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■P m Ireflections By Nelson Dunstan English National Holiday at Epsom Downs Triple Crown Race at Newmarket Since 39 Happy Knight Looms as Solid Favorite Three Triple Crown Winners Came to U. S. A. NEW YORK, N. Y., June 4. Tomorrow England will have what is probably her first national holiday, as the Epsom Derby, most famous of all British races, will be run at Epsom Downs for the first time since 1939. During the first World War the Derby was staged at Newmarket and called the New Derby Stakes. In 1940, when the second World War was in progress, it again was transferred to Newmarket and renewed there until 1945. Now it goes back home again, and there will be a throng at Tattenham Corner, but even a greater throng on that quarter of a mile stretch which is called "The Hill," the happy hunting ground of the colorful bookies, and the haunt of the majority to whom the race itself is a secondary matter. Very few people actually see any part of the race itself; in fact, there is no one vantage point where anyone can see the race from start to finish. Some 500,000 will be on hand and, as usual, the traffic will be guided by planes overhead advising Scotland Yard where the traffic is jammed and how to remedy the situation. It is not only Englands greatest horse race, but one of the most unique staged anywhere in the world. We had our "Triple Crown" winner In Assault, and it may be that England has her Triple Crown winner this year in Happy Knight. The English do not rush their three-year-olds as we do. The Kentucky Derby was run on May 4, the Preakness on May 11 and the Belmont Stakes on June 1. In England the Two Thousand Guineas, which is the first of the three events comprising the Triple Crown, was run on May 1. Tomorrow the Epsom Derby will be run, and on September 11, the St. Leger Stakes, third and last leg of the English Triple Crown, will be run over its home course, at Doncaster. England did not discontinue her racing during the war years. Such a thing would have been unthinkable in the land where the horse is truly king. They were tearing at the leash early this year, and a huge throng was on hand when the Craven Stakes was run at Newmarket on March 11. This event was won by Gulf Stream, a Hyperion colt from the stable of Lord Derby. Then they ran the Column Produce Stakes at Newmarket, and the Aga Khans Khaled, another colt by Hyperion, gave such a convincing exhibition that he was promptly made a favorite over Gulf Stream for the running of the Two Thousand Guineas, which, as stated above, is the first leg of Englands famous Triple Crown. The Craven Stakes and the Column Produce Stakes are somewhat similar to our own Wood Memorial, Blue Grass Stakes, Derby Trial and other events which are actually preps for the Kentucky Derby. The winner of these preps are not necessarily winners of the Triple Crown events, and this proved to be the case in the Two Thousand Guineas, which was run at Newmarket on May 1. In this race each of the starters carried 126 pounds, and when the race was over Sir William Cookes Happy Knight was winner over the three Hyperion colts — respectively, Khaled, Radio Therapy and Gulf Stream. One of the strangest things in Derby history happened before the running of this race. Sir William Cooke had written The Jockey Club that he wanted to scratch the horse in both the Guineas and the Derby. However, he forgot to sign the letter, and, as The Jockey Club would not recognize It without his signature, his horse was a starter and easy winner of the Guineas — so easy, that he is a favorite for tomorrows running of the Epsom Derby. If Happy Knight wins the Derby tomorrow he will be a solid favorite to become the fifteenth winner of Englands coveted Triple Crown. Standing 16 hands 3 inches, he is one of the strongest horses in England today, and it is the opinion of turf followers that the up-and-down Epsom course will be made to order for him. He is by Colombo out of Happy Morn, by dOrsay by Son-in-Law, and in England he is looked upon as a horse bred in the purple. Colombo, a son of the Derby winner Manna, has bred good winners, including the One Thousand Guineas winner Dancing Time. It has often been said that Colombos colts are better sprinters than stayers, but even this has not altered Happy Knights favoritism for tomorrows Derby. Tommy Weston, who rode Happy Knight in the Two Thousand Guineas, is the former jockey for Lord Derby and is considered one of the best riders on the British turf at the present time. Khaled probably will be second choice with the Epsom throng, and there is hardly a doubt that Gulf Stream, from the stable of Lord Derby, will have his share of followers at post time. Of the fourteen Triple Crown winners in England, three were brought to this country, namely: Ormonde, 1886; Rock Sand, 1903, and Bahram, 1935. Rock Sand was a success in this country. When mated with Merry Token, the produce was Mahubah, who won immortal fame as the dam of Man o War. Rock Sands outstanding son was Tracery, who was sold to South American breeding interests and later was sire of Pantheon, who in turn was sire of that crack Australian horse Peter Pan. Besides the three who won the Triple Crown, many Epsom Derby winners have been brought to this country — in recent years Blenheim n. and Mahmoud. In fact, the very first horse to win the Epsom Derby, Diomed, was brought to this country, after being pronounced a stud failure in England. He begot a long list of winners in England and then came to Virginia late in his life, in the spring of 1798. In the eight seasons he stood at stua in Virginia he made such an impression that it was said he had done more to improve the breed of horses than all the other stallions previously imported into this country. Not all of the Epsom Derby winners brought to these shores made good at stud, but some of them have been little short of brilliant, this including Blenheim II. and Mahmoud.
