224:. In 1863 Taylor's jockey Eli Drew died following a fall at Brighton Racecourse aged 21. Drew had arrived at Fyfield aged 11 and Taylor. his wife and the other apprentices and lads were the only family he had. He was a promising young jockey and had won a number of races for Taylor including a Caesarewich. Alec Taylor constructed a Lych Gate to Fyfield Churchyard. The woodwork had rotted by the 1930s and had to be removed but the two stone gateposts still bear the inscription 'In Memory of Eli Drew'
20:
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although he had achieved some success with wins in the
Goodwood Stakes, the Cesarewitch and two wins in both the St Leger and the Gold Cup, had been unable to manage his finances. Alec was hired in about 1848 and his first task was to supervise the expansion of the accommodation to about 40 boxes. Included in the sale were all fixtures and equipment and two horses including
167:, Wiltshire, sent some horses to Taylor which soon resulted in St Albans winning the 1860 Chester Cup and St Leger. In 1864 Palmerston came second in the Derby and in 1866 Savernake also came second in the Derby for the same owner. This success attracted the attention of the Scottish aristocrat and millionaire
324:, by his first and second wives respectively, ran Manton from 1895. Alec Taylor, Jr., known as the "Wizard of Manton", became a successful trainer, and was reputed not to heavily train or race young horses until they were two years of age, unlike his father who is said to have galloped his yearlings.
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in
Wiltshire, adjoining Fyfield. The new Manton Down stables, built to Taylor's design and comprising very spacious loose-boxes around a large central courtyard, were adjacent to the Fyfield Down gallops which Taylor had used and developed since he arrived at Fyfield in 1848. Taylor created at Manton
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race, the first of Taylor's eight classic winners from Manton. Following
Stirling-Crawfurd's death in 1883 his widow the dowager Duchess of Montrose, a formidable character and successful owner, moved her horses to Sefton Lodge in Newmarket, named after her husband's Derby winner. As women were then
126:
Soon they decided to establish a yard of their own, away from the "goldfish bowl" of
Newmarket, where they could develop their horses out of the public view. To this end they acquired for £3,000 the 8-box yard of Tom Parr at Fyfield, just west of Marlborough on the old Bath Road, in Wiltshire, who
114:
near
Maidstone in Kent, where he owned a stud, and John Stanley ("J.M. Stanley") (of uncertain identity), who had met in Florence, Italy, whilst Hawley was yachting around the Mediterranean. Hawley had "run a few horses against the locals" at the racecourse in the Cascine Park, where Stanley
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at Epsom, having been backed by Hawley to win £20,000, which paid for the purchase price of the yard many times over, albeit Hawley had to hire "a host of labourers" at his own cost to clear snow off the course so the race could proceed. Alec's next wins were in 1851 with
Aphrodite in the
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Those fortunate enough to visit the Manton establishment cannot fail to be impressed by the completeness of every detail. The buildings possess a singularly attractive and quiet beauty. spacious paddocks, splendid stables, and boxes unsurpassed for size and abundance of light and
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Lord
Chesterfield provided a "wonderful opportunity" to young Alec, who had all the while been learning the art of racehorse training at his father's side. This was in the form of an introduction to two of his wealthy racing acquaintances in need of a private trainer, namely
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introduced himself and suggested the two should go into partnership on the "greener grass of home". The partnership was first established in a public training yard at
Newmarket, the centre of English horse racing, and was very successful having won the 1847
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in
Wiltshire, one of the finest training centres in the country. He was considered one of the best trainers of his era and during his career of about 50 years he won a total of 12 classics, ending in 1887 with Reve d'Or at the
588:
Portraits of
Celebrated Racehorses of the Past and Present Centuries: In Strictly Chronological Order, Commencing in 1702 and Ending in 1870 Together with Their Respective Pedigrees and Performances Recorded in
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Alec Taylor Sr. died in 1894 and was buried in Fyfield Churchyard, his gravestone being situated just west of the Church Tower, later joined by other family members. Following his death, his sons Tom Taylor and
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Inaccurately reported as "Taylor was the son of Thomas Taylor of Bretby in Suffolk" Obituary, South Wales Daily News, 15 Sept 1894, Bretby was not in Suffolk and father was not yet working at Bretby, Derbys.
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After these wins Sir Joseph Hawley left and Taylor continued as private trainer for John Stanley until 1856 when Stanley retired. This left Taylor a tenant at Fyfield to continue as a public trainer.
171:(1819-1883) ("Craw"), a property developer in Glasgow and coal mine owner, who took his horses to Fyfield having been double crossed by his previous trainer. In 1868 Taylor sent Craw's
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71:(1783–1857), who had himself started his career as a groom and made a fortune in bookmaking which allowed him to acquire a string of racehorses. In association with
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A breakfast at Manton had consisted of tea, bread, and cuts from a riding crop, with the only second helpings coming from the crop
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97:(1805–1866) (the son of his father's former employer) and eventually set up on his own account as a trainer at Newmarket.
