Aristides First Kentucky Derby Winner

H.P. McGrath's Favored Chesapeake Faded -- Stablemate Goes For Win

Apr 25, 2009 BarbaraAnne Helberg

The game-plan of H.P. McGrath in the first Kentucky Derby held May 17, 1875 was to let his stable "rabbit" take the lead to set up his star, Chesapeake.

Thoroughbred racing may have evolved to something other than just a sporting competition to find out who has the fastest horse, but today's timeless Kentucky Derby stirs the same emotions inherent with horse against horse and winning against the fastest as it did in its beginning, when fastest was best. Past owners scoured pedigrees, looking for speed to pit against his competitor's best speedsters.

McGrath Had Speed and Power Horses in First Derby

H. P. McGrath entered two horses in the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, scheduled to run at 1-1/2 miles at Louisville, Kentucky. McGrath, a gambler by trade, had established stables in Lexington to breed Thoroughbred race horses. His Derby entrants were the powerful Chesapeake, and the speedy Aristides, who would act as the race "rabbit".

However, when it became apparent in the race that Chesapeake didn't have enough engine to keep up and pass his rabbit, Aristides, McGrath signaled Aristides' jockey, Oliver Lewis, to let his mount go. Lewis had been straining to hold Aristides from running even faster. At his jockey's release, the small chestnut colt bolted farther into the lead, uncatchable.

McGrath had his Derby win, with a surprise victor.

First Kentucky Derby Card and Finish

• No. 1 --- Aristides, by two lengths ----- Owner, H.P. McGrath
• No. 2 --- Volcano, by 1/2 ----- George H. Rice
• No. 3 --- Verdigris, by two ----- C.A. Lewis
• No. 4 --- Bob Woolley, by 1/2 ----- Robinson, Morgan & Co.
• No. 5 --- Ten Broeck, by 6 ----- F.B. Harper
• No. 6 --- Grenoble ----- Allen Bashford
• No. 7 --- Bill Bruce ----- S.J. Salyer
• No. 8 --- Chesapeake ----- H.P. McGrath
• No. 9 --- Searcher ----- J.B. Rodes
• No.10 --- Ascension ----- William Cottrill
• No.11 --- Enlister ----- Stringfield and Clay
• No.12 --- McCreery ----- General Abe Buford
• No.13 --- Warsaw ----- Stringfield and Clay
• No.14 --- Vagabond ----- A.B. Lewis & Co.
• No.15 --- Gold Mine ----- J.A. Grinstead
• Race Fractions: --- :26, :51, 1:17-1/2, 1:45, 2:37-3/4
• Weight Assignments: all horses, 100 lbs., except Ascension and Gold Mine, both 97 lbs.

Aristides Total Race Record

• 1874 --- (age two) --- 9 starts, three firsts, three seconds, 0 thirds --- Earnings, $1,525
• 1875 --- 9 - 4 - 2 - 1 --- $15,700
• 1876 --- 2 - 2 - 0 - 0 --- $1,100
• 1877 --- 0
• 1878 --- 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 --- $0
• Totals ----- 21 - 9 - 5 - 1 --- $18,325
• Major Career Placings: (age two) --- 2nd in Thespian Stakes; (age three) --- 1st in Kentucky Derby, Withers Stakes, Jerome Stakes, Breckinridge Stakes --- 2nd in Belmont Stakes --- 3rd in Travers Stakes

Aristides -- Short Pedigree

Aristides, a chestnut colt, was sired by foreign stock Leamington and foaled by Sarong.

Leamington was sired by Faugh-a-Ballagh and out of Mare by Pantaloon. Faugh-a-Ballagh, by Sir Hercules--Guiccioli. Mare by Pantaloon, by Pantaloon--Daphne.

Sarong was sired by Lexington and out of Greek Slave. Lexington, by Boston--Alice Carneal. Greek Slave, by foreign stock Glencoe--Margaret Hunter.

(Resources for Stories of Early Kentucky Derbies: Thoroughbred Times Racing Almanac, by the Staff of Thoroughbred Times, 2006, Thoroughbred Times Books and Two Minutes to Glory, the Official History of the Kentucky Derby, In Cooperation with Churchill Downs, Inc., by Pamela Brodowsky and Tom Philbin, 2007, HarperCollins Publishers, New York.)

The copyright of the article Aristides First Kentucky Derby Winner in Horse Racing is owned by BarbaraAnne Helberg. Permission to republish Aristides First Kentucky Derby Winner in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Aristides -- First Kentucky Derby champion