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"Mrto DeVby Victory IfaiivAftoheyl 81 Years1 Tradition] ► 5 And World Prestige Downs Classic Far Outranks * Great Foreign Fixtures in Interest, Color and Value 3 By CHARLES HATTON Z CHURCHILL DOWNS, LouisvUle, Ky., n May 6. — A victory in the Kentucky Derby «. has — like a success in its English protoype — a significance far beyond its immediate 3 monetary value. It is nonetheless inter-u. esting that the upcoming renewal will be 3 the richest added-money event in the Z. world. Churchill Downs has increased the 3 purse from 00,000 added in 1954 to 25,- 000 added, with a guarantee of 00i000 to * the winner. There is also a ,000 gold - cup which is one of the most coveted J trophies in racing. . No other of the turf worlds great 3 classics — the Epsom Derby, the Prix de lArc de Triomphe.the Melbourne Cup, nor the King George VI. and Queen Elizabeth Stakes — has an added prize comparable to that of the race here on Churchill Downs. Not long ago, a prominent eastern turf entrepreneur asked us to estimate the cost of establishing a feature such as the Kentucky Derby. It takes 81 years and literally millions of dollars. Of course, the Derby did not always have added values ranging into six figures. Far from it. But to duplicate its prestige, its appeal to the public and its traditions would be nearly impossible. Race Reflects Spirit of Times The race grew out of modest origins, and in tracing its monetary importance one sees reflected all the economic crises, wars, national catastrophies and times of plenty since its inception. When the first Derby was decided on May 17, 1875, it was a test of a mHe and a half for a prize of ,000 added. Matching the purse was a ,000 punch bowl of massive size, wrought of 300 ounces of sterling silver. The following year, Col. M. Lewis Clark and his associates, evidently encouraged by response to the first running, increased the purse to ,500 added. It is conceivable the club might have further enhanced its monetary appeal within the next several years, but instead it effected expansive improvements in the track property in 1883, when it was called "the best equipped course in the country." By 1888 it was considered feasible to add ,500 to the race, and MacBeth n. was the winner. Five years later in 1892, it was increased to ,000 added, Lookout winning the lions share, a net purse of ,840. The Derby was gaining favor in the midlands, and there were 60 nominations *that year. But in 1894 it was necessary to reduce the value to ,500 added. These were troubled times. Unemployment was wire-spread and Coxeys Army converged on Washington seeking relief. ,000 Purse in 1896 In the year 1896, the Derby had a purse of ,000, with a winners share of ,850, which was carried off by that splendid racehorse and influential sire, Ben Brush. The second to finish received 00, the third 00. The value of the race remained fixed until 1913, 11 years after the late Col. Matt Winn assumed the management of the course. He made it ,000 added that season, when Donerail won ,475 at the dismissive odds of 1.45 to . The next spring, in 1914, Winn began to build the Derby as the unique sporting event we know today. He doubled the added value, making it 0,000, and the successful Old Rosebud received a net purse of ,125. By this time the stake was beginning to attract national attention, and an occasional candidate was shipped from the east to participate. Winns genius as a promoter was at work, and in 1917 he boosted the purse to 5,000 added. In 1919 he made it 0,000, the following year 0,000 and the next year C21 it became 0,000 added. These were bold moves characteristic of Winn, and the horsemen and the track crowds responded. Churchill Downs was being remodeled to receive the trainloads of Derby-visitors coming from the east and Chicago. * Derby Day attendances jumped to more than 60,000. And in 1924 a ,000 gold cup was added to the spoils. The Derby encountered another setback however, in the depression year of 1934, when 4,700,000 families were on relief about the country. And reluctantly the purse for the race that season was reduced to 0,000 added. "The following year it was increased 0,000 to 0,000, and in 1937 it was restored to its 0,000 endowment. Not content to stop there, Winn in 1940 made the Kentucky Derby 5,000 added, six years later increasing it to 00,000 added. Before his passing, he announced that it would never have less than 00,000 vested in it by the association. Now Bill Coram, who wears his mantle so comfortably, is continuing Winns progressive policies, and has made the Downs roaring mile and a quarter the richest race anywhere from the point of view of added monies. There now are several derbys on the calendar worth 00,000 plus, but appropriately the Kentucky Derby again is setting the pace with a value of 25,000 and eligibility fees. We say appropriately for, despite its rather pallid beginning, it* has for years held and now maintains pride of place among the 3-year-old classics in this hemisphere.