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disallowed from owning racehorses, she used the pseudonym "Mr Manton", by which she became well known. In 1884 the
67:(1755–1815). Tom soon moved to Murton near York to serve as stud groom to the prominent but corrupt breeder
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By 1870, with the patronage and financial backing of Stirling-Crawfurd, Taylor acquired a large estate at
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89:. However, soon after Ridsdale suffered financial difficulties and in about 1836 Tom Taylor moved to
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in Yorkshire, the son of Thomas Taylor ("Tom") whose own father had served as a racehorse trainer to
75:(like himself a "rags-to-riches figure", a tavern-keeper, boxer and bookmaker - but in addition a
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Never Say Die: A Kentucky Colt, the Epsom Derby, and the Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry
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He had a reputation for punishing his employees. A former employee of Taylor remarked:
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one of Britain's "most famous and prestigious training facilities"; it was said that:
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591:. Vol. IV. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington. p. 74
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in Derbyshire to work as the private racehorse trainer and stud manager for
563:. Vol. XIX. London: Messrs. Fores, Piccadilly, W. p. 264
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Mathieu, p.1 "first win in 1851 aged 28", gives birthdate of 1823
51:, together with wins in numerous other important English races.
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Mathieu, p.3 "four or five fold increase" from 8 boxes
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The Masters of Manton, From Alec Taylor to George Todd
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Taylor's wins in the British Classic Races include:
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452:. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 111–114.
157:George Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Marquess of Ailesbury
212:moved his horses to Manton under Taylor's care.
609:Obituary, South Wales Daily News, 15 Sept 1894
34:who in 1870 established the surviving famous
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131:, which under Alec's training won the 1849
374:. Taylor & Francis. pp. 305–306.
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95:George Stanhope, 6th Earl of Chesterfield
65:Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield
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310:St. Albans (1860), Craig Millar (1875)
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371:Encyclopedia of British Horse Racing
175:to dead-heat for the 2,000 Guineas.
108:Sir Joseph Henry Hawley, 3rd Baronet
561:Fores's Sporting Notes and Sketches
446:James C. Nicholson (1 April 2013).
259:Aphrodite (1851), Thebais (1881),
14:
622:. The National Horseracing Museum
123:, trained by William Beresford.
169:William Stuart Stirling-Crawfurd
59:Alec Taylor was born in 1823 at
30:(1821/23–1894) was an English
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582:Thomas Henry Taunton (1888).
199:In 1873 Stirling-Crawfurd's
620:"Alec Taylor (1862 - 1943)"
133:Great Metropolitan Handicap
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667:British racehorse trainers
16:English racehorse trainer
79:) Ridsdale won the 1832
38:training stables on the
555:Edward Spencer (1902).
55:Origins & childhood
159:(1804-1878) of nearby
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672:People from Wiltshire
368:Wray Vamplew (2005).
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77:Member of Parliament
557:"Sir Joseph's Luck"
412:"History of Manton"
23:Alec Taylor, Senior
216:Demanding employer
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459:978-0-8131-4167-1
381:978-0-7146-5356-3
228:Classic Race wins
184:Marlborough Downs
40:Marlborough Downs
32:racehorse trainer
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112:Leybourne Grange
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161:Tottenham House
110:(1813–1875) of
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69:Robert Ridsdale
61:Kirkby Lonsdale
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28:Alec Taylor Sr.
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624:. Retrieved
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593:. Retrieved
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584:"Teddington"
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565:. Retrieved
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527:Mathieu, p.3
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518:Mathieu, p.2
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509:Mathieu, p.2
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463:. Retrieved
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416:. Retrieved
385:. Retrieved
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245:Gang Forward
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205:2000 Guineas
201:Gang Forward
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165:Great Bedwyn
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138:1000 Guineas
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84:
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49:1000 Guineas
27:
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662:1895 deaths
269:Epsom Derby
91:Bretby Hall
73:John Gulley
651:Categories
342:References
315:Succession
288:Epsom Oaks
276:Teddington
142:Teddington
296:Reve d'Or
261:Reve d'Or
278:(1851),
203:won the
129:Fernhill
86:St Giles
640:Vamplew
626:14 July
595:15 July
567:15 July
465:15 July
418:15 July
387:14 July
328:Sources
182:on the
144:in the
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298:(1887)
282:(1878)
280:Sefton
263:(1887)
247:(1873)
180:Manton
173:Moslem
101:Career
36:Manton
146:Derby
121:Miami
119:with
83:with
81:Derby
628:2013
597:2013
589:Full
569:2013
467:2013
454:ISBN
420:2013
389:2013
376:ISBN
140:and
117:Oaks
47:and
45:Oaks
193:air
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428:^
397:^
350:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
