Sydney Augustus Paget (19 April 1857 – 16 September 1916) was an English

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

who owned and raced

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorses 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 pr ...

in the United States and who managed the racing operations for prominent owners,

William C. Whitney William Collins Whitney (July 5, 1841February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and financier and a prominent descendant of the John Whitney family. He served as Secretary of the Navy in the first administration of President Grover Clev ...

and

James Ben Ali Haggin James Ben Ali Haggin (December 9, 1822 – September 12, 1914) was an American attorney, rancher, investor, art collector, and a major owner and breeder in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. Haggin made a fortune in the aftermath of the Cal ...

Background

Sydney Paget was the fifth son and twelfth child of Cecilia Wyndham and her husband,

Lord Alfred Paget Lord Alfred Henry Paget (26 June 1816 – 24 August 1888) was a British soldier, courtier and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1837 and 1865. Early life Paget was the sixth son of William Paget, the 1st Marquess of An ...

Army

Sydney Paget served with the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, achieving the rank of Lieutenant with the machine gun section of the XIIth Yeomanry.

Horse racing and management

Paget's brother, Almeric, married

Pauline Payne Whitney Pauline Payne Whitney Paget (March 21, 1874 – November 22, 1916), was an American heiress and a member of the prominent Whitney family. Early life She was born in New York City, New York, to William C. Whitney and Flora (née Payne) Whitney. H ...

, daughter of the enormously wealthy William C. Whitney who hired Sydney Paget to manage his

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Thoroughbred racing stable. Paget ran a ranch at

Big Horn, Wyoming Big Horn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 198 at the 2000 census and 490 at the 2010 census. Geography Big Horn is on the eastern slope of the Big H ...

for William Whitney where he raised Thoroughbreds on the open range. Among the other top horses Paget was involved with was the

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Hamburg Belle who won the prestigious

Belmont Futurity Stakes The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...

in 1903. Hamburg Belle was owned by James Ben Ali Haggin but raced in Paget's name.

Paget racing stable

Near the end of the 1890s, Paget left the employ of W.C. Whitney to go on his own. In July 1898 he bought

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

winner

Plaudit Plaudit (1895–1919) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. A descendant of Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, English Triple Crown champion, West Australian (horse), West Australian, he was bred by Dr. John D. Neet, owner o ...

from

John E. Madden John Edward Madden (December 28, 1856 – November 3, 1929) was a prominent American Thoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky ...

for $25,000. The horse continued to race successfully that year but broke down while training in early 1899 and was retired from racing. Paget sold Plaudit back to Madden for $12,000 who sent him to stand at

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...

at his

Hamburg Place John Edward Madden (December 28, 1856 – November 3, 1929) was a prominent American Thoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky ...

breeding farm near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. In the pre- U.S. Triple Crown era, Paget owned the

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing F ...

of 1898,

Jean Bereaud Jean Bereaud (1896 – November 15, 1908) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse best known for winning an 1899 American Classic Race, the Belmont Stakes. Background He was bred by the partnership of David Gideon and John Daly a ...

. The colt went on to win the 1899

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

. Paget also won the 1905

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

with Cairngorm. Paget died in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 16 September 1916 at age 59.

References

Aiken Polo Club information on Sir Sydney Paget

* ttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9806EFDA113AE733A25750C2A9659C946797D6CF 23 March 1906 article on Sydney Paget's marriage with background 1857 births 1916 deaths British racehorse owners and breeders American racehorse owners and breeders Owners of Preakness Stakes winners People from Long Melford

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Yeomanry officers {{UK-noble-stub