The Jersey Act was a regulation introduced to prevent the registration of most American-bred Thoroughbred horses in the British General Stud Book . It had its roots in the desire of British horse breeders to halt the influx of American-bred racehorses of possibly impure bloodlines during the early 20th century. Many American-bred horses were exported to Europe to race and retire to a breeding career after a number of U.S. states banned gambling , which depressed Thoroughbred racing—and thus breeding—in the United States. The loss of breeding records during the American Civil War and the late beginning of the registration of American Thoroughbreds led many in the British racing establishment to doubt that the American-bred horses were purebred.
50-594: In 1913, the Jockey Club and the owners of the General Stud Book passed a regulation named by the foreign press after the Jockey Club's senior steward, Lord Jersey , prohibiting the registration of horses in the book unless all of their ancestors had been registered. Despite protests from American breeders, the regulation remained in force until 1949. Among the factors influencing its relaxation were
100-644: A Maltese cross in programs and auction listings. A number of American breeders, including the then-chairman of the American Jockey Club, William Woodward Sr. , lobbied hard throughout the 1930s to have the regulation removed. Woodward, and other defenders of the American bloodlines, argued that the racing performance of the horses proved their purity, even if they could not produce papers that did so. Woodward declared in 1935 that "If we do not get together, we will grow apart." Those arguing for keeping
150-509: A 100% subsidiary of Weatherbys Bank, was established to provide commercial asset finance services. By 2006, Weatherbys Bank was ready to develop into Weatherbys Private bank and Weatherbys Racing Bank. An office was opened in central London, and Weatherbys Private Bank was devised with wealth criteria applying, but Thoroughbred connection for clients removed. Weatherbys Bank continued to provide services for those engaged in racing and breeding, with approximately 10,000 owners, trainers and jockeys on
200-468: A breeding career. The outlawing of gambling resulted in large numbers of American horses that could no longer be supported, and many were shipped to Europe for racing. Because of the downturn in the horse market in the United States, it was assumed that most of the horses sent to Europe would stay there permanently and, after retirement from the racetrack, would enter their breeding careers outside of
250-508: A century, and to show such performances of its immediate family on the Turf as to warrant the belief in the purity of its blood. The amendment removed the stigma of not being considered purebred from American-bred horses. A major consideration was that by the late 1940s most of the horses with suspect pedigrees were so far back in most horses' ancestry that it no longer made much sense to exclude them. Neither did it make much sense to exclude some of
300-614: A company limited by guarantee with the Jockey Club being the sole member. As it is governed by Royal Charter , all profits it makes are reinvested back into the sport. Formerly the regulator for the sport ("Newmarket Rules"), the Jockey Club's responsibilities were transferred to the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (now the British Horseracing Authority ) in 2006. The Jockey Club has long been thought to have been founded in 1750 –
350-617: A correspondent writing in The Times —as the Jersey Act, Thoroughbred horses in the United Kingdom were registered in the General Stud Book , the stud book for British and Irish Thoroughbreds. The rules allowed a horse to be registered if all of the horse's ancestors were registered in the General Stud Book or if it had been bred outside of Britain or Ireland and was registered in the stud book of its country of origin. Overall
400-654: A current account alongside an option for short-term borrowing. Discussions with the Bank of England in 1994 resulted in Weatherbys acquiring a banking licence and the founding of their banking division. For the first few years, Weatherbys Bank served its traditional client cohort – racehorse owners, breeders, trainers and a payroll office for jockeys. The banking licence enabled a full suite of financial offerings. Clients had chequebooks, debit cards, loans, term deposits and foreign exchange services. In 1997, Arkle Asset Finance,
450-592: A governing role in the sport reflected the dominant role of the aristocracy in British horse racing up to the 20th century, and the removal of this role was in part a conscious effect to move the sport away from its patrician image. This can be compared with the way that cricket's Marylebone Cricket Club became the governing body of cricket by default, but later surrendered most of its powers to more representative bodies. The Jockey Club refused to grant training licences to women trainers until Florence Nagle , supported by
500-546: A large influx of American-bred horses into Britain and Ireland, giving rise to fears among British breeders that they would be swamped by the American bloodlines and their own stock would become worthless. The biggest state to outlaw betting was New York, which passed the Hart–Agnew Law in 1908. By 1911, the average price for yearlings sold at auction was at a record low of $ 230 ($ 7,520 as of 2024). Before 1900, most horses were imported into Britain to race, and rarely stayed for
550-478: A new Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA) from 3 April 2006. This major re-organisation did not arise from a fundamental failure of the existing arrangements, but an understanding that the old system might not meet modern conditions. The HRA itself ceased to exist on 31 July 2007 as its regulatory duties were merged with the governing responsibility of the British Horseracing Board to create
