User:Peaky76/Charles Marlow

Charles "Charlie" Marlow (1814-1882) was a British Classic winning jockey.

Marlow was born in Hanbury, Staffordshire. His first ride was in 1831 on a grey gelding called The Gab. The horse won, but the rider's name was not recorded in the Racing Calendar.

In 1838, he won the Chester Cup on King Cole, and the Royal Hunt Cup for owner Sir Richard Bulkeley. His first Derby ride came in 1841, when he finished third on Mustapha Muley

In 1848, Marlow was involved in a controversial running of the Goodwood Stakes. A jockey called Bumby was originally booked to ride Chanticleer, owned by James Merry. Merry was a big gambler, and kept backing Chanticleer for weeks prior to the race. Yet this did not cause bookmakers did not contract the odds. On the contrary, the odds lengthened. This caused Merry to be suspicious that Bumby was in league with the bookmakers and on the day of the race, he quietly invited Marlow to take the ride. Once Marlow's name went up next to the horse, the odds dropped from 16-1 to 7-2 and bookmakers begged Merry to cancel his bets. He refused. Marlow won effortlessly on Chanticleer and many small bookmakers, disappeared trying to avoid a payout.

After that, Marlow was asked to ride for Lord Eglinton, whose regular jockey Job Marson had fallen out of favour. Marlow got the ride on Eglinton's horse The Flying Dutchman in the 1849 Derby. He won, but by showing off, he nearly got caught by Hotspur. He followed up with a win in the St Leger.

‭ Regarded by many experts as one of the greatest British racehorses of the nineteenth century,‭ ‬it won all but one of its fifteen races.‭ ‬Its sole defeat came in a two-horse race‭ (‬or a‭ ‘‬match‭’ ‬as it was then known‭)‬.‭ ‬The Flying Dutchman was pitted against the‭ ‬1850‭ ‬Derby winner Voltigeur who had won the St Leger just two days before.‭ ‬Mason doubted that Voltigeur would turn up having run so recently and‭ – ‬expecting a walk-over‭ – ‬began drinking.‭ ‬ When his opponent arrived at the start,‭ ‬Mason was not as sober as he might have been.‭ ‬He was given instructions to wait on the colt to conserve its stamina‭ – ‬Mason completely ignored his orders saying‭ ‘‬I’ll show you what I’ve got under me today‭!’‬.‭ ‬ From the off he raced at break-neck speed and began pulling away from his rival.‭ ‬Having started the race at‭ ‬2/11,‭ ‬The Flying Dutchman’s odds shortened to‭ ‬1/10‭ ‬as the race progressed.‭ ‬Then his stamina gave way and Voltigeur,‭ ridden by Flatman and ‬receiving‭ ‬19‭ ‬pounds,‭ ‬wore him down to win by just half-a-length.‭ The crowd, staggered by the result, remained silent as a weeping Marlow dismounted. ‭ Trainer Fobert was not without blame for The Flying Dutchman's defeat. For the first time in his life the horse had been off its food for two days before the match and had become fidgety. Also, less than 24 hours before the race, Fobert had subjected the horse to a searching gallop over the full course.

Marlow’s performance that afternoon was actually completely out of character.‭ ‬He was,‭ ‬in fact,‭ ‬an extremely‭ ‬nice person who was very well liked.‭ ‬He had good hands,‭ ‬was very patient and had a resolute attitude.‭ ‬His riding style,‭ ‬though,‭ ‬was somewhat awkward‭ – ‬he held his hands so high that he often seemed to have the horse’s head as well as his own in his hands.‭ ‬His motto was‭ ‘‬A race is never won till you’re past the post‭’‬.‭ ‬He would have done well to have remembered that when taking on Voltigeur.‭

On Tuesday‭ ‬13th May‭ ‬1851,‭ ‬the pair met again‭ – ‬this time at York in a‭ ‬£1,000‭ ‬winner-take-all match.‭ ‬Marlow was again entrusted with the ride,‭ ‬and this time he made no mistake,‭ ‬winning by a length.‭ ‬Both horses started at evens.‭ ‬The race drew a crowd of‭ ‬100,000‭ – ‬the largest crowd seen at the Knavesmire since the execution of the murderer Eugene Aram in‭ ‬1759.‭

‭Marlow's final descent in drunken oblivion was hastened by a crashing fall he took from the favourite Nettle in the 1855 Oaks. The filly fell over the chains at the mile-post, throwing him to the ground and breaking his leg. Marlow's last Derby mount was on Star of the West in the year of Caractacus.

‭In his last years, Tom Oliver took pity on him and kept him at his training establishment. When Tom died, Marlow moved into the workhouse at Devizes where, in October 1882, he died.

On December 28, 1844, he married Mary Dutchman.

Charles Marlow belonged to the rough-and-ready school of jockeys who would make their way from racecourse to racecourse with their racing saddles strapped across their backs and who would more likely be seen taking a stall at an opera than have a valet fussing about them.

Marlow was honest, unshakeable of nerves and physically very strong. However, he was also a chronic alcoholic.

Major wins
 Great Britain
 * Epsom Derby -  The Flying Dutchman (1849)
 * Epsom Oaks -  Catherine Hayes (1853)
 * St Leger -  The Flying Dutchman (1849)
 * Ascot Gold Cup - (2) -  Van Tromp (1849),  The Flying Dutchman (1850)