'Matilda' and 'Mameluke': The Finish of the 1827 St. Leger

The 1827 St. Leger was a particularly famous race and represented a major encounter in the long-running battle between North (represented by Matilda) and South (represented by Mameluke). Bred by the Hon. Edward Petre, Matilda was by Comus out of Juliana. Her St. Leger win over Mameluke (by a length) was her greatest victory and was commemorated by Petre through the erection of a chiming clock over his stables at Stapleton Park, Yorkshire. Her jockey, James Robinson, rode her without spurs as portrayed in the present picture. Mameluke, by Partisan out of Miss Sophia was bred by Mr. Elwes. He was sold to the Earl of Jersey for whom he won the Derby in 1827 with Robinson up. He was then sold to Mr. John Gully, the famous ex-prizefighter, for 4,000 guineas, and was ridden by Sam Chifney in the St. Leger depicted.
Matilda was very much the underdog at 10-1, while the much larger Mameluke was originally favorite at 5-2 until he became worked up by a series of false starts, engineered with this effect in mind. He eventually started at 100-30. Matilda was actually Petre's second string as he also owned Granby (who, after the false starts, started as favorite), ridden by Will Scott and also trained by John Scott. This dual entry is the reason that Matilda actually carried black, white sleeves, white cap, in the race, rather than the normal colors of black and pink in which the jockey is shown in the present picture. Major Yarburgh's Laurel finished third. So notable was Matilda's victory that a poem by the Professor of Poetry at Oxford celebrating the win runs over two hundred lines.