Sim Templeman

Templeman was born to Charles John Templeman and Jane Templeman in the village of Everingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire. He was baptised on 13 July 1805. He stated out riding for Malton-based trainer Tommy Sykes and his first ride came in 1819 at Malton Races on Unity, owned by a local doctor. However, he did not win his first race until 1821, when he won at Catterick.

In 1839, he won his first Derby on Bloomsbury. The race was run in a snowstorm, Templeman making his move late and winning by a length at odds of 25/1. Some later believed the horse to have been a four-year-old, which would have made him ineligible for the race, although the objection was not upheld by the stewards. He won the race again twice more - on Cossack in 1847 and Surplice in 1848.

Other major races he won include three Oaks (completing Epsom doubles in 1847 and 1848), the 1851 St Leger on Newminster, and the first running of the Ebor Handicap in 1843 on Colonel Craddock's Pagan. He continued to ride until well over the age of 50.[1]

Templeman is said to have been of "small and wiry stature"[2] and had an odd riding style - riding with his legs out straight so his toes were in front of his horse's shoulders.[1] He was not regarded to be in the highest class of jockeys.[3] There was some suspicion as to his honesty, based upon the connections he worked with, but nothing was ever proved.[1] Outside of racing, he was said to be "a brilliant rider to hounds, a crack shot and an excellent farmer."[2]

Templeman married Sarah, a landlord's daughter, and they had three children. With his winnings, Templeman was able to build up a substantial portfolio of land and property, including Burnby House, near Pocklington, where he and his family lived. A house in Pocklington was named Bloomsbury after his Derby-winning horse.

Eventually, his son Edward took over the estate, allowing Templeman to retire to a terraced house in Heworth, York. He died aged 78, leaving a personal estate of £3,073 7s. 8d. and was buried in York Cemetery.

Great Britain

• Epsom Derby - (3) - Bloomsbury (1839), Cossack (1847), Surplice (1848)
• Epsom Oaks - (3) - Miami (1847), Cymba (1848), Marchioness (1855)
• St Leger - Newminster (1851)

• Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopaedia of British Racing. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
• Wright, Howard (1986). The Encyclopaedia of Flat Racing. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7090-2639-0.