Epsom was originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters which sprung at Epsom. The town's market is built on the pond that existed in the Middle Ages. Within the centuries-old boundaries is Epsom Downs Racecourse which features two of the five English Classic horse races; "The Derby" and "The Oaks", which were first run in 1780 and 1779 respectively. On 4 June 1913, Emily Davison, a militant women's suffrage activist, stepped in front of King George V's horse running in the Derby, sustaining fatal injuries. The British Prime Minister and first chairman of the London County Council, Lord Rosebery, was sent
Scuttle (horse) the age of nine. She was the first and only classic winner owned by King George V. Scuttle was a bay mare with a narrow white blaze bred at the Royal Stud at Sandringham by Major Fetherstonhaugh on behalf of King George V. She was sent into training with William Rose "Willie" Jarvis at his Egerton House stable in Newmarket, Suffolk. She was from the first crop of foals sired by Captain Cuttle, who won the Epsom Derby in 1922, making her a representative of the Godolphin Arabian sire line. Captain Cuttle's subsequent stud career was disappointing and Scuttle was