In Hanover's Time 413 



General Sheridan was the presiding steward and 

 General Robinson and Major J. F. Clark of Lex- 

 ington assisted him. 



That afternoon saw the first running of the 

 American Derby, now one of the national events 

 of the American turf, run at the true Derby dis- 

 tance of a mile and a half. Ed Corrigan's splen- 

 did filly Modesty, a daughter of War Dance, 

 won this first running of the event. Since her 

 day the American Derby has been captured 

 by some distinguished horses and two or three 

 bad ones. Within late years it has become 

 essentially the meeting-place for the best of the 

 three-year-olds of both the East and the West, 

 and it is the only race now run in the United 

 States which presents the old-time feature of 

 being a sectional contest. The Southerners, the 

 Californians, and the Easterners annually face 

 each other there in this battle for three-year-olds, 

 with their weights up, over a mile and a half of 

 running ; and this American Derby of ours annu- 

 ally presents to us one of the grandest outdoor 

 sights to be seen in America. It is the fashion- 

 able event of all the Middle West. The Wash- 

 ington Park Jockey Club has done more for this 

 race-horse of ours than all other Western organi- 



