This Day in History: 1769-05-3

Namesake of racing’s annual awards, Eclipse made his first public appearance in a heat race at Epsom, England. The chestnut won his first trial easily, prompting gambler Dennis O’Kelly to predict “Eclipse first, the rest nowhere” at the start of the second heat. O’Kelly’s forecast was correct. Eclipse won the second four-mile race by nearly 1-4 mile.