Get To Know: Kentucky Derby Winners 1875–1884.
The inaugural decade of what would become one of the most prestigious race for three-year-old's in the Northern Hemisphere begins with a mixed bag of ten thoroughbreds with ten different winning jockeys and ten different victorious trainers.
From long-shots to favorites alike within this decade, let’s get to know the Kentucky Derby winners from 1875 to 1884:
1875 Aristides (Leamington): First ever to win the Kentucky Derby, trainer McGrath used Aristides to set the pace, with the expectation his stablemate, Chesapeake, would stalk the field and win. Aristides instead won by a length.
“It is the gallant Aristides, heir to a mighty name, that strides with sweeping gallop toward victory…and the air trembles and vibrates again with the ringing cheers that followed.” -Louisville Courier-Journal, 1875.
Aristides would later go on to place second in the 1875 Belmont Stakes, and win the Jerome Handicap and the Withers Stakes. There is a life-sized bronze statue of him at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
1876 Vagrant (Virgil): With a total of 88 starts in a span of eight years, he placed ‘in-the-money’ for 44 of them. He retired from racing and eventually was noted to become a saddle horse for a woman in New York.
1877 Baden-Baden (Australian (GB)): Sired by the first horse to win the English Triple Crown in 1853. Prior to an injury which led to an early retirement, he did win the 1877 Travers Stakes.
1878 Day Star (Star Davis): One of only four maternal grandsons of Lexington — a foundation sire for modern lines — to have won the Kentucky Derby.
1879 Lord Murphy (Pat Malloy): First year that pari-mutuel betting was available. The first Tennessee-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby, of which there are only two others.
1880 Fonso (King Alfonso): Won the Kentucky Derby on a very dusty day that obscured the track for the others. Most notable progeny is mare, Fondling, who would go on to produce champion filly, Imp — she would go on to win 126 of her 171 starts, and become the 1899 Horse of the Year.
1881 Hindoo (Virgil): In 35 starts, was never out of the money. He would go on to produce leading sire, Hanover and the 1889 Preakness Stakes winner, Buddhist.
1882 Apollo (Ashstead): The first horse to ever win the Kentucky Derby without running as a two year old, Justify (Scat Daddy) is the only other to complete this feat in 2018. He was ‘in-the-money’ 48 of his 55 starts and would retire early at the age of 5 because of an injury.
1883 Leonatus (Longfellow): As a three year old, won ten stakes in a span of 49 days, including the Illinois Derby and Hindoo Stakes. Ate the presentation roses.
1884 Buchanan (Buckden): Known for being unruly and contemptuous, had not won any races prior to the Kentucky Derby but would end up ‘in-the-money’ 32 of his 35 starts by the time he retired.
The fastest to run it at the mile and a half distance between 1875 and 1884 was Lord Murphy in 1879 at 2:37.00, while the slowest of the ten was Leonatus in 1883 at 2:43.00.
General History Fun Facts for this Decade:
1875 Widow of Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd, is put on trial to be judged as insane which was initiated by her son, Robert Todd.
1876 First successful telephone call by Alexander Graham Bell, saying “Watson, come here, I need you.”
1877 The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began and spread nationwide, causing violent clashes in American cities.
1878 The phonograph was patented by Thomas Edison.
1879 The magazine editor, Sarah Hale, who urged Lincoln to make Thanksgiving an official holiday, died at age 90.
1880 Thomas Edison uses electric Christmas lights for the first time, in New Jersey.
1881 Outlaw Billy the Kid is shot and killed by a lawman in New Mexico.
1882 Inaugural day of Labor Day is held in New York City when 10,000 workers hold a labor march. Also, the first Christmas Tree with electric lights is created by an employee of Edison.
1883 The Brooklyn Bridge is opened, after more than a decade of construction.
1884 United States was presented a gift from France, the Statue of Liberty.
Citations:
McNamara, Robert. “Timeline from 1870 to 1880.” ThoughtCo, Apr. 24, 2021, thoughtco.com/timeline-from-1870-to-1880–1774040.
McNamara, Robert. “Timeline from 1880 to 1890.” ThoughtCo, Feb. 8, 2021, thoughtco.com/timeline-from-1880-to-1890–1774041.
Credit for information to American Classic Pedigrees.
