Cavendish was born as the eldest surviving son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire.[1] After marrying the daughter of Whig martyr Lord Russell, Rachel Russell, Cavendish was sent out to the country, probably commanding his father's troop of cavalry, and was a volunteer in Flanders in 1692.[1] His first attempt at entering politics was by competing in a by-election in 1691 for the House of Commons, which did not succeed.[1] However, in 1695, he did manage to enter the House of Commons representing the county of Derbyshire.[1]
Horse racing
Cavendish was significant in horse racing. He was the owner of Flying Childers, who is often considered the first true great racehorse in the history of thoroughbreds.[2][3] Childers was also the son of Darley Arabian, which was one of the first three horses that led to the creation of the English thoroughbred.[4] Cavendish intended to use Childers as a hunter for practical field use after buying him from Colonel Leonard Childers as a yearling, before eventually becoming putting him in racing and him becoming the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland.[3][5] However, Childers was not a great breeder, and instead, his brother Bartlett's Childers, who was unsuitable for racing was bred, leading to Bartlett being the male ancestor of Eclipse.[6][7]
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