His Eminence, a beautiful bay colt by Falsetto-Patroness by Pat Malloy,
foaled in the Blue Grass and trained at Churchill Downs, won the
twenty-seventh renewal of the Kentucky. Sannazarro, the brown son of imp.
Pirate of Penzance--Roseola by Duke of Montrose, was second, while
Driscoll, Woodford Clay's bay colt by Dixon--Merry Maiden by Virgil was
third. The time was 2:07-3/4. Alard Scheck, the odds-on favorite, the
property of John W. Schoor, of Memphis and the pride of all Tennessee,
finished absolutely last, five lengths behind Amur. It was a truly run
race and His Eminence outclassed his field.
Twenty thousand people saw the Derby run. The grand stand was a monster
hillside of beautiful costumes and shining faces.
They were at the post only a short time--four minutes. There was a little
jockeying for positions, one false break; they were called back and lined
up again. Then there was a flash of yellow and red, a long hoarse roar
from the thousands packed in the stand and here they come, five good colts
closely bunched, with the black nose of Alard Scheck showing slightly in
front.
Before the colts had gone fifty yards Winkfield had moved his charge up to
first position and as they passed the stand His Eminence was half a length
in front of Scheck, while Driscoll had also moved up and was only a neck
behind, with a length between him and Amur, Sannazarro bringing up the
rear. They ran the first eighth in :13, and passed the quarter in :25-1/2.
His Eminence was beautifully rated by Jockey Winkfield, the colored boy.
He carried his field to the three-eighths in :38 and passed to the half
in :51, consistent pace in a mile and one-quarter race. His Eminence, in
fact was never headed after he passed the stand and was never in trouble.
He made his own pace and Winkfield shook him up above the eighth pole and
he responded gamely and came on, dashing a couple of lengths ahead without
effort. At the half, he was a length to the good, at the five-eighths he
was a length and one-half to the good, at the three-quarter pole he was
three lengths in front of the bunch. This is where Winkfield shook him up,
for O'Connor on Sannazarro; Boland on Driscoll and Dupee on Amur, were
whipping and digging the rowels into the satiny sides of their mounts.
And Alard Scheck, the favorite? J. Woods, the crack Schorr jockey, had him
under restraint, believing the colt would be able to win easily when he
got good and ready. He was under a steady pull for the first
three-quarters, and when Woods called on him he did the worse thing a
horse can do next to quitting--he sulked. When Woods attempted to lay him
down he positively refused to go ahead and finished five lengths behind
Amur, the next to the last horse.
His Eminence continued to increase his lead, and as they round into the
stretch the colored boy looked over his shoulder and saw the others
hopelessly beaten. He kept His Eminence under restraint all the way
through the stretch and won easily by two lengths in 2:07-3/4. O'Connor
gave a fine exhibition of riding on Sannazarro and while the Hayes colt
was not quite up to such a race as the Derby was, he got all out of him
that was in him and finished second ahead of Driscoll, as easily as His
Eminence finished ahead of him.
The fractional time of the race was :13, :25-1/2, :38, :51, 1:04,
1:16-3/4, 1:29, 1:43, 1:55-1/2, 2:07-3/4.