The Prime Minister’s Glory
The “Lord Lyon” scarf ring, a tribute to one of the most successful horses of all time, never ceases to amaze with its charm of the late nineteenth century
An object for horse-racing enthusiasts and those who love stories of the past as well as Victorian Age jewelry. This scarf ring has, in fact, an unusual history, to say the least. Unearthed years ago in a jar in the Dorset village of Bourton, it bears a painted image of the English nobleman, “Lord Lyon”, and belonged, among others, to the 5th Count of Rosebury, the UK Prime Minister from 1894 to 1895. The piece is further enriched by an inscription on the back recording his glorious victories at the 1866 Epsom Derby, the Two Thousand Guineas Stakes and the Leger Stakes. Events that led him to become a true legend of this much-loved British sport.
Lord Lyon was a racehorse owned by Richard Sutton and later by the 5th Earl of Rosebery in 1876. Under the ownership of Sutton, the stallion became the third ever horse to win the English Triple Crown race. The beautiful scarf ring eloquently displays the horse with one of its former jockeys du- ring a race. The engraving to the reverse reads "Lord Lyon. Winner. Two Thousand, Derby & St Leger. 1866".