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#1732772765125600-572: A town known in the United Kingdom as "The Home of Racing". It was historically the dominant organisation in British horseracing , and it remained responsible for its day-to-day regulation until April 2006. It passed its first resolution in 1758, that all riders must weigh in after a race. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, The Jockey Club had a clubhouse in Pall Mall , where many other gentlemen's clubs were based. The fact that it acquired
650-654: A wide range of private individuals. Authorised and regulated by the PRA and FCA the Bank has offices in London, Wellingborough and Edinburgh. Weatherbys Racing Bank provides banking services to those engaged in horse racing. Authorised and regulated by the PRA and FCA, employees are based in Wellingborough HQ. Arkle Finance Ltd Incorporated in 1997 to provide commercial asset finance services. 100% subsidiary of Weatherbys Bank. Weatherbys Hamilton LLP Constituted as
700-635: A year recognised by the club itself in its own records. Some claim it was created earlier, in the 1720s, while others suggest it may have existed in the first decade of the century. A notice of 1729 records that "The Jockey Club, consisting of several Noblemen and Gentlemen, are to meet one Day next Week at Hackwood, the Duke of Bolton's Seat in Hampshire, to consider of the Methods for the better keeping of their respective Strings of Horses at New Market." It
750-580: Is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree , Cheltenham , Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket , amongst other horse racing assets such as the National Stud , and the property and land management company, Jockey Club Estates. The registered charity Racing Welfare is also
800-581: Is to carry on her trade without stooping to subterfuge she has to have a training licence." Of the Jockey Club itself, the Law Lords pronounced that "The rights of a person to work should not be prevented by the dictatorial powers of a body which holds a monopoly." Faced with the court's ruling, the Jockey Club was forced to capitulate, and on 3 August 1966, Nagle and Norah Wilmot became the first women in Britain to receive licences to train racehorses. On
850-584: The Fawcett Society sought legal redress. Initially she was unsuccessful until her fight finally reached the Court of Appeal in 1966. The Jockey Club used its considerable influence within the Establishment to twice block her appeal but her third appeal was successful, with the verdict of the three presiding law lords, Lord Denning , Lord Justice Dankwerts and Lord Salmon , being that "If she
900-426: The General Stud Book had the most stringent rules for registration of Thoroughbreds at the time, around 1900; other countries, including the United States, France, Australia and Russia, were considered by the British and Irish to be much laxer and to have allowed some non-Thoroughbred horses into their national stud books. The outlawing of race-track betting in parts of the United States between 1900 and 1913 led to
950-460: The General Stud Book rules. Adding to the problem was the fact that American horses were beginning to win the big horse races in England, starting with Iroquois , who won the 1881 Epsom Derby . J. B. Haggin , an American breeder and owner of Elmendorf Farm , had begun to ship large contingents of horses to England for sale, including the 1908 Grand National steeplechase winner Rubio , and
1000-532: The General Stud Book trace in every line to a horse that had already been registered in the General Stud Book , effectively excluding most American-bred Thoroughbreds. Because the new rule was not applied retroactively, all American-bred horses registered before 1913 remained on the register, and their descendants were also eligible for registration. Of the 7,756 mares in Volume 27 of the General Stud Book , published in 1933, 930 would have been ineligible under
1050-501: The General Stud Book , but horses registered in other national stud books were still allowed to be imported and registered. The owners of the General Stud Book , Weatherbys , consulted with the Jockey Club, the United Kingdom's racing authority, and discussions were held about the problems in pedigrees recorded in the American Stud Book . At a meeting of the Jockey Club in spring 1913, Victor Child Villiers, Lord Jersey ,
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#17327727651251100-413: The General Stud Book . Nor did it prevent the racing of horses that were not registered in the General Stud Book ; it just prevented registration in the General Stud Book . American bloodlines, whether registered in the General Stud Book or not, dominated English racing in the 1920s and 1930s. Horses that were ineligible for General Stud Book registration, but were allowed to race, were identified with
1150-512: The Jersey Act in effect pointed out that the General Stud Book is a record of bloodlines, not a work recording racing ability. The Jersey Act's major effect was the opposite of what was intended. In the years before the Second World War, British and Irish breeders had relied on imported Thoroughbreds from France to enrich their breeding lines, a source that was unavailable during the war, and concerns were beginning to be expressed that
1200-455: The Second World War, but because they carried American lines they were considered half-breds. In 1948 two of England's five classic races were won by half-bred horses, My Babu and Black Tarquin , prompting the Jockey Club to amend the rule in the preface to the General Stud Book , to state that: Any animal claiming admission from now onwards must be able to prove satisfactorily some eight or nine crosses pure blood, to trace back for at least
