Joseph Butters, born on Lord Derby's Estate at Knowsley on October 20, 1847, was apprenticed to John Scott. His indentures were later transferred to James Waugh, whose daughter Janet he later married.
Joseph made his debut in 1863. He finished his apprenticeship attached to Mathew Dawson's Newmarket stable where he had been put in charge of the 10-year-younger Fred Archer and other apprentices.
His greatest British triumph came in 1870 when winning the Ayr Gold Cup on Lady of Lyons.
With rides had to come by, Joseph accepted an offer in 1873 to ride in Austria. There, and in Hungary, he won most of the important races as well as many in Germany. Increasing weight compelled him to quit the saddle and he set up instead as a public trainer in Austria.
He returned to England in 1903, once again setting up as a trainer. By 1911 he had a string of some 50 horses in his Kremlin House Stables. Here he worked until his retirement in 1926.
Aged 86, Joseph Butters died at Newmarket shortly before 3 o'clock Tuesday morning, December 19, 1933.
