As a young man Archibald Philip Primrose, the 5th Earl of Rosebery (1847-1929) pledged that he would marry an heiress, become Prime Minister, and own the winner of the Derby. He got the treble up. Not only that, he had a race named after him at Kempton’s Easter meeting.
It’s impossible to do justice to this fascinating character in so few words. He was a hugely influential and promising Liberal politician, succeeding Gladstone as Prime Minister in March 1894, but was unable to govern effectively due to differences with fellow Liberals as much as Tories. His term in office lasted only 15 months, but was brightened by two Derby winners in that time (Ladas and Sir Visto). His third was Cicero in 1905. He married an heiress, Hannah de Rothschild, but her money wasn’t proof against an early death from typhoid. Rosebery outlived her by 39 years.
Some historians feel that the second half of his life was something of an anticlimax. His private life has been the subject of much speculation. He died at The Durdans, the once-famous Epsom stables, in 1929. His estate was worth almost £100 million in today’s money, making him the richest-ever prime minister allowing for inflation. So far.
KEMPTON
There had been a Rosebery Handicap at Brighton in the 1870s, but the Kempton race was first run on Easter Saturday 1931. For three-year-olds only, over a mile and a quarter, its first winner was The Masher. Along with Kempton’s other major flat handicaps, the race declined in importance and has settled down as a Class 2 contest. It was a Heritage Handicap until 2009, but not any more. Subject to the vagaries of Easter dates it is over a mile and three furlongs at a Saturday meeting in late March or early April.
AYR
The 5th Earl’s son – predictably the 6th – was Albert Edward Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose (1882-1974). He owned the winners of two Derbys (Blue Peter in 1939 and Ocean Swell in 1944) and a number of other classics.
The Rosebery family had been prominent landowners in Midlothian for a long time. Harry, who was also 2nd Earl of Midlothian, loved his Scottish racing. His runners at Ayr’s Western Meeting, trained by Jack Jarvis (qv) had to be respected.
He became a steward of the Jockey Club in 1924 and was twice Senior Steward. He was also a proficient cricketer, captaining Surrey. His highest score of 138 was achieved primarily in a 260-run partnership in 130 minutes. He was General Allenby’s aide-de-camp in WW1, a Member of Parliament and an art connoisseur. According to John Hislop in Hardly A Jockey, he was “extremely able, and the survival of racing during the war owed much to his experience in dealing with government ministers.” His early career was tainted by a scandal in 1905 when he backed a horse in a match race whose rival was flagrantly stopped by his amateur rider.
He was still active on the racecourse when he died aged 92. In 1970 the name of the main two-year-old race was changed from the Ladykirk Stakes to the Harry Rosebery Challenge Trophy. Happily, this five-furlong contest, a Listed race, lives on.