Peter St. Albans
| Peter St Albans | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michael Bowden 15 November 1864 Geelong, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 1900 (age 35) Geelong, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Other names | Peter Bowden |
| Occupation | Jockey, Horse Trainer |
| Parent(s) | Michael Bowden & Cathleen Carmody |
Peter St Albans (1864-1900) is the youngest jockey ever to win the Melbourne Cup. He won in 1876 riding Briseis at the recorded age of thirteen (he was actually eleven, eight days short of his twelfth birthday). His record is unlikely to be beaten as he rode in the Melbourne Cup when he was under the stated minimum age of thirteen. He secured the mount for the three-year-old Briseis after the regular stable jockey could not make the featherweight of 6 stone and 4 pounds (39 kilos). Before 75,000 at Flemington Briseis, with St Albans in the saddle, comfortably won by one length in the biggest field of all time. "At 4 o'clock the starter released the 33 runners and they swept down the long Flemington straight in a thundering rush. Briseis, ridden by what one writer termed a mere child, (in the Cup) captured a rare double, the Victoria Race Club Derby and the Melbourne Cup. Shouts and hurrahs were heard, hats were thrown in the air and one excited individual fell on his back in the attempt to do a somersault. The boy who rode the winner was carried around the pack and is the hero of the day," reported the Australasian Sketcher in 1876. Both Peter St Albans and Briseis have now become racing legends, and Briseis is regarded as one of the greatest mares foaled in Australia.
Prior to winning the 1876 Melbourne Cup, St Albans had an earlier important victory aboard Briseis when the 11-year-old rode her to win the 1876 Doncaster when the then two-year-old filly was only allowed to carry an even smaller weight of 5 stone 7 pounds (34 kilos). Before going to Sydney as a strapper with Briseis, St Albans had won his first race, a maiden plate at Geelong, and on Briseis, but due to his inexperience he wasn't booked to ride the filly in the Doncaster at Randwick. However, as her jockey Tom Hales was over the weight that she was allowed to carry, he recommended the young strapper - St Albans - as showing great ability as a horseman, and having a special bond with the filly. Many ardent racegoers questioned the running of Briseis as a two-year-old in the demanding Doncaster, particularly with an 11-year-old in the saddle. However, they made a great team. Altogether they won three Sydney races at Randwick that autumn.
By the age of seventeen Peter St Albans had also added the Sires' Produce Stakes and the Geelong Cup to his winnings.
St. Albans, however, only had a limited career in the saddle. Following a fall in Sydney he became a horse trainer at 19 under the name of Peter Bowden. He went on to become a successful trainer and trained Forest King who was runner-up in the 1891 Caulfield Cup.
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