Jersey Act
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Jersey Act was introduced to prevent the registration of most American-bred
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 ...
horses in the British ''
General Stud Book The ''General Stud Book'' is a breed registry for horses in Great Britain and Ireland. More specifically it is used to document the breeding of Thoroughbreds and related foundation bloodstock such as the Arabian horse. Today it is published e ...
''. It had its roots in the desire of British horse breeders to halt the influx of American-bred
racehorse 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 ...
s of possibly impure bloodlines during the early 20th century. Many American-bred horses were exported to Europe to race and retire to a
breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and ra ...
career after a number of U.S. states banned gambling, which depressed Thoroughbred racing as well as breeding in the United States. The loss of breeding records during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and the late beginning of the registration of American Thoroughbreds led many in the British racing establishment to doubt that the American-bred horses were purebred. In 1913, 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 ...
and the owners of the ''General Stud Book'' passed a regulation named by the foreign press after the Jockey Club's senior steward,
Lord Jersey Earl of the Island of Jersey, usually shortened to Earl of Jersey, is a title in the Peerage of England held by a branch of the Villiers family, which since 1819 has been the Child-Villiers family. History It was created in 1697 for the sta ...
, prohibiting the registration of horses in the book unless all of their ancestors had been registered. Despite protests from American breeders, the regulation remained in force until 1949. Among the factors influencing its relaxation were the racing success of ineligible horses in Europe and the damage caused to British and Irish breeders by the unavailability of French Thoroughbreds during and after the Second World War. In addition, by 1949 the possibly impure ancestors of the American bloodlines had receded far back in most horses' ancestry.


Background

Before the introduction in 1913 of what became popularly known—"with questionnable taste" according to a correspondent writing in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
''—as the Jersey Act, Thoroughbred horses in the United Kingdom were registered in the ''General Stud Book'', the
stud book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...
for British and Irish Thoroughbreds. The rules allowed a horse to be registered if all of the horse's ancestors were registered in the ''General Stud Book'' or if it had been bred outside of Britain or Ireland and was registered in the stud book of its country of origin.Napier and Rasmussen ''Treasures of the Bloodstock Breeders' Review'' p. 642 Overall the ''General Stud Book'' had the most stringent rules for registration of Thoroughbreds at the time, around 1900; other countries, including the United States, France, Australia and Russia, were considered by the British and Irish to be much laxer and to have allowed some non-Thoroughbred horses into their national stud books.Leicester ''Bloodstock Breeding'' p. 78 The outlawing of race-track betting in parts of the United States between 1900 and 1913 led to a large influx of American-bred horses into Britain and Ireland, giving rise to fears among British breeders that they would be swamped by the American bloodlines and their own stock would become worthless. The biggest state to outlaw betting was New York, which passed the
Hart–Agnew Law The Hart–Agnew Law was an anti-gambling bill passed into law by the Legislature of the State of New York on June 11, 1908. It was an amalgam of bills enacted as Chapter 506 and 507 which were sponsored by conservative Assemblyman Merwin K. Hart ...
in 1908.Robertson ''History of Thoroughbred Racing in America'' p. 196 By 1911, the average price for yearlings sold at auction was at a record low of $230 ($ as of ).Robertson ''History of Thoroughbred Racing in America'' p. 198 Before 1900, most horses were imported into Britain to race, and rarely stayed for a breeding career. The outlawing of gambling resulted in large numbers of American horses that could no longer be supported, and many were shipped to Europe for racing. Because of the downturn in the horse market in the United States, it was assumed that most of the horses sent to Europe would stay there permanently and, after retirement from the racetrack, would enter their breeding careers outside of the United States. Between 1908 and 1913, over 1500 Thoroughbreds were exported from the United States. Those exported included 24 horses who had been or would later become champions – among them Artful, Colin,
Henry of Navarre Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...
,
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
, and
Ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16t ...
.Simon ''Racing Through the Century'' p. 55 The ''
American Stud Book The ''American Stud Book'' is the stud book for the Thoroughbred horse in the United States. It was founded by Sanders Bruce, with assistance from his brother B. G. Bruce.Montgomery ''Thoroughbred'' p. 162 In 1896, The Jockey Club bought out Bruce ...
'', the registration book for American Thoroughbreds, was not founded until 1873, much later than the ''General Stud Book'', and the rules for registration required only that a horse have five generations of ancestors in the ''American Stud Book'' or other national stud books, unlike the ''General Stud Book'' rules.Leicester ''Bloodstock Breeding'' p. 79 In addition, many breeding records were destroyed during the American Civil War, as fighting during that conflict took place in noted American Thoroughbred breeding centers. The result was that most American Thoroughbreds in 1913 were unable to show an unblemished pedigree according to the ''General Stud Book'' rules. Adding to the problem was the fact that American horses were beginning to win the big horse races in England, starting with
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
, who won the 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 ...
. J. B. Haggin, an American breeder and owner of
Elmendorf Farm Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, involved with horse racing since the 19th century. Once the North Elkhorn Farm, many owners and tenants have occupied the area, even during the American Civil War. Mo ...
, had begun to ship large contingents of horses to England for sale, including the 1908
Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...
steeplechase winner Rubio, and the fear was that if other American breeders followed his lead, the English racing market would be overwhelmed. As a first step, the English racing authorities began to limit the number of training licences at
Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...
, turning away a number of American breeders.Robertson ''History of Thoroughbred Racing in America'' pp. 198–199 The ''General Stud Book'' rules for registration were also amended in 1909 to restrict registration to horses whose ancestry could be traced entirely to horses already registered in the ''General Stud Book'', but horses registered in other national stud books were still allowed to be imported and registered.Leicester ''Bloodstock Breeding'' pp. 79–80


