Some damage to the cover. The friendship of Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, and the Honourable George Lambton spanned half a century, during which period Lord Derby was the most powerful owner-breeder in England, and George Lambton, a younger brother of the Earl of Durham, masterminded his Stanley House sables at Newmarket with consummate skill. For many years they dominated the Turf, and happily their mutual respect survived a bitter altercation, caused by misunderstanding and stubborn pride, only months after Lambton had trained Hyperion to win The Derby for his patron.
In 1980 a treasure-trove of letters between Lord Derby and George Lambton was discovered at Stanley House. These letters, covering the years 1914-1945, give an intriguing insight into Racing England between the two World Wars, and the problems besetting the greatest training establishment in the kingdom; refer to Lord Derby’s efforts to resurrect French Racing when he was British Ambassador in Paris (1918-1920); highlight the reasons for his dismissal of Frank Butters, who has taken over the training of his thoroughbreds when George Lambton was appointed his racing manager; and indicate the influence upon the Stanley House stables of Cicely Lambton, one of the beauties of the Edwardian era and sister-in-law of Raymond Asquith.
In this fascinating book, Michael Seth-Smith has used the correspondence between the two men as the background against which he has set the careers of two of the most significant and aristocratic racing personalities of the twentieth century.
Hardback.