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THE PICKETS UNIQUE RECORD 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 Daingepfield, 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, including Claude, winner of the California, Tennessee, Canadian and St. Louis Derbys; Judge Himes, winner of the Kentucky Derby; Savable, winner of the rich Futurity and other stakes; Bernays, Au Revoir, Sinner Simon, Linquist, Bonnie Burr, High Chancellor, Gold Bell, Monsieur, Gilfain, Bad News, Flocarline, Rate, McGowan and Maxey 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, 2:33, an accurate reproduction of his public trial at Harlem, after which his winter book odds of 20 to 1 were cut to 12 to 1. In a head-and-head finish, Claude was second, Bernays third and Savable fourth.
