There are two John Osbornes to commemorate.
John senior (1801-65) trained primarily at Ashgill stables near Middleham. He won his fair share of big races but the only Classic was the 1856 1,000 Guineas with Manganese, ridden by his son John junior. She was part-owned by Mr Launde, the alias of the Rev J W King.
John’s best day’s work was to buy a mare and filly foal for £14 in 1844. He named the latter Agnes and bred from her. Her great-granddaughter Lily Agnes (qv) won 21 races including the Northumberland Plate, Doncaster Cup and the Ebor. Her breeding exploits surpassed that, for she was the dam of one the all-time greats, Ormonde.
The younger John Osborne (1833-1922) was a durable and successful jockey. He later trained at Middleham’s Brecongill stables. He rode six 2,000 Guineas winners but only one Derby from 37 attempts (Pretender in 1869, the last northern-trained winner until 1945) and two St Legers from 36 tries. Mr Launde’s Apology was the best he rode. In 1874 he won the Fillies’ Triple Crown on her. The church authorities had turned a blind eye to this for a long time, but the publicity arising from this provoked them to make the reverend an ultimatum – his living or his racing – and he chose to give up his living.
No hint of scandal ever attached itself to John junior. Northern turf historian Jack Fairfax-Blakeborough wrote of him, “I never heard John use a swear word. I never heard him tell a dirty story. He did not smoke … he went to bed early, rarely had a bet, and when he did it was a very modest one.” Despite this abstemiousness he was a popular fellow. He told the story of an owner who gave him so many instructions on how to ride a race “the course couldn’t be found long enough to carry out all the orders given.”
His death prompted the creation of the John Osborne Handicap on the Thursday of Newcastle’s Northumberland Plate fixture in 1924. Its final appearance was at the 1995 meeting.
Sources include:
“JFB” – The Memoirs of Jack Fairfax-Blakeborough (Noel Fairfax-Blakeborough) pp25-7
John Slusar’s www.Greyhoundderby.com website and book about the Middleham Training Stables (Ashgill & Brecongill pages)
The St Leger (Tony Barber)