Young Traveller facts for kids

Young Traveller, also known as Lauderdale, was a famous British racehorse born in 1788. He was a Thoroughbred, a special type of horse bred for speed. Young Traveller is most famous for winning the important St Leger Stakes race in 1791.

He was bred and first raced in Yorkshire, England. In 1791, when he was three years old, he won two out of three races. The day after winning the St Leger, he also won the Doncaster Cup. This was a big deal because he was the first St Leger winner to also win the Doncaster Cup. The next year, he was sold and renamed Lauderdale. He then raced mostly in Scotland, winning five more races, including three "walkovers" where no other horses competed. Young Traveller did not become a breeding stallion after his racing career.

About Young Traveller

Young Traveller was a chestnut horse, meaning he had a reddish-brown coat. His father was a horse named King Fergus, and his mother was a daughter of Young Trunnion.

His Breeder and Trainer

Young Traveller was bred, owned, and trained by John Hutchinson. Hutchinson lived in Shipton, North Yorkshire. He started his career working with horses as a stable lad. He then became a jockey, winning enough money to start his own training business. John Hutchinson became one of the best horse owners and breeders in northern England. He was involved with many successful horses, like Hambletonian.

Why the Name "Traveller"?

The name "Traveller" was quite popular for racehorses back then. There was a famous racehorse and breeding stallion named Traveller in the mid-1700s. John Hutchinson also bred another successful horse named Traveller in 1785. This earlier Traveller was sold to the Prince of Wales. It's likely that Young Traveller was named to honor or imitate these earlier successful horses.

Racing Career

1791: Three-Year-Old Season

Before 1913, racehorses in Britain didn't always have official names. So, in 1791, Young Traveller raced as "Mr. Hutchinson's chestnut colt by King Fergus."

First Races

His first race was on June 1 at York Racecourse. He finished third in a race that was about one and a half miles long.

Winning the St Leger

Still unnamed, Hutchinson's colt was one of eight three-year-olds to compete in the St Leger. This important race was two miles long and took place at Doncaster Racecourse. Ridden by jockey John Jackson, he won the race. He beat the favorite horse, Huby.

Doncaster Cup Victory

The very next day, the unnamed colt raced against older, more experienced horses in the Gold Cup. Eight horses competed, including four past St Leger winners. These included Ambidexter (1790), Pewett (1789), and Spadille (1787), who was the favorite. Hutchinson's colt won the race, beating Spadille. Ambidexter finished fourth, and Pewett was seventh.

Even though he raced without a name, people started calling him Young Traveller by the end of 1791.

1792: Four-Year-Old Season

Before the 1792 racing season began, Young Traveller was sold to H. Hamilton Esq. He was then sent to race in Scotland.

Walkover Wins

On his way north, he raced at Newcastle Racecourse in June. He won two races there without any competition. This is called a "walkover" because no other horses showed up to race against him. A week later, he arrived at Lamberton in Scotland. There, he had another walkover win, this time under his new name, Lauderdale.

Competitive Races

Lauderdale had his first real races of the year at Edinburgh Racecourse in July. He first ran in a King's Plate race. This race involved a series of four-mile heats. The horse that won two heats first would win the prize. Lauderdale won the first two heats against his only opponent, a mare named Laura. The next day, he won both heats of a 50 guinea race, beating a horse named Ratler.

Lauderdale's last recorded race was in September at Kelso Racecourse. It was another 50 guinea race. He raced against a mare named Louisa. Lauderdale finished second in the first heat, won the second, but Louisa beat him in the final deciding heat.

Stud Career

After his racing career, Lauderdale, or Young Traveller, did not become a breeding stallion. His name never appeared on lists of stallions advertised for breeding. He also doesn't have any offspring listed in official horse breeding records. It's possible he died naturally or was put down after his last race. He might also have been gelded (meaning he could no longer breed) and used for riding or hunting.

Pedigree

* Young Traveller's family tree shows that the mare Meynell appears twice on his mother's side. This is called "inbreeding."

* The stallion Godolphin Arabian also appears twice on Young Traveller's mother's side in his family tree.

*^ The stallion Crab appears on both Young Traveller's father's side and mother's side in his family tree.