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RECALLS SIMILAR CONTEST IN 1876 Conditions of Coming Kentucky Derby Not Unlike Those of Its Second Running Louisville Ky April 20 It is a remarkable fact that the first twoyearold race ever decided at Churchill Downs was won by a horse that made his ¬ tory for himself by winning a Kentucky Derby If the present Kentucky Derby favorite Worth can win the 6000 race on Saturday afternoon May 11 he will in a measure have established a somewhat similar precedent Worth won the first twoyear old race for colts and geldings last year at the Downs on the opening day dayThe The first twoyearold race ever run at the Downs was in the spring of 1875 It was the Alexander Stakes for colts and geldings The distance was a half mile The number of starters was represented by the hoodoo number thirteen This event pos ¬ sessed a value of only 750 which Is in marked con ¬ trast to the present values of such stakes at the Downs In the spring of 1875 the Association adiltnl the paltry sum of 250 Today an entrance fic of 10 or 15 renders a horse eligible to start in a stake It he goes to the post his owner pays per ¬ haps 40 additional In the old days it cost au owner 25 to get into a stake and it always was a case of play or pay This payThis race was won by T J Nichols bay gelding was in the saddle J Funk s brown colt Harry Hill carrying ninety pounds ridden by W Miller finished second M Murphys chestnut colt Russ Butler with ninety pounds ridden by W Ringo ran third The time was 50 50Later Later turf history was remarkable taken in con ¬ nection with the first twoyearold race decided at the Downs The winner Vagrant won the Kentucky Derby of 1876 Harry Hill was third In the Derby that spring Creedmore one of the unplaced colts in the race won the Clark Stakes in 1876 and de ¬ feated Vagrant Another unplaced colt in that race Vigil was the largest winning threeyear old of 1876 Still another unplaced colt in the race was Bazar which in later years became famous in California and was the bolder of several track rec ¬ ords on the old Bay District course courseAnother Another speedy horse beaten in that race was Grit In succeeding years he scored some creditable victories There were three twoyearold races run that spring at the Downs Lady Clipper won the first filly stake ever run over the course It was the Lady Stakes at onehalf mile and she sur ¬ passed Vagrants time made in the Alexander Stakes as she ran the distance In 50 CIcmmic G named out of compliment to a Scott County Ken ¬ tucky society belle finished second and Necy Hale I winner of the Kentucky Oaks in 1876 rau third The other twoyearold race that spring was tho Tennessee Stakes at six furlongs It was decided over a muddy course therefore Creedmore was a favorite and defeated Vagrant However Vagrant conceded Crcedmore five pounds The time was l224 l224It It is interesting in this connection to recall how these crack youngsters ran at the Downs in the falL of 1875 The first event that autumn was th Bluegrass Stakes In this Clemmie G turned the tales on Lady Clipper and won running three quarters in 118 The other events that fall were the Belle Meadc and Sanford Stakes and both wen won by Vagrant These victories paved the way for Vagrants triumph in the Kentucky Derby in the springThe following spring The Derby of 1876 will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it In some respects it was not unlike the prospective meeting his spring a Churchill Downs between Worth owned by a New Yorker H C Hallenbeck a millionaire and The Manager owned by Maj T O McDowell a Kentuckian and grandson of the commoner Henry Clay Vagrant in 76 represented the best In the west The mighty Parole Journeyed from the east to carry the colors of P Lorillard In the great contest contestOn On May 11 Worth and The Manager will clash for a prize of 6000 Vagrant and Parole booked up with the prospect of the winner pulling down only 2970 The trip from New York bad Its effect upon Parole Vagrant won the race by running the mile and a half in 238 Creedmore was second Harry Hill was third and Parole wound up In fourth position positionIt It must be regarded as fortunate for the repnta lon of Vagrant that Parole could not have been anywhere near his best at that time Before the season was over Parole bad beaten the best in the land As a fouryearold a season later he was a champion As n fiveyearold he beat the great Ten Brocck and Tom Ochlltree in a memorable race at Baltimore It ranks to this day as one of the most remarkable performances of an American horse On and on he raced When an aged horse he was taken to England In the City and Suburban Han ¬ dicap he won with a field of more than twcny starters beating Great Britains famous horse the great Isonomy All told he won fiftynine races and captured 82815 In stakes and purses Vagrant In his whole career did not earn more than onetenth as ranch Both Vagrant and Parole were geldings and could leave no impress upon the breeding world After his Derby victory Vagrant was sold by T J Nichols to William Astor of New York for 7000 Vagrant ended his days on the Rhincbeck estate of that gentleman P Lorillard brought Parola back to America and made him a pensioner at Rancocas Farm T J Nichols in whose colors Vagrant won the Derby maintained a stable for several years after he parted with the son of Virgil Mr Nichols was killed in the early eighties in a railroad wreck on his way to the Lexington races His home was in KyVagrant Bourbon county Ky Vagrant was ridden in the Kentucky Derby by Bobby Swim Swim bad finished out of the money in the Inaugural Derby with Aristides He died a year or two later In Louisville Creedmore was the first great threeyearold In the stable of Capt J T Williams owner of Governor Gray Capt Wil ¬ liams partner In the ownership of Creedmore was the Lexington turfman Dick Owens who has been dead for years Harry Hill third In the Derby of 1876 was owned by John Funk Funk was one of the most dimlnultive turfmen on the track but he was about the noisest man ever seen on a Ken ¬ tucky course He could attract more attention with his seventyfive pounds of weight than could Gen Abe Buford with his 350 pounds Funk too has been dead for years But for all his spectacular methods he was a pretty good fellow