1250-420: The United States. Between 1908 and 1913, over 1,500 Thoroughbreds were exported from the United States. Those exported included 24 horses who had been or would later become champions – among them Artful , Colin , Henry of Navarre , Peter Pan , and Ballot . The American Stud Book , the registration book for American Thoroughbreds, was not founded until 1873, much later than the General Stud Book , and
1300-553: The bloodlines that were excluded from the General Stud Book . Weatherbys, publishers of the Stud Book , approached the Jockey Club in 1948 to ask if it agreed that the Jersey Act was "too restrictive". The rule was subsequently modified in June 1949, after the racing careers of a number of horses such as Tourbillon and Djebel persuaded the Jockey Club to reconsider. A number of French-bred Thoroughbreds began to race in England after
1350-473: The board is called the Senior Steward. As of April 2024, there were nine Stewards, including the Senior Steward and Deputy Senior Steward. Individuals may be elected as Members, who "are in effect 'trustees'. However, they may not profit from their role, as all profits are invested into British racing." As of December 2017, there were 163 Members, including 24 Honorary Members. Jockey Club Racecourses
1400-499: The books today. The majority of Weatherbys Private Bank's clients are now unconnected to racing. In 2012, the insurance broking business, Weatherbys Hamilton was constituted as a partnership with a number of partners providing brokerage services for bloodstock, property and liability insurance. In 2020, it will be 250 years since the Jockey Club appointed James Weatherby effectively as its secretary The firm has prospered since and remains in family ownership. Johnny and Roger Weatherby,
1450-962: The business was bought by the Point-to-Point Authority and this shared ownership (Weatherbys/PPA) remains in place. Provides publishing, administrative and editorial services to the sport of Point-to-point (steeplechase) horse racing in Great Britain. Weatherbys Ireland Ltd Provides laboratory and other commercial services, largely to the Irish equine industry. Recently diversified to provide extensive DNA and genomic testing services to agricultural stock. Weatherbys Ireland GSB Ltd Responsible for General Stud Book registrations, administration and publishing in Ireland. 100% subsidiary of Weatherbys Ltd. Weatherbys Private Bank provides banking services and investment & wealth advice to
1500-465: The club's senior steward, proposed a resolution limiting the registration of American bloodlines. It passed unanimously in May, and a new regulation was placed in the General Stud Book , Volume 22: No horse or mare can, after this date, be considered as eligible for admission unless it can be traced without flaw on both sire's and dam's side of its pedigree to horses and mares themselves already accepted in
1550-553: The domestic horse market. The American Jockey Club did not even remark on the Jersey Act in its official publication, the Racing Calendar , and no mention of it appears in the Jockey Club's meeting minutes for 1913. Contributing to the lack of outcry was a legal ruling in New York allowing oral betting at racetracks, which led to the growth of racing in the United States; by 1920 the American breeding market had rebounded and
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1600-504: The earlier volumes of the book. Although named the Jersey Act by a critical foreign press, after Lord Jersey, the new regulation did not have the force of law as it was promulgated by the registration authorities of the Thoroughbred horse, not by the United Kingdom government. Nor was it promulgated by the Jockey Club, which had no authority over registration, only over racing matters. The regulation required that any horse registered in
1650-512: The fear was that if other American breeders followed his lead, the English racing market would be overwhelmed. As a first step, the English racing authorities began to limit the number of training licences at Newmarket Racecourse , turning away a number of American breeders. The General Stud Book rules for registration were also amended in 1909 to restrict registration to horses whose ancestry could be traced entirely to horses already registered in
1700-607: The most successful racehorses in Europe from registration. Weatherby's further amended its regulations in 1969, introducing the word "thoroughbred" to describe the horses registered in previous volumes of the General Stud Book . In 2006, Blood-Horse Publications , publisher of The Blood-Horse magazine, chose the "repeal" of the Jersey Act as the 39th most important moment in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. Jockey Club The Jockey Club
1750-545: The new British Horseracing Authority . In February 2023, the organisation dropped the formal dress code at all its 15 racecourses and 342 fixtures, except for the Queen Elizabeth II Stand at Epsom on Derby Day. The change was implemented as a way to make horse racing events more "accessible and inclusive". The Jockey Club is run by executives who report to the Board of Stewards (directors). The chairman of
1800-413: The new rule. The Jersey Act did have an immediate impact however, as the winner of the 1914 Epsom Derby, Durbar II , was ineligible for registration, as his dam, Armenia, was bred in the United States and was not herself eligible for the General Stud Book . The main problem for American breeders was the presence of the blood of Lexington in their breeding programs. Lexington's pedigree on his dam's side
1850-481: The next 250 years, Weatherbys has continued in the role of administrators to the Jockey Club. Today, every data detail relating to horses, owners, trainers, jockeys, stable employees and races is processed through Weatherbys. All of the 10,500 Thoroughbred races held in Britain each year are drawn together at the company's Northamptonshire HQ. The firm still owns and publishes the General Stud Book, recording
