Mornington Cannon

Herbert Mornington Cannon (1873–1962), commonly referred to as Morny Cannon, was a six-time Champion jockey in the United Kingdom in the 1890s. He holds the records for the most wins by a jockey in the Craven Stakes, Coronation Stakes and Prince of Wales's Stakes. His most famous mount was Flying Fox who won the British Triple Crown in 1899. He was the son of English jockey and trainer Tom Cannon (1846–1917). In his day he was considered the most perfect master of style and he epitomised "the art of jockeyship".[1]

Morny Cannon
Circa 1900
Occupation	Jockey
Born	21 May 1873 Houghton, Hampshire United Kingdom
Died	1 June 1962
Career wins	1,879 in U.K.
Major racing wins
Coronation Stakes (1892-1894, 1896, 1898) Craven Stakes (1893-94, 1897, 1899, 1902, 1906) Prince of Wales's Stakes (1895-96, 1899, 1900, 1904, 1905) Middle Park Plate (1896) Doncaster Cup (1897) Lincolnshire Handicap (1897) City and Suburban Handicap (1890, 1891,1895, 1896, 1899, 1900) Eclipse Stakes (1893, 1899) Ascot Gold Cup (1902) British Classic race wins: St. Leger Stakes (1894, 1899) Epsom Derby (1899) 2,000 Guineas (1899) Epsom Oaks (1900, 1903)
Racing awards
British flat racing Champion Jockey (1891, 1892, 1894-1897)
Significant horses
Flying Fox, Orme, Throstle, William the Third

Early life

Herbert Mornington Cannon was born on 21 May in Houghton, Hampshire, the same day that his father Tom Cannon won the Somersetshire Stakes, at Bath, on a colt named Mornington[2] (who also won the 1873 City and Suburban Handicap).[3] Cannon derived his middle name from his father's mount and went by the nickname "Morny" for much of his racing career.[4]

His mother was Catherine Day, a grand daughter of English horse trainer John Barham Day. Cannon had three brothers who were also jockeys: Walter Kempton (1879–1951), Tom Cannon, Jr. (1872–1945) and Charles. His sister Margaret married Ernest Piggott, who was the grandfather of champion jockey Lester Piggott.[5]

He was educated at Banister's Court, Southampton, and afterwards at Queenswood College by a private tutor.[6]

He married Miss E (Nelly) Dennett, of The Park, Nottingham, on 11 January 1894, at the old parish church, St Mary Abbots, Kensington. The wedding was a quiet one owing to the recent death of the bride’s father. They honeymooned in Brighton with a view to setting up home near Danebury.[7]

Racing career

He had his first mount in public on 11 October 1886, on his father's mare Coraline at Kempton in the Middlesex All-aged Selling Plate. He finished well behind. His first mount in 1887 was at the Epsom Spring Meeting. Claiming the 5 pound apprentice allowance, he rode Koster at 6 stone 3 pounds in the Metropolitan Stakes. Cannon's first race win occurred shortly before his fourteenth birthday, on 20 May 1887, in the City Bowl Salisbury.[5] on Mr H E Tidy's Flint.[6] By 1900 Cannon had won 1,542 races.[4] His most famous mount was Flying Fox with which he captured the 1899 St. Leger Stakes, 2,000 Guineas and Epsom Derby, securing the Triple Crown.[8] During his career, he was noted as having good hands for piloting 2-year-old horses.[9]

Morny Cannon’s Doncaster

Cannon monopolised the 1894 Doncaster St Leger meeting. His wins were as follows: First Day: -Stand Plate (9 runners), Rowallan, 100/8; Champagne Stakes (5), Solero, 10/1; Great Yorkshire Handicap (16), Bushey Park, 100/12; Doncaster Welter (13), Lumberer, 100/8. Second Day: - Milton Stakes (7), Newmarket 4/5; St Leger (8), Throstle, 50/1. Third Day: - Juvenile Selling (10), Queen Saraband, 9/4; Rous Plate (6), Matabele, 100/30; Portland Plate (15), Grey Leg, 8/1; Corporation Selling (10), St Ignatius, 11/8.[10] He drew a blank on the fourth day but was second in the Doncaster Cup on the 100/6 shot Portland. There were 26 races over the four days and Cannon rode in all but five of them yielding ten wins, four seconds, two thirds. There was almost one more because after dead-heating in the Tattersalls Stakes on The Brook he was beaten in the run-off. As well as winning most of the principle races the majority of his winners were outsiders and Throstle’s 50/1 victory in the St Leger was sensational. He was originally entered as a pacemaker for his more fancied stable mate, Matchbox, but it was Morny’s idea to change tactics and so bring off a memorable success. As John Porter, Throstle’s trainer understated, Morny "was in irresistible form." [11]

