On This Day in 1989: 500-1 shot Terimon outshines Derby winner Nashwan

On this day (June 7) in 1989, 500-1 shot Terimon finished second in the Derby at Epsom.

The only other horse to be placed with odds of more than 100-1 was Black Tommy, priced at 200-1, in 1857.

The stallion was owned by Lady Beaverbrook, whose other horses included St Leger and Coronation Cup winner Bustino and another Derby runner-up, Relkino, who won the 1977 Benson & Hedges Gold Cup at York. Bustino sired Terimon. Lady Beaverbrook was a high-profile philanthropist who had survived a 1971 assassination attempt from a terror group called the Angry Brigade. Terimon was trained by Newmarket-based Clive Brittain and regularly ridden by South African Michael Roberts, the 1992 flat racing Champion Jockey.

The three-year-old had recently recorded his first win in eight attempts in a maiden race at Leicester. Nashwan, ridden by Willie Carson, was 5-4 favourite with Cacoethes, ridden by Greville Starkey, seen as the only realistic challenger. Carson broke for home with two furlongs left and won comfortably by five lengths but Roberts and Terimon overtook the tiring Cacoethes to delight the colt’s backers.

Terimon continued to confound the bookies, winning the Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket the following year from a starting price of 20-1 and the International Stakes at York in 1991 as the 16-1 outsider.