James "Old Jim" Wilson (26 December 1828 – November 1917) was a racehorse trainer in

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

, founder of the historic St Albans Stud in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

, and trainer of the 1873

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...

winner

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. The original version of the story of Don Juan appears in the 1630 play (''The Trickster of Seville and t ...

and 1876 winner

Briseis Briseis (; , ), also known as Hippodameia (, ), is a significant character in the ''Iliad''. Her role as a status symbol is at the heart of the dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon that initiates the plot of Homer's epic. She was married to ...

. His older son James Wilson, Jr. (c. 1856 – 16 November 1935) captained the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based at Kardinia Park in South Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

and as "Young Jim Wilson" trained 1899 Cup winner Merriwee. His younger son William Wilson (c. 1859 – 3 May 1890) was the jockey who rode

to victory in the 1873 Cup.

History

Wilson was born in Yorkshire and emigrated to Victoria in 1845, and was for a while engaged at Deep Creek, looking after a horse named Paul Jones. He moved to the

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

district, where he was involved in horseracing, and won the Great Western Steeplechase in 1859 and 1860. He brought Musidora and Ebor to Melbourne in 1862, and ran them in the 1862 Melbourne Cup, Musidora coming second to

Archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...

. She also ran in the Melbourne Cups of 1864, 1865 and 1866, and was the dam of Briseis. Ebor was owned by Captain Lyons who raced as "J. C. James"; Wilson took her to Adelaide, where she won the 1865

Adelaide Cup The Adelaide Cup is a South Australian Jockey Club Group 2 Thoroughbred handicap horse race for three-year-olds and older, run over 3,200 metres at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide, Australia on the second Monday in March. Total prize mone ...

. He trained Lapdog for J. Gilbert which ran a close second to Nimblefoot in the 1870 Melbourne Cup. He had another close second the following year with Romula for Joe "Leviathan" "King of the Ring" Thompson. Wilson and

Adam Lindsay Gordon Adam Lindsay Gordon (19 October 1833 – 24 June 1870) was a British-Australian poet, horseman, police officer and politician. He was the first Australian poet to gain considerable recognition overseas, and according to his contemporary, write ...

were great friends, but in the saddle serious rivals in cross-country races in the Western Districts of Victoria. When Gordon gave up racing he gave his last saddle to Wilson's son James Wilson, Jr. In 1872 Wilson founded St. Albans stud at

Breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...

, a suburb of

and the (now heritage-listed) homestead designed by James T. Conlan in the neighbouring suburb of Whittington was completed the following year. Within a few years He had made it the best known stable in Australia. Notable races won by horses trained by Wilson at St. Albans included: *

Ascot Vale Stakes The Coolmore Stud Stakes, registered as the Ascot Vale Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, at set weights, run over 1200 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia, on Victoria Derby ...

: King of the Ring (1872); Maid of All Work (1875); First King (1877); Petrea (1879); and Royal Maid (1881). *

Australian Cup The Australian Cup is a Victoria Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older, held under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 2000 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australi ...

: Gasworks (1869), with jockey Joe Carter; Protos (1874); First King (1878); and Savanaka (1879) *

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under Handicap (horse racing), handicap conditions. This is for all horses aged three years old and older. It takes place over a distance of 2400 met ...

: Little Jack (1882) *Champion Stakes: Romula (1871); First King (1878, 1880), his own horse. *

Doncaster Handicap The Doncaster Mile, registered as the Doncaster Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred handicap race for horses three years old and older, held over 1,600 metres at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia. Although the ra ...

: Briseis (1876) * Maribyrnong Plate: Argus Scandal (1871); Dagmar (1872); Maid of All Work (1874) *

: Don Juan (1873) for bookmaker Joe "Leviathan" Thompson; Briseis (1876), until 1895 the only mare to win the Cup. *

VRC Oaks The Victoria Racing Club Oaks (known as the Crown Oaks for sponsorship reasons), is a Victoria Racing Club (VRC) Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies, run under set weights conditions, over 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecou ...

: My Dream (1868) for J. Moffatt; Sunshine (1872); Maid of All Work (1875); Briseis (1876); Pardon (1877); Melita (1878); Petrea (1879), owned by Sir William J. Clarke; Royal Maid (1881); and Nitre (1899) *

VRC St Leger The VRC St Leger is a Listed Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run at set weights with penalties, over a distance of 2800 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on ANZAC Day. History First run in 1857, the race was ...

: Gasworks (1869), with jockey Joe Carter; Seaspray (1874); First King (1878) and Caspian (1880) *

Sydney Cup The Sydney Cup is an Australian Turf Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred handicap horse race, for horses three years old and older, run over 3200 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in the autumn during the ATC Championships series ...

: Mermaid (1871) for E. Twomey of Warrnambool; Savanaka (1879) for Herbert Power; Petrea (1880); and Progress (1881) *

Victoria Derby The Victoria Derby, also known as the Penfolds Victoria Derby, is a Victoria Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held under Set Weights conditions over a distance of 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecourse ...

