The whip carried by jockey Harry Grimshaw when the historic French-bred thoroughbred racehorse Gladiateur won the Derby at Epsom in 1865, with two eng

The whip carried by jockey Harry Grimshaw when the historic French-bred thoroughbred racehorse Gladiateur won the Derby at Epsom in 1865, with two engraved hallmarked silver mountings at either end of the handle, the lower band, London, 1865, inscribed CARRIED BY HARRY GRIMSHAW, RIDING GLADIATEUR, THE DERBY 1865, the handle end a later presentation addition dated 1916 and inscribed H.P.B FROM W.J., repairs to shaft, but overall in good condition 31st May 1865 was a seminal day in racing history when the total dominance of English thoroughbred breeders was finally breached through the victory of the French-bred colt Gladiateur in the 1865 Derby, the first foreign horse to achieve this feet. In the 50th anniversary year the French dubbed their horse the 'Avenger of Waterloo.' In fact the colt's achievements extended to being the first foreign bred winner of the Triple Crown with victories in the 2,000 Guineas and St Leger. Count Frederic de Lagrange's bay, who he had sent to Newmarket to be trained by Tom Jennings at Phantom House, also won amongst many other races the Grand Prix de Paris and in 1866 the Gold Cup at Ascot by a distance of 40 lengths. After his death Gladiateur's tail was gifted to the Jockey Club, and is now on display at the National Horseracing Museum, Newmarket. The French joked that this was the only part of his anatomy that English racehorses ever saw. The Lancashire-born jockey Harry Grimshaw rode Gladiateur in all his Triple Crown races and the Ascot Gold Cup in 1866. Tragically at the back end of that season Grimshaw died in a pony and trap accident at night, returning home from Newmarket races. He was aged just 25. Nothing is known of the 1916 presentation inscription, although the ''J'' may possibly be a member of the Jennings family. The trainer Tom had died in 1900. The whip was given to the current vendor's grandfather sometime between 1916 and 1922.