Introduction

The owners of the ''General Stud Book'',
Weatherbys The Weatherbys Group is a UK conglomerate involved in a wide range of activities largely within banking and horse racing. The original business was founded by James Weatherby in 1770. History James Weatherby was appointed to serve the Jockey ...
, consulted with the Jockey Club, the United Kingdom's racing authority, and discussions were held about the problems in pedigrees recorded in the ''American Stud Book''. At a meeting of the Jockey Club in spring 1913, Victor Child Villiers, Lord Jersey, the club's senior steward, proposed a resolution limiting the registration of American bloodlines. It passed unanimously in May,Wall ''Judging the Horse'' pp. 189–190 and a new regulation was placed in the ''General Stud Book'', Volume 22:Willett ''Classic Racehorse'' pp. 71–74 Although named the Jersey Act by a critical foreign press, after Lord Jersey, the new regulation did not have the force of law as it was promulgated by the registration authorities of the Thoroughbred horse, not by the United Kingdom government.Blood-Horse Staff ''Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments'' pp. 124–125 Nor was it promulgated by the Jockey Club, which had no authority over registration, only over racing matters. The regulation required that any horse registered in the ''General Stud Book'' trace in every line to a horse that had already been registered in the ''General Stud Book'', effectively excluding most American-bred Thoroughbreds.Thoroughbred Times Staff "Racing Through the Century: 1911–1920" ''Thoroughbred Times''


Effects

Because the new rule was not applied retroactively, all American-bred horses registered before 1913 remained on the register, and their descendants were also eligible for registration. Of the 7,756 mares in Volume 27 of the ''General Stud Book'', published in 1933, 930 would have been ineligible under the new rule.Staff "The General Stud Book, The Full Story" ''The Times'' The Jersey Act did have an immediate impact however, as the winner of the 1914 Epsom Derby, Durbar II, was ineligible for registration, as his dam, Armenia, was bred in the United States and was not herself eligible for the ''General Stud Book''.Napier and Rasmussen ''Treasures of the Bloodstock Breeders' Review'' p. 648 The main problem for American breeders was the presence of the blood of Lexington in their breeding programs. Lexington's pedigree on his dam's side was suspect in the eyes of British racing authorities, and, as he had been the leading sire of racehorses in the United States for 16 years, his descendants were numerous. Most American-bred Thoroughbreds traced to Lexington at least once,Willett ''Classic Racehorse'' p. 107 and he was not the only horse with suspect bloodlines registered in the ''American Stud Book''. Most British breeders thought the regulation necessary and welcomed it, whereas most American breeders found it insulting, and believed that it was intended merely to protect the British racehorse market. The rule did adversely affect many British breeders as well, though, including even one senior member of the Jockey Club, Lord Coventry, whose successful line of racehorses was ineligible for registration. Initially there was little foreign complaint or organized opposition, probably owing to the effect of the gambling bans in the United States on the domestic horse market. The American
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 ...
did not even remark on the Jersey Act in its official publication, the ''Racing Calendar'', and no mention of it appears in the Jockey Club's meeting minutes for 1913.Jockey Club ''Racing Calendar'' Meeting minutes for 1913. The entire year was searched and nothing on the new regulation was mentioned. Contributing to the lack of outcry was a legal ruling in New York allowing oral betting at racetracks, which led to the growth of racing in the United States; by 1920 the American breeding market had rebounded and was booming.Leicester ''Bloodstock Breeding'' pp. 80–81 The Jersey Act did not prevent the racing of horses containing the banned bloodlines, as horses with the suspect breeding raced and won in England, but they were considered to be "half-bred". A number of American-bred horses carrying the lines of Lexington had already been imported into England, including Americus, Rhoda B, and
Sibola Sibola (1896–1921) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was sent to England as a yearling and showed some promise as a two-year-old in 1898 although she failed to win a race. In the following year, sh ...
, and because they were grandfathered in, they and their descendants were allowed to be registered in the ''General Stud Book''. Nor did it prevent the racing of horses that were not registered in the ''General Stud Book''; it just prevented registration in the ''General Stud Book''. American bloodlines, whether registered in the ''General Stud Book'' or not, dominated English racing in the 1920s and 1930s. Horses that were ineligible for ''General Stud Book'' registration, but were allowed to race, were identified with a
Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...
in programs and auction listings. A number of American breeders, including the then-chairman of the American Jockey Club, William Woodward, Sr., lobbied hard throughout the 1930s to have the regulation removed.Sparkman "Errors" ''Thoroughbred Times'' Woodward, and other defenders of the American bloodlines, argued that the racing performance of the horses proved their purity, even if they could not produce papers that did so. Woodward declared in 1935 that "If we do not get together, we will grow apart."Quoted in Simon ''Racing Through the Century'' p. 105 Those arguing for keeping the Jersey Act in effect pointed out that the ''General Stud Book'' is a record of bloodlines, not a work recording racing ability.Montgomery ''Thoroughbred'' p. 170 The Jersey Act's major effect was the opposite of what was intended. In the years before the Second World War, British and Irish breeders had relied on imported Thoroughbreds from France to enrich their breeding lines, a source that was unavailable during the war, and concerns were beginning to be expressed that the situation might lead to excessive inbreeding.Staff "U.S. and General Stud Book" ''The Times'' Additionally, by the end of the war American-bred lines were some of the most successful racing lines in the world, effectively making the British and Irish breeding programmes that did not use them second-rate,Napier and Rasmussen ''Treasures of the Bloodstock Breeders' Review'' p. 664Simon ''Racing Through the Century'' p. 141 and harming the rebuilding of English racing.Williams "Juicy Steaks Decide Rickey's Camp Choice" ''The Pittsburgh Post'' There were even calls for the creation of an international stud book to record all Thoroughbred pedigrees, thus eliminating any perceived slight on the bloodlines that were excluded from the ''General Stud Book''.Churchill "Today in Europe" ''The Palm Beach Post''