1891 Vanity Fair caricature by Leslie Ward.

Diamond Jubilee

Cannon would have ridden another Triple Crown winner in 1900, but Diamond Jubilee had an intense dislike of the jockey. Jack Watts, Prince of Wales’s jockey, had already refused to take the ride on the notoriously unruly Diamond Jubilee, before connections turned to Cannon.[12] Cannon had ridden the horse in the Boscawen Stakes in 1900, achieving a narrow win over Paigle in a finish that required a generous application of whip on Diamond Jubilee. The horse never again allowed Cannon to ride him, rolling on top of the jockey on one occasion.[9] Cannon’s advice to the Prince was that "a brute like that ought to be shot," whilst claiming that he would not ride the horse for a pension.[12] Diamond Jubilee was instead ridden by newcomer Herbert Jones during his Triple Crown campaign.

Career statistics

Year	Wins	Mounts	Percent	Position	Reference
1887	9
1888	12	106	11.3		[13]
1889	21	217	9.6		[14]
1890	39	306	12.7		[15]
1891	137	609	22.5	1	[16]
1892	182	729	24.9	1	[17]
1893	168	666	25.5	2	[18]
1894	167	693	23.9	1	[19]
1895	184	711	25.8	1	[20]
1896	164	721	22.7	1	[21]
1897	145	624	23.2	1	[22]
1898	140	539	25.9	3	[23]
1899	120	468	25.6	3	[24]
1900	82	490	16.7	6	[25]
1901	76	451	16.8	6	[26]
1902	68	395	17.2	7	[27]
1903	53	349	15.1	8	[28]
1904	47	329	14.2	12	[29]
1905
1906
1907
1908

Cannon won six Jockeys' Championship and retired from racing in 1909.

Riding style

Morny's spell at the top was curtailed by rising weight[30][31] and the 'American Invasion' of jockeys, which led to faster run races and riding in a crouching style with a shorter length of stirrup.[32]At the time, despite the success of the American style of riding, many were convinced it was not the proper way to sit a horse. They felt sure in the long run the traditional English style of riding would prove the more successful, as it was certainly the more elegant and artistic.[33] However, in their prime, there was not much to choose between “Tod” Sloan and Cannon as horseman, but Morny was well clear when it came to honesty and integrity.[34][35]

Despite his success in the saddle, trainer Mat Dawson, Fred Archer's mentor, dismissed him as a 'dilettante jockey'.[36] Most turfites, however, concurred with Rapier's opinion that Morny was always a "the most conscientious of professional horseman." [37] Cannon was one of the old school of jockeys like Fordham and Archer, but towards the end of his career altered his riding methods, having his saddle further forward and shortening his stirrup leathers.[38] He was also known for leaving his challenge very late in races, a trait he had learnt from his father, and considered the "English style", to win by the narrowest margin.[39] Fellow jockey and later trainer, George Lambton commented, "It really was extraordinary, after apparently being out of a race, how he would sweep down on three or four struggling horses and beat them",[40] also adding, "there is no doubt that most of the jockeys were frightened to death of Morny with his tremendous rush at the finish."[36] Such tactics were not always popular. Another trainer, John Porter believed it cost him the 1901 Derby on William The Third.[36] However, weighing room colleague, Danny Maher, considered Morny as, "one of the finest horsemen that he had ever fought out a finish."[41]

Retirement

Increasingly suffering from rheumatism Cannon announced his retirement from racing in April 1909 [38] and lived in Brighton and Hove for many years until his death in 1962 at the age of 89.[3]

Maybe of Interest
The nine times Champion Jockey in Ireland, Morny Wing was named after Morny Cannon, whom his father idolised.[42][43]

