment of turf events during World War I. * The 1921 Epsom Spring Meeting was suspended due to petrol and coal rationing concerns. * The 1940–1945 Epsom Spring Meetings were suspended due to curtailment of turf events during World War II. * The 1946 City and Suburban was held on 5 August at Epsom Downs to allow the racecourse to be refurbished. * The 1991 race was run at Kempton. * The 2008 race was run at Nottingham.

References

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...

**, , , , , , , , , **, , , , , , , , , **, , , , , , , {{Race Meeting, Epsom Spring Meeting, Turf Epsom Downs Racecourse Flat races in Great Britain Open middle distance horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1851 1851 establishments in England