superb

My first Derby was going to see Blenheim win it, it was owned by The Aga Khan and trained by Harry Wragg i think

For Sparrow

For Dambuster

Blenheim (1927–1958)

Also known as Blenheim II, was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won The Derby in 1930. As sire, he had a major influence on pedigrees around the world. Blenheim was highly tried, by European standards, as a two-year-old in 1929, winning four of his seven races. In the following season he was beaten in his first two races before recording an upset 18/1 win in the Derby. His racing career was ended by injury soon afterwards, and he was retired to stud, where he became an extremely successful and influential breeding stallion, both in Europe and North America.

Blenheim was a brown horse standing 15.3 hands high with a white star and a white sock on his left hind leg, bred by Henry Herbert, 6th Earl of Carnarvon at his Highclere stud. He was sired by the good sire Blandford, a three-time British champion sire, whose other progeny included Bahram, Brantome, Trigo, Pasch and Windsor Lad. Blenheim's dam, Malva (1919–1941) who stood barely 15 hands, won three minor races for Lord Carnarvon before becoming a highly successful broodmare. She was the dam of seven winners, including the Coronation Cup winners King Salmon (sire of Herringbone) and His Grace.[1]

As a yearling, Blenheim was sold for 4,100 guineas to the Aga Khan. He was sent into training with Richard Dawson at his Whatcombe stables near Wantage in Oxfordshire.

1929: 2-y-o season
Blenheim began his racing career in April 1929 when he won a £200 plate at Newbury Racecourse. He then finished second in the Stud Produce Stakes at Sandown and won the Speedy Plate at Windsor. He was then moved up in class to contest the New Stakes over five furlongs at Royal Ascot. Ridden by Dawson's stable jockey Michael Beary he started at odds of 7/2 and won from Lord Woolavington's Press Gang.

In autumn he finished second to Fair Diana in the Champagne Stakes and then won the Hopeful Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse. On his final race of the season he started favourite for the Middle Park Stakes but finished second by half a length to Press Gang. It was noted that Blenheim may have been feeling the effects of his "punishing" schedule.[2] He ended the season with earnings of £4,497.

1930: 3-y-o season
Blenheim was slow to find his form as a three-year-old and began his 1930 campaign by running unplaced behind Christopher Robin in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury. Despite his poor performance in the trial, he was well-fancied for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket two weeks later. He finished fourth of the twenty-eight runners behind Diolite, Paradine and Silver Flare.

A month later, Blenheim was moved up in distance to contest the Derby over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse. Beary elected to ride the Aga Khan's more fancied runner Rustom Pasha, while the ride on Blenheim went to Harry Wragg, a jockey whose expertise at holding up horses for a late run had earned him the nickname "The Head Waiter". The race attracted its customary huge crowd, with the spectators including the King and Queen as well as the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York.[3] Blenheim started an 18/1 outsider in a field of seventeen. Rustom Pasha led the field on the final turn but weakened and dropped away in the straight. Blenheim was produced by Wragg with a perfectly timed run to take the lead inside the final furlong and won by a length from Iliad with Diolite in third. After the race Wragg described the winner as "a lovely little horse" and explained that although he had only made very gradual progress in the second half of the race he had always been confident of victory.

After the Derby, Blenheim was being prepared or a run in the Eclipse Stakes when he sustained a tendon injury. He did not recover sufficiently to resume racing and was retired to stud.

Legendary Losers

We all remember the winners and some of the losers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFluOSxH-K0

Painful viewing.

El Gran Senor and Secreto is my favourite.
Think i said it before but for some reason our school ran a sweepstake. The Deputy Head ended up with the fav, El Gran Senor, which introduced us to racing corruption at an early age. Oh how we all rejoiced when some kid with special needs ended up copping the 500 notes first prize. The good lord must have shone his light on the Downs that day.

Yes remember that winning it was Matt Chapman's lay of the century   

School Sweepstake! BRILLIANT STUFF

.... do they still do it nowadays. Probably not.

I started gambling when I was at Primary school. I was 8. Horse won. I had a tanner on it.

.... wish it had got beat

If you have an hour to spare, well worth a watch. Two parts, half an hour each.

The History Of Epsom Derby (Part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYRXxbCNJCo

The History Of Epsom Derby (Part 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvczcLuNv5I

Enjoy!

casemoney, it really did,       

Unofficial Bank Holiday in London.

You could be right DD.

My first Derby at the track was Teenoso's 1984, Went with my dad, got turned over for a 'racecard' with a tip in it on the way in, dad was furious with the pikey that sold it to me , picking on a young'un indeed!
We spent a couple of races in Tatts but it was so chock a block, we decided to head into the middle of the course for some more elbow room. I remember there was the England/Scotland football match on that weekend, so the place was teeming with the tartan army, all pi.ssed up and rowdy. Cant say it was a wonderful experience at the time, but i look back with fond memories and its nice to be able to say i was there in the days when the crowds were that massive, and to see Lester win a Derby.

It was soft ground, yes, although a nice hot day on the Wednesday.

Since last year? Isn't it exactly the same scenario?

Since last year? Isn't it exactly the same scenario? - Not really. No one said AR was Frankel and a repeat of last year is eminently more significant than it happening once.

Well they tend to be bullish but stating in front of the Newmarket crowd after the Dewhurst that COT was going to be their Frankel took it to a different level. Also COT isn't anything like the physical specimen that AR was and wasn't 7/4 to win win the Derby after such a poor run. He just can't win the Derby yet they must think he will otherwise they wouldn't run him (I assume.).

If COT wins the Derby in the manner of Shergar connections will be shouting from the rafters again despite the present field is nothing special on form; Economics and Arabian Crown are absentees. But, he'd be the best result for me.

How much of COT's current price is purely due to what happened last year?
If last year hadn't happened what price would he be.
My inclination would be to place lay him with the above going a long way to skewing his price.
On the face of it the guineas run was really horrible and his current price with all the question marks on his training on, staying etc all more prevalent now than they were before the Guineas, the Auguste Rodin factor and the connections are playing too big of a role in his price.

I like Ancient Wisdom, he too has top class 2 year old form which has received some boosts, he looks a certain stayer who will appreciate a little cut with rain forecast, I think he has been overlooked in the wake of what Economics did to him in the Dante with people just putting a line through the rest of the field, he could provide the winner that day with one big boost and maybe leave Haggas a little red faced, although I understand their reasons for taking him out.