Down Memory Lane (Part 4). The Dual Classic Winner That Never Was. When daylight dawned on June 4th, 1913, few could have envisaged the horror, tragedy, and controversy which were to follow on the downs of Surrey’s Epsom Racecourse. Yet, as tragedies go, 1913 was an “in-between year.” The previous year’s disaster of White Star Line’s Titanic was still fresh in the memory and would remain indelibly printed on the minds of generations to come. Far worse, the following year would herald the outbreak of the First World War – and arguably the most wanton and wasteful loss of life in the history of our planet. For most of the current ‘older generation,’ the Epsom Derby of 1913 evokes memories of Suffragette, Emily Davison, who threw herself in front of King George V’s horse, Anmer, thereby becoming a martyr to her campaign for ‘ the vote for women.’ However, from horse racing’s perspective, the events surrounding the Derby itself on that fateful June afternoon have been largely overshadowed by Davison’s demise. They tell a story steeped in controversy, hatred, revenge, and injustice; and years later, the tragedy would rise from the ashes and claim further victims for its own. The story begins not on June 4th but a month earlier on Newmarket’s expansive heath........ The bay Desmond colt, Craiganour, had won both the previous year’s Gimcrack and Middle Park Stakes. Ironically, he was owned by Bower Ismay, son of the founder of White Star Line and many people felt that the judge’s verdict in the 2000 Guineas was influenced by hatred for the then infamous shipping company. To most observers, Craiganour won that 2000 Guineas by a length from Louvois, despite the two horses racing wide apart. To Craiganour’s connections’ horror, he was initially placed third and then promoted to second- an action which did nothing to appease them. They were determined to have their revenge. Having subsequently defeated Louvois prior to Epsom, Craiganour went to post on that fateful 4th June as a warm 6/4 favourite. No-one could have dreamed- nor made up- the drama which was to follow..... One of the runners was outsider, Aboyeur, priced at 100/1 and owned by Percy Cunliffe, a member of The Druid’s Lodge Confederacy- the most famous gambling syndicate in Racing history. The horse himself had the reputation for being a ‘savage,’ based on his attempts to try and bite horses and humans alike. Nonetheless, Cunliffe had £250.00 each way on his horse at 100/1(about £14,000 EW at today’s valuation)- yet still a small bet by his normal , extravagant standards. During the race itself, the King’s horse, Anmer, collided with French fancy, Nimbus- whose namesake would win the race thirty six years later in likewise controversial circumstances. This incident dropped Anmer back to third last prior to the terrible ‘Emily Davison incident.’ Aboyeur, meanwhile, was making the running and then lunged at Craganour as the latter challenged him- carrying him across the course as he attempted to bite him. As another horse, Shogun, challenged up the ‘vacant rail position,’ Aboyeur lunged back to his left, knocking Shogun out of the race. As they entered the last furlong, Aboyeur hung into Craiganour all the way to the winning post, but Craiganour stuck his neck out to win in a blanket finish. Justice seemed to have been done. Nothing was further from the truth! Although Cunliffe had kissed his win money goodbye and had no intention of objecting, Epsom steward Eustace Loder took the matter into his own hands and initiated an enquiry. He had waited years to take revenge on Craiganour’s owner, Ismay, whom he hated following Ismay’s affair with his sister-in-law; not to mention the infamy attributed to the Ismay family whose son, Bruce Ismay, was reported to have survived the Titanic disaster by entering a lifeboat dressed as a woman! Two other presiding stewards were prevented from ruling on the matter owing to their ownership of runners in the race, and Loder summoned William Saxby, Craiganour’s 2000 Guineas jockey, who had been jocked off for the Derby and involved in the finish on another horse- and therefore had a ‘very large axe to grind.’ Aboyeur’s jockey, Edwin Piper, said nothing, but also present was judge, Charlie Robinson- the same judge whom Ismay had offended at Newmarket over the 2000 Guineas fiasco. The subsequent disqualification of Craiganour- in favour of Aboyeur- remains the greatest outrage and perversion of justice in horse racing history. Bookmaker Ladbrokes had a clean book until the result was reversed, but Cunliffe’s £250 each way bet wiped out all their profit on the race. They paid him the ultimate compliment of closing his account ‘forthwith.’ Several weeks later, Ismay sold Craiganour to go to stud in Argentina (where he became a successful sire), stipulating that the horse “must never race again.” Aboyeur, meanwhile, was sold to Russia and was last seen pulling a cart after the Russian Revolution! How ironic and yet tragic that, if an iceberg had not struck the Titanic on that fateful night of April 15th, 1912, Craiganour would probably have been a dual Classic winner- an accolade he so richly merited. As it was, not only did 1517 people lose their life in the freezing North Atlantic seas, but death’s hand stretched out for years to come...... William ‘Jack’ Robinson, Craiganour’s trainer, never recovered from the tragedy of 1913 and, five years later at only fifty years of age, he died ‘a broken man.’ And Herbert Ebsworth Jones, Anmer’s Derby rider, was haunted for years by visions of Emily Davison as she crashed into him around Tattenham Corner. He finally ended it all by turning on the gas in his kitchen and closing his eyes.
