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Review
"smartly told.. an absorbing glimpse into the paddock where what we know as 'Victorianism' took its first tentative steps" (DJ Taylor FINANCIAL TIMES )
"Foulkes manages in this book to be sports writer, crime writer and historian with equal facility." (Nick Pitt SUNDAY TIMES )
"utterly readable.. Anyone remotely interested in racing will love this book" (John McEntee DAILY MAIL )
"Foulkes whips up a colourful broad-brush portrait of a time when, in his own words, 'gentlemen condescended to race with, and be cheated by, blackguards'" (Miranda Seymour EVENING STANDARD )
"The story of their audacious plot and the personalities who unmasked it is beautifully told" (Jamie Reid HOW TO SPEND IT, FINANCIAL TIMES )
"Foulkes tells his essential story with brio and relish" (Nick Clee THE LADY )
"a ripsnorting account of the beastliness that took place when inveterate, aristocratic gamblers tried to stitch up one another" (Dan Jones THE TIMES )
"elegantly written, supremely entertaining" (Tim Barber CITY AM )
"Compelling slice of social history forms backdrop to the most crooked race ever run" (THE RACING POST )
"The Queen Mother would have adored Nick Foulkes' book... terribly engaging stuff" (SPEAR'S )
"Foulkes's prose is a delight. He is the paladin of the bon mot and his book is exquisite." (THE FIELD )
"Foulkes' wonderful prose is not only fair; it is also elegant, erudite and - like this book itself - outstandingly entertaining." (Catherine Nixey THE TABLET )
"Foulkes has written a vivid account of the events surrounding the race that finally led to the sport being cleaned up - the 1844 Derby." (THE OLDIE )
"(An) impressively researched book...Foulkes weaves in a number of tangenital histories: the rise of the professional bookie; the history of Tattersall's horse market at the Hyde Park Corner...and the life of William Crockford, founder of the eponymous casino." (Matthew Bell LITERARY REVIEW )
"There are so many colourful characters in Nicholas Foulkes's GENTLEMEN AND BLACKGUARDS that Dickens would have spread them over six novels." **** (David Robson MAIL ON SUNDAY )
"Nicholas Foulkes' book is a carefully researched story of money, skulduggery and sporting obsession and will appeal to sportsman and historian alike." (SHOOTING GAZETTE )
"Nick Foulkes' colourful account of gambling in 19th-century England." (Dylan Jones GQ )
"Foulkes paints a flamboyant portrait of the society of the day and of a pivotal moment in British racing history" (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )
"Herein is a rich assembly of underground rogues and aristocratic sporting men, set at the historical crossroads of the Georgian and Victorian eras" (Nick Pitt SUNDAY TIMES )
"Foulkes is a master of the flashing phrase and crafts memorable vignettes of mainly disreputable characters but he is also a shrewd analyst of social change. In his assured telling, the story thunders along with the legs of a dead cert Derby winner" (Christopher Silvester DAILY EXPRESS )
"Foulkes manages in this book to be sports writer, crime writer and historian with equal facility." (Nick Pitt SUNDAY TIMES )
"utterly readable.. Anyone remotely interested in racing will love this book" (John McEntee DAILY MAIL )
"Foulkes whips up a colourful broad-brush portrait of a time when, in his own words, 'gentlemen condescended to race with, and be cheated by, blackguards'" (Miranda Seymour EVENING STANDARD )
"The story of their audacious plot and the personalities who unmasked it is beautifully told" (Jamie Reid HOW TO SPEND IT, FINANCIAL TIMES )
"Foulkes tells his essential story with brio and relish" (Nick Clee THE LADY )
"a ripsnorting account of the beastliness that took place when inveterate, aristocratic gamblers tried to stitch up one another" (Dan Jones THE TIMES )
"elegantly written, supremely entertaining" (Tim Barber CITY AM )
"Compelling slice of social history forms backdrop to the most crooked race ever run" (THE RACING POST )
"The Queen Mother would have adored Nick Foulkes' book... terribly engaging stuff" (SPEAR'S )
"Foulkes's prose is a delight. He is the paladin of the bon mot and his book is exquisite." (THE FIELD )
"Foulkes' wonderful prose is not only fair; it is also elegant, erudite and - like this book itself - outstandingly entertaining." (Catherine Nixey THE TABLET )
"Foulkes has written a vivid account of the events surrounding the race that finally led to the sport being cleaned up - the 1844 Derby." (THE OLDIE )
"(An) impressively researched book...Foulkes weaves in a number of tangenital histories: the rise of the professional bookie; the history of Tattersall's horse market at the Hyde Park Corner...and the life of William Crockford, founder of the eponymous casino." (Matthew Bell LITERARY REVIEW )
"There are so many colourful characters in Nicholas Foulkes's GENTLEMEN AND BLACKGUARDS that Dickens would have spread them over six novels." **** (David Robson MAIL ON SUNDAY )
