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THE EfllCKY DERBY OF 1879 Falsetto Greatest Son of Enquirer Beaten by Lord Murphy Purchased by James R Keene and Sent to toEngnd Engnd Trials Amazed English EnglishTrainers Trainers and Sportsmen The Kentucky Derby of 1879 marked the only defeat of the brilliant race horse Fal ¬ setto the greatest son of Enquirer and one of the shining stars of the fashionable im ¬ ported Leamington tribe Previous to his start in the Churchill Downs classic Fal ¬ setto had won his first threeyearold race the victory being scored in the Phoenix Hotel Stakes at Lexington on the occasion of his first appearance under colors as he was not raced at all as a twoyearold twoyearoldThe The Derby of 1879 had nine starters and was run on Tuesday May 20 Lord Murphy having won early in the spring at Nash ¬ ville and raced well as a twoyearold in 1878 was the favorite selling in the auction pools for 100 to 77 for Strathmore 76 for Trinidad 43 for Falsetto 45 for Ada Glenn and 40 for the field which was composed of One Dime Gen Pike Bucktie and Wissa hicon hiconAs As in a number of these great contests Lord Murphy went to the front at once and defeating every effort to head him led all the way but barely won from Falsetto in a furious drive the latter having overcome much interference in the early part of the race Strathmore made a strong bid for the stake in the early part of the running but faltered in the home stretch and landed finally in third place The race was at one mile and a half and the time 237 it being the fastest Kentucky Derby over this route until 1886 when Ben Ali set the Derby race record at 236 Lord Murphy ran the first mile of the race in 145 the pace being well rated throughout throughoutSUMMABY SUMMABY OF RACE RACEThe The summary of the Kentucky Derby of 1879 is given in full below George W Darden Cos br c Lord Mur ¬ phy by Pat Malloy Winona by Capt CaptElgee Elgee 100 Ibs Shauer 1 1J J W Hunt Reynolds b c Falsetto by byEnquirer Enquirer Farfaletta 100 Ibs Murphy 2 George Cadawalladers b c Strathmore by Waverley Brenna 100 Ibs High tower 3 3D D Swigerts br c Trinidad by Australian Bonnet 100 Ibs Allen 4 4George George W Bowens ch c One Dime by Wanderer Scythian 100 Ibs Jones 51 A Bufords b c Gen Pike by Longfellow Nannie McNairy 100 Ibs Stoval 6 6H H W Fanis ch c Bucktie by Buckden Tick 100 Ibs Edwards 7 7H H P McGraths br f Wissahicon by byLeamington Leamington Sarong Hawkins 8 8G G D Wilsons ch f Ada Glenn by Glenelg Catina 97 Ibs Brown 9 9Time Time 237 237The The winner was trained by George H Rice Shauer who rode him was a jockey of German decent and a noted rider of those days Lord Murphy came out in the fall at the Downs and won the St Leger two miles in 334 and was then sold to the late James R Keene for 10000 He was sent to Balti ¬ more by Mr Keene to run in the Dixie Stakes but ws defeated by Monitor in that event Mr Keene sent him to England to race as a fouryearold but he did nothing of note abroad and his fame as a racer really rests on his winning of tho Derby and St Leger at Churchill Downs DownsDEFEATS DEFEATS SPENDTHRIFT SPENDTHRIFTAfter After his defeat in the Derby Falsetto won the Clark Stakes and then was taken to Saratoga where in both the Travers and Kenner Stakes he defeated the mighty Spendthrift Tie was then purchased by the late Pierre Lorillard for 18000 and was sent to England where he never raced for he broke down in his preparation as a four yearold It is believed that his trials in England amazed the trriners of that coun ¬ try and to this day it is a question if a better Americanbred horse ever cantered over Newmarket Heath HeathBeing Being returned to this country he first did stud duty at Rancocas Stud in New Jer ¬ sey where he sired the great Dew Drop when he was six years old and Rupert when he was a fiveyearold At the breaking up of the Rancocas Stud he was purchased by A J Alexander of Woodburn Farm in Ken ¬ tucky and at that place got many famous horses including the Derby winners Chant and His Eminence and such other cracks as Patron Bright Phoebus Gascon Ken ¬ wood Ferrier and Fordham When Mr Alexander died and the Woodburn Stud was dispersed Falsetto was purchased by George J Long and at Bashford Manor Stud he still further increased his fame as a sire He got The Picket winner of the American Derby and Brooklyn Handicap when he was twentythree years old and Sir Huon win ¬ ner of the Kentucky and Latonia Derby races when he was twentysix years old oldBRILLIANT BRILLIANT SIRE SIREStrathmore Strathmore which ran third to Lord Mur ¬ phy and Falsetto in the Derby of 3879 proved a brilliant sire getting the American Derby winner Strathmeath which won 114 958 on the turf and such other good racers as Damien Monrovia Captive Strathreel and Strathflower StrathflowerOf Of the other beaten horses of the Derby that year One Dime Gen Pike Ada Glenn and Bucktie became the most distinguished all proving later that they possessed the racing qualities which made them worthy of being Derby starters startersThere There were fortysix nominations for the Kentucky Derby of 1879 and the race was worth 3550 net to the winner Lord Mur ¬ phy was bred in Tennessee and sold as a yearling for 400 The meeting at Churchill Downs that spring ran for seven racing days daysTime Time and circumstances have surely dealt generously with the track over which Lord Murphy and Falsetto fought out their great Derby race in 1879 In all the ups and downs of the turf since Churchill Downs opened in 1875 the big Derby race has been run each year since without interruption