1949 amendment

Weatherbys, publishers of the ''Stud Book'', approached the Jockey Club in 1948 to ask if it agreed that the Jersey Act was "too restrictive".Staff "Jersey Act and the Stud Book" ''The Times'' The rule was subsequently modified in June 1949, after the racing careers of a number of horses such as
Tourbillon In horology, a tourbillon (; "whirlwind") is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy. It was developed around 1795 and patented by the Swiss-French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet on June 26, 1801. In a tourbill ...
and
Djebel : ''For mountains or other uses, see: Jabal.'' Djebel (1937–1958) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 15 of 22 races during 1939–1942 including the Prix d'Essai, 2000 Guineas and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was later a leading s ...
persuaded the Jockey Club to reconsider. A number of French-bred Thoroughbreds began to race in England after the Second World War, but because they carried American lines they were considered half-breds. In 1948 two of England's five
classic races The British Classics are five long-standing Group races, Group 1 horse racing, 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 r ...
were won by half-bred horses,
My Babu My Babu (1945–1970) was a French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who became one of the most influential sires in American breeding of show jumpers, eventers and hunters. His descendants include Bruce Davidson's former eventing mount JJ Babu, ...
and Black Tarquin, prompting the Jockey Club to amend the rule in the preface to the ''General Stud Book'', to state that: The amendment removed the stigma of not being considered purebred from American-bred horses. A major consideration was that by the late 1940s most of the horses with suspect pedigrees were so far back in most horses' ancestry that it no longer made much sense to exclude them. Neither did it make much sense to exclude some of the most successful racehorses in Europe from registration. Weatherby's further amended its regulations in 1969, introducing the word "thoroughbred" to describe the horses registered in previous volumes of the ''General Stud Book''. In 2006,
Blood-Horse Publications Blood-Horse Publications is an American multimedia publishing house focused on horse-related magazines headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. It began in 1916 through its flagship magazine, ''The Blood-Horse''. From 1961 to 2015, Blood-Horse Publica ...
, publisher of ''
The Blood-Horse ''BloodHorse'' is a multimedia news organization covering Thoroughbred racing and breeding that started with a newsletter first published in 1916 as a monthly bulletin put out by the Thoroughbred Horse Association.
'' magazine, chose the "repeal" of the Jersey Act as the 39th most important moment in American Thoroughbred horse racing history.


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Short description, 20th-century British Thoroughbred horse regulation Horse breeding and studs Horse racing in Great Britain Horse racing in the United States