KENTUCKY DERBY 



37 



W. P. Hunt's .br c Keokuk, by Long Taw, dam Etta Powell ; 

 110 lbs., Fishburne 



Time— 2 :37 J A. 



Betting— Joe Cotton $500, Biersan and Favor $215, Ten Booker 

 $75, Irish Pat $40, Play fair and Thistle $35 each, Lord Coleridge 

 $25, field $30. 



TWELFTH DERBY 1886 



While the weather was cloudy and hot and looked threaten- 

 ing, the rain held off during the day. The track while not so 

 fast as we have seen it was in capital condition, safe and good. 

 The attendance was very large, fully ten thousand people were 

 on the grounds. The populace availed themselves of free en- 

 trance to the inner field, which had a large number of people, 

 on foot and in all kinds of vehicles. The inside or training track 

 was lined with people from the timing stand to near the three- 

 quarter pole. The Grand Stand and betting ring was crowded to 

 overflowing, and the ladies were out in large numbers. For the 

 twelfth Derby, ten started, Ben Ali was the favorite, Free Knight 

 second choice and Blue Wing third. Ben Ali won it is true, but 

 we doubt whether he was up to concert pilch, but we confess Blue 

 Wing is a much better colt that we gave him credit of being, and 

 think he ought to have won the race. He ran wide on the turn ; 

 his jockey let him swerve just at the critical point of the race, 

 and was only beaten three parts of a length. Free Knight ran a 

 good race — indeed it is the best field we have seen since Aristide's 

 year. There is hardly a starter in the race but what will pay his 

 way and be a useful horse. This is the third time the race has 

 been won by a son of Virgil — Vagrant, Hindoo and Ben Ali — 

 and Vera Cruz would have won save an accident at the start. 



