The eighty-fifth running of the Derby at Epson took place before a crowd of around 150,000, including the Prince of Wales. The mile and a half race began forty-five minutes late due to the number of false starts but eventually Blair Athol, ridden by J. Snowden, timed at just under two minutes and forty-four seconds, beat General Peel, the betting favorite, by two lengths, with Scottish Chief a further three lengths behind. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Chronicle, The Annual Register or a View of the History and Politics of the Year 1865 (London: F. & J. Rivington, 1865), 75-76.