EPSOM’S RACE DAYS
1900-1939
Diamond Jubilee to Blue Peter
In 1900, the two-day Spring Meeting featured the Great Metropolitan on Tuesday and the City and Suburban on Wednesday.
Both winners – King’s Messenger and The Grafter – were ridden by Mornington Cannon. Morny, as he was known, was Champion Jockey six times and the previous year won the Triple Crown on Flying Fox.
The Summer Meeting opened on Tuesday, 29th May, with Tod Sloan on Jubert (3y-7st-3lb), winning the Craven Stakes by eight lengths and Bob Sievier’s Toddington by Melton, taking the Woodcote Stakes.
On Wednesday, the Derby was won by the Prince of Wales’s 6-4 favourite, Diamond Jubilee, ridden by Herbert Jones, pictured.
Diamond Jubilee by St Simon ex Perdita, later became the ninth winner of the Triple Crown.
Thursday had a strong card, including The Royal Stakes (1,000 sov added), The Great Surrey Foal Stakes, The Epsom Cup over the Derby Course and the 10-furlong Durdans Plate – the latter two winners ridden by the tiny American, Johnny “Knickerbocker” Reiff.
The Oaks on Friday, was won by the Duke of Portland’s La Roche (also by St Simon), ridden by Morny Cannon, while Tod Sloan won both the Walton Plate with Planudes and the Acorn Stakes on Princess Melton.
Epsom in 1913 – the year of the infamous Suffragette Derby – continued with two meetings – the Spring in April and the Summer in June.
The Spring Meeting opened on Tuesday, 22nd April, with the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, the Great Metropolitan and the Great Surrey Handicap. The latter, over five-furlongs, was won by Jack Barnato Joel’s Golden Sun from his brother, Solly Joel’s Poor Boy.
Both men were brought up in the East End of London and made their fortunes from the Kimberly diamond mines in South Africa.
On Wednesday, Drinmore won the City and Suburban, by a short head from Limon, with Lorenzo third. The following race, the Hyde Park Plate, was won by Charles Bower Ismay’s Elgon, Bower Ismay would be better known at the Summer Meeting as the owner of Craganour, the disqualified winner of the Derby.
On Tuesday, 3rd June, Epsom’s Summer Meeting got off to a surprise start, when Solly Joel’s, St Gall (10-1), beat his brother Jim’s, Sunspot (8-13F), by a short-head in the Craven Stakes. Danny Maher, however, quickly put the crowd in a better mood when bringing home Bower Ismay’s Elgon (11-4F), in the Wallington Plate. The Woodcote Stakes then provided a treat for racegoers when Steve Donoghue rode The Tetrarch – “The Spotted Wonder” – pictured below – to a three-length victory.
Although Wednesday’s Derby has been enshrined in history, it is worth noting that the first two races were from the five-furlong start opposite, not giving Emily Wilding Davison any idea of the speed of the horses approaching from an out of sight position near Tattenham Corner. To add to the drama, Charles Bower Ismay’s Craganour was disqualified amid claims of prejudice and the race awarded to the 100-1 chance Aboyeur.
The next race, the valuable Stewards’ Handicap, was won by ‘Atty’ Persse’s St Meriadoc, ridden by Steve Donoghue. But even there was a dark story, when the rough riding of Huxley on Eustace Loder’s, Augur, brought down Felizardo, with fatal consequences. Truly, a black day for all concerned.
For more information on ‘The Suffragette Derby’ – see a previous posting dated February 2018
Thursday, saw Prince Kinsky’s, Mediator win the Royal Stakes, the popular Prince Palatine win the Coronation Cup and the City and Suburban winner, Drinmore, bag the Durdans Plate.
On Friday, the Oaks was won by Jim Joel’s 1,000 Guineas winner, Jest, and he rounded off the eventful meeting by winning the last race – The Effingham Plate – with the favourite, Blue Stone, ridden by Frank Wootton.
In 1914, what came to be known as “The Great War Building”, was erected to provide kitchens, dining rooms and overnight accommodation for temporary staff.
1919 – Racing returns to Epsom.
Due to The Great War, Epsom’s meetings (1915-1918), were transferred to Newmarket, returning with a two-day Spring Meeting on Tuesday 29th April, 1919.
The opening day featuring the Great Metropolitan, was won by Langdon Hills, carrying 6st 8lb (K. Robertson aboard). Wednesday cheered the punters with four winning favourites, and Steve Donoghue winning the City and Suburban on the well supported Royal Bucks.
