On this day, 6th June, in the year 1934, Maharaja Vijaysinhji of Rajpipla won the blue riband of the turf, the Epsom Derby of England with his horse Windsor Lad. Excerpts from Indra Vikram Singh’s book ‘A Maharaja’s Turf’

Glasgow Bulletin observed, “During the proceedings, the King (George V), the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and most of the royal party had gazed down from their high vantage point, observing the great demonstration and appearing extremely pleased with all they saw.”

The nervous moments before the big race seemed like eternity, not the least to the eager Maharaja.

The King raised his glasses to follow the parade to the post. Meyrick Good wrote in The Sporting Life, “Never in my life has a cooler company left the paddock for the Derby parade. The nervous tension that upset Colombo on Two Thousand Guineas day was absent. The favourite walked round the parade ring as docile as a seasoned plater. In the preliminaries he was on his best behaviour, and the only horse to give least trouble was Bondsman. Colombo had a well-trained appearance, a shade lighter than he had been before, which was only natural after the preparation he has undergone. Umidwar could not fail to please. Tiberius was a ball of muscle, as was Primero. The latter moved splendidly in the canter, but Colombo appeared to me to be galloping higher off the ground than usual. Windsor Lad moved well. He carried a fine bloom, and was full of muscle. Admiral Drake’s style of moving did not impress, but Medieval Knight strode out well, a lot better than Easton. Umidwar cantered well, but on arrival at the post he hung back from the others, and slightly delayed the dispatch. Twice he turned round after he had been driven up to his field.”

And then the cords were lifted. Time followed the race closely: “At the start, Lord Dewar’s Medieval Knight got the lead, held it for a mile. The Maharajah of Rajpipla who bought Windsor Lad as a yearling for £1,300 and who had made Derby Day a holiday on his estate at Old Windsor, watched his horse and smiled. At the head of the stretch, the crowd saw three horses – Windsor Lad, Lord Woolavington’s Easton and Colombo – pound out in front of the field. In the stretch Colombo was running splendidly and catching up on the other two. At the finish – in 2:34 to equal last year’s track record – Windsor Lad was still ahead with Easton second and Colombo third.”

The Times reported: “The Maharajah of Rajpipla won the Derby at Epsom yesterday with his colt Windsor Lad, trained by Marcus Marsh and ridden with most admirable judgement by C. Smirke, by a length from Easton, who was a neck in front of the favourite, Colombo. The rider of Alishah, Perryman, lost both irons at the top of the hill and did not pick them up again until a furlong and more later. I have seldom if ever seen a better race for the Derby, it being impossible to say with any reasonable certainty a furlong from the finish which of three horses would win. Those three horses at the end occupied the first three places.”

On a crucial point in the race, The Times observed, “Suddenly at the top of the course before the descent down the hill to Tattenham Corner was made Colombo lost his place. From being second he was very quickly seventh. It seemed to me then that something must have happened to him, but I learnt afterwards that Medieval Knight stopped in front of him and Johnstone had to check him. Soon after the hill had been begun Tiberius moved up and he came down the hill in front of Fleetfoot. Windsor Lad was also well placed. Easton also was there, as was Alishah. Tiberius led into the straight, but almost at once Windsor Lad came into the lead. Easton was not far behind, while Colombo had begun again to improve. Halfway down the Straight it became reasonably certain that the winner would be one of three horses, Windsor Lad, who was in front; Easton who was challenging him on his off-side, and Colombo, who had come from behind and had given up his place on the rails and had drawn rather widely to the middle of the course. Just for a moment it seemed that Colombo would win, but he suddenly changed his legs, showing that he was beaten, and it was left to Easton to chase Windsor Lad home. Smirke on the leader showed that he is still as great a rider as ever he was and gave away nothing. Ride as hard as he might Richards could not gain an inch on Windsor Lad, and the latter in the end won by a length. I never expect or hope to see a better Derby.”

Some of the best writers of the day on racing were at hand and here is what they saw –

Sir John Foster Fraser in the Manchester Dispatch: “A roar of voices, a clamour of wonder. But once the shout ‘They’re off’ had resounded, a sort of stillness fell on the crowd. The horses are hidden behind some heath bushes. ‘It’s going to be Easton’s race I’m thinking’ somebody says sharply. One feels the strain. Rounding Tattenham Corner, it was seen that the Maharaja of Rajpipla’s Windsor Lad was leading, with Lord Woolavington’s Easton at his tail and the cast-iron favourite third. Suddenly the silence is rent; there is a roar, ‘Charlie, Charlie, go it, Charlie,’ a jockey in front of me frantically yells. ‘Yes, Windsor Lad, Windsor Lad, oh, Windsor Lad,’ and the heavens shake with the shout. A clatter of hooves and the shooting past of a multi-coloured streamer. The Derby is over. Everyone round me was breathing heavily. Three cheers to the victor!”.

