On This Day In (Racing) History

June 5
A day of Derby firsts among other things

05/06/1901
Volodyovski becomes 1st Derby winner to be bred by a woman Lady Meux.

05/06/1902
First running of Coronation Cup, formerly the Epsom Cup, renamed to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII who unlike his mother was a racing fanatic.
Osboch the winner for Lord Wolverton

05/06/1907
Orby becomes the first Irish Catholic Derby winner for Col McCabe trainer and Richard "Boss " Croker. He is the only horse to win 3 Derbys, Epsom, Irish and Baldoyle .
To my father's great surprise one night in a pub somebody else knew that fact; good job he wasn't a gambler!

05/06/1987
On passing my 4th yr exams in UCD I headed to Phoenix Park races. That wet night I witnessed Cash Asmussen ride a treble on Lake Como,Tel Echo and Eurobird.
All were given contrasting rides from the front, off the pace and well off the pace.
Unsaddling after the final he reputedly said " You can wheel Kathy Barry out now, I think I'm ready for her !"

05/06/1999
The second of my 3 day adventure saw Kieren Fallon ride his first Epsom Derby winner on Oath from Daliapour. I left Epsom in great haste to catch the Eurostar to Paris for the next Classic. Ah the joys of youth !
 
June 6 1979
Troy wins the 200th Derby, giving Willie Carson, Dick Hern, Sir Michael Sobell and Lord Arnold Weinstock all their first Derby winner.
 
Sorry to aftertime but to add to edgt's June 3rd:-

1976 June 3rd

Before racing, on the then Coronation Cup Day, Dick Hern and Lord Porchester walked into the Epsom Press Office and announced that Joe Mercer was being replaced as stable jockey at West Ilsley at the end of that season by Willie Carson. Mercer had been stable jockey there for more than 23 years, first with Jack Colling and then Hern.
Within 3 weeks Mercer was announced as stable jockey in 1977 for Henry Cecil (replacing the attached jockey Alan Bond) who was to replace his retiring father-in-law Noel Murless at Warren Place.
There was a fair amount of flak on the racecourse and in the press concerning this sacking to say the least.
In 1979 Mercer became Flat Jockey Champion for the only time (with a near 27% strike rate that season). He was the oldest first time winner of the title.

(edgt:- as regards Orby, I take it that it was the owner who was Catholic, and not the horse?).
 
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No no, it was the horse as well. :)


The story goes that there was a parade through the city centre when Orby was taken back to Dublin, and an old woman in the crowd grabbed Boss Croker by the arm and said "Thank God, sir, I have lived to see the day when a Catholic horse has won the Derby".
 
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Grey said:
No no, it was the horse as well. :)


The story goes that there was a parade through the city centre when Orby was taken back to Dublin, and an old woman in the crowd grabbed Boss Croker by the arm and said "Thank God, sir, I have lived to see the day when a Catholic horse has won the Derby".
Click to expand...

:lol:
 
June 5

On this day in 1990 Quest For Fame gave Roger Charlton victory in the Derby with his first runner in the premier Classic at Epsom

At an evening meeting at Ripon in 1974, future Champion Hurdle winner Night Nurse won a 9 furlong maiden.
 
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June 6
06/06/1894 Ladas wins Derby at 2/9

06/06/1923 papyrus becomes jockey Steve Donoghue's 3rd successive Derby winner

06/06/1934 Windsor Lad wins Derby for Maharajak of Rajpipla, Charlie Smirke and Marcus Marsh. I read Marsh's autobiography when I was 11 yrs old: a fascinating read.If anyone has it PM me please!

06/06/1953 Pinza wins for Sir Gordon Richards. Bred by Fred Darling ( same one as the trainer I believe who trained 7 winners)

06/06/1962 A pile up on Tattenham Hill that brought down 7 including Fav Hethersett saw Larkspur win Derby for Neville Selwood, M V O Brien and Raymond Guest.

05/06/1999
The last day of my adventure saw Montjeu destroy his field at Chantilly both in appearance and in the race itself. Chantilly in those days was akin to a Point to Point meeting with no barriers between the great, the good and the rest of us ! Had the pleasure of congratulating Cash who spoke about the nice horse he was and the hopes they had for him ! Quel bullsh****r!"
Happy days indeed
 
Racing with the Gods by Marcus Marsh is available from Amazon at around £20 !! I see a copy on ebay for just under a tenner. I read it about 40 years ago and enjoyed it, even then it evoked a bygone age, I am sure it would be a fascinating read all these years on.
 
June 7

07/06/1947
Pearl Diver wins Epsom Derby run on a Saturday at 40/1

07/06/1957
Carozza becomes The Queen's first Classic winner when defeating Silken Glider in the Oaks.

07/06/1986
At Phoenix Park races D K Weld and M J Kinane win the first 5 races. They are beaten a half length in the final race by a John Oxx trained Moyglare Stud owned horse.
DKW trained all Moyglare horses soon after. I wonder is there a link....

07/06/1989
Nashwan wins Derby from Terimon, the longest priced placed horse in Epsom.
Brian Proctor rode work on Lady Beaverbrook's horse proir to Epsom and told them he would not be far away ! A Buttevant man who had the inside track backed him.

07/06/1990
Quest For Fame completes Epsom/French Derby double for 1st season trainer Roger Charlton who sent out Sanglamore to win the latter race 3 days earlier.

