From the Darlington & Stockton Times of August 5, 1871
RICHMOND’S racing history is a theme we’ve been pursuing recently and 150 years ago this week the town welcomed home its “Goodwood Cup heroine”, according to the D&S Times.
“Shannon, who gave the talent at Goodwood such a surprise by her victory over such clinking food horses as Mortemer, the Ascot Cup winner, and Favonius, the Derby hero, arrived at Richmond on Friday night by the 8.30 train and looked none the worse for her journey,” said the paper.
Shannon was trained by James Elliott at Sylvia House, Richmond (can anyone tell us where that was?) and was owned by “a gentleman racing under the name of Mr F Mouncey”. She had been the 50-1 outsider at Goodwood but in what newspapers of the day described as “a most sensational race”, she beat Favonius – regarded as the best racehorse of the decade – by half-a-length with Mortemer a neck further back.
As Richmond liked to celebrate its equine successes, you can bet the beer flowed for many days over the summer of 1871.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here