Sydney Augustus Paget (19 April 1857 – 16 September 1916) was an English

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

who owned and raced

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 ...

racehorses Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

in the United States and who managed the racing operations for prominent owners,

William C. Whitney William Collins Whitney (July 5, 1841February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and financier and a prominent member of the Whitney family. He served as Secretary of the Navy in the first administration of President Grover Cleveland from ...

and James Ben Ali Haggin.

Background

Sydney Paget was the fifth son and twelfth child of Cecilia Wyndham and her husband,

Lord Alfred Paget Lord Alfred Henry Paget (26 June 1816 – 24 August 1888) was a British soldier, courtier and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1837 and 1865. Early life Paget was the sixth son of William Paget, the 1st Marquess of ...

Army

Sydney Paget served with the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, achieving the rank of Lieutenant with the machine gun section of the XIIth Yeomanry.

Horse racing and management

Paget's brother, Almeric, married

Pauline Payne Whitney Pauline Payne Whitney Paget (March 21, 1874 – November 22, 1916), was an American heiress and a member of the prominent Whitney family. Early life She was born in New York City, New York, to William Collins Whitney and Flora (née Payne) Whitn ...

, daughter of the enormously wealthy William C. Whitney who hired Sydney Paget to manage his

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Thoroughbred racing stable. Paget ran a ranch at

Big Horn, Wyoming Big Horn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sheridan County, Wyoming, Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 457 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. History Big Horn is along the ...

for William Whitney where he raised Thoroughbreds on the open range. Among the other top horses Paget was involved with was the

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

Hamburg Belle who won the prestigious

Belmont Futurity Stakes The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...

in 1903. Hamburg Belle was owned by James Ben Ali Haggin but raced in Paget's name.

Paget racing stable

Near the end of the 1890s, Paget left the employ of W.C. Whitney to go on his own. In July 1898 he bought

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

winner Plaudit from

John E. Madden John Edward Madden (December 28, 1856 – November 3, 1929) was a prominent United States, American Thoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexin ...

for $25,000. The horse continued to race successfully that year but broke down while training in early 1899 and was retired from racing. Paget sold Plaudit back to Madden for $12,000 who sent him to stand at

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

at his Hamburg Place breeding farm near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

. In the pre- U.S. Triple Crown era, Paget owned the

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing F ...

of 1898,

Jean Bereaud Jean Bereaud (1896 – November 15, 1908) was an American Thoroughbred Eclipse Award, Champion Horse racing, racehorse best known for winning an 1899 American Classic Races, American Classic Race, the Belmont Stakes. Background He was bred b ...

. The colt went on to win the 1899

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

. Paget also won the 1905

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

with Cairngorm. Paget died in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 16 September 1916 at age 59.

References

Aiken Polo Club information on Sir Sydney Paget

* ttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9806EFDA113AE733A25750C2A9659C946797D6CF 23 March 1906 article on Sydney Paget's marriage with background 1857 births 1916 deaths British racehorse owners and breeders American racehorse owners and breeders Owners of Preakness Stakes winners People from Long Melford

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Yeomanry officers Military personnel from Suffolk {{UK-noble-stub