Sam Steggles

Mrs Taft, trained by Mr Rogers and winner of the 1851 Cesarewitch, was ridden in her work-outs preceding the race by his eight-year-old son, Joe, who was greatly displeased at not being allowed to ride her himself in the big race.

Instead the task fell to young Sam Steggles, to whom Joe gave careful instructions on the best way to ride the filly - how to hold her, when to come.

Mr Bevill's six-year-old was set to carry 6 stone, a weight young Sam had no problem making and, taking her down to the start on a glorious Tuesday afternoon (October 14), he would have been surprised to know that she was the complete outsider of the 26 runners, so well did she move.

Following Joe's precise instructions, Sam kept Miss Taft in the first three throughout, taking up the running at the bushes. The filly quickened when asked and won, going away, by two lengths from Barcelona and Candlewick.

So unconsidered was the winner in the market that, for the only time in the history of the race, no official starting price was returned. Incredibly, Mr Bevill took odds of 1,000-15 on his filly three times before losing faith in her and hedging all his bets.

In 1862, Sam became stable jockey to Mr Bateman at Brunswick.