Frederic E. Webb (1853–1917) was a

British Classic The British Classics are five long-standing Group 1 horse races run during the traditional flat racing season. They are restricted to three-year-old horses and traditionally represent the pinnacle of achievement for racehorses against their o ...

winning

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

. Webb was apprenticed to trainer

Mathew Dawson Mathew Dawson (1820–1898) was a British racehorse trainer. In a career which lasted from 1840 until his death in 1898 he trained the winners of twenty-eight British Classic Races, a figure surpassed by only two other men. He was significan ...

at Heath House, Newmarket. His first major victory was the 1869 Cesarewitch Handicap on Cherie. He finished the season with 27 wins. His 1873 Derby win on James Merry's Doncaster was unexpected. He was only booked for the ride on the morning of the race because the intended jockey James Snowden was too drunk. Later in 1873, he won the Middle Park Stakes on Newby. In 1877 his six wins included the Northumberland Plate, the

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 ...

and the Doncaster Cup on Hampton. Webb's other Classic success came in 1881 with Peregrine in the

2,000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

. A few weeks previously, he had finished fifth in the Grand National on The Scot. In 1884, he won the Cambridgeshire on Florence. For the Derby, Webb again partnered Peregrine, although friend and fellow jockey, Fred Archer tried to steal the ride, approaching the trainer, Robert Peck, saying "give Webb a thousand and put me up". In the event, Archer on Iroquois, which was second in the Guineas, beat Webb and Peregrine by a neck. He won two successive runnings of the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

on Tristan - outright in 1883 and dead-heating in 1884. He was a stylish rider and a strong finisher. A long face and prominent nose gave him a lugubrious appearance. Webb began training in 1895 for Lillie Langtry,

Lord Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Irelan ...

and others at Ethelreda House, Newmarket, shortly before weight gain meant he had to give up race riding. For Langtry, he won the 1897 Cesarewitch with Merman. Later, he went to Hungary to train for

Prince Victor of Thurn and Taxis , house = Thurn and Taxis , spouse = Lida Nicolls , father = Prince Egon Maximilian of Thurn and Taxis , mother = Viktoria Edelspacher de Gyoryok , birth_date = , birth_place = Ecska , death_date = , death_place = ...

. He died of diabetes in Eastbourne in 1917.

Major wins

Great Britain *

2,000 Guineas Stakes The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

- '' Peregrine (1881)'' *

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

- '' Doncaster (1873)'' *

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

- '' Tristan (1883, 1884 (dh))'' * Doncaster Cup - '' Hampton (1877)'' *

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 ...

- '' Hampton (1877)'' * Sussex Stakes - '' Hermitage (1884)''

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Fred 1853 births 1917 deaths British jockeys