Louisville, Ky., May 2, 1903. Weather fine, track fast. 1-1/4 miles, time
2:09. Value to winner $4,850, second $700, third $300. Nominations not
given.
Judge Himes, 117, H. Booker 1 by 3/4-ls
Early, 117, Winkfield 2 by 4-ls
Bourbon, 110, Crowhurst 3 by 6-ls
Bad News, Woodlake, Treacy also ran. Betting 5 to 3 on Early, 4 Bourbon
and Woodlake coupled, 12 Himes. Poor start. Won driving, place easily.
Himes ran an excellent race.
Judge Himes, ch c by Esher--Lullaby. Owned by C. R. Ellison, trained by J.
P. Mayberry.
Within the shadow of the wire, Judge Himes snatched from Early the
twenty-ninth Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs to-day. It may have been
the over confidence of Winkfield that lost to the favorite the blue ribbon
event of the Blue Grass State. Bourbon, six lengths off, was third, while
Bad News, Woodlake and Treacy finished in the order named. It was a Derby
run and won not by the touted, odds-on favorite, but by the much despised
outsider, but be it said to the credit of colt and jockey, he was well
piloted and when Judge Himes passed under the wire winner of the classic
event, it was to the plaudits of all Kentucky. The victory was a surprise
even to Mr. Ellison who had not thought his colt good enough to win.
A Kentucky Derby always marks an epoch in Kentucky history; time and
incidents are reckoned from one Derby to the next, and the event of to-day
was characteristic, for there was the same surging, jostling, mass of
humanity, crowding stands and paddock and overflowing to the field.
Eighteen thousand people were in attendance.
It was an exciting finish. Early, with a length and a half to the good,
was ridden down the stretch as though the race had already been won, when
within the last sixteenth H. Booker brought up Judge Himes and in a
merciless finish Early who had lost his stride by the overconfident
Winkfield, was beaten three-quarters of a length by the practically
neglected colt. The day was perfect. From the South drifted an
invigorating breeze, bearing the fragrance of sprouting foliage on the
nearby hills, of which the green slopes of Sugar Loaf and Iroquois
afforded a delightful rest to the eyes bewildered by a maze of gorgeous
costumes and myriads of beautiful faces, banked tier upon tier in the
grand stand and club house terrace and representing the fairest of
Kentucky's womanhood.
The track was fast. The six colts were not kept long at the post, and
after some ten minutes consumed in getting them in line, the flag went
down and the Derby was on. When Starter Holtman gave the word the colts
were almost at the fretful line and the jockeys found Woodlake of the
McDowell entry hugging the inside rail with the others well bunched and
Judge Himes a half length away. They raced in this position past the
stand, Bad News being third, Early fourth and Bourbon fifth, while Treacy
brought up the rear. When they made the lower turn it was evident that
Helgesen on Woodlake wanted to make a runaway race of it, for he had
increased his lead to two lengths. Bad News had moved up to second
position with Judge Himes a neck away, while Early still maintained his
position of fourth, Bourbon being fifth and Treacy a half dozen lengths in
the ruck and out of the race.
When the colts had been straightened out on the back stretch the canary
jacket of Jockey Winkfield emerged from the rear and with an unusual burst
of speed.
"Early wins!" was the exultant cry of the vast majority of the crowd as
the son of Troubadour with even, steady stride, moved to the front. When
the three-quarters was reached he was in easy command with nearly a length
to the good and this lead he increased as they rounded the last turn for
the final struggle. Meanwhile Judge Himes and Bad News had been having an
almost neck and neck race of it for third place, with their noses at the
flank of Woodlake, which had continued to show the way down the
backstretch, until he had surrendered to Early's burst of speed. As the
colts made the swing for the turn into the stretch, Booker saw an opening
and when they had straightened out he had Judge Himes next the rail. There
was but one horse between him and victory. Maintaining a comfortable
position, some two lengths behind the favorite it was not until he had
passed the eighth pole that he called on him for speed. In the interim
Winkfield sat quietly on Early, contemplating the victory so near at hand,
and not until Judge Himes thundered down upon him was he apparently
conscious of the colt's approach. Winkfield half turned, then quickly
resorted to the whip and spur. But it was too late, Judge Himes passing
under the wire winner of the event, with the question of supremacy still a
mooted one. The fractional time for the race was :25-1/2, :51, 1:16-1/2,
1:42, 2:09.