Hotspur in The Daily Telegraph: “On the Maharaja of Rajpipla’s Windsor Lad, Charles Smirke rode a dashing and brilliant race to secure the rails after leaving Tattenham Corner. Windsor Lad was always closely tracking the leaders. Before reaching that point Colombo appeared to falter a little in his stride, causing him to lose a length or so. In the preliminary canter it occurred to me that I might be in error in thinking that Colombo’s style of galloping would be suited to the course. His action appeared all too high, and it was then that I lost some faith in this unbeaten colt. W. Johnstone had the favourite in a nice place, riding a steady race in the early stages in the heels of Medieval Knight and Bondsman. Fleetfoot and Tiberius raced up to Medieval Knight before entering the straight but heading for home G. Nicholl slipped his mount into the lead. They had not gone another furlong before Windsor Lad had been cleverly manoeuvred by Smirke into a place on the rails.Easton drew into second place in front of Primero when Medieval Knight and Fleetfoot were done with. Colombo had no chance to secure an inside berth, and Johnstone was compelled to take the favourite to the right of the two pacemakers. Even then he did not appear to me to be galloping with the smoothness of his two rivals. Nor did he get down to his work as well as Windsor Lad when he was shown the whip. From the time the Maharaja of Rajpipla’s colt got his head in front he did not appear likely to be overhauled. Desperate finish as Gordon Richards rode on Lord Woolavington’s 15,000 gs. purchase, he failed to get on terms, and Windsor Lad won in decisive style by a length. Colombo, who bounced rather than galloped down the straight, was a neck away.”

Meyrick Good in The Sporting Life: “Three furlongs from home Windsor Lad forced his way to the front, closely followed by Easton and Colombo. The favourite came along in the centre of the track, and below the distance his jockey had his whip going. At that point he was almost level with Windsor Lad and Easton, but he could not improve. Smirke kept Windsor Lad well to the rails and, holding off Easton, won a great race, all out, by a length; a neck separating the second and third. The three placed horses were four lengths clear of Tiberius (fourth), who in turn was six lengths ahead of Alishah (fifth). Valerius (ran well) was half a length off sixth”.

Sheffield Independent:“Windsor Lad took command of the field as they raced round Tattenham Corner into the straight, with Easton and Tiberius close behind and Colombo challenging on the outside. As the favourite came with his run there were shouts of ‘Colombo wins’, but as the post was neared it became apparent that Lord Glanely’s colt was about to meet with the first defeat in his career. He had everything in his favour, and his defeat can only be fairly attributed to lack of the necessary stamina. Windsor Lad had put up a remarkably fast gallop, and his time of 2 mins. 34 secs. equals the record for the race, set up by Hyperion last year. Excuses are being made for Colombo on the grounds that he was interfered with and began to drop back at the seven furlong starting gate. Colombo certainly lost his place after he had pursued the leader, Medieval Knight, to that point, but in my opinion Windsor Lad was a winner on merit thanks to the superb way in which he was handled by the Epsom jockey Smirke. This rider had made no secret of the fact that if Colombo and the others did not stay it was a good thing for him to win his first Derby. Smirke saw to it that Windsor Lad came the shortest way round Tattenham Corner, and once in line for home it was not long before the son of Blandford had taken the lead from Tiberius. Having accomplished this much Smirke hugged the rails all the way down the hill pursued by Tiberius and Easton. A quarter of a mile from the finish Colombo began the hopes of his supporters once more, and he could be seen picking up ground in the centre of the course. I thought the speed of the son of Manna would carry him up to the leaders, but after closing the gap he began to hang on to the left, and his fate was then sealed. Meantime Windsor Lad was consolidating his position and in the end Easton beat Colombo by a neck for second place.”

The Field: “…..coming round Tattenham Corner, Gordon Richards on Easton put in a strong challenge. But here Windsor Lad came upon the scene, and overhauling Easton and Colombo, ran on as straight as a gun barrel with the staunchest courage of any Derby colt since the war. It was one of the most exciting of Derbys, with a great finish, and a well-backed favourite beaten into third place. Once again the Chester Vase proved a criterion of Derby form.”

Captain Heath in News Chronicle: “What a great race it was up the straight! Tiberius was just in front of the pace-making Medieval Knight as they swung round the ‘Corner’. When the others faltered Windsor Lad came along and, racing on the rails, he had but to be shown that his jockey had a whip to pull out that fine stuff of which I believe him to be capable. First Easton had a go at him, then came Colombo, racing on very gamely, to have another cut. But Windsor Lad refused to yield an inch, and in the end Judge Hancock had to give it a length and a neck.”

