This race was run on the 4th June 1913 and the winner was Aboyeur at 100-1. However, Craganour was first past the post but was  disqualified for not keeping a straight line. Despite these incredible and unusual happenings the main drama of the race focussed on the Kings horse Anmer.

DERBY 1913

The Derby of 4^th June 1913 will best be remembered not for the winner Aboyeur, trained by T.Lewis and owned by Mr A.P.Cunliffe,( who incidentally was not first past the post) or for the ride given by jockey Edwin Piper, but for the incident which took place just past Tattenham Corner. Suffragette Emily Davison limbo danced the rails and attempted to grab the reins of one of the horses to gain publicity for her cause. None of these facts are in doubt, but what remains in doubt is whether she was aware it was the Kings horse Anmer, whether she meant to bring the horse down and whether she knew that it was likely to cause her death.

Evidence suggesting she meant it to happen:-

(i)                   Given the number of runners in the race, it must be down to more than just chance that she grabbed the reins of King George V horse and brought it down.

(ii)                 She had been willing to undertake hunger strikes for a number of years and the policy of the authorities had always been to release her to allow her to regain her strength. However, in 1913 the Cat and Mouse Act was passed which addressed the problem and meant that she would be returned to jail to complete her sentence once she had regained her strength. Could she have meant this to be her final, decisive act?

(iii)                Spectators claim they heard her shout ‘Votes for women’ before she leapt out in front of Anmer.

(iv)               The man closest to the action with the best view was undoubtedly jockey Herbert Jones. And he recollected that she had made a specific attempt to grab at the reins.

(v)                 Some old black and white cine film of the event does still exist and it shows clearly that Emily Davison made a decision to stop and grab at the reins of Anmer rather than continuing on her journey to cross the course.

(vi)               She was rushed off to Epsom College Hospital with a fractured skull but did not regain consciousness and died on 8^th June. Sewn into her coat was a fragment of the Suffragettes flag carrying the slogan ‘Votes for women’. Is this evidence that she knew what was going to happen, or did she always have this about her person?

Evidence to suggest it might have been coincidental that she came into contact with the Kings horse:-

(i)                   The horse was running third from last at the time it was brought down, and she could easily have thought that all runners had passed by and that the route to the other side of the course was clear.

(ii)                 Anyone who has seen how sharp Tattenham Corner is will know that it is almost impossible to see at the apex of the bend what is coming round the bend. It is unlikely that she would have been able to see the colours of the jockey despite them being the distinctive royal purple colours.

(iii)                She had been committing acts to gain publicity for her cause for many years; had gone to prison on numerous occasions and had undertaken many hunger strikes while in prison. However, she had always been released from prison as she became weaker, and always chose to eat to regain her strength rather than die for her cause.

(iv)               A spectator close to the rails position occupied by Emily Davison claimed ‘The horses were thundering past at great pace and it would have been impossible for anyone to have picked out any special horse.’

(v)                 As Davison approached the horse she put up her hands to protect herself, showing surprise that a horse was about to hit her. Had she made the mistake of believing that all horse had passed and was she just crossing the course?

(vi)               The Times, in its article of 5^th June 1913, stated that it is likely that the act of Emily Davison was to provide a setback to the Suffragettes cause rather than enhance it. Would Emily Davison have taken the action she did had she believed this?

Emily Davison died on 8^th June 1913 at Epsom College Hospital and she is buried in the Church of England graveyard in Amersham, Buckinghamshire although her funeral took place at Morpeth in Northumberland.