Henry John Rous

Henry John Rous ( born January 23, 1795 † June 19, 1877 ), a British naval officer and sportsman, was the second son of John Rous, 1st Earl of Stradbroke, was born.

He completed his schooling at Westminster School and was between 1808 and 1840 Member of the British Navy, where he completed a conventional military career, some custom commands introduced and received a medal for bravery. During his vacations, he organized including in April 1827, the first regatta in Sydney. As of August 1828, he explored the Tweed River and the Richmond River in north-eastern New South Wales. The area between these two rivers is now called Rous County, a tributary of the River Tweed was baptized Rous River.

Having acknowledged the naval service, he married was rich and 1841-1846 for the Conservative Party Member of the House of Commons. After 1846 he devoted his life exclusively to horse racing.

Horse racing

His father owned a farm in Suffolk and won the Two Thousand Guineas in 1815 with the stallion Tigris. Rous in 1821 a member of the Jockey Club and in 1838 one of his steward, a position he was to retain until his death. In this capacity, he reorganized the finances of the Jockey Club. In 1855 he was appointed handicapper and kept in this capacity a the weight -for -age system. This first handicap system that sets the age-dependent development of the horse in relation with each to be completed race distance is essentially valid today and will reappear also in German horse racing in general equalization.

Rous led for many years the stables of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford, in Newmarket, and wrote the 1850 book " The Laws and Practice of Horse Racing ', which consolidated its position as a leading authority in administrative matters of the flat racing on. Due to its often effective today, reforms Rous regarded as the last and greatest dictator of the British flat racing, 25 years was considered to be - never arrogant already put forward - word as law.

In his honor were the Rous Memorial Stakes, currently a race for two year old horses at Ascot named.

Swell

R. Mortimer et al. Bibliograpical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. London 1978, pp. 523-525