AUTHOR’S NOTE
249 Words
AUTHOR’S NOTEA dead heat at the Derby Stakes begins this tale of love and hate, misery and happiness.
There have actually been two dead heats at the ‘Blue Riband of the Turf’, the greatest horse race in the world.
In 1828 the Duke of Rutland’s Cadland dead heated with The Colonel owned by the Hon. Edward Petre. Under the then rules of racing this dead heat was run off later in the afternoon and Cadland won.
One of the most historic Derby’s ever run took place in 1884. At the spring meeting at Newmarket Prince Batthyany was in a high state of excitement as Galliard, a son of his much loved Galopin was expected to win the Two Thousand Guineas. However, the strain was too much for the Prince, who had a fatal heart attack as he entered the Jockey Club luncheon rooms.
His death undoubtedly altered the course of Turf history, as the classic nominations of his colt St. Simon was thereby rendered void according to the rule that then existed. St. Simon proved to be the greatest racehorse he had ever owned and certainly the greatest sire ever known to the English Turf. There is no doubt that he would have won the 1884 Derby.
In his absence the race resulted in a dead heat between Sir John Willoughby’s Harvester and Mr. John Hammond’s St, Gatien. The Stewards gave the owners the opportunity of having a run off or dividing the race and they unanimously decided to divide the prize money between them.
- Writer
