Mr George Osbaldeston's Match Against Time
 

George Osbaldeston
 On Saturday, the 5th of November, in this year [1831], one of the most interesting events that ever occupied the attention of the sporting world, was decided at Newmarket. This was a match made between Colonel Charité and George Osbaldeston, Esq., for 1000 gs. aside; Mr. Osbaldeston undertaking to ride two hundred miles in ten hours, with an unlimited number of horses. The ground over which the match was performed, was four miles in length, beginning and ending at the Dukes' stand. Mr. Osbaldeston started at twelve minutes past seven, dressed in a purple silk jacket, black velvet cap, doeskin breeches, and top boots, and dividing the distance into heats of four miles each, performed it with twenty-eight horses, as follows."

Copied from History of the British Turf, From the Earliest Period to the Present Day, by James Christie Whyte, Esq., in Two Volumes. Volume II. London: 1840.
 
No. of heats Owner's and Horse's Names Age Time m.s. Miles Remarks
1. Mr Osbaldeston's Emma aged 9 00 4 Heavy rain, and continued with little intermission for three hours after starting.
2. Mr Sowerby's Paradox 4 9 20 8
3. Mr Osbaldeston's Liberty aged 9 25 12
4. Mr Sowerby's Coroner 6 9 15 16
5. Mr Osbaldeston's Ebbertson aged 9 44 20
6. Mr OSbaldeston's Don Juan aged 9 00 24 24 miles in 58 minutes, including stoppages.
7. Mr Tilburne's Morgan Rattler aged 9 13 28
8. Mr Sowerby's Paradox, 2nd time 4 9 06 32
9. Mr Osbaldeston's Cannonball aged 9 23 36
10. Mr Osbaldeston's Clasher (his famous steeple-chaser) aged 9 25 40 Broke down a short distance from home, and trotted in, in a sad state.
11. Mr Shrigley's Ultima aged 9 10 44
12. Mr Tilburne's Fairy 4 9 05 48 48 miles in 2h. 1min. 5s.
13. Mr Sowerby's Coroner, 2nd time 6 8 40 52 Coroner started badly. Other horses went off with him to prevent his bolting.
14. Mr Osbaldeston's Liberty, 2nd time aged 9 21 56 After this round, Mr Osbaldeston drank a mouthful of weak brandy and water.
15. Mr Osbaldeston's Emma, 2nd time aged 9 21 60 60 miles in 2h. 33m. Emma ran on the wrong side of a post, coming down the Ditch, but Mr Osbaldeston turned her, and made his round good.
16. Mr Osbaldeston's Don Juan, 2nd time aged 9 08 64
17. Mr Osbaldeston's Ebbertson, 2nd time aged 8 10 68
18. Mr Osbaldeston's Cannonball, 2nd time aged 9 41 72 72 miles in 3h. 4m.
19. Mr Shrigley's Ultima, 2nd time aged 9 00 76 Rain left off, but the weather raw and cold.
20. Mr Gully's Tranby 5 8 10 80 This was the best horse Mr Osbaldeston rode. 80 miles in 3h. 25˝m.
21. Mr Tilburne's Fairy, 2nd time 4 8 08 84
22. Mr Tilburne's Morgan Rattler, 2nd time aged 9 28 88
23. Mr Gully's Tramp colt 3 8 58 92
24. Mr Arnold's Dolly 4 8 58 96
25. Lord Lowther's Acorn colt 3 9 02 100 100 miles in 4h. 19m. 52s. At the close of this round, Mr Osbaldeston took a mouthful of bread and some brandy and water.
26. Lord Lowther's Smolensko colt 3 8 54 104
27. Mr Gully's Tranby, 2nd time 5 8 00 108 This round was the quickest in the match, and wonderful when we consider that in the famous match between Hambletonian and Diamond, at racing weights, the B. C. was only run in 8m. 25s., "while Mr Osbaldeston rode 11st 2lb."
28. Mr J Robinson's Skirmisher aged 9 25 112
29. Mr Rush's Guildford 5 8 25 116
30. Mr Arnold's Dolly, 2nd time 5 8 45 120 120 miles in 5h. 11˝m. After this round, Mr Osbaldeston rested six minutes and a half, and lunched upon a cold partridge and brandy and water in the stand, but although wet to the skin, refused to put on dry clothes.
31. Mr Rush's Ikey Solomons 4 12 0 124 In this round Mr Osbaldeston was thrown, but receiving no hurt, soon remounted; he, however, appeared a little distressed when he came in, which put the opposite party in hopes. Among other bets, 1,000 to 100 sovs. was laid that he did not perform the distance in 9 hours.
32. Mr Henry's Tam-o'-Shanter 4 9 40 128
33. Mr G Edward's El Dorado aged 9 20 132
34. Mr Wagstaff's Coventry 4 9 00 136
35. Colonel Wilson's Ringleader 4 8 42 140
36. Mr Gully's Tranby, 3rd time 5 8 15 144
37. Mr Pettit's Ipsala 4 8 20 148
38. Mr J Robinson's Skirmisher, 2nd time aged 8 45 152
39. Mr Rush's Guildford, 2nd time 5 9 10 156 156 miles in 6h. 49m.
40. Mr Wagstaff's Streamlet 3 8 50 160 Odds six to four on his doing it in 9 hours, and ten to one in 10 hours. After this round, the weather improved.
41. Lord Ranelagh's Donegani 4 9 12 164
42. Mr Payne's Hassan 4 9 00 168
43. Mr W Chifney's Surprise filly 3 9 10 172
44. Colonel Wilson's Ringleader, 2nd time 4 9 30 176 Pulled up lame.
45. Mr Gully's Tranby, 4th time 5 8 50 180 Tranby, it will be observed, did his 16 miles in 33m. 15s. After this round, the weather became again unfavourable.
46. Mr Wagstaff's Coventry, 2nd time 4 9 30 184
47. Mr Pettit's Ipsala, 2nd time 4 9 00 188
48. Lord Ranelagh's Donegani, 2nd time 4 9 00 192 A violent storm.
49. Mr Wagstaff's Streamlet, 2nd time 3 10 15 196
50. J Robinson's Skirmisher, 3rd time 4 9 40 200 200 miles in 8h. 42m. Allowed for stoppages, &c., 1h. 22m. 56s. Thus 200 miles in 7h. 19m. 4s., or, at the rate of 26 miles an hour.