Reginald Herbert

1841 - 1929

William Reginald Herbert was born on February 14, 1841, the eldest son of William Herbert of Clytha Park, Monmouthshire, and his wife Frances, daughter of Edward Huddlestone of Sawston Hall, Cambridgeshire. He came from wealthy stock and was privately educated in France, becoming fluent in the French language. He subsequently enlisted in the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars.

Reginald was a talented sportsman and was a founder member of the famous Hurlingham Club. He was among the first practitioners in the sport of polo following its arrival in Britain from India. He was also a notable competitor at pigeon shoots, winning many prizes in both Britain and abroad. Among his other interests were coach driving and sculling.

He had his first ride in public under National Hunt rules on Ebony in the Hunt Steeplechase at the Abergavenny and Monmouthshire meeting on April 5, 1864. It was not a dream start as he was forced to pull his mount up with a broken stirrup leather. However, he had entered Ebony in the three-mile handicap chase, the last race on the second day of the meeting, and made amends by drawing clear to register his first winner on just his second ride in public.

Encouraged by this performance, he acquired more horses, all of whom were trained for him by Fothergill Rowlands. His racing colours were rose and white diamonds.

In 1865 he bought Colombia, who had once finished second in the Cambridgeshire, and rode him to victory in that year’s Hunt Cup at Abergavenny. He won two other races at that two-day fixture, both of them on Danaus. Among the other winners he rode that year were King Alfred in the Usk Stakes and two Flat races at Cheltenham’s October meeting on The Guide and Comberton.

He won the Abergavenny Hunt Cup again the following year on Columbia, who also gave him his greatest success as an owner when winning the 1866 Cheltenham Grand Annual Chase in the hands of professional jockey William Reeves. Reginald rode Colombia in that year’s Grand National but failed to finish.

Another of his acquisitions was a horse named Stockinger, on whom he won seven times out of eight races in 1866. They included four wins in as many days, all on the Flat, beginning with two races on the same day on September 17 at the Brecon’s Island Meadows racecourse in the Ladies’ Plate and the Welter Cup. They then won the Clytha Stakes at Monmouth on September 20 and followed up there in the Borough Stakes the next day.

That year of 1866 was an eventful one for Reginald Herbert. Besides winning the Cheltenham Grand Annual with Colombia, riding him in the Grand National and then to victory in the Abergavenny Hunt Cup, and those four wins in as many days on Stockinger, he was involved in a memorable match race at Warwick in November.

‘Sir Reginald’ – as the bookmakers called him throughout his riding career – enjoyed plenty of success on the Flat as well as over fences. His weight prevented him from riding much in handicaps but he nonetheless won a great many races. His exploits on the Flat are perhaps best remembered for the impromptu match race against the larger than life American Richard Ten Broeck at Warwick on November 23, 1866.

Reginald had won a two-mile match race on the first day of the Warwick meeting on Garus, beating his opponent, William Bevill on Dean Swift, by a length. While relaxing over dinner at the Regent Hotel in Leamington Spa that evening he was challenged to a match race – two races in fact – the following day by Ten Broeck, who, besides being an accomplished horse breeder and trainer, fancied himself as a bit of a jockey.

Both races would be on the Flat, one over two miles, the other at five furlongs, £100 a side each match, agreed weights. Ten Broeck said he would ride Druro in the two-miler and Paris in the sprint. Druro was a decent horse but his owner’s ability (or lack thereof) in the saddle was another matter. Reginald accepted Ten Broeck’s challenge on the condition that the two-mile race would be run first. The challenge having been accepted, those present were quick to take advantage of the odds being offered about Ten Broeck’s mount in the two-mile match, for his horse was judged far superior to Reginald’s chosen mount, Garus, on whom he’d won earlier that day.

The two-mile race was fixed to start at 1.30pm, then two ‘regular’ races were to be run before the five-furlong dash, thus allowing both riders time to recover from their exertions in the longer race. Reginald went into the weighing room where he met his opponent, as he recalled in his 1908 autobiography ‘When Diamonds Were Trumps’.

