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Turning Back the Early Pages of American Derby History The American Derby was established in 1884 and run at the old Washington Park located in Chicago between FiftyFifth and SixtyThird Streets where it was the out ¬ standing threeyearold race of the country until 1904 when the track was closed and andlater later dismantled The first winner at atthe the old track was the wonderful filly Mod ¬ esty and the last one Highball in 1904 Jockey Isaac Murphy one of the greatest colored riders of all times who rode three winners of the Kentucky Derby was even more successful in the American Derby with four victories to his credit He rode the first three winners in succession and was again in front in 1888 on Emperor of Norfolk Modesty the first winner was owned by Edward Corrigan master of Hawthorne and like Regret the only filly winner of the Kentucky Derby was the only one of her sex to score in the American Derby Mod ¬ esty won nine out of fourteen starts as a threeyearold The Worlds Fair Ameri ¬ can Derby of 1893 was one of the most sen ¬ sational races ever run anywhere The horses were at the post for an hour and a half during which Snapper Garrison re ¬ ceived permission from the starter to dis ¬ mount and fix the saddle girth on Boundless While the other horses were fretting and stamping about with their weight up Bound ¬ less was taking things easy with the result that when they finally were off he was a decidedly fresh horse In the home stretch Garrison called on Boundless and he came with a rush to win by six lengths J E Cushing of St Paul was the owner of Boundless and received 49500 as his share of the richest Derby up to that time Much money was bet on that race all over the country the winter books in many instances being hit hard E J Lucky Baldwin one of the most famous characters on the American turf some forty years ago won the American Derby four times with Volante in 1885 Sil ¬ ver Cloud in 1886 Emperor of Norfolk in 1888 and Rey El Santa Anita in 1894 Bald ¬ wins Miss Ford finished second in 1887 and andhis his Los Angeles third in 1888 Spokane Spokanewon won both the American and Kentucky KentuckyDerbys Derbys of 1889 The greatest upset in inthe the colorful history of the American Derby was in 1894 when Lucky Baldwins Rey El Santa Anita carried off the coveted event It was not so much the success of the Bald ¬ win threeyearold rather the unexpected and never explained defeat of the mighty Domino until then unbeaten and rated one of the greatest race horses of all times Domino finished a hopeless last The story of Dominos defeat and the vic ¬ tory of Rey El Santa Anita is well worth repeating Only nine started in the American Derby of 1894 the presence of Domino keeping other prospective starters In tHeir barns Up to that time Domino was an undefeated race hbrse arid in his only previous race as a threeyearold had beaten Henry of Navarre Dobbins Nahama and Rubicon in the Withers Stakes at Morris Park So great was his fame that men of good judgment in turf affairs held him to be an invincible and in his racing record had substantial ground for such an opinion The Derby of 1894 was run Saturday June 23 in the presence of a vast concourse of people numbering between 60000 and 70000 spectators spectatorsThe The Derby field comprised Domino with Fred Taral up Senator Grady ridden by Snapper Garrison Despot Prince Carl Dorian Resplendent Alcenor Orinda and Rey El Santa Anita Domino was favorite at 7 to 5 Senator Grady second choice at 2 to 1 Dorian 4 to 1 Despot 15 to 1 Prince Carl 30 to 1 and Rey El Santa Anita 40 to 1 and the others 100 to 1 Now for the race Domino never figured prominently and after the horses had gone a mile his backers gave up hope for the colt was then toiling along in the rear and badly beaten First Resplendent cut out the pace for the first threequarters with Al ¬ cenor second and Senator Grady third On the back stretch Senator Grady was second and on the far turn was briefly in front Here Rel El Santa Anita which had been moved up to third place cut loose with one of the most amazing displays of speed ever witnessed on a race track passed Senator Grady as if the latter was standing still and turning into the home stretch by himself came on steadily and won by six lengths Poor Domino was a hopeless last and there never was an explanation of his sorry show ¬ ing He won his next five races in a row Rey El Santa Anita proved his victory in the Derby was no fluke by going oh to establish a wonderful reputation in a year graced by a number of great horses He won ten out of twentysix starts as a threeyearold Remember Emperor of Norfolk What a horse He won the American Derby in 1888 In a fashion he was a Chicago horse beginning and ending his career at Wash ¬ ington Park though he was bred in Cali ¬ fornia by his owner Lucky Baldwin who often proclaimed him the best horse ever reared in the far West He was a grandson of the immortal Lexington being by Norfolk and the famous brood mare Marion Em ¬ peror of Norfolk only raced two years and won twentyone races out of twentynine starts As a twoyearold he was successful in twelve out of eighteen Marts being un ¬ placed but twice The next year he won nine out of eleven starts including the American and Brooklyn Derbys and other stakes He was second and third in his hisother