Every New England deacon ought to see Derby day to learn what sort of world this is he lives in. Man is a sporting as well as a praying animal.
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Last week, for the first time in history, Derby day was a double feature.
In England, citizens bet an estimated $40 million on their 164th Derby. With gas rationing eased, they hauled out ancient crates and cluttered the 90-mile road from London to Newmarket with traffic jams. Seam-busting race trains pulled out of Liverpool Station. Newmarket (the Derby is run at Epsom Downs in peacetime) was jammed with over 50,000 fans...