John Forth (c. 1769 – 4 February 1848) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 ...

and

racehorse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

. He is the oldest man to have ridden the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

winner and one of the very few to have both ridden and trained the winner.

Career

Forth rose to prominence in the

horseracing 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 ...

world late in life. There is no record of him having any major race victories as a young man, either as jockey or trainer. The peak of his career came only in 1829 when, aged 60, he performed the remarkable feat of both riding and training the

winner. As far as records are known, this also makes him the oldest jockey to win the Derby. A year prior, he had placed a bet with a

bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookma ...

named Crockford that he would win the race on a horse, The Exquisite, which he trained and planned to ride. Over the winter, however, he decided that

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

, another horse in his stable, would be a more likely winner. He therefore asked Crockford to change his bet, and the bookmaker consented, considering neither to have a chance. Frederick won at 40/1, while Forth's other horse, The Exquisite, ridden by

Frank Buckle Francis Buckle (1766–1832), known to the British horse racing public as "The Governor", was an English jockey, who has been described as "the jockey non-pareil" of the opening quarter of the 19th century, and the man who "brought respectabi ...

, finished second, beaten just a head, at 50/1. Forth would train a second winner of the Derby in 1840 - Little Wonder for

David Robertson, 1st Baron Marjoribanks David Robertson, 1st Baron Marjoribanks (2 April 1797 – 19 June 1873), was a Scottish stockbroker and politician. Background Born David Marjoribanks, he was the fourth son of Sir John Marjoribanks, 1st Baronet, MP and Lord Provost of Edinburg ...

. Forth later became embroiled in a Derby scandal when Leander, owned by a German horse-dealer friend of his, broke its leg and died running in the 1844 Derby. Accusations were made that Leander was a four-year-old and therefore ineligible for the race (the Derby being a race for three-year-olds). To settle the matter, the horse was disinterred to check its mouth, as a way of telling its correct age. On exhumation, however, the horse's lower jaw was found to be missing, Forth having removed it earlier to protect his friend. The following year's Derby would be happier for Forth, recording a third win as a trainer with

The Merry Monarch The Merry Monarch (1842 – after 1859) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In a career that lasted from July 1844 to May 1846 he ran four times and won only one race. That race, however, was the 1845 E ...

, ridden by Foster Bell. Both Forth's Derby winners were owned by G. William Gratwicke of

Angmering Angmering is a village and civil parish between Littlehampton and Worthing in West Sussex on the southern edge of the South Downs National Park, England; about two-thirds of the parish (mostly north of the A27 road) fall within the Park. It is ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, heir to a fortune. Gratwicke had Frederick buried on his estate, under what is now the 18th green of Ham Manor

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

Personal life

Forth married Hannah Townsend (died 1825). They had at least one son, H. T. Forth (died 1852) and one daughter (1797-1830). He died on 4 February 1848 at

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...

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, after a long illness, and was buried in St. Martin's Churchyard,

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 ...

Major wins (as jockey)

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

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 ...

- ''

(1829)''

Major wins (as trainer)

- ''

(1829),

(1845)''

References

Bibliography

* * 1769 births 1848 deaths British jockeys British racehorse trainers {{UK-horseracing-bio-stub