other two starts as a threeyearold Spokane the only horse to win both the American and Kentucky Derbys was also the only Illinoisbred colt to capture Chi ¬ cagos noted event Spokane was by Hyder Ali Interpose and was bred by the oldtime Illinois breeder General Rowett Spokane furnished a great sensation when he beat the marvelous Proctor Knott In the Ken ¬ tucky Derby in one of the most spectacular contests in the long history of the Blue Grass classic and then came back to Chicago to annex the American Derby with Proctor Khott finishing last The Picket has the most unique record of all American Derby winners He won the famous race in 1903 A horse gifted with great speed a stayer of marked stamina and a good weight carrier yet high class racer that he undoubtedly was his career on the track presents the quite singular feature that in his four years of racing he won only three races The only explanation is that he was called upon to do battle with a truly great band of race horses and worthily as he comported himself in antagonism against such grand warriors of the race course as Irish Lad Waterboy Claude Africander Hermis Heno Major Daingerf ield McChes ney Ort Wells Delhi and others of great merit it was his tough luck to finish second or third in many important and valuable events instead of first His American Derby success was achieved against one of the best fields in the history of the race in ¬ cluding Claude winner of the California Tennessee Canadian and St Louis Derbys Judge Himes winner of the Kentuvky Derby Savable winner of the rich Futurity and other stakes Bernays Au Revoir Sinner Simon Linquist Bonnie Burr High Chancel ¬ lor Gold Bell Monsieur Gilfain Bad News Florcarline Rate McGowan and Maxy Blumenthal The race was spectacular but always a case of one horse The Picket and eighteen others The Picket swept into the lead at once set a wonderful pace and won by six lengths and in the fastest Derby time on record 233 an accurate reproduc ¬ tion of his public trial at Harlem after which his winter book odds of 20 to 1 were cut to 12 to 1 In a headandhead finish Claude was second Bernays third and Sav ¬ able fourth Pink Coat winner in 1898 was a notable racer and afterwards successful as a sire In addition to the American Derby he won the St Louis Derby in which he met and defeated John E Maddens great colt Plaudit In all Pink Coat started in sixty three races and won eighteen being second in nine and third in twelve proving himself a sturdy and capable performer at all dis ¬ tances He was a son of Leonatus Alice Brand a daughter of the mighty Hindoo His sire was a winner of the Kentucky Derby and two of his own sons Pink Star Pinkolathe carried off the Kentucky Derby and Pinkola the ofthe Latonia Derby Tallyhos was one of the popular means of conveyance to the Derby in the old days and Michigan avenue was crowded with these quaint vehicles with their high stepping horses prancing along to the admiration of the thousands who thronged the sidewalks to see the Darby parade Darbyparade The American Derby was a big thing bigthing in the social and business life of Chi ¬ cago All the windows in the stores on State street were decorated with colors of owners and had pictures of the Derby con ¬ testants as well as beautiful and costly gowns for the ladies who generally made the clubhouse and lawns at Washington Park a regular fashion display on Derby day A veteran gate keeper at old Washington Park often has repeated an experience on the last Derby day in 1904 A big fat fel ¬ low weighing about 250 pounds strolled up to the gate all clad in white and with a big smile presented a jockey badge The gate keeper took brie look at the badge and then at the big mountain of a man before him and with witht witha t a twinkle in his eye said I did not know they were having an elephant race raceon on the Derby card English Lad was a 2 to 1 favorite for the 1904 running and was the hope of the West for the big race being owned by Fred Cook He could do no better than finish fourth with the eastern colt Highball the winner Woodson second and Rapid Water third It was said at the time that James OLeary the wellknown Chicago bookmaker paid out 260000 to the backers of Highball in his winter book Among the notable horses beaten in the American Derby was Mike Dalys neverto beforgotten Claude himself a winner of four Derbys namely the California St Louis Tennessee and Canadian He was often styled the poor mans friend and was the foundation of Mike Dalys fortune Claude probably travelled more than any other high class horse in turf history and won thirtytwo races eighteen of them stakes and a number of overnight handicaps He raced four years and started in 108 races and besides winning thirtytwo as men ¬ tioned above finished second in twentytwo and third in twelve earning a total 63730 Domino was the greatest of all truly trulygreat great horses which suffered defeat in the American Derby He was hopelessly last in the race won by Rey El Santa Abita in 1894 Domino was considered invincible after win ¬ ning nine straight races without a defeat as a twoyearold and earning 170890 a record which stood for thirtyeight years until Top Flight Avon seven straight and 219000 in 1931 Altogether Domino won nineteen races out of twentyfive starts being second twice third once and unplaced three times with total winnings of 193550
