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FIRST UPSET IN THE KENTUCKY DERBY Occurred in 18M Renewal When the Unknown Apollo Defeated the Great Runnymede. Louisville. Ky.. April IS.— With the widespread interest that is being shown in the 191S renewal of the Kentucky l erby. now only a few weeks away, veterans of the turf are bringing to light incidents in connection with the running of the historic event in bygone days. Perhaps the most interesting of these reminiscences lias to do with the first great upset that occurred in the race, back in 1 »2. Previous to that year all of the favorites for the big race bj no means scored, but up to that time there had been no great surprise in the eveut. During the winter of 1S81-1S82 Runnymftde was a strong choice for this imiiortnnt race. He went into winter quarters with the prestige of being the real star among the two-year-olds of 1881. He had been bought from his breeders. Boweu and Clay, by Dwyer Bros, for 5,000 and was regarded by them as even a lietter prospect than his brother Barnes, one of the racing stars of 1S.X0-ls.Sl. During the winter preceding the Derby of MM good re|iorts came from the training quarters of this son of Billet, with the result that a fortune was wagered on his chances in the winter liooks. causing his price to lie cut to the shortest figure ever offered against a winter favorite for the race. His owners had sent Hindoo to Kentucky the year previous and that great jierformer had made a show of his opiHisition in the stake, so the prestige of the memliers of the great Brooklyn stable reached from ocean to ocean. In later year.« James R. Keene. with his Castle-ton-bred horses and others he d-vetoped from mares secured from the Bitter Root Stud of Marcus Daly, enjoyed wonderful success iu racing, but great as were the triumphs of his racing string from 1905 to the close of 1908. its record had little on that scored by the horses raced by Dwyer Bros, iu the .-arly and middle eighties. To tell the history of tlvir remarkable stable is to recount the deeds of other stars besides Ruiin.v-uiede, Hindoo and Barnes, embracing such great favorites as Hanover. Bramble. Miss Woodford. In-s|M-ctor B., Dew Drop. Kingston. George Kinney. Onondaga, Panique. Kingfish. Charley Gorman. Millie. Potomac. Raceland. Banquet, Don Alonzo. Joe Cotton, Rliadamanthus and the unbeaten Tre-mont. RUNNYMEDE WAS POPULAR. As the date for the running of the Derby approached. Runnymede increased in popularity and on the eve of the race he was quoted at even money by the layers. At post time he was an odds-on favorite and regarded as a certain winner by all supiiosed good judges. There had come up from the south that year a rather ordinary looking gelding named Apollo, iu the stable of Green B. Morris. Mr. Morris bought. Apollo in the spring of 1881, when the future Kentucky Derby winner was a two-year-old. He was not raced at all at that age. Iu the spring of that year. Henry Brown, a Kentucky trainer, had A|Killo in his care and. while working him one morning with another horse, the latter carried the future crack out all the way around the course, th;* pair being nulled up a mile in 1:48. This work, of course, was too severe for a two-year-old so early iu the spring, so Apollo was sent by bis owner, D. Swigert, to Stock wood Farm near Midway, Ky., and turned out. In a few weeks Mr. Morris made a visit to the place and though tiie colt was poor in flesh, concluded to buy him. He secured Apollo by paying Swigert ,200 in cash, with a promise of 00 more should the colt win the Kentucky Derby the following spring. It may be incidentally remarked here that at that time the Kentucky breeder had no idea that Apollo was a future Derby winner. He had. however, sold two colts previously which had proven winners of the Churchill Downs event in Baden Badeii and Hindoo and, as Apollo was closely related to Mahlstick, a high-class race horse and a Louisville Cup winner, Swigert felt that it was not certain by any means that Apollo should lie a failure as a racer of good class. He reasoned that should be prove as good a horse as Mahlstick he would have a Derby winning chance, and so he added 00 to the price he asked Morris. Morris, in due time, shipped Apollo to New Orleans and. while still a two-year-old. he had him gelded and made no effort to train him to any extent until the time came to begin giving hiin hard work for his three-year-old campaign. The gelding proved a generous doer and, having grown a nit spread out during the wiuter, looked all over a good horse. Still, no one was bold enough to even suggest the possibility of the ragged-looking geldin? ever lieiug able to beat a colt with the reputation possessed by Ruunymede. FIRST START IN PICKWICK. Apollos first start was in the Pickwick Stakes at New Orleans. He was beaten, but Morris "did not like the appearance of the race and ran him back in a few days in the Cottrill Stakes, against the same sort of opposition, putting up on him his exercise boy. "Babe" Hurd. Apollo won that stake in a canter and, then going on to Memphis, continued his winning career. Finally he reached Louisville to meet his Derby engagement. Hurd continued to ride him in his races and had the mount in the Derby. Tp this day excuses are offered for Runnymedes defeat in the great race by Apollo. Heavy track conditions were held to have contributed to the son of Billets downfall. Then again it had been claimed that lie was not just keyed up to a hard race at a mile and a half, the Derby being his first start as a three-year-old. The trnthi however, is that Apollo, under all conditions that day. was the better horse. He never for a moment left the outcome in doubt and. while Runnymede turned the tables on him a few days later in the Clark Stakes, the distance was a quarter of a mile shorter than tlie Derby route. Runnymede was one of the best-looking horses tliat ever ran iu the Derby. He was more finished in appearance than bis noted brother Barnes, a rather coarse horse. After he was taken back east, be won the Tidal Stakes and other races, but he died young. Apollo afterwards won many good races as a three and four-year-old. Brighter stars have won the Kentucky Derby, but he was Utter than an average uerfornier and will ever enjoy a merited place in tlie annals of the turf.
