There he excelled above all others as a fine rower. "Muttle", as he was called at the varsity and later in life, soon gained the title of a "Great Name" in rowing circles, and was esteemed as "The finest oarsman to have ever sat in a boat". In 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, and 1890, Stanley rowed in the Boat Race; an unsurpassed five times, only losing the 1890 race. Winning four Boat Races successively set him apart as a record holder in the history of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.