view raw text
DEVOTEES OF THE EPSOM DERBY It is a striking evidence of the fascination of the Epsom Derby that it not only attracts thou ¬ sands of the spectators who never see any other horse race but that many of Its devotees make a point of never missing it if they can possibly get to Epsom says the Westminster Gazette GazetteOnly Only a short time ago there died an old resident o Epsom who had seen no fewer than eighty Derby finishes Pavo the chief of the sporting depart ¬ ment of the Morning Post saw his first Derby as long ago as 1842 and is said to have seen every subsequent race for the Blue Ribbon for more than fifty years James Weatherby surpassed even this record for after seeing The Colonel and Cad land run their memorable dead heat In 1828 ho was on the spot to cheer every subsequent Derby winner including Lord Roseberys Ladas in 1894 sixtysix years later The notorious Duke of Queens berry Old Q saw DIomed win the first Derby in 1780 and did not miss a single race until his death thirty years later while Lord Palmerstpn Is said to have spent Derby day at Epsom at least half a hundred times timesBoth Both the Derby and the Oaks owe their names to that Earl of Derby who kept a pack of stag hounds near Epsom during the last quarter of the eighteenth century and resided at a hunting bor called the Oaks Fifty years later a spiteful de ¬ scription of the Oaks and Its jockeys was recorded in the diary of Charles Greville In the report of the first Derby run the names of five starters and of all the riders ore missing and there is no betting quotation
