Tartar (horse)

Until 1913, there was no requirement for British racehorses to have official names,[4] and the horse who later became known as Tartar competed in 1792 as Ld A. Hamilton's ch. c. by Florizel out of Ruth.

There is no record of Hamilton's colt competing in public until the autumn of 1792. The St Leger, run over two miles at Doncaster Racecourse on 25 September attracted a field of eight colts and three fillies. Mr Wentworth's colt Ormond ridden by Leonard Jewison (1739-1817) was 3rd. Sir Frank Standish's Kit Carr and an unnamed colt owned by John Hutchinson led the betting at odds of 3/1 with Hamilton's colt starting a 25/1 outsider. Ridden by his trainer, John Mangle, the nameless colt won the classic from the filly Skypeeper with Adonis in third place.[5]

Before the start of the 1793, season the St Leger winner was sold and entered the ownership of Mr Leonard Jewison. He was still without an official name when he made his first appearance as a four-year-old at Newcastle-under-Lyme Racecourse on 2 July. Jewison's chestnut colt by Florizel contested a £50 race run in a series of four-mile heats with the prize going to the first horse to win twice. He won the first heat from Ruby and Highland Lass, and took the win when both his opponents were withdrawn from the second heat. On the following day Jewison's colt finished third in the first heat of another £50 race, but won the next two heats to win the prize from Virgin and Young Eclipse.[6] On 20 August, Jewison's colt appeared as Tartar for the first and only time in a race at York. This was a "give and take" race in which horses were given a weight based on their height. Tartar, whose height was given as 14 hands 1 inch, started the 6/4 favourite but was withdrawn after finishing second in the first heat.[7] Tartar's last race recorded race of 1793 was at Boroughbridge Racecourse on 2 October. He finished second, fourth and fifth in three heats of a £50 race won by Alexina.[8]

On 13 June 1794 at Manchester Racecourse, Mr Thompson's five-year-old chestnut horse Toy finished second to Minimus in the first heat of an £80 race.[9] According to the 1794 Racing Calendar, Toy was the horse formerly known as Tartar.[10]