ENGLISH DERBY ON SATURDAY

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26121, 25 May 1950, Page 7

ENGLISH DERBY ON SATURDAY

RACING

£17,010 FOR OWNER OF WINNER SENSATIONAL RACE 106 YEARS AGO The English Derby will be decided at Epsom on Saturday. The race this year has been described as the richest Derby in history, with a gross value of £20,130. •£ “® „?' vl 3 er of the winner will receive £17,010 in stake money. Favourite for the race is the American colt Prince Simon, the runner-up to the Aga Khan’s colt Palestine in the Two Thousand Guineas,’ and winner of the Newmarket Stakes. People throughout England are hoping that this year Gordon Richards, who recently rode his four thousandth winner, will at last add this great race to his list. So far Richards has never won a Derby. He has finished second, third, and fourth, and even last, but never first. This year he has decided to ride a 100 to . 1 outsider, the French-bred Napoleon Bonaparte. When the Derby is decided on Saturday it is certain that the winner will be above suspicion. Certainly there will be no repetition of the sensational hoax of 106 years ago.’ In 1844 the race was won by a “ringin.” and the revelation of this hoax set off a chain of events Horn which stipend- j iary stewardship was born. The 1844 event is still called “Running ; Rein’s” race after the three-year-old colt of that name which quietly grazed while his substitute won the Derby. Levi Goodman owned two bays—the : mediocre three-year-old Running Rein and j the brilliant four-year-old Maccabeus. Both were marked exactly alike. Goodman had nominated Running Rein i for the Derby, but realising the colt had i no chance, trained Maccabeus for the I race as Running Rein. However, before the Derby was run 1 Goodman sold the false Running Rein to ' a man named Wood, to whom he owed £2OO. But he stipulated that the horse must run in the Derby. Goodman and a strong gambling ring had backed the colt to win a fortune, : and Wood. also, wagered heavily. True to plan, “Running Rein” won, but an hour after the race the judge dis- ■ covered that the colt was a four-year-old. However, his finding had no legal standing, so the indignant Wood referred •. the matter to Court. When tiie case came up “Running Rein” ; had vanished. So, too, had Goodman and i his cronies. The judge then ruled that the Derby i should be awarded to the second horse, ' and to-day Orlando appears in the re- ■ cords as the winner in 1844. Bookmaker’s Death Concealed That, however, did not end the matter. A commission on the “ring-in” had been laid with a bookmaker named Crockford. who dropped dead in a London club on Derby morning while talking to Wood and his friends. As death cancelled all wages, they hid I Crockford's body. When carrier pigeons brought the news I of "Running Rein’s” win. they propped ' up the body before a window in full view ; '

of the street. Too late they learned of the judge's discovery, and when it was announced next day that Crockford had died during the night they had no alternative but to pay their losses to his executors or flee the country—as most of them did. Spearmint’s Win Carbine's son. Spearmint, dramatically won the 1906 Derby to net a huge profit for the few who knew the worth of this untried colt. Spearmint was trained by an Irishman, ! Peter Purcell Gilpin, who had as his . main Derby hope a handsome filly called ! Flair. Almost on the eve of the Derby, Flair 1 broke down, and Gilpin decided to test I Spearmint in a secret training gallop with • the best five-year-old of the day. Pretty Polly. Spearmint's brilliance astounded Gilpin, • Money was poured on Spearmint, his price i shortened to sixes, and, of course, he did I all that was expected of him. Wingatui Jumpers Jumpers provided the main interest at‘ Wingatui on Tuesday, and among those: to impress were Desert Trek, Ara Chief. I Tamerlane, San Quentin, and Night ' Fighter. Tamerlane was going a little better than j San Quentin and Eve Acre at the end of a run over eight obstacles, including two hurdles. San Quentin is now being trained by C. H. G. Irvine at Dunedin. Irvine was . only recently granted a licence and he also has Alsvider, a dual winner at River- j ton. in his care. j Kiltie and Phantom Knight did not . have much pace on in their run over eight fences. They got in a bit close at j one or two fences. Libellula went much better than Come- [ away in their schooling bout. Libellula j is a good type of jumper, and is well ■ up to weight. Ara Chief impressed in his run over nine : fences. He ran off at the water jump, i but cleared it in dashing style at his ! second attempt. He will need a race or : two before the best is seen of him. Desert Trek was going better than Ro- j bingay. with a gap to Lord Dundonald. on I completing a run over six schooling 1 hurdles. Desert Trek, winner of the Otago ; Hurdles last year, looks as though he is ; returning to his best form. Night Fighter went well over four j

hurdles. He is in good order for racing j at ‘Wingatui. The track was in good order for galloping. The trestles were out about 50 feet. Roving Robin was not extended to record Imin 5 4-ssec for five furlongs, the last four in 52 4-ssec. His stablemate, Man o’ Kent, followed in lmin 2-ssec, the last four in 54 2-ssec. Great Victory took lmin 9 3-ssec for the last five of seven furlongs. He ran the last four furlongs in 56 l-sscc. He was moving easily at the finish, and looks as though he may be a useful galloper. St. Bruno was under a strong hold alongside Way Home on completing five furlongs in lmin 9sec. They wore well clear of Fine Art and Arabian Night. Highthorne and Lecturer recorded 52 4-ssec for four furlongs, that being one of the best efforts of the morning. They were followed by the two-year-old Finis—Palantua filly from F. Shaw's team, which recorded 53sec. Out For Season Dark Arrow will not race again this season. The pastern of his near foreleg filled recently, and he has been blistered and turned out. The set-back has come at an unfortunate time, as the Nightly gelding was embarking on a programme of hurdling, in which department he promised to develop into a good winner. Tring Breaks Down Tring broke down at the second last fence in the Tekapo "Hurdles at Washdyke on Saturday, and he did well to finish second to Rhine Lord. It is unlikely that he will race again. Tring is a 10-year-old gelding by Salmagundi from Assemble. He did his early I racing for his breeder, Mr D. P. Wilson, showing fair form on the flat. In recent years he has been raced by , Mr J. Dwyer. He scored his last, win in j the Corunna Hack Hurdles at the Wei- ' lington Racing Club's winter meeting two | years ago. Brockby Song Schools The champion steeplechaser. Brookby Song, showed that he was in good order I for important cross-country events during 1 the winter when he schooled brilliantly over the brush double at Te Rapa on Tuesday. Brookby Song has improved i with his recent racing on the flat, and ; he is expected to be at his peak for i steeplechasing in the next few months. Retired to Stud Regal Praise, a good winner for Mr E. R. Worth, has been retired from racing. 1 She was mated last season with Dhoti, a leading Australian sire. Regal Praise’s most important success | was her defeat of Beau le Havre in the 1 Great Northern St. Leger Stakes. She is a six-year-old by Nightmarch i from the great brood mare. Praise, which died recently.