The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-06-11
CROKER WINS THE DERBY
Former Tammany Chieftain's 0rby
Lands English Classic Race.
Victorious Horse Was Bred From an
American Dam and Ridden by
an American Jockey, Reiff.

ondon.--Richard Cookers Orby,
ridden by Johnny Reifs, an Ameri-
can jockey, won the Derby Stakes, of
$500 sovereigns, at Epson, distance
about one mile and half
Wool Winder, ridden by Madden,
an English jockey, was second, and
Sieve Gallon, an Irish horse, ridden
by Higgs, an English jockey, was
third
Orby was bred in ireland out of an
American dam, and thus the Derby
has been won by an American owner,
whose horse was ridden by an Ameri-
can Jockey and whose mount was out
of an American mare.
Nine horses started.
The betting was 100 to against
Orby and Wool Winder and 10 to s
on Sieve Gallon.
Orby won by two lengths. The en-
thusiasm of the Americans can be
easier imagined than described, and
Mr.. Croker, his white bearded face
beaming with happiness, was con-
graduated on all sides
Outside of Mr.. Croker and his i'm
mediate encourage Orby had but few
friends, and the betting indicated
that the sporting prophets estimated
his chances as being slight. Mr. Gro
ker and those who watched the colts
trials, however, were sanguine that
they held surprise in store for the
Derby crowds.
Much of the customary gayety and
picturesqueness were lacking in the
familiar Derby Day scenes on the
road to Epson. Torrents of rain
poured down up to 10 o'clock and the
muddy, dismal procession bound to
the downs looked uncommonly like
the return of the procession after the
downfall of the favorite.
Scores of special trains, however,
took enormous crowds to EPSON.
King Edward elected to travel by
train. The royal party included the
Prince and Princess of Wales, the
Duke and Duchess of Connaught and
the Grand Duke Michael of Russia.
Orby met with a mixed reception
on returning to the scale. The vast
majority of the crowd had lost
money, in many cases huge sums.
The hundreds of Americans present,
however, gave the ex-Tammany chief
and his horse rousing reception.
Aside from the enormous prestige
of winning the blue ribbon of the
turf, Mr.. Croker made fortune. In
the first place, the stakes, $500 SOW
ereigns, or $32,500, is no inconsider-
able sum, then he had the opportu-
nifty of making any number of bets
at about 10 to 1, and, finally, the
value of Orby has increased to such
an extent that Mr.. Croker may, if he
so desires, sell him for an immense
sum. OF course it is impossible to
form an exact estimate of the finan-
cial fruits of Mr. Croker's triumph,
but, one way and the other, they were
placed at about $250,00O.
Richard Croker has enjoyed one of
the most fantastic revolutions of the
whirligig of time. Driven out of Eng
fish racing through the rulings of the
Jockey Club, and retiring in disgust
to Dublin, he has returned to win the
blue ribbon of the turf. This is glory
enough for Tammany statesman out
of business, whether he attends the
Kings dinner for the melancholy
Jockey Club at Buckingham Palace
or stays away in isolated grandeur.
1t was not a popular victory. The
crowds were cold and cheered only
1anguidly: from stress of excitement.
They were silent and resentful when
Mr. Croker, with beaming smile,
led in his horse.