Mr. Lamego's Little Driver with jockey up, on a racecourse

Little Driver, a chestnust colt, was bred in 1743 by Mr. Brooke and was foaled by Beaver's Driver out of a mare by Flying Childers. He started racing in 1748 and ran every year until 1755, firstly for his breeder, Mr. Marshall, later for Mr. Vernon and finally for Aaron Lamego. Throughout his career he made a speciality of running in 'Give and Take' races. These races were organised on the basis that horses carried weight according to their size. Because of his small size and low weight Little Driver was virtually unbeatable. His main opponent was Aaron, an even smaller horse at 13 hands and 3¾ inches, compared to Little Driver's 14 hands and 11/8 inches. In a series of famous matches that began at Epsom in 1753, they emerged with honours roughly even. In one race they actually came home to a dead heat and the result was the subject of a court case between their respective owners.