He is mentioned in James Joyce's "Ulysses", "Morny Cannon is riding him."[44]

See also

• List of significant families in British horse racing

References

1. Gould, Nathaniel; Sporting Sketches Publisher: London : R.A. Everett & Co. (1900)
2. Birmingham Daily Post (Birmingham, England), Thursday, 22 May 1873
3. "Mornington Cannon profile". British Horseracing Museum. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
4. The Washington Post. "Tom Cannon, noted British rider, dead." 26 August 1917. pg 35.
5. Wray Vamplew and Joyce Kay. "Cannon family." Encyclopedia of British Horseracing. Pages 65-66. MPG Books, Ltd. 2005. ISBN 0-7146-8292-6.
6. The Hampshire Advertiser (Southampton, England), Wednesday, 8 December 1897
7. The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post (Bristol, England), Saturday, 13 January 1894
8. "Horseracing History Online - Horse Profile : Flying Fox". Retrieved 29 May 2010.
9. Alfred E. T. Watson. "Queer-tempered horses."The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes. 1905. Pages 370-378.
10. Sargent, Harry R Thoughts upon sport (1895) Publisher: London : Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent
11. John Porter of Kingsclere : an autobiography (1919). Publisher: London : G. Richards p367
12. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 3 April 1922, Page 2 THK KING'S JOCKEY.
13. The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent (Sheffield, England), Tuesday, 27 November 1888
14. The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent (Sheffield, England), Tuesday, 26 November 1889
15. The Yorkshire Herald, and The York Herald (York, England), Tuesday, 25 November 1890
16. The Yorkshire Herald, and The York Herald (York, England), Tuesday, 1 December 1891
17. The Yorkshire Herald, and The York Herald (York, England), Saturday, 3 December 1892
18. The Yorkshire Herald, and The York Herald (York, England), Saturday, 2 December 1893
19. Liverpool Mercury etc (Liverpool, England), Tuesday, 27 November 1894
20. Liverpool Mercury etc (Liverpool, England), Tuesday, 26 November 1895
21. The Yorkshire Herald, and The York Herald (York, England), Tuesday, 1 December 1896
22. Liverpool Mercury etc (Liverpool, England), Tuesday, 30 November 1897
23. The Standard (London, England), Monday, 28 November 1898
24. The Standard (London, England), Monday, 27 November 1899
25. The Standard (London, England), Tuesday, 27 November 1900
26. The Times, Monday, 25 Nov 1901
27. The Times, Monday, 24 Nov 1902
28. The Times, Monday, 30 Nov 1903
29. The Times, Monday, 28 Nov 1904
30. The Pall Mall Gazette (London, England), Monday, 26 November 1900
31. The Times, Monday, 30 Nov 1903; pg. 3
32. Wright 1986, p. 47.
33. Gould, Nathaniel, Sporting sketches : being recollections and reflections on a variety of subjects connected with sport horses and horsemen, never before published Publisher: London : R.A. Everett & Co.(1900)
34. The Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times (London, England), Saturday, 13 January 1894; pg. 23
35. Papers Past > Auckland Star > 3 Poutūterangi 1917 > Page 2 > AUSTRALIANS IN ENGLAND
36. Tanner & Cranham 1992, p. 98.
37. Author: Watson, Alfred Edward Thomas, 1849-1922, [from old catalog] ed The Badminton magazine of sports and pastimes Vol XXIV (1907)
38. The Times, Thursday, 22 Apr 1909; pg. 18
39. Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales), Tuesday, 8 November 1898
40. George Lambton (Hon.): Men and Horses I Have Known; pub.T. Butterworth Limited, 1924
41. Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times (London, England), Saturday, 3 April 1909; pg. 214
42. http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument?id=1148
43. http://humphrysfamilytree.com/Flanagan/wing.html
44. Joyce, James (26 August 2012). Ulysses. ISBN 9781935814856.

Bibliography

• Tanner, Michael; Cranham, Gerry (1992). Great Jockeys of the Flat. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-989-7.
• Wright, Howard (1986). The Encyclopaedia of Flat Racing. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7090-2639-0.

External links