THIRD WOMAN TO WIN THE DERBY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 169, 19 July 1941, Page 4 (Supplement)

THIRD WOMAN TO WIN THE DERBY

OWEN TUDOR surprised even his owner and his trainer, F. R. L. Darling, when the Yorkshire jockey William Nevett, who secured special leave from army duties to ride his first Derby winner, booted him over the course in 2m 325. They had expected his stablemate. Thoroughfare, to run a better race and were not optimistic about him.

Owen Tudor was the second successive Derby winner trained by Darling. He scored last year with Pont L'Eveque, and now has equalled the late John Porter's record of training seven Derby winners.

The following day Darling added to his record by producing the Oaks winner Commotion. Ridden by Harry Wragg, she trailed the field until the final quarter-mile, and then threaded her way through the field.

Owen Tudor earned a stake of £4473, one of the smallest in the history of the race. The normal prize is £10,000.

Confusion Near Newmarket

The Derby itself was overshadowed by a great traffic jam. comments the London correspondent of the New York "Times."

Those who were ensnarled for from one to three hours learned at first hand what it means to have a road choked with persons trying to get to one place in great numbers and in as much of a hurry as possible while the army is trying to use the same road in the opposite direction. The result was confusion, delay and a traffic tangle which, had the army been in a hurry about some business more urgent than routine manoeuvres, might have been disastrous.

Beginning at S a.m. and continuing through the morning, people streamed from London in all kinds of conveyances. There were long, sleek Rolls-Royces sweeping regally past London taxicabs. There were even a number of trucks loaded with those who wanted to see this classic which, in peace time, would have been held at Epsom Downs.

As the converging streams entered the final ten-mile stretch nearest to Newmarket on the two-lane road, those behind began speeding up. Then they ran into the army.

The army they met consisted of a motorised division on manoeuvres. Moving from the direction of Newmarket were several miles of tanks, mobile guns, staff cars, trucks, Bren gun carriers, troop-laden lorries and all the other necessities of an army on wheels.

Trainer Fred Darling Has Seeooj Success On End—Traffic Tangle When Conveyances Meet Army

Motorised Division

Mrs. McDonald Buchanan became the third . history to own an English Derby winner when her Owes scored a surprise victory in the 162 nd running of the substitute course at Newmarket on June 18. The Duke of Westminster's Lambert Simnel, a favourite, was never a serious factor throughout the mile half contest and finished tenth in the 2 1 -hoTse field. The was at 25 to 1, the second horse, Morogoro, was ok favourites, while Firoze Din, third, was the outsider of tfcelfiA a 100 to 1 chance, ™

To complicate things, a coorideable number of private cars gneas of gasoline and became derelicts on a road already dukri beyond capacity.

The officers were r patient. The trucks and gun cnai tried to skirt the traffic hy iWi» along the shoulders of the road«££ wheels in ditches. Soldiers hastily put to work and with tnfe police tried, mostly in vain,tofone the line of civilian traffic into ck lane. Meanwhile, from behind, tte push became heavier and the fet became miles long. Arrived Too Late * Thousands of persons who sbM in plenty of time reached Setmarket after the Derby had-tan run. It was a strange, TTnprwßftii demonstration of the meaning € Prime Minister Churchill's noBB admonition to the people tostaypß in the event of invasion.

It was estimated that dmft 60.000 persons attended—or tried to attend—the Derby this year. It to far above last year's attendance il Newmarket. The vehicles trained about 100.000 gallons of gwofinr which was rationed. The voinmr d traffic belied the rationing ieguhtions.