Escape (c. 1785) was a British

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse bred by the Prince of Wales, later

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

. According to M. Dorothy George, by his final races in 1791 he was "reputed the best horse on the turf". In 1791 a sanction from the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom ...

over two races, one lost as favourite and another a day later won at higher odds, resulted in the prince leaving Newmarket, never to return.

Pedigree and early life

Escape was foaled around 1785, out of Sister to Nanette by

Highflyer Highflyer, highflier or high flyer may refer to: * Highflyer (horse), a British Thoroughbred racehorse * High flyer (fishing), a vertical floating pole used to locate fishing lines * HMS Highflyer, HMS ''Highflyer'', various Royal Navy ships * Yamh ...

, in the stables of the Prince of Wales. His pedigree includes King Herod,

Squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

, Tartar,

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, and the

Godolphin Arabian The Godolphin Arabian (–1753), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse The Arabian or Arab horse ( , DIN 31635, DMG ''al-ḥiṣān al-ʿarabī'') is a horse breed, breed of horse with historic roots on the Arabian Peninsul ...

. He was a

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. The prince sold the as-yet-unnamed colt to a Mr. Franco for 95

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in 1786. Franco named the colt Escape after the colt kicked out boards in his stall and one of his legs became trapped, but was freed unharmed, escaping injury.

Career

Escape ran for Franco as a 3-year-old in two races; in his second, in 1789, he beat the prince's horse Canto Baboo, and the prince purchased him back from Franco for 200 guineas. He ran for the prince from then until he retired from racing to stand at stud. In fifteen starts he had ten wins and three

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. According to George, by his final races in 1791 he was "reputed the best horse on the turf".

Newmarket sensation

On 20 October 1791, Escape started the last two miles of Newmarket's Ditch in Course as 2/1 on favourite and finished fourth and last against Mr Dawson's Coriander, Lord Grosvenor's Skylark and Lord Clermont's Pipator, two of which were considered inferior horses, losing a 60 guineas purse. On 21 October, Escape ran four miles of Newmarket's Beacon Course at odds of 5/1 against Alderman, Chanticleer, Grey Diomed, Harpator, and Skylark, winning 60 guineas.The reversal of

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form may also refer to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter dat ...

raised suspicions against the prince's private jockey, Samuel Chifney, of losing on purpose to raise the odds. Jockey Club stewards Charles Bunbury, Ralph Dutton and

Thomas Panton Thomas Panton (1731 – 29 November 1808) was an English racehorse owner. He was the son of Thomas Panton (1697–1782), master of the king's running-horses at Newmarket, Suffolk. A sister, Mary, married in 1750 Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Anca ...

told the prince that if he continued to employ Chifney, "no gentleman would start against him". The prince instead announced he would no longer race at all. He sold his stable and, despite pleas from the Jockey Club, never returned to Newmarket. According to George, the prince's 1831 biographer Robert Huish said the incident had "damaged his reputation as a man of honour more than any other event of his life".

Offspring

Emigrant (c. 1794) won the

July Stakes The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and ...

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(c.1795) raced until 1801 and was purchased by an American buyer to stand at stud.

Pedigree and early life

Career

Newmarket sensation

Offspring

References

Further reading