Last year at Royal Ascot, Estimate, a horse owned by Queen Elizabeth II, won the Gold Cup in its 207th running. As the Queen traditionally presents the trophy to the winning owner, her victory presented something of a problem, solved when her son Prince Andrew stepped in to do the honors.

In August of 1864, 149 years earlier, William R. Travers may have found himself in a similar situation.

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Photo of William R. Travers. New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building / Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. “The Pageant of America” Collection, v.15 – Annals of American sport.