Samuel Loates (1865–1932) was a British

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 ...

horse racing 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 ...

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 ...

who was the Champion Jockey of 1899 in his home country.

Background

Loates was from a racing family. He and three brothers were active as jockeys before and around the turn of the 20th century. The best known of his siblings was

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

, who was one of Sam's predecessors as Champion Jockey.

Riding career

A "small, short-legged and lightweight" jockey, Loates served his apprenticeship under Tom Cannon of

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, who was as noted for his training of riders as for his training of horses. Loates rode his first winner at 17 years old and at 19, rode the first of two

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 ...

winners, Harvester. In 1898, completed a hat-trick of

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, doing the Derby-

St. Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

double on Sir Visto and taking the Oaks on La Sagesse. There were no more Classic winners until 1898, when he did the Guineas double with Nun Nicer (

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

) and Disraeli (

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 ...

). In 1899, there was an invasion of American jockeys into British racing. Despite the extra competition, he won his one and only championship with 160 winners. As the nation's leading jockey, on 28 October 1899 he entered into a lucrative agreement with Sir John Blundell Maple to be his retained jockey for three years. The fee for this deal was to be £2,000 p.a., plus travel expenses, plus £25 for each winner he rode. For the first two years, the relationship proceeded very amicably. In 1902, Loates rode the winners of over £20,000 in prize money. But on 14 November 1902, at

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, Loates broke his thigh, with the effect that he couldn't take up his licence for the following season. Even though Loates finally obtained a licence in April, Blundell Maple took the initial denial of a licence by stewards on physical grounds as reason for terminating their agreement. Loates objected and took the case to court. Ultimately, the judge ruled that Loates was entitled to his retainer for 1902, but the relationship had been soured.

Later life

Like many jockeys, he became a trainer on retirement. He trained for

Solomon Joel Solomon Barnato "Solly" Joel (23 May 1865 – 22 May 1931), born in London, England, moved to South Africa in the 1880s where he made his fortune in connection with diamonds, later becoming a financier with interests in mining, brewing and railw ...

and for a time was in charge of Derby winner

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Major Wins

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Classic Races

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

– (2) – ''Nun Nicer (1898), Winifreda (1900)'' *

– ''

Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a centr ...

(1898)'' *

– (2) – '' Harvester (1884),

Sir Visto Sir Visto (1892–1914) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In a career that lasted from 1894 to 1896 he ran thirteen times and won three races. As a three-year-old in the 1895 he won both Epsom Derby, ...

(1895)'' * Oaks – ''La Sagesse (1895)'' *

St. Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

– ''

(1895)''

Selected other races

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...

– '' (1899)'' *

Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) on t ...

– '' (1898)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loates, Sam 1865 births 1932 deaths English jockeys British Champion flat jockeys