"Nicholas Foulkes' book is a carefully researched story of money, skulduggery and sporting obsession and will appeal to sportsman and historian alike." (SHOOTING GAZETTE )
"Nick Foulkes' colourful account of gambling in 19th-century England." (Dylan Jones GQ )
"Foulkes paints a flamboyant portrait of the society of the day and of a pivotal moment in British racing history" (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )
"Herein is a rich assembly of underground rogues and aristocratic sporting men, set at the historical crossroads of the Georgian and Victorian eras" (Nick Pitt SUNDAY TIMES )
"Foulkes is a master of the flashing phrase and crafts memorable vignettes of mainly disreputable characters but he is also a shrewd analyst of social change. In his assured telling, the story thunders along with the legs of a dead cert Derby winner" (Christopher Silvester DAILY EXPRESS )
Product Description
In the early 1840s, Britain was the gambling capital of Europe and racing a national obsession, with the Epsom Derby assuming the status of an unofficial national holiday, attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators and many millions of pounds in wagers. It was a time of frenzied speculation, high stakes and low morals, when every ruse, subterfuge and fraud was practised - and the biggest sin was getting caught. But as the cheerfully unprincipled Regency era began to give way to the earnest and conspicuous high-mindedness of the Victorian period, reformers decided it was time to root out the canker gnawing at Britain. In the summer of 1844, the murky world of illegal gambling hells, crooked hazard tables and the dubious practices of the Turf were made the subject of a far-reaching Parliamentary Enquiry. When the Derby of the same year ended in chaos, with the two favourite horses doped and the result challenged by the Prime Minister's brother, the Turf's most dedicated follower and greatest tyrant Lord George Bentinck, took it upon himself to uncover the truth of what happened that day: following a trail of a evidence that led to one of the most sensational court cases of the 19th century. This is a story of men, money, gambling and sporting obsession; of rogues and rascals, subterfuge and chicanery, with duelling, suicide and murder thrown in. It is a tale of outrageous criminality, aristocratic complacency, and a gripping investigation to expose the most audacious sporting plot of the age. A compelling detective story peopled with low-life aristocrats, high-minded reformers, GENTLEMEN AND BLACKGUARDS paints a rich and vivid panorama of the full spectrum of early Victorian society, bringing to light an overlooked turning point in British history.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I first read about the 1844 Epsom Derby back in the seventies in History of the Derby Stakes and have since read pieces about it in Great Sporting Scandals, Horse-Racing's Strangest Races, Eclipse and other books, some running to a few pages but each of them outlining the basic details without giving exactly the same account; the peripheral information differed in each case. I knew there was a big story in that race that deserved greater attention, which eventually came in the form of this book, written by a historian rather than a racing journalist. Apparently, the author learned about the 1844 Derby while researching another book that he was writing and realized that it had potential as the basis for a book about nineteenth century gambling.
Among all sporting scandals, the 1844 Derby stands out because it involved several apparently unrelated scandals. There was cheating to try and ensure victory; the race was for three-year-old horses, but two older horses ran in the race, these being Running Rein and Leander. There was also cheating to stop at least one horse winning; Ratan, who was very likely the best horse in the race, was drugged up to his eyeballs and ridden by a jockey who had bet against him, yet still finished seventh of 29 as they crossed the line. Ratan`s main rival, had the race been cleanly run, was expected to be that year`s 2,000 Guineas winner, The Ugly Buck, who crossed the line in fifth place. It may just be that, like so many 2,000 Guineas winners, he lacked the stamina needed for the extra half mile of the Derby.
Although the 1844 Derby was the inspiration for this book and is ultimately its focal point, much of the book discusses gambling and the English aristocracy as they were in the early nineteenth century. Indeed, the author only gets round to covering Derby Day in chapter 13 (of 20) so this book may appeal to those interested in nineteenth century history as much as it does to horseracing fans. That said, there is much here to interest those horseracing fans who are interested in how the sport developed.
