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Will Wheatley
William Wheatley (1786-1848) was a British Classic winning jockey of the early 19th century. His father was the 1795 Derby-winning jockey, Anthony Wheatley.[1] He was, according to the Sporting Magazine of 1831, "one of the best jockeys in England."[2] He was particularly known for creeping up slowly during a race to win unexpectedly.[3] This was shown to memorable effect in the 1831 Derby. Wheatley was booked to ride 50/1 outsider, Spaniel, a horse known for only possessing one steady pace. The race principals ran together in a tactical battle and appeared to have forgotten about Wheatley on the unfancied Spaniel, who racing at his customary pace, "came up with perfect ease... [and] won in a most triumphant style".[4] Wheatley's ride was deemed "a splendid performance."[5] Despite this, Spaniel has gone down in history as possibly the worst ever Derby winner.[6] He was also known for having an untainted character,[5] and in Spaniel's Derby he had had a £25 bet at odds of 40/1 on his mount winning, only to cancel it at the last minute, thereby missing out on £1000.[6] Wheatley rode the Derby winner Mameluke in some of his best races (although not the Derby itself). One of his most noted rides was in the "ever-memorable" Ascot Gold Cup when he rode Mameluke against Zinganee, ridden by Sam Chifney, Jr.[3] His principal patron was Lord Lowther. William Wheatley lived up to the 1840s at Newmarket where his father and family had settled but died at Kingsland, then a small settlement in Middlesex but now part of Hackney, in February 1848 aged about 62. Major winsClassic races
Selected other races
References
Bibliography
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