The Summer Meeting resumed its tradition, opening on Tuesday, 3rd June, with the Woodcote Stakes. On Wednesday, “The Peace Derby”, was won by the appropriately named, Grand Parade at 33-1, the owner, Lord Glanely, adding the Coronation Cup the following day with He by Santoi. Although Friday’s Oaks was won by Lady James Douglas’s Bayuda at 100-7, nonetheless, punters went home happy, with favourites winning the other five races.
1926 maintained the traditional programme with a two-day Spring Meeting in April and a four-day Summer Meeting in June.
The Spring Meeting featured a seven-race card on both days, Tuesday, 20th April, headlining the Great Metropolitan, where Kyra (Freddie Fox up) cantered away from 14 rivals, to win by five lengths at 10-1.
In the Westminster Stakes – five furlongs for juveniles – punters survived a nervous breakdown when the impressive Newmarket winner, Nadia, backed into 4-9, violently swerved in the closing stages, causing Harry Wragg to rally her to a head victory on the line.
The next day, Steve Donoghue won the City and Suburban on the popular Warden of the Marshes with a masterly ride – bulked close home, but finding an opening, shot through to win easily.
The Summer Meeting opened on Tuesday, 1st June, with Steve Donoghue riding a treble of well-backed horses: the seven-year-old, Unexpected, in the Ashtead Seller, Birthright in the Woodcote and Rhyolite in the Epsom Handicap. On the Wednesday – Derby Day – Nadia made a reappearance, winning the Wallington Seller (£296), and then bought back for 1,400 gns !
The Derby was won by the Fred Darling trained, Coronach, who ridden by Joe Childs, led from beginning to end in driving rain, to win by five lengths.
Thursday, featured the Coronation Cup, with the previous St Leger’s first and second – Solario and Zambo – vying for favouritism, with Warden of the Marshes reunited with Steve Donoghue. Despite the anticipation Solario and Joe Childs took them apart to win by 15 lengths.
The Oaks on Friday looked a teasing problem with the first four in the One Thousand Guineas – Pillion, Trilogy, Short Story and Part Worn – renewing rivalry. Short Story was the best supported at 5-1 and with Bobby Jones aboard, won by four lengths, from Resplendent and Gay Bird.
The day after the Summer Meeting, work began in demolishing all the stands apart from the Prince’s Stand and the 1914 building. The re-building of the new stands was completed in 40 weeks in order that the Spring Meeting could start on Tuesday, 19th April, 1927. Whereupon, the largest racecourse grandstand in Europe could receive 20,000 visitors. This year, the BBC broadcast a commentary of the Derby for the first time to South Africa, Australia and China.
1939 – and the last Spring and Summer Meetings run before the start of World War II.
The Spring Meeting, extended to three days, opened on Tuesday, 18th April. Strangely, the winners of the two main races already had a wartime sound about them – Lillibullero (bottom weight, carrying 6st 12lb), was a tune later adopted by the BBC throughout the war, while the winner of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes – Infra Red (used in the process of night-vision cameras), was trained by Boyd-Rochfort and owned by Marshall Field.
On Wednesday, the City and Suburban was won in a canter by the Ossie Bell trained, Bistolfi. As Captain Ossie Bell, he trained at Lambourn between the wars, from where he sent out Felstead to win the 1928 Derby and Rockfel, the 1938 1,000 Guineas and Oaks.
Thursday featured the Blue Riband Trial Stakes (1mile 110 yds), won by Lord Rosebery’s Blue Peter, the last winner of the Trial to win the Derby.
The four-day Summer Meeting opened on Tuesday, 23rd May and kept to its traditional format. The Woodcote Stakes was won by Fred Darling’s, talented, Tant Mieux, future winner of the New Stakes at Ascot and the Gimcrack Stakes at York.
On Wednesday, Blue Peter, pictured, won the Derby by four lengths, as 7-2 favourite, with Eph Smith aboard. 
Then on the Thursday, Gordon Richards won the Coronation Cup on Scottish Union, beating Bistolfi by six lengths.
Finally, Friday’s Oaks was won by Galatea, the 10-11 favourite, ridden by Bobby Jones. Jones gave the punters a scare, when well clear and over confident, he dropped his hands too early and had to scramble home by a head from the fast finishing White Fox.
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