1900-493: The production of thoroughbred bloodstock in Britain and Ireland. There has been diversification. Into printing – the Racing Calendar, racecourse racecards and even publications entirely divorced from racing and breeding form an impressive portfolio. Into laboratory testing - with Weatherbys owning one of Europe's most prestigious genomic-testing facilities for equine and agricultural stock. And into banking. There
1950-415: The racing success of ineligible horses in Europe and the damage caused to British and Irish breeders by the unavailability of French Thoroughbreds during and after the Second World War. In addition, by 1949 the possibly impure ancestors of the American bloodlines had receded far back in most horses' ancestry. Before the introduction in 1913 of what became popularly known—"with questionable taste" according to
2000-540: The rules for registration required only that a horse have five generations of ancestors in the American Stud Book or other national stud books, unlike the General Stud Book rules. In addition, many breeding records were destroyed during the American Civil War, as fighting during that conflict took place in noted American Thoroughbred breeding centers. The result was that most American Thoroughbreds in 1913 were unable to show an unblemished pedigree according to
2050-512: The same day, one of Wilmot's horses won at Brighton Racecourse , making her the first official woman trainer of a winning horse. Before 2006, it was one of the three bodies which provided management for horse racing in the United Kingdom in conjunction with the British Horseracing Board (itself an offshoot of The Jockey Club) and the Horserace Betting Levy Board . These regulatory responsibilities were transferred to
Jersey Act - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-612: The seventh generation of the family, run the company today - an unbroken history of family ownership for 249 years. Weatherbys Ltd The founding company which today is primarily responsible for providing racing services to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), along with racecard production, pedigree research, printing, publishing, marketing and ticketing services to a range of clients. Weatherbys GSB Ltd Responsible for General Stud Book registrations, administration and publishing in Great Britain. 100% subsidiary of Weatherbys Ltd. The Point-to-Point Racing Company Ltd In 2010, half of
2150-455: The situation might lead to excessive inbreeding. Additionally, by the end of the war American-bred lines were some of the most successful racing lines in the world, effectively making the British and Irish breeding programmes that did not use them second-rate, and harming the rebuilding of English racing. There were even calls for the creation of an international stud book to record all Thoroughbred pedigrees, thus eliminating any perceived slight on
2200-401: Was always the handling of money. From the guineas of 18th century aristocrats to more than £160m of prize money in 2018, the role of “Stakeholder” has always remained vested in Weatherbys. For the principal participants in the sport, Weatherbys offered accounting facilities. Holding their winnings to fund their future race entries. By the 1980s, the firm was effectively offering racehorse owners
2250-498: Was an able and entrepreneurial man and over the next 25 years laid strong foundations for the business. Under his aegis, his first racing calendar was published in 1773, followed, in 1791, by the publication of The General Stud Book , a definitive record of the pedigrees of approximately 400 horses which became the foundation for all thoroughbred bloodstock worldwide. He was assisted in this by his nephew, whose work on racehorse pedigrees dovetailed neatly with James's racing work. For
2300-460: Was booming. The Jersey Act did not prevent the racing of horses containing the banned bloodlines, as horses with the suspect breeding raced and won in England, but they were considered to be "half-bred". A number of American-bred horses carrying the lines of Lexington had already been imported into England, including Americus , Rhoda B , and Sibola , and because they were grandfathered in , they and their descendants were allowed to be registered in
2350-455: Was formerly called Racecourse Holdings Trust. The fifteen racecourses owned by Jockey Club Racecourses are: Large courses: Smaller courses: Weatherbys Weatherbys Ltd. is a UK conglomerate involved in a wide range of activities largely within banking and horse racing. The original business was founded by James Weatherby in 1770. James Weatherby was appointed to serve the Jockey Club as its secretary and stakeholder in 1770. He
2400-503: Was founded as one of the most exclusive high society social clubs in the United Kingdom, sharing some of the functions of a gentleman's club such as high-level socialising. It was called 'The Jockey Club' in reference to the late medieval word for 'horsemen', pronounced 'yachey', and spelt 'Eachaidhe' in Gaelic . The club's first meetings were held at the "Star and Garter" tavern in Pall Mall, London , before later moving to Newmarket ;
2450-412: Was intended merely to protect the British racehorse market. The rule did adversely affect many British breeders as well, though, including even one senior member of the Jockey Club, Lord Coventry , whose successful line of racehorses was ineligible for registration. Initially there was little foreign complaint or organized opposition, probably owing to the effect of the gambling bans in the United States on
2500-484: Was suspect in the eyes of British racing authorities, and, as he had been the leading sire of racehorses in the United States for 16 years, his descendants were numerous. Most American-bred Thoroughbreds traced to Lexington at least once, and he was not the only horse with suspect bloodlines registered in the American Stud Book . Most British breeders thought the regulation necessary and welcomed it, whereas most American breeders found it insulting, and believed that it
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