Brilliant mate. Thanks for the touching saga. It's strange how far fate can stretch her arms. Keep up the good work mate.
Terrific; this is a very colourful account of the goings-on at Epsom in 1913. Whether Emily Davison “threw herself in front of” the King’s horse has been a matter of some conjecture because of the varying eye-witness accounts of the day and she died a few days later before the News Of The World could hack into her mobile and find out what she intended. I wonder if that steward Eustace Loder had a grandson called David. No mention of what Lester was riding in the race. It must have been one for Sangster and O’Brien. I can’t believe that Aboyeur ended up pulling a cart in Russia. They had peasants to do that job. Herbert Ebsworth Jones was lucky that he lived in an era when gas was affordable. He’d have to jump in front of a train now.
QuarterMoon, it just goes to show that some of the old things were more reliable... Trains are too fast nowadays- the train'd be gone before you landed.....and they'd run out of peasants by the end of the revolution!
Great stuff Tamerlo. There are some wonderful stories from that era. I read that the suffragettes also burnt down a grandstand - think it might have been Hurst Park. QM - it's not that easy the jump in front of a train nowadays either. First of all you have to find a spot not crowded out with pikies nicking the copper wiring.
Thanks everyone for all your kind comments. Fulkes... I remember both Florence Nagle and Nora Wilmot supported the Suffragettes and were instrumental in pushing for women's rights. I have a mental picture of Nora Wilmot leading in 'the first winner to be officially trained by a woman.' The picture appeared in The Daily Express (mid sixties-'65 or '66) and showed Scobie Breasley aboard her horse, Pat, and Scobie was affectionately gripping a beaming Nora's arm as he walked into the winner's enclosure. A great day for the fairer sex and a milestone in horse racing.
Fulkes, the pikies usually filch the copper wiring during the night. If you hear the traffic/travel news in the morning and they say that there are delays on the East coast mainline near Doncaster due to a signalling problem, it is because the signalling wire has been carted off. You would think that the rozzers would have worked this one out by now – just hide in the bushes and wait for them to show up.
..............."During the race itself, the King’s horse, Anmer, collided with French fancy, Nimbus- whose namesake would win the race thirty six years later in likewise controversial circumstances."................. Excellent account of an extraordinary year, Tamerlo, but what were the controversial circumstances Nimbus No.2 won the Derby in 1949? I guess it must have been when Nimbus moved away from the rails taking the eventual third Swallow Tail with him, these two having battled it out up most of the home stetch. Finishing very fast from behind was W.Johnstone on Amour Drake who had to be switched left to the rail after Nimbus hung right. After this first photo-finish in Derby history, Nimbus won by a head from Amour Drake with Swallow Tail a head behind third. Madame Volterra, wife of the owner of the second, sadly realized that her husband Leon's great ambition to win the Derby was not to be. Leon Volterra was on his death bed in Paris at the time, and Madame Volterra flew back to tell him the result. It is understood that she told him what he had wanted to hear, that Amour Drake had won. Leon Volterra died the following day, Sunday. (Ref: The Derby Stakes, 1900-1953, Vincent Orchard).
Swanhills, the controversy, as you say, concerned Nimbus coming away from the rails. If Swallow Tail had finished second and objected, he may have got the race. However, having seen an old film of the race years ago, Amour Drake finished so fast that I felt he would have got up if he hadn't had to switch to the inside; but it's hard to say from an old film. I must admit that my opinion is partly coloured by my father's opinion- he saw the race. He was adamant Amour Drake was an unlucky loser.
..QM,I'd be interested to hear you views on the instigation of multi cultural lesbian one parent family inner city workshops...
Dexter, coming to an inner city ghetto near you, the latest NHS initiative for minge-munching delinquents is a round-the-world sailing expedition to build up their confidence in asserting their place in society. They have spent the money on a million pound yacht because otherwise they will have to use it to pay the exorbitant rent on the new hospitals that Labour built them through PFI. Plans are afoot for the Local Education Authorities to fund similar schemes before they start getting the bills for their new Academies.
OddDog, I guess I should have given a little more thought to how I rephrased “lesbian”. Unless of course you are outing yourself: Is that why you are an Odd Dog? I bet they all wear copper bracelets made from cabling stolen from Network Rail...
