Great North Road (Great Britain) not compete with the new railways. The last coach from London to Newcastle left in 1842 and the last from Newcastle to Edinburgh in July 1847. The highwayman Dick Turpin's flight from London to York in less than 15 hours on his mare Black Bess is the most famous legend of the Great North Road. Various inns along the route claim Turpin ate a meal or stopped for respite for his horse. Harrison Ainsworth, in his 1834 romance "Rookwood", immortalised the ride. Historians argue that Turpin never made the journey, claiming that the ride was by John Nevison, "Swift Nick",
Dick Turpin (horse) Foret. As a four-year-old in 2011 he added victories in the Sandown Mile, Summer Mile Stakes and Premio Vittorio di Capua before being retired to stud at the end of the year. Dick Turpin is a bay horse with a white star and snip and four white socks bred by John McEnery at the Rossenarra Stud in Kells, County Kilkenny. As a foal in November 2007 he was offered for sale at Goffs and was bought for €12,000 by Noel McDonnell. A year later he returned to the auction ring at Tattersalls and was sold to Peter Doyle Bloodstock for