Ferdinand Kuhn jr. in The New York Times: “Windsor Lad, the superb 3-year-old owned by the Maharajah of Rajpipla, won the English Derby by a length today after one of the most thrilling last-minute struggles in all the 151 years of racing on Epsom Downs. Lord Woolavington’s Easton finished second. He was ridden by Gordon Richards, England’s champion jockey, who narrowly missed gaining the first Derby triumph of his career. A neck behind Easton came Lord Glanely’s Colombo, the overwhelming favourite, who had failed only after an effort which left most hardened racegoers spellbound. From a good start Medieval Knight was the first to show in front. At the mile post he was still in front but yielded the pace setting to Tiberius as the field sped downhill on the back stretch. At Tattenham Corner Tiberius was still in the van but jockey Smirke had moved Windsor Lad fast into second place. Down the broad straightaway under the eyes of King George and perhaps half a million of his subjects these three had shot ahead out of a field of nineteen and until the last three had thundered along almost neck and neck. Close to the rails was Windsor Lad, his jockey crouching low and cracking the whip to urge the horse on. In the middle was Easton, with Richards straining every nerve to win. On the outside, nearest the packed grandstand, Colombo was making the fight of his life as if conscious of all the hundreds of thousands of pounds that had been staked on him. His jockey had lost his position against the rails rounding Tattenham Corner, but Colombo soon forged ahead from behind. To the astonished crowd it looked as if the favourite might snatch the victory away from Windsor Lad after all. But fifty yards from home the strain was too much. Once they headed for the judges, the Maharajah’s colt quickly bounded for the front while Colombo swung wide. That move may have cost the race as Smirke took Windsor Lad the shortest way home. Colombo, who had never been beaten before, dropped behind while the purple and cream colours of the Maharajah flashed past in front. Windsor Lad finished in 2 minutes 34 seconds, thus equalling the all-time record established by Hyperion last year. Sir Abe Bailey’s Tiberius finished fourth. All the rest were hopelessly beaten, including the only American-owned entry Bondsman, who struggled home in eleventh place.”

Medieval Knight’s jockey Steve Donoghue to Trevor Wignall in Daily Express: “Bondsman tried to do a bit of bolting when we got to the gate, but after that Umidwar simply wouldn’t turn his nose in the right direction. The start, however, was a good one, and I jumped into the lead almost from the first stride. I like myself and my horse until we were nearing Tattenham Corner, but then I discovered that he was fading on me. What I did then was to make way for the others; actually I waved them on. I was really beaten before we got to the Corner. But listen to this. I am as happy as a sandboy that Smirky has made such a comeback. You will remember that he had a bit of trouble some five years ago. Gosh, do you know what that means to fellows in my trade? He went down to Brighton to keep himself in condition. Today he has won the greatest race in the world. I have taken the Derby six times, but nobody is more pleased than I that Smirky has come back into his own.”

The Times summed up,“It remains only to congratulate Marsh on his training of the horse, Smirke on his riding, and the owner on being lucky enough to have such a combination of horse, trainer and rider to represent him in the greatest race of the year.”

Maharaja Vijaysinhji of Rajpipla leading in his colt Windsor Lad after winning the Epsom Derby on 6th June 1934 with jockey Charlie Smirke astride and trainer Marcus Marsh beside.

Windsor Lad had shown a clean pair of heels to his two challengers, and Maharaja Vijaysinhji created history. He became the first, and even till date, the lone Indian owner to bag the coveted title. Certain of success he might have been before the race, but the glorious triumph, when it did arrive, took time to sink in. There was almost a sense of disbelief. As he sat, seemingly dumbstruck, he had to be reminded by his friends in the box that he now had to go down to lead his victorious horse back. He rushed out, tailcoat, top hat and all, binoculars dangling from his shoulder, acknowledging cheers and accepting congratulations all around, quietly dignified, but all excited inside. The composed horse, the jubilant jockey in the purple and cream Rajpipla colours, and the beaming, gleeful trainer completed a memorable picture. Never again in the annals would such an intriguing combination win the greatest horse race in the world. If it seemed unlikely to begin with, it definitely looked exotic now.

The Illustrated Weekly of India in the Coronation Supplement dated May 9, 1937 referred to this “red letter day”, adding: “A wonderful demonstration took place when H.H. the Maharaja of Rajpipla led Windsor Lad (Smirke up) into the paddock, after his horse had won him the Blue Riband of the turf. Cheers rang out for the Maharaja and his gallant horse with the cry resounding in the air ‘Good Old Pip’. His Highness was delighted with the nickname and repeatedly waved his grey top hat to the cheering crowds. Later on, he said, ‘I am glad Windsor Lad won, not so much for my own sake as for the British public which gave me such a wonderful reception’.” It was indeed a memorable scene out in the middle of the course as an estimated populace of a quarter to a half million from Britain and the world over hailed the Indian prince. As People reported, the triumphant Maharaja returned the salutations of his good friend the Aga Khan who waved congratulations with his umbrella.

(Author Indra Vikram Singh is grandson of Maharaja Vijaysinhji of Rajpipla, and can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).