07/06/1992
Polytain graduates from Claimer to Prix du Jockey Club winner, ridden by Frankie Dettori

07/06/1997
Five weeks after my father's death I go to Epsom to see "the next Shergar " win the Derby.A 2000 Gns winner by Saddlers Wells, Entrepreneur seemed to have it all; only he did not ! Only one Bookmaker laid him at odds against on The Hill , and he left before the race was over ! Benny The Dip pips Silver Patriarch in the end; I would have loved to have seen the grey horse win for P Eddery.
 
Sorry to be pedantic but Quest for Fame can't have won on 2 different days (DG and edgt). If you are right on the date for Nashwan edgt then I reckon Quest for Fame must have won on the 6th, which means on average the two of you are right.
I think the 6th is the right date for Quest for Fame.
 
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June 8

On this day in 1985, Oh So Sharp completed the middle leg of a famous treble in the Gold Seal Oaks at Epsom.

8th June 1989 eleven year-old sprinter Rapid Lad won at Beverley for the 11th time.
 
June 9
09/06/1962
Creggmore Boy at 22 the oldest recorded runner in a race, a Chase at Cartmel. He finished 4th. 3 ran !

09/06/1973
Secretariat beats the clock in Belmont Stks to complete Triple Crown. Great article in Racing Post today.

09/06/1990
Go And Go wins Belmont Stks for D K Weld and M J Kinane. A Galway 2yo maiden winner by 6 lengths he was tough as nails.

09/06/1995
Moonshell wins Oaks for Godolphin and S Bin Suroor who made a wonderful acceptance speech at Trophy presentation " Thank you Vodafone ". The first weekend Derby festival with the new sponsors I was lucky to be there.

09/06/2000
Love Divine wins Oaks for Lordship Stud/ H R A Cecil/ T R Quinn
 
June 9

On this day in 1973 Mysterious was a convincing winner of the Oaks for Noel Murless and Geoff Lewis.
 
June 10

This day in 1995 saw Lammtarra take top honours in the Vodafone Derby as the Epsom Classic was run for the first time on a Saturday.
 
June 10
06/06/1989
Aliysa wins Epsom Oaks for Aga Khan only to be disqualified 528 days later for having a prohibited drug in her system. Aga subsequently removed all horses in training from UK.
Snow Bride, the runner up declared the winner.
She was dam of Lammtarra, who was and is the nearest we have to an Epsom Derby sired by an Epsom Derby out of an Epsom Oaks winner, my late father's idea of the perfect racehorse. Luckily I was there to witness his win and report home to the boss!

10/06/1995
Sunshack wins Coronation Cup for K Abdullah, A Fabre and P Eddery on a year Pat had no Derby ride. On Lammtarra's win Saeed Bin Suroor repeated his victory speech of the previous day so good was it

10/06/2000
Sinndar wins Epsom Derby from Sakhee and Beat Hollow, one of the better Derbys seen for a while.
 
Why was Sinndar's Derby run so late? The 'old' date was the first Wednesday in June. This year (2013) it was the first Saturday in June and personally I thought it compressed the calendar too much in May. But it seems in 2000 and 1995 it was run on the first Saturday after the first Wednesday in June (by the way Pinza's Derby was run on a Saturday (Coronation that week), as were the '47-'50 Derbys (no idea)). So why have they changed?
 
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June 11

On this day in 1983, Autumn Sunset, ridden by Ernie Johnson and trained by Sir Michael Stoute, won the William Hill Trophy at York.
 
June 11

11/06/1977
Seattle Slew wins Belmont Stks to complete Triple Crown. Won 22 of 25 starts . What a horse !

11/06/1989

Willie Shoemaker wins a race at Cheltenham, but lost out 2-1 ina series of Charity match races with Peter Scudamore. Pity there was no Festival Bumper back then!
Anyone there that day ? If so please file a report.

Good question Eleanora; I have no idea of the answer!
 
Eleanora Duse said:
Why was Sinndar's Derby run so late? The 'old' date was the first Wednesday in June. This year (2013) it was the first Saturday in June and personally I thought it compressed the calendar too much in May. But it seems in 2000 and 1995 it was run on the first Saturday after the first Wednesday in June (by the way Pinza's Derby was run on a Saturday (Coronation that week), as were the '47-'50 Derbys (no idea)). So why have they changed?
Click to expand...

May be something to do with Easter, Easter Sunday in 2000 was not until April 23rd. I know "in the old days" Derby Day was influenced by the Easter date.
 
When they switched the Derby from Wednesday to Saturday they made it the first Saturday after the first Wednesday in June. A few years back they changed it to simply the first Saturday in June. Obviously some years those dates are the same.

As 1st June was a Thursday in 2000, the Derby ended up on the latest day it possibly could (10th).

Edit: Telegraph story on it
 
June 12

This day in 1992 Lester Piggott took third place on Futurballa in the Criterium di Roma but was banned five days for careless riding.

1982 trainer Barry Hills sent out his 800th winner when Reves Celeste ridden by Robert Street won at Bath.
 
June 12

12/06/1884
St Simon wins Ascot Gold Cup as a 3yo by 20 lengths.
He becomes Champion Sire 9 times. his skeleton is in Natural History Museum.

12/06/1940
Pont L'Eveque wins Derby, due to be run at Newbury but run at Newmarket instead.
 
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