The Latonia Derby was an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

run annually from 1883 through 1937 at

Latonia Race Track Latonia Race Track on Winston Avenue in Latonia, Kentucky, Latonia (Covington, Kentucky, Covington) Kentucky, six miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened in 1883. The track hosted ...

in Latonia, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, for its first 52 years the Latonia Derby was contested at a mile and a half then in 1935 the distance was shortened to a mile and a quarter. It was run as the Hindoo Stakes from inception in 1883 to 1886 in honor of the Kentucky-bred U.S. Racing Hall of Fame horse, Hindoo. The race usually attracted the Kentucky Derby winner; it became so popular that in 1912 a motion picture was made by Independent Motion Picture Co. entitled ''Winning the Latonia Derby'', featuring

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

star

King Baggot William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America ...

. The inaugural 1883 Latonia Derby was won by Kentucky Derby winner

Leonatus Leonatus (foaled in 1880 in Kentucky, died 1898 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1883 Kentucky Derby. Background Leonatus was the son of Uncle John Harper's great racer and sire Longfellow (horse), Longfellow, h ...

. Future Derby winners Kingman (1891),

Halma Halma (from the Greek word ἅλμα meaning "jump") is a strategy board game invented in 1883 or 1884 by George Howard Monks, an American thoracic surgeon at Harvard Medical School. His inspiration was the English game ''Hoppity'' which was ...

(1895),

Ben Brush Ben Brush (1893–1918) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1896 Kentucky Derby. Walter Vosburgh, for whom the Vosburgh Stakes is named, said Bramble was "a breed as tough as pine nuts." On May 6, 1896, Bramble and Rose ...

(1896), Lieut. Gibson (1900), Elwood (1904) and Sir Huon (1906) also won the race; the 1918 edition was won by Harry Payne Whitney's Belmont Stakes-winning colt,

Johren Johren (1915–1932) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in the United States. His most important win came in the 1918 Belmont Stakes. Background Johren was a "massive" bay horse owned and bred by Harry Payne Whitney. He was sired by ...

. In 1936, Rushaway won the

Illinois Derby The Illinois Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses for three year olds run over a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on the dirt at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago in early April each year. ...

during the afternoon, then was shipped overnight to win the Latonia Derby the following afternoon.

Records

Speed record: * 1¼ miles (1935-1937) : 2:02 3/5 - Rushaway (1936) * 1½ miles (1883-1934) : 2:28 3/5 - Handy Mandy (1927) Most wins by a jockey: * 5 -

Isaac Murphy Isaac Murphy (October 16, 1799 or 1802 – September 8, 1882)Every Arkansas reference says that he was born in 1799; most other sources, including genealogical studies, say he was born in 1802. was a native of Pennsylvania, a teacher and la ...

(1883, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1891)''Daily Racing Form'', 1931-06-12, "I. Murphys Derby Record"
/ref> Most wins by a trainer: ¹ * 2 - Albert Cooper (1886, 1888) * 2 - Robert Tucker (1893, 1901) * 2 - Peter W. Coyne (1906, 1912) * 2 - Auval John Baker (1910, 1914) * 2 -

Kay Spence The name Kay is found both as a surname (see Kay (surname)) and as a given name. In English-speaking countries, it is usually a feminine name, often a short form of Katherine or one of its variants; but it is also used as a first name in its own r ...

(1923, 1930) *¹ At present, one trainer is missing from the table's list. Most wins by an owner: * 2 - E. J. "Lucky" Baldwin (1886, 1888) * 2 - Scoggan Brothers (1889, 1893) * 2 -

Bashford Manor Stable Bashford Manor Stable was an American Thoroughbred racing and breeding operation in Louisville, Kentucky owned by George James Long. In 1874 James Bennett Wilder built a home on farm acreage he called Bashford Manor. In 1887 George Long purchas ...

(1906-1912) * 2 - Harry P. Whitney (1918, 1920) * 2 - Audley Farm Stable (1923, 1930) * 2 -

Edward R. Bradley Edward Riley Bradley (December 12, 1859 – August 15, 1946) was an American steel mill laborer, gold miner, businessman and philanthropist. As well as a race track proprietor, he was the preeminent owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehor ...

(1925, 1926)

Winners

* * 1900: Walkover, no time taken. * ** 1888: Dead Heat runoff won by Los Angeles over White.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Winning the Latonia Derby'' at IMDb
Discontinued horse races Horse races in Kentucky Recurring sporting events established in 1883 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1937 1883 establishments in Kentucky 1937 disestablishments in Kentucky