Prior to the nineteenth century, aristocrats had gambled among themselves, whether they were betting on horses, cards or anything else. The early nineteenth century brought about changes that were eventually to transform gambling. Outsiders came into the gambling world with people like John Gully, one of the pioneering racecourse bookmakers (but they weren't called bookmakers then) and William Crockford, one of the men who managed gambling of other types in the West End. Both of these men are discussed extensively.
The central character in this book is Lord George Bentinck, the aristocrat who exposed the 1844 Derby fraud. In his younger days, he had been party to a lot of the cheating that went on in the world of horseracing. He was a racehorse owner too, and sometimes stooped to dirty tricks to achieve success, but it seems that at some point he decided that things were getting out of hand and it was time to clean up the sport. Often accused of hypocrisy because of his earlier cheating, perhaps it is a case of there being much joy in one sinner who repents. He came to be regarded as a hero and his murky past was forgotten - except that enough information was on record somewhere for the author-historian to be able to write about.
Throughout the book, one is reminded that truth is invariably stranger than fiction, which merely reinforces my long-held belief that the 1844 Epsom Derby was the most notorious sporting contest in history.
Among all sporting scandals, the 1844 Derby stands out because it involved several apparently unrelated scandals. There was cheating to try and ensure victory; the race was for three-year-old horses, but two older horses ran in the race, these being Running Rein and Leander. There was also cheating to stop at least one horse winning; Ratan, who was very likely the best horse in the race, was drugged up to his eyeballs and ridden by a jockey who had bet against him, yet still finished seventh of 29 as they crossed the line. Ratan`s main rival, had the race been cleanly run, was expected to be that year`s 2,000 Guineas winner, The Ugly Buck, who crossed the line in fifth place. It may just be that, like so many 2,000 Guineas winners, he lacked the stamina needed for the extra half mile of the Derby.
Although the 1844 Derby was the inspiration for this book and is ultimately its focal point, much of the book discusses gambling and the English aristocracy as they were in the early nineteenth century. Indeed, the author only gets round to covering Derby Day in chapter 13 (of 20) so this book may appeal to those interested in nineteenth century history as much as it does to horseracing fans. That said, there is much here to interest those horseracing fans who are interested in how the sport developed.
Prior to the nineteenth century, aristocrats had gambled among themselves, whether they were betting on horses, cards or anything else. The early nineteenth century brought about changes that were eventually to transform gambling. Outsiders came into the gambling world with people like John Gully, one of the pioneering racecourse bookmakers (but they weren't called bookmakers then) and William Crockford, one of the men who managed gambling of other types in the West End. Both of these men are discussed extensively.
The central character in this book is Lord George Bentinck, the aristocrat who exposed the 1844 Derby fraud. In his younger days, he had been party to a lot of the cheating that went on in the world of horseracing. He was a racehorse owner too, and sometimes stooped to dirty tricks to achieve success, but it seems that at some point he decided that things were getting out of hand and it was time to clean up the sport. Often accused of hypocrisy because of his earlier cheating, perhaps it is a case of there being much joy in one sinner who repents. He came to be regarded as a hero and his murky past was forgotten - except that enough information was on record somewhere for the author-historian to be able to write about.
Throughout the book, one is reminded that truth is invariably stranger than fiction, which merely reinforces my long-held belief that the 1844 Epsom Derby was the most notorious sporting contest in history.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the only book by Mr. Foulkes I have read. And it will be the last. His style is just awful. The narrative doubles back on itself many times and the same points repeated many times. Overall its a great tale that is ruined by terrible writing.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Scandal upon scandal
25 Jan 2011
Format:Hardcover
I first read about the 1844 Epsom Derby back in the seventies in History of the Derby Stakes and have since read pieces about it in Great Sporting Scandals, Horse-Racing's Strangest Races, Eclipse and other books, some running to a few pages but each of them outlining the basic details without giving exactly the same account; the peripheral information differed in each case. I knew there was a big story in that race that deserved greater attention, which eventually came in the form of this book, written by a historian rather than a racing journalist. Apparently, the author learned about the 1844 Derby while researching another book that he was writing and realized that it had potential as the basis for a book about nineteenth century gambling.
