Lord Murphy (not to be confused with the more recent Good Lord Murphy) was a bay Thoroughbred colt born in 1876. He was bred in Tennessee by J. T. Carter and owned by George W. Darden and Company.1 Originally, the horse was named Patmus (or Patmos). He traced his lineage back to the Byerley Turk through the line of Herod and was a grandson of the great Lexington.2,5
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| | | Boston by Timoleon
| | Lexington |
| | | Alice Carneal by Sarpedon
| Pat Malloy | |
| | | American Eclipse by Duroc
| | Gloriana |
| | | Trifle
Lord Murphy --------------------------------------------------------------
| | | Leviathan
| | Capt. Elgee |
| | | Reel
| Wenonah | |
| | | Albion
| | Mare by Albion |
| | | Mare by Pacific
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In 1879 Lord Murphy was trained for the Kentucky Derby by George Rice. Raceday, May 20, was hot (91 degrees F) and dry with clear skies, which made a fast track.3 Nine horses, including two fillies, were entered in the fifth running of the Derby. Lord Murphy, ridden by Charlie Shauer and carrying 100 pounds, won the race by one length over Falsetto. His time of 2:37 set a new race record (for 1 1/2 mile). The order of the other finishers was: Falsetto, Strathmore, Trinidad, One Dime, General Pike, Ada Glenn (filly), Buckner, and Wissahickon (filly). Lord Murphy won $3550.4
Lord Murphy won a total of 6 races out of 14 lifetime starts, and he finished second 5 times as well. However, aside from winning the 1879 Kentucky Derby, he is not remembered.
Notes:
1. http://tcm.bloodhorse.com
2. http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/commodity/1881/files2.html
3. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/climate/derby.txt
4. http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com/library/kyderby.htm
5. Chew, Peter, The Kentucky Derby: The First 100 Years, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1974.