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COL. M. J. WINN. ANOTHER DERBY DAY ♦ Each Succeeding One Different and Full of New Thrills. ♦ How Col. M. Lewis Clark Established the Famous Race and Col. Matt J. Winn Popularized It. ♦ LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 6.— The dawn — and Kentucky Derby day. It never has, and probably never will be just another Derby, when it happens to be the Kentucky Derby. From its inception in 1875 the Kentucky Derby has held an important and prominent place in American racing. True, in the early days the value to the winner was modest, almost meager, nevertheless, generally the best horses of each year were found among its contestants. Beginning in 1915, when the peer- less Regret enrolled her name as the only filly winner, the Derby grew in popularity, and became more valuable, until in 1922 the monetary reward to the winner passed the 0,000 mark for the first time. Since then the net value has never fallen below that figure except in 1931, when Twenty Grands share amounted to 8,725. Tht» largest net value was when Reigh Count won in 1928, 5,375. Two Kentucky colonels, M. Lewis Clark and Matt J. Winn, probably did more to establish and popularize the Kentucky Derby than any of the other notable sportsmen connected in one way or another with the great race. Col. M. Lewis Clark was the founder of the Derby. In 1882 he visited Europe and carefully studied the manner in which the sport was conducted in England and France. On his return to Kentucky he organized the New Louisville Jockey Club, and the first meeting was held at Churchill Downs in 1875, with the Kentucky Derby as the feature attraction. AMERICAS RACING CLASSIC. Col. Matt J. Winn is the man responsible for the modern version of the Derby. It was he who carried out Colonel Clarks idea of making the Kentucky Derby Americas racing classic, not only creating a national, but international interest in this racing spectacle that annually attracts to this beautiful Kentucky city thousands and thousands from all parts of the United States, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, and with occasional visitors from Europe and far away Australia. Little did Colonel Clark dream that scenes he had witnessed in Europe of staid, self-contained Englishmen of all stations of life from king to costermonger gathering in hundreds of thousands to see the running of the worlds famous Epsom Derby and similar vast throngs of Frenchmen assembled in the Bois de-Boulonge to worship the winner of the Grand Prix of Paris would one day be depicted here in Kentucky at Churchill Downs. It remained for Colonel Winn to bring about the realization of such a dream and how well he accomplished the popularizing of the Derby was strikingly demonstrated on the fifty-sixth running of the event in 1930 when Lord Derby, scion of English nobility, after one of whose ancestors the worlds famous Epsom Derby was named, after which the Kentucky Derby was patterned, was among the colorful gathering and presented the beautiful gold trophy to Mr. Woodward, owner of Gallant Fox, the winner. JUDGE CHARLES F. PRICE. Another sportsman who long has been identified with Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby is judge Charles F. Price, who became secretary of the Louisville Jockey Club in 1892 and upon the death of Colonel Clark succeeded that sportsman as presiding judge. For the past thirty or more years he has been the presiding steward in Kentucky and at other major tracks. tiinued on eighth yagc. ANOTHER DERBY DAY Continued from first page." From Aristides in 1875 to Twenty Grand in 1931 the Kentucky Derby history covers fifty-seven years replete with the accomplishments of the finest sportsmen in the land, the great deeds of noble specimens of the aristocratic thoroughbred, the daring and skill of trainers and jockeys, all interwoven with romance and love for a great sport conducted by American gentlemen with all the pomp and ceremony to which such a great spectacle is entitled. Now another Derby Day is at hand and once more thousands and thousands of racing devotees are gathered in this hospitaDle Kentucky community to cheer the fifty-eighth winner of the Kentucky Derby, Americas racing classic. Only three owners have the honor of winning the Derby twice, namely the late H. P. Whitney, E. R. Bradley and G. J. Long. The Whitney winners were Regret in 1915 and Whiskery in 1927. Colonel Bradley scored in 1921 with Behave Yourself and in 1926 with Bubbling Over. On both occasions representatives of the Bradley stable carried off second money. Azra in 1892 and Sir Huon in 1906 carried the colors of G. J. Long. The late James B. Haggin, at one time the owner of the largest and most successful breeding establishment in the world, won the Derby of 1886 with Ben Ali, with Patsy Duffy up.
