Zee Pet wins The Derby

The Epsom Derby is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey every year.

On Wednesday, 5 June 1901, the race was won by Volodyovski, the first Derby winner to have been bred by a woman, Lady Valerie Meux, at her stud at Theobalds Park, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire.

So here is the story of Lady Meux and Volodyovski’s Derby victory and also the mystery of a missing painting probably commissioned to celebrate the historic win.

But first, the Derby. The race glory did not go to Lady Meux but to American millionaire William C. Whitney (1841-1904), one-time Secretary of the Navy in President Grover Cleveland’s administration. Lady Meux — who raced under the name of Mr Theobald (her registered colours were red with a green sash) — had leased the horse to him. The glory was his and so was the prize money of £5,670, the equivalent of £662,600 today. The horse’s odds were 5/2 and he won by three-quarters of a length. The winning time was 2 mins 40.2 secs.

The victory was a triple first for America. Whitney was American. The victorious jockey, Lester Reiff (1877-1948), was also American. Later in 1901, Reiff was implicated in race-fixing and a doping scandal. His racing license was revoked and his career as a jockey was finished. The horse was trained by another American, Texas-born John Huggins (1848-1917) at Heath House Stables, Newmarket.

Volodyovski was two-year-old a bay horse, by Florizel II out of Rosicrucian, with a narrow blaze and a white sock on his left back foot. Valerie called, him ‘Zee Pet’, and he was her most successful horse. Race-goers found Volodyovski’s name so unpronounceable that he was often called ‘Bottle o’ Whisky’.

Valerie was at Epsom to see Volodyovski win and had no hesitation in taking the praise for horse’s victory for herself, even though it ran under another’s colours. Volodyovski was always the bookies’ favourite but not with the public and the immense crowd that watched the race. There was hardly a cheer for the victory, except from those who had backed the horse.

The moment ‘Zee Pet’ passed the winning post, she was out of her grandstand box and entered the weighing-in enclosure, normally out of bounds to ladies. She then followed him, down the course, through the crowd to the saddling paddock a good quarter of a mile away and then untied the little bit of blue and brown ribbon mixed up in the horse's headgear, which he had carried throughout the race.

While patting and caressing the horse she excitedly exclaimed: "It is my horse and I want the ribbons for my museum."

Volodyovski’s subsequent form was disappointing and he was subsequently retired to stud at Waltham Abbey, Essex, at a fee of 45 guineas. He was later moved to Lady Meux's own stud at Theobald's Park.

Lady Meux died in 1910 and ordered in her will that Volodyovski should be shot when he 'ceased to be of service' to prevent his suffering at the hands of new owners or due to the infirmities of old age. This did not happen and Zee Pet was exported to France in 1911 and died in 1917.