Sam Arnull (c. 1760 – 1800) 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, ...

flat 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 ...

of the 18th century. He won the inaugural running of Britain's foremost flat race, The Derby, on

Diomed Diomed, foaled in 1777, was an English Thoroughbred race horse who won 1780 Epsom Derby, the inaugural running of Epsom Derby, the Derby in 1780. He was subsequently a successful sire in the United States. Racing years A bright chestnut standin ...

, one of the most influential horses in

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 ...

history, and won again on a further three occasions.

Career

Arnull hailed from a family of jockeys that dominated British horse racing in the latter part of the 18th century and early 19th. He was the younger brother of John Arnull and uncle of Bill Arnull. Between them, the family won twelve Derbies in the race's formative years. He himself won four of them – 1780 (Diomed), 1782 (

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), 1787 (

Sir Peter Teazle Sir Peter Teazle (1784 – 18 August 1811) was a good British bred Thoroughbred racehorse, a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland nine times, and carried on the sire line of Herod. Breeding Sir Peter Teazle was a brown horse bred and own ...

), 1798 (

Sir Harry Sir Harry is the name given to nine different Thoroughbred 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 com ...

) – as well as an Oaks on

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in 1794. Such was their dominance that " Newmarket he home of British racingwithout an Arnull would ... have seemed strange" Sam was described as a "quiet and unassuming man" and was a man of some means, being able to ride out at hunts on well-turned out horses, with a well-dressed

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man an ...

. He and his family were known for being more trustworthy than other jockeys of the day. Although his brother won more Derbies, Sam was perhaps the better of the two; when he died in 1800 he "is supposed not to have left a better" His dedication to the sport was certainly undoubted. For example, in spite of the fact he found that "wasting was a sore burden ... eperformed the unrivalled feat of knocking off 7 lbs in a single day" to meet the weight for a horse he wanted to ride.

1780 Derby

The inaugural running of the Derby was low key compared to the event which it was to become. At the time it merited but a small notice in the

London Evening Post The ''London Evening Post'' was a pro- Jacobite Tory English language daily newspaper published in London, then the capital city of the Kingdom of Great Britain, from 1727 until 1797.Cranfield, G.A. (1963). "The ''London Evening Post'', 1727–17 ...

of 6 May 1780 but in retrospect was said to have "fairly caught hold on the public imagination". Arnull is said to have been seen going to post wearing: His main rival in the race was Colonel O'Kelly's Boudrow, also recorded as Budroo, who came in second. Diomed, owned by Sir Charles Bunbury, won at

odds Odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. Odds also have ...

of 6/4. The

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each human leg, leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Weste ...

that Arnull wore on the day now hang inside the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...

. At

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the following year, suspicion turned on Arnull when Diomed lost to what was considered "a very far inferior horse", losing Bunbury a large sum of money. The defeat sickened Bunbury and was a factor in Diomed's retirement.

Death

Arnull died in Newmarket in 1800. His death notice declared that "he is supposed not to leave a better behind him."

Major wins

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 ...

– (4) – ''

(1780)'', ''

(1782)'', ''

(1787)'', ''

(1798)'' *

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

– ''

(1794)''

References

Bibliography