Paulina (horse)

Until 1913, there was no requirement for British racehorses to have official names,[3] and the filly who later became known as Paulina competed in 1806 as Lord Fitzwilliam's b. f., sister to Sir Paul by Sir Peter. She made her debut on 19 August at York Racecourse, where she ran in a sweepstakes for two-year-old colts and fillies. Starting at odds of 8/1, she won by half a neck from Sir Thomas Gascoigne's chestnut filly by Timothy after "a very fine race".[4] At Pontefract Racecourse on 10 September, the sister to Sir Paul defeated her only opponent, Lord Darlington's brother to Bumper in a one-mile sweepstakes.[5] At the St Leger meeting at Doncaster was she matched against the Sir Thomas Gascoigne's chestnut filly by Timothy in a sweepstakes and won at odds of 4/6[6] to complete her first season unbeaten.

For the 1807 season, the sister to Sir Paul was officially named Paulina whilst Sir Thomas Gascoigne's filly was named Thomasina. The two fillies met for the third time at York on 26 May in a one-and-a-half-mile sweepstakes in which Paulina finished second to her rival.[7] At the next York meeting in August, Paulina won a two-mile produce sweepstakes worth 1,500 guineas, beating Lord Monson's colt Scud at odds of 7/2.[8]

At Doncaster on 21 September, Paulina was one of sixteen colts and fillies to contest the thirty-second running of the St Leger. Ridden by Ben Smith, she started the 8/1 third choice in the betting, behind Lord Grosvenor's colt Eaton and Mr Garforth's bay colt by Beningbrough. After what was described as an "uncommonly good race",[9] she won the classic by less than a length from Scud, with Eaton in third and Mr Garforth's colt in fourth.[10] Three days later, Paulina reappeared in a sweepstakes over two miles and won at odds of 1/4 from a filly named Margaret, her only opponent. At the same meeting, Thomasina and Scud defeated older horses in the Doncaster Stakes and the Doncaster Cup respectively.[11]

Paulina's four-year-old season was restricted to two races at Doncaster's St Leger meeting in September. On the opening day of the meeting she was defeated by Scud in a four-mile match race in which she carried two pounds more than the colt. On the following day she won the Prince's Stakes, over the same distance, beating Lord Darlington's unnamed brother to Expectation.[12]

On 21 August 1809, Paulina began her final season with a match against Thomasina over two miles at York. She started the 5/11 favourite, but was beaten by her rival, to whom she was conceding three pounds.[13] Two days later, Paulina started 6/5 favourite for a division of the Great Subscription Purse over four miles. Ridden by Bill Clift, she won by a length after "a very fine race"[14] against the colts Poulton and Archduke.[15] On 12 September at Pontefract Racecourse, Paulina finished second to the Duke of Leeds four-year-old colt Mowbray in a four-mile sweepstakes in which she was conceding nine pounds to the winner.[16] Paulina's next appearance was at Lincoln on 20 September when she contested a King's Plate, a race run in a series of two-mile heats, with the prize going to the first to win twice. Paulina, carrying top weight of 119 pounds finished third to Laurel-Leaf in the first heat, and second to Tutelina in the next two.[17] Paulina ended her racing career in a four-mile King's Plate on 11 October at Richmond where she met Thomasina for the final time. Thomasina was favoured in the betting, but Paulina defeated her old rival to end her career with a victory.[18]