Among all sporting scandals, the 1844 Derby stands out because it involved several apparently unrelated scandals. There was cheating to try and ensure victory; the race was for three-year-old horses, but two older horses ran in the race, these being Running Rein and Leander. There was also cheating to stop at least one horse winning; Ratan, who was very likely the best horse in the race, was drugged up to his eyeballs and ridden by a jockey who had bet against him, yet still finished seventh of 29 as they crossed the line. Ratan`s main rival, had the race been cleanly run, was expected to be that year`s 2,000 Guineas winner, The Ugly Buck, who crossed the line in fifth place. It may just be that, like so many 2,000 Guineas winners, he lacked the stamina needed for the extra half mile of the Derby.
Although the 1844 Derby was the inspiration for this book and is ultimately its focal point, much of the book discusses gambling and the English aristocracy as they were in the early nineteenth century. Indeed, the author only gets round to covering Derby Day in chapter 13 (of 20) so this book may appeal to those interested in nineteenth century history as much as it does to horseracing fans. That said, there is much here to interest those horseracing fans who are interested in how the sport developed.
Prior to the nineteenth century, aristocrats had gambled among themselves, whether they were betting on horses, cards or anything else. The early nineteenth century brought about changes that were eventually to transform gambling. Outsiders came into the gambling world with people like John Gully, one of the pioneering racecourse bookmakers (but they weren't called bookmakers then) and William Crockford, one of the men who managed gambling of other types in the West End. Both of these men are discussed extensively.
The central character in this book is Lord George Bentinck, the aristocrat who exposed the 1844 Derby fraud. In his younger days, he had been party to a lot of the cheating that went on in the world of horseracing. He was a racehorse owner too, and sometimes stooped to dirty tricks to achieve success, but it seems that at some point he decided that things were getting out of hand and it was time to clean up the sport. Often accused of hypocrisy because of his earlier cheating, perhaps it is a case of there being much joy in one sinner who repents. He came to be regarded as a hero and his murky past was forgotten - except that enough information was on record somewhere for the author-historian to be able to write about.
Throughout the book, one is reminded that truth is invariably stranger than fiction, which merely reinforces my long-held belief that the 1844 Epsom Derby was the most notorious sporting contest in history.
Among all sporting scandals, the 1844 Derby stands out because it involved several apparently unrelated scandals. There was cheating to try and ensure victory; the race was for three-year-old horses, but two older horses ran in the race, these being Running Rein and Leander. There was also cheating to stop at least one horse winning; Ratan, who was very likely the best horse in the race, was drugged up to his eyeballs and ridden by a jockey who had bet against him, yet still finished seventh of 29 as they crossed the line. Ratan`s main rival, had the race been cleanly run, was expected to be that year`s 2,000 Guineas winner, The Ugly Buck, who crossed the line in fifth place. It may just be that, like so many 2,000 Guineas winners, he lacked the stamina needed for the extra half mile of the Derby.
Although the 1844 Derby was the inspiration for this book and is ultimately its focal point, much of the book discusses gambling and the English aristocracy as they were in the early nineteenth century. Indeed, the author only gets round to covering Derby Day in chapter 13 (of 20) so this book may appeal to those interested in nineteenth century history as much as it does to horseracing fans. That said, there is much here to interest those horseracing fans who are interested in how the sport developed.
Prior to the nineteenth century, aristocrats had gambled among themselves, whether they were betting on horses, cards or anything else. The early nineteenth century brought about changes that were eventually to transform gambling. Outsiders came into the gambling world with people like John Gully, one of the pioneering racecourse bookmakers (but they weren't called bookmakers then) and William Crockford, one of the men who managed gambling of other types in the West End. Both of these men are discussed extensively.
The central character in this book is Lord George Bentinck, the aristocrat who exposed the 1844 Derby fraud. In his younger days, he had been party to a lot of the cheating that went on in the world of horseracing. He was a racehorse owner too, and sometimes stooped to dirty tricks to achieve success, but it seems that at some point he decided that things were getting out of hand and it was time to clean up the sport. Often accused of hypocrisy because of his earlier cheating, perhaps it is a case of there being much joy in one sinner who repents. He came to be regarded as a hero and his murky past was forgotten - except that enough information was on record somewhere for the author-historian to be able to write about.
Throughout the book, one is reminded that truth is invariably stranger than fiction, which merely reinforces my long-held belief that the 1844 Epsom Derby was the most notorious sporting contest in history.
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