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
1959 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 1959 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The 1959 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 18 July 1959. It was the 9th running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The race attracted a field of eleven runners, four trained in the United Kingdom, five in France, one in Ireland and one in Germany. The favourite was the Cecil Boyd-Rochfort-trained Alcide, a four-year-old colt owned by Sir Humphrey de Trafford who had been a hot favourite for previous year’s Epsom Derby, but could not run in