: My Dream (1869) for J. Moffatt; Miss Jessie (1871) Tom Hales rode many of his winners, but the rider for the 1876 Melbourne Cup was Peter St. Albans, whose real name was Bowden. One of the greatest patrons of his and his son's training stables was Herbert Power (1833–1919), for whom the

Herbert Power Stakes The Herbert Power Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race held under quality handicap conditions, for horses aged three years old and older, over a distance of 2400 metres. It is held at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbo ...

was named. The property and stables were in March 1886 sold to John Crozier, jun. (1843–1916) of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

for a reputed £37,000. :After making some improvements and bringing in a few good mares, Crozier in 1890 sold St. Albans for £70,000 to W. R. Wilson, the (unrelated)

Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...

mining magnate, who installed C. Leslie Macdonald as manager. Wilson then rented "Kingston estate" at Queenscliff, where he trained a small number of horses, including Nitre and Reaper. This stables would become the nucleus of his son James Wilson, Jr.'s stables "Bonny Vale". After his horse Blinker failed in the Victoria Derby of October 1904 Wilson and his jockey Conquest were called before the stewards and cautioned. Blinker came a good third in the Melbourne Cup a few days later, adding credence to the stewards' suspicions. Wilson then retired from racing. William Wilson (c. 1859 – 3 May 1890) was a jockey; his most notable ride was on Don Juan, which he rode to victory in the 1873 Melbourne Cup. James Wilson, Jr. (c. 1856 – 16 November 1935) also rode as a jockey, beginning on New Year's Day 1869, when, weighing and dubbed "Young Jim" Wilson, he competed at Flemington. He soon became well known, but was not of a slim build like his brother and turned to

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

, playing for

, which he captained in 1878 and 1879. Geelong was one of the six clubs which in 1897 broke away from in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) to found the more professional

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL). He was also a good cricketer, champion boxer and billiard player. After seeing the successes of his sons, James Wilson (senior) purchased "Frankfurt" estate for them as a racetrack. He then helped James Wilson Jr. purchase the adjoining "Kingston estate" and "Bonny Vale" at Queenscliff and achieved considerable success as a trainer of thoroughbred horses. Notable wins included: *

: Pendil (1909) *

AJC Metropolitan Handicap The Metropolitan is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under open handicap conditions, for horses aged three years old and older, over a distance of 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in early October ...

: Sir Andrew (1923) *

Oakleigh Plate The Oakleigh Plate is a Melbourne Racing Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race, run over a distance of 1100 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late February. Total prize money is A$750,000. History Th ...

: Perspective (1926) *AJC St Leger: Sir Andrew (1923) Brimming and Monodia *

: Silver King (1885); Danaus (1911); Nautical (1921) For Herbert Power: *

: Diffidence (1899) *

: Merriwee (1899) *

: Wilari (1911) *

: Wilari (1912) *

: Merriwee (1899), Wilari (1911) His own horses included: *

: Newhaven (1896) *

: The Rover (1921), part owner *

Caulfield Guineas The Caulfield Guineas is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held over 1600 metres (1 mile) at set weights for three-year-old horses at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia. Total prize money is A$3 million. The race ...

: Ringmaster (1885); and Danaus (1910) * Caulfield Futurity Stakes: Palmer (1900) *AJC Champagne Stakes: Outlook (1918)) *Debutant Stakes: Scotland * Maribyrnong Plate: Newhaven (1895); and Philio (1910) *

: Sir Andrew (1923) *

: Perspective (1926); later sold to S. P. Mackay for 2,000 guineas. *AJC St Leger: Sir Andrew *

: Silver King (1885); Danaus (1911); and Nautical (1921) *

AJC Sires Produce Stakes The Inglis Sires', registered as the Sires Produce Stakes, is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds at Set Weights run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in April during ...

: Outlook (1918). He was then sold to S. P. Mackay for 5,000 guineas. *

Toorak Handicap The Toorak Handicap is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run as an open handicap race, over a distance of 1,600 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Currently, the prizemoney is A$1,000,000. Hi ...

: King's Bounty (1917) *

: Newhaven (1896), later won 1896 Melbourne Cup trained by W. S. Hickenbotham and sent to England. Other good horses were The Quiver, Practical, and Brimming. Bobadil was a successful sire for the stud. A long-time jockey for both Wilsons was Chris Moore (c. 1864 – 3 September 1934), who was disqualified for a year after failing to start on Quiver at the Oaks Stakes (1894). Other jockeys for the Bonny Vale stables were

James E. Pike James Edward Pike (4 September 1892 − 7 October 1969), also nicknamed "The Master", was an Australian jockey who is best known for riding Phar Lap to victory in the 1930 Melbourne Cup. Pike was born on 4 September 1892 at Kemp Street, The Jun ...

, Dempsey, W. Duncan, R. Lewis, A Wilson and A. Fullarton. Strong of build and will like his father, James Wilson, Jr. was reticent, shunned publicity, and formed few friendships. He was not one to start a fight, but if provoked would not step back, and could use his fists to good effect. Like his father he could be abrupt and overbearing but on the right occasion could be relaxed and entertaining. He was declared insolvent in 1934 as a result of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and "Bonny Vale" was sold. He died in a private hospital after some months of poor health. His remains were buried in a private ceremony at the Point Lonsdale Cemetery.

Family

James Wilson (26 December 1828 – November 1917) married Esther Amelia (c. 1841 – 19 February 1872). Among their children were: *Eldest daughter (Anna) Maria Wilson (c. 1853 – 14 February 1946) married Edward Rogers Sparrow (c. 1847 – 1 October 1918) on 18 April 1882 *James Wilson, Jr. (c. 1856 – 16 November 1935) married Jessie Cunningham ( – ), daughter of George Cunningham previously MLA for South Grant, on 10 December 1884. They had a home "Bonny Vale" in Ocean Grove *William Wilson (c. 1859 – 3 May 1890)

References

External links

Vic. Heritage Council: St Albans homestead
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, James 1828 births 1917 deaths People from the Colony of Victoria Australian racehorse owners and breeders Australian horse trainers 19th-century Australian businesspeople