Founder: George Wheeler                                            Contributors: Chris Pitt & Alan Trout                                      Historian : Chas Hammond

The 1900 City & Suburban:  1st - The Grafter (M.Cannon)   2nd -  Innocence (W. Halsey)  3rd - Goblet (S. Loates)   4th - Pheon  (N. Robinson). The most famous thing about The Grafter was his appearance. He was widely regarded as one of the plainest, most ungainly horses to ever win a major race. He was affectionately (or perhaps not so affectionately) known as "His Ugliness." He was a big-framed, Roman-nosed gelding who didn't look like a sprinter or a stayer; he just looked "rough." He suffered from a chronic nasal disease that often made his breathing audible and made training him a constant battle. But he knew how to run. In 1898 in Australia, he had won the Melbourne Cup.

Earlier that year, Billy had finished second on Barsac to Ambush ll in the Grand National.

1901 One Thousand Guineas: Billy finishes second again, this time on Fleur d'Ete behind the Danny Maher-ridden Aida. Johnnie Reiff is third on Santa Brigada, Ursula, with Clemson riding, comes fourth. The race is famous for being the first classic win by a female trainer, though history books were slow to credit her. Ellen Chaloner (widow of trainer Tom Chaloner) was the woman behind Aida’s success. At the time, the Jockey Club did not grant training licenses to women, so the horse was officially entered under the name of her son, Tom Chaloner Jr.

1901 Two Thousand Guineas. Billy has an easy win on Handicapper. 

Handicapper entered the race as a massive underdog, starting at odds of 33/1. In an era where the Classics were usually dominated by clear favorites from elite breeding lines, his victory was a genuine shock to the system. He wasn't even the best-regarded horse in his own stable at the time. He won by two lengths, beating out Doricles (who would go on to win the St Leger later that year) and Osbech (on which Billy would the following year's Northumberland Plate).

In the paddock before the race for the 1901 Two Thousand Guineas

Doncaster September 11 1907. Billy Halsey wins the St Leger on Bachelor's Button. the 11-8 favourite. Wool Winder crossed the line six lengths clear of the second-place finisher, Baltinglass, with the rest of the field scattered behind. It made up for the "bad luck" of the Epsom Derby which many felt he should have won had he not been hampered.

1907 Ascot Gold Cup:  Two horses, The White Knight (Billy Halsey) and the French challenger, Eider, broke away from the rest of the field. They engaged in a grueling, neck-and-neck battle down the long Ascot straight.

To the naked eye of many spectators and even some journalists in the stands, the two horses appeared to hit the wire in perfect synchronicity.

In 1907, there was no photo-finish camera (that wouldn't arrive at Ascot for decades). The judge gave the result as a deadheat. Later, Eider was disqualified for boring.

The actual physical Gold Cup trophy was stolen from its display plinth during the race meeting and was never recovered. Between the "stolen" victory claimed by the French and the literal stolen trophy, 1907 became the most scandalous year in the race’s history.

The White Knight continued in good form throughout the season, later winning both the Coronation and Goodwood Cups.