“Ten Broeck’s get up was a caution. A pair of canary-coloured breeches, Duke de Wellington boots with enormous spurs, a flaming set of brand new colours, orange, black belt, surmounted by a post-boy’s cap several sizes too big for him, and armed with a whip that made one shudder to look at. After the ceremony of weighing out had been got through, my American friend beckoned me on one side, producing a huge hunting flask, at the same time asking if I would join him in a swig before proceeding to business. This generous offer I courteously declined, much to the surprise of my antagonist, who however took a long pull himself, no doubt absorbing my share and remarking, as he put it to his lips, that he required a tonic. After a little further delay caused by the necessary readjustment of my adversary’s breeches from which, owing to their vastness, he showed signs of parting company, we proceeded to the paddock in search of our respective steeds.

“The betting ring was now in full cry, offering to take seven to four or two to one, Druro being a strong favourite, and this in spite of a lot of money going on my mount. I noticed that when my rival was given a leg up by a too vigorous supporter he nearly fell over the off side, and I began to think that my chance of victory was not so remote after all. This opinion was confirmed when I saw that T.B. had a great cigar about a foot long stuck in the corner of his mouth.”

The heavy ground that day should have dictated that caution be the watchword, but Reginald set off as fast as he could go on Garus, leading Ten Broeck by about three lengths. The latter’s cigar, which had remained in his mouth when the contest got under way, was quickly cast to the winds, and his orange and black colours were soon caked with mud kicked up by Garus’s hooves. The order remained the same throughout the race, Garus revelling in the heavy ground. Turning for home, Reginald was riding his mount as hard as he could, with the sound of Ten Broeck’s whip on Druro’s backside in his ears. Garus held on to win by three-quarters of a length, all out.

An exhausted Ten Broeck had to be lifted from the saddle, only to receive “the scathing remarks of friends and backers on his display of horsemanship,” not least from professional gambler George Payne, who had lost £900 on the race. “Rode like a post-boy, I tell you, a damned post-boy, by God, sir! I could have won myself by 300 yards, by God!”

The upshot was that Ten Broeck was too exhausted to ride in the five-furlong race and duly forfeited his stake. That, of course, had been the plan all along, to ride him into the ground in the first contest so that he would be too weak to ride in the second, because his sprinter Paris was almost sure to win, despite his rider’s limited ability.

Reginald came closest to winning the Grand National as an owner with Captain Crosstree, who finished fourth behind The Lamb in 1868 when partnered by William Reeves.

His obvious affinity with Abergavenny’s racecourse was instrumental in him getting the 1872 National Hunt Chase to be staged there. He did not ride in the big race, although he did take part in the Red Coat Race on the first day of the meeting, which ended with him fighting out the finish with his younger brother ‘Tip’ Herbert, Tip winning by two lengths on Blue Beard. The National Hunt Chase itself was won by Red Nob, a name unlikely to be accepted today by Weatherby’s.

Reginald continued to ride successfully, registering a double on Chassepot and Cider Cup at the 1874 East Kent Hunt meeting at Walderstone Park. In later years he pretty much confined his race-riding activities to point-to-points, in which sphere he continued to participate until 1902, finishing second on his last ride.

He had been offered and accepted the Mastership of the Monmouthshire Foxhounds, a post he held for 17 years from 1886 to 1903. He was evidently a popular Master as the local farmers showed their appreciation for his services by presenting him with a solid silver life-size model of a fox.

He was twice married, first to Charlotte, daughter of Thomas Giffard, and then to Constance, the only daughter of Henry Van Notten Pole. He took the additional name of Huddleston when he inherited Sawston Hall estate in 1920.

He served as Deputy Lieutenant of Monmouthshire. He also became a Justice of the Peace for Monmouthshire and was a member of Usk Board of Conservators.

Reginald Herbert died on October 16, 1929, aged 88.