John Watts (jockey)
Encyclopedia
John "Jack" Watts was a British flat-race jockey. In a career that lasted from 1880 until 1900 he rode the winners of 19 Classics. He was noted for his quiet and unspectacular style and undemonstrative personality. On his retirement from riding he became a trainer
but died two years later.
in 1860. In his mid teens he was apprenticed to the trainer Tom Cannon at Danebury, and rode his first winner in 1876. In 1878 he moved to Newmarket and joined the successful stable of Richard Marsh. His association with Marsh would last throughout his career.
and the Duke of Hamilton
, providing Watts with a string of top class rides. His major winners for the Duke included Ossian (St Leger
) and Miss Jummy (1000 Guineas, Oaks
), while the Prince provided him with probably his best horse, the Derby winner Persimmon
. Watts was less fortunate with the Prince’s second Derby winner, Diamond Jubilee
, who loathed the jockey and tried to attack him before the Coventry Stakes
at Royal Ascot. Watts subsequently gave up the ride on the temperamental colt.
Watts was also successful when riding for other owners and trainers including Mathew Dawson
and John Porter
for whom he rode the Derby winners Ladas
and Sainfoin
respectively.
, and his grandson John Frederick Watts became private trainer to Lord Derby and won the St Leger with Indiana in 1964. Jack Watts, great-grandson, John William “Bill” Watts trained Waterloo to win the 1000 Guineas in 1972 and Teleprompter to win the 1985 Arlington Million
.
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
but died two years later.
Apprenticeship
Jack Watts was born at Stockbridge, HampshireStockbridge, Hampshire
Stockbridge is a small town and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It has an acreage of and a population of little under 600 people according to the 2001 census in Hampshire, England. It lies on the River Test, in the Test Valley district and renowned for trout fishing. The A30 road goes through...
in 1860. In his mid teens he was apprenticed to the trainer Tom Cannon at Danebury, and rode his first winner in 1876. In 1878 he moved to Newmarket and joined the successful stable of Richard Marsh. His association with Marsh would last throughout his career.
Association with Richard Marsh
Marsh’s patrons included the King Edward VIIPrince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
and the Duke of Hamilton
William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton
William Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, 9th Duke of Brandon, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault KT was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:...
, providing Watts with a string of top class rides. His major winners for the Duke included Ossian (St Leger
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
) and Miss Jummy (1000 Guineas, Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
), while the Prince provided him with probably his best horse, the Derby winner Persimmon
Persimmon (horse)
Persimmon was an outstanding British-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred race horse and sire who won the Epsom Derby in 1896. This was the first horse race ever filmed, by Robert W. Paul and Birt Acres....
. Watts was less fortunate with the Prince’s second Derby winner, Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee (horse)
Diamond Jubilee was a British-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred race horse who won the British Triple Crown in 1900.He was a full brother to the 1896 Derby winner, Persimmon and was foaled in the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. He was exported to Argentina in 1906 and died there in...
, who loathed the jockey and tried to attack him before the Coventry Stakes
Coventry Stakes
The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
at Royal Ascot. Watts subsequently gave up the ride on the temperamental colt.
Watts was also successful when riding for other owners and trainers including Mathew Dawson
Mathew Dawson
Mathew Dawson was a British racehorse trainer. In a career which lasted from 1840 until his death in 1898 he trained the winners of twenty-eight British Classic Races, a figure surpassed by only two other men. He was significant as one of the first trainers to run a public stable, rather than...
and John Porter
John Porter (horseman)
John Porter was an English Thoroughbred flat racing trainer whose horses won the English Triple Crown three times.-Biography:Born in Rugeley, Staffordshire, the National Horseracing Museum says that John Porter "was undoubtedly the most successful trainer of the Victorian era."From 1854 to 1855,...
for whom he rode the Derby winners Ladas
Ladas (horse)
Ladas was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1893 to 1894 he ran eleven times and won seven races. He was the outstanding British two-year-old of 1893 when he was unbeaten in four starts. In the following year he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Derby...
and Sainfoin
Sainfoin (horse)
Sainfoin was a British Thoroughbred racehorse that was the winner of the 1890 Epsom Derby and was the sire of Rock Sand, the tenth winner of the Triple Crown in 1903.-Pedigree:...
respectively.
Retirement and death
By 1895 Watts was having serious weight problems and the constant “wasting” was affecting his health. He resolved to retire at the end of 1895, but was persuaded to reconsider by Marsh. Watts finally retired in 1900 and set himself up as a trainer at Newmarket, where his patrons included the King. He health was never good, however and he died after falling ill at a race meeting at Sandown in July 1902. He was forty-one years old. His funeral on 2 August was attended by "almost the entire town" of Newmarket.Family and descendants
Jack Watts was married twice and started a dynasty of trainers. His son John Evelyn Watts trained the 1927 Derby winner Call BoyCall Boy (horse)
Call Boy was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from July 1926 to June 1927, he ran seven times winning four races. His most notable success came in the 1927 Epsom Derby, which he won in record time...
, and his grandson John Frederick Watts became private trainer to Lord Derby and won the St Leger with Indiana in 1964. Jack Watts, great-grandson, John William “Bill” Watts trained Waterloo to win the 1000 Guineas in 1972 and Teleprompter to win the 1985 Arlington Million
Arlington Million
The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flathorse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward. It is raced over a distance of 1¼ miles on the turf at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois in August each year...
.