The Derby

(Facts you may not have known about the most famous name in horse racing)

by Mark Anderson

The modern day Derby parade

As lengthy books have been written about the history of the Derby run on Epsom Downs in England, what follows can only be described as a brief review of the race from its inception to the present. Unfortunately space does not allow for proper mention to be given to the famous jockeys, trainers, and owners that have contested and won the Derby. (In fact, several prominent winners of the race have been omitted.) Rather, this article focuses on various unusual, colorful, and sometimes unscrupulous events surrounding the race and the connections of the winner. Among the reference materials used are: Michael Church's 'The Derby Stakes', 'The Daily Telegraph Chronicle of Horse Racing', and other old and out-of-print books (whose names escape me) read several years ago in the wonderful collection located in the Selima room at the Bowie, Maryland Library.

Origins and Early Years 1780-1800

To go back to the origins of the Derby, one has to go way back to the late 1700s. In 1776 there was a race for three-year-old horses run over two miles at Doncaster. The winner of this race, later to be called the St. Leger and run at 1 ¾ miles, was a filly named Alabaculia. Around this time, Edward Smith Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby, took possession of an inn near Epsom called the Oaks.
(Historical trivia sidelight #1: Stanley's Uncle Gen. John Burgoyne previously owned this inn. One of Burgoyne's claims to fame was surrendering his forces during the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Saratoga. Saratoga, in upstate New York, is now the site of America's most prestigious race meeting.)

Getting back to our story, the concept of a race for three-year-old fillies was developed and the first Oaks, named after the inn where the idea took hold, was run over Epsom Downs in 1779 (fittingly enough, Stanley's filly Bridget took the honors.) During that year, a group of men staying at the Oaks decided to have a version for the colts in 1780 to be run at a mile. Popular legend has it that a coin flip determined whether the new race on the calendar would be named after the 12th Earl of Derby or his friend Sir Charles Bunbury.

And so on May 4, 1780 nine colts lined up to contest the first running of the Derby. Bunbury received consolation, of sorts, when his colt Diomed won the race. Alas, Diomed's career as a stallion on English soil mostly came to naught so he was shipped to America where his fortunes took a turn for the better. American breeders, who greatly mourned his eventual death, revered Diomed. The premier early U.S. sire Lexington can be traced back to Diomed.

Among the early Derbys of note, Serjeant won the race when it was first run over its present distance of 1½ miles in 1784. Aimwell is the only Derby winner (1785) whose early ancestors do not trace back to the three thoroughbred foundations sires of Darley Arabian, Godolphin Arabian and Byerley Turk.

The Nineteenth Century 1801-1850

Perhaps more than any other race in any other century, the Derbys run on Epsom Downs during the 1800's were the most colorful in terms of various horses (even those that did not win) and their connections. What follows are some curious highlights of various renewals with special emphasis devoted to the 1844 Derby.

The new century started out in 1801 on an historical note when Eleanor became the first filly (and one of six in the race's history) to win the Derby. What is even more remarkable is that she also won the Oaks…on the next day. Two years later, Sir Peter Teazle, victorious in 1797, sired the first three finishers, among them winning horse Ditto. (Incidentally, Sir Peter Teazle gave the 12th Earl of Derby his only victory in the race bearing his name.) Smolensko became the first horse to win both the 2000 Guineas (an English Classic race for three-year-olds over a mile at Newmarket) and the Derby when he scored in 1813. The year 1818 saw Sam win the Derby. (Historical trivia sidelight #2: Sam was sired by Scud. Interestingly, in the 1990 Gulf War, the coalition forces used SAMs [surface-to-air missiles] to bring down Scuds launched by Iraq.) Cadland and The Colonel dead-heated for winning honors in the 1828 Derby. Later that day, the two horses re-ran the race with Cadland emerging the winner to get his name in the record books.

Circumstances surrounding the 1839 Derby give a slight indication of the race's conditions. First, the horses ran in a snowstorm. Whereas snow has been a rarity at Epsom on Derby Day, there have been years that saw plenty of sunshine and very hot temperatures while other years have seen torrential downpours in chilly weather. Second, before the introduction of starting stalls/gates, the horses lined up prior to being sent on their way. All well and fine except in some years there were delays lasting from 30-90 minutes during which time several 'false starts' occurred. Third, some spectators would follow the contestants on their own horses as can be seen on old paintings. Finally, some people suspected that the 1839 winner, Bloomsbury, was in fact a four-year-old.

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