Annapolis Subscription Plate - History

History

The race took place on the South river near Annapolis in May 1743.Charles Carroll (1703–1783) - whose son, also called Charles Carroll, would later sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776 - wagered that his horse would win in a 3-mile race.

Carroll's rival was Dungannon, owned by the tobacco planter and horse breeder George Hume Steuart who imported the thoroughbred from England. The race was held at Parole, Maryland, at what would later become the Parole Hunt Club. Dungannon won the race, establishing a tradition of horse racing at Parole that would last until the club's sale and redevelopment as a shopping center in 1962.

The silver plate itself - in reality more of a bowl than a plate - is now displayed in the Baltimore Museum of Art, and was made by the Annapolis silversmith John Inch (1721–1763). Punch bowls were popular as racing trophies in the 18th century. It is the oldest surviving silver object made in the state of Maryland, the oldest horseracing trophy in North America and the second oldest trophy of any kind on the continent.

Racing was suspended during the American Revolution, but a meeting of the Jockey Club took place on Saturday, March 1, 1783, at Mr Mann's tavern in Annapolis, at which a number of Dr Steuart's descendents were present. Club rules were set down including that the plate given by the club should be run on the first Tuesday of November, at Annapolis, that the prize money should be "sixty guineas", and that the annual subscription should be "three guineas".