In a club in London, in 1856, four men sat playing cards. Two of them, George Hodgman and Mr. Green, were bookmakers. Systematically, they had almost cleaned the other two players out. In a last desperate attempt to regain some of his losses, one of the other players, Ben Land, staked a hunter of his called Emigrant, on the turn of a card. He lost, and Emigrant became the property of Messrs. Hodgman and Green.
Neither having use for the gelding as a hunter, they put him to racing, but up to the spring of 1857, Emigrant had tasted little success. As an afterthought, he was entered for the Grand National. He had finished last of six in his latest race, but his jockey, Newmarket-born Charles Boyce - son of Classic winning jockey Frank - made no secret of the fact that he thought that the horse would do better over a longer distance.
Green wanted none of it and sold his half-share to Hodgman who was now becoming so persuaded by Boyce's conviction that Emigrant would win the National that he began staking a small fortune on the result. He also had the unusual wager that Emigrant would lead the field across the water jump.
Then, two days before the race, disaster!
Charles Boyce severely injured his arm whilst out hunting a couple of days before the race. Hodgman had no choice but to consider putting another jockey up, but Boyce pleaded with him to be allowed to take the ride. He would, though, have to ride with one arm strapped to his side and Hodgman knew he would virtually be employing a one-armed jockey. With so much money at stake he would be mad to concede to Boyce's wishes - yet, incredibly, he took the chance.
Race conditions on the day, Wednesday, March 4, couldn't have been worse: in some parts the horses had to struggle through a morass.
A Mr. T Hughes, who had two horses in the race, was one of those who had betted against Emigrant leading at the water jump.
His Westminster was his main hope and, approaching the water, he and Emigrant matched strides. The pair rose in unison, but Emigrant's leap was the better and, landing a length to the good, Hodgman's bet was safe.
Boyce was no fool on a horse and knew that as long as a horse went round the course outside the flags, he could choose his own journey. Deciding that the canal was an utterly senseless hazard given the state of the going, he chose instead to jump a fence at the side and, on the much harder ground beside the tow-path, he galloped to an easy win.
(It is widely accepted that Boyce did not jump all of the National fences)
Hodgman's showed his appreciation by rewarding Boyce with £1,000: another £500 was added by a friend in on the gamble.
There was much talk and argument about Boyce's tactics but he'd had a perfect right to do as he did.
The next year, determined to avoid what they saw as a catastrophe, the stewards had the course flagged at several points, confining it to reasonable dimensions.
Charles Boyce - once described as 'a splendid specimen of physical development, and, singularly handsome, his manners charming' - was born in Newmarket where his grandfather, Richard Dixon Boyce (1770-1850) was a racehorse trainer.
Boyce rode first for the Cheltenham trainer Tom Olliver before, in 1855, becoming the trainer/rider for George Hodgman, then the owner of the Horse and Groom Stables at Epsom.
Boyce, his riding days behind him, moved to Leicestershire and bought the Black Swan Inn at Melton Mowbray. In 1860, he was declared bankrupt. All the hotel furniture was taken leaving his wife destitute.
Boyce died eight years later on January 5, 1868, in a Hammersmith hospital leaving minimal effects.
