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NEW JERSEY THE SCENE OF THE FIRST DERBY RACE RUN IN AMERICA Louisville Ky April 1 o j the first Derby race run off in America it It necessary to go back as far as l l 4 when this country was still in the throes of the great Civil War The race alluded to was the Jersey Derby which was run at Patterson then a small city in Xew Jersey where u beautiful track had been laid out on the banks of the Passaic River RiverIn In that race two wonderful colts of the day Kentucky and Norfolk met to strive for the su ¬ premacy Hoth hailed from the blue grass laud Kentucky having been bred by John M Clay at Ashland and Norfolk by Robert A Alexander it Woodburn Farm Other listed threeyearolds of that season embraced such good ones as Tipper ary Tlirogs Neck Lodi and Beacon the former being owned by III P McGrath who later won the tirst Kentucky Derby with Jiis little red horse Aristidcs AristidcsRoth Roth Kentucky and Norfolk were sous of tint noted sire Lexington The former was a son of the great mare Magnolia while Norfolks dam was Novice like Magnolia by the wonderful sire im ¬ ported Gloucoe They met in the Jersey Derby with unbeaten records and their respective admirers in ¬ dulged in argument months before the race as lo their merits in comparison with the grunt stars of other days The few turfmen of that era still alive maintain that no two threeyearolds cf any season had anything on Kentucky or Norfolk and thU either could have won the Kentucky Derby of most any year yearMist Mist previous to the Patterson race Norfolk was sold by his breeder to Theodore Winters of Cali ¬ fornia The record of that sale will ever be memor able as the Kentucky breeder exacted an extra dollar over the price asked him for the colt which was 15000 because he had paid that for Norfolks sire Lexington and predicted Hint he would breed a colt by the blind horse that would bring more than he paid for him In a most brilliant contest from start to finish Norfolk proved the victor and difiJ ing his turf career never knew defeat winding fin his career at Sacremento Cal by beating Lo31j three mile heats in 2 y 5 a record recordThis This race marked the only deieat for Lexingtons mighty son Kentucky He won nil of his other 3 starts including the Travers Stakes aid the Sara ¬ toga Cup twice During Jiis turf career he vns once sold for 40000 which up to date was the record price paid for a thctoughbied hors in this country Of the two great horses Norfolk must be regarded as the most successful sire thoitgh much of his stud renown came from his union with the celebrated marc Marian He died as the proper ¬ ty of Mr Winters after living to a ripe old age When through with racing Kentucky was sold to August Rclmont by Leonard W Jerome for 15000 and at the time of his death was the property of the father of the present chairman of the Jockey Club ClubWhen When the course at Patterson was closed the Jersey Derby became a feature race at the Mom mouth Park track at Long Rranch in the same state and its first running took place beforo the Kentucky Derby was introduced to the racing world in 1S75 In 1S71 the Jersey Derby was won by Harry Rassett a great threeyearold which went through that season without defeat and woundup Iho year bv boating Helmbohl the best fouryear old of the season in the Rowie Slakes at Ralti moro in fourmile heats In 1S71 Meteor defeated Joe Daniels and many others in this race and the next season the mighty Tom Rowling won the event In the years that the Jersey Derby was run it was always productive of a good race as is the great event of the same sort which now annually arouses such great interest in racing circles throughout the country as the time approaches each year for its running at Churchill Downs DownsRacegoers Racegoers of the present day have in history only a recollection of the tracks at Patterson and Long Rranch in New Jersey wheie the tirst big Derby races were run The high mettled racer have long disappeared from those two courses one of which overlooked the winding Passaic river and the other by the rolling sea It was however the beginning of the Derby racing in this country The countryThe great 1500 Kentucky Derby this season is scheduled to be run ou Saturday May S and will mark the opening of the fortyfirst annual spring meeting of the New Louisville Jolckey Club which continues for ll racing days ending on Friday May 21 the date set for the running of the Ken ¬ tucky Oaks OaksIt It would be no rreat surprise to some turfmen should all precedents at last be broken and the big Louisville race be won by a lilly tills season Re ¬ gret H P Whitneys unbeaten daughter of Rroom stick has Derby credentials not possessed by any tilly ever before entered in the Kentucky Stake Sho not only holds an unbeaten record but her per ¬ formances last year were of a most brilliant charac ¬ ter as she defeated most all the best colts developed in 114 Regret also comes from a family of Derby winners Her dam Jersey Lightning is out of Daisy F a stake winner of races and she is nit of Modesty the winner of the first American Derby and one of the queens of the American turf Daisv F is a daughter of Rilev which won the Kentucky Derby for ICd Corrigan in LS0 Modesty was out of the noted Rallet and the next dam Rallotm is the only performer in racing history that ever won an entire meetings program This occured at Lexington The races were held n four days with a stake vent each afternoon The races were at one mile two miles three miles ami four miles in heats and Ralloon went down the line and won them all It is no winder that such a rgame and generous nice man can have a descendant on the turf like Regret at the present day Regret tomes from this famous Maria West family on both sides It is the only family that has furnished the turf three winners of the Kentucky Derby and the same number of winners of the Lawrence Iteal ixation Stakes lien Rrusli Azra and Riley having won the former event and Prince of Melbourne Hright Phoebus niu Daily American the latter t is surely entitled tu bor regarded ifg life QnteTT Mary family of America AmericaShould Should Regret reach the starting post and win the Derby for Mr Whitney on May S next it would be a most jKtpuIar outcome This is the first season that prominent eastern turfman has ever made entries for the Churchill Downs stakes His breeding establishment Rrookdalc Farm Is located in the state of New Jersey not far from where the first big American Derby race was decided told of above The inline Whitney will always be one o the most revered in racing history in this eountrv The father of the owner of Itegrot was one of the mirst remarkable men who ever took to racing as a pastime lie spent money like water to secure tin l est horses and having failed with his American bred colts to get an Knglish Derby winner purchased at an enormous sum the running qualities of the brown colt Volodyovski on the eve of that race in prizeSo 101 and with him won the great prize So it would be fitting for his son to come out to Iventiickv this season and win the coming big event at Churchill Di He may do it too as Regret though a tilly her form as a twoyearold has very right to develop into a mare like Modesty Los Angolc Yo Tambicn were in their respec live years
