John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever educated at Eton College and at New College, Oxford. Upon his father's death in 1919, John Jacob V inherited Hever Castle near Edenbridge, Kent, where he lived the life of an English country gentleman. John Jacob Astor V represented Great Britain in rackets at the 1908 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the men's doubles competition together with Vane Pennell, and winning bronze in the men's singles event. Astor had been the British Public Schools rackets champion in 1904–05, and in the same year as his Olympic competition he played singles and doubles in the British Army rackets championships.
Hever Golf Rose to the Doncaster St Leger sales as a yearling but bought her in for 6,000 gns when she failed to attract interest. Popely later sold her privately to Michael P Hanson for a reported fee of £100,000. Hever Golf Rose was trained throughout her career by Joe Naughton at The Durdans stables at Epsom, Surrey. Naughton had begun training in 1991 and Hever Golf Rose was his first important winner. She had many jockeys but was most closely associated with Jason Weaver, who rode her for eleven of her thirteen races in her championship season of 1995. Hever Golf Rose