Donau though tiring fast, was still able to hold the lead. Unshaken, his nose shot first past the finishing mark, with Joe Morris at his withers, Fighting Bob at Joe Morris' throat-latch, and Boola Boola beaten only a nose for third money. Topland was fifth five lengths back, and two lengths in front of John Furlong, eight lengths better than Gallant Pirate a trailing last. It was a great finish and any human being with a drop of sporting blood in his veins was to be excused for giving over for the moment to the feelings of ecstasy that well up from the soul of man at such a contest. It was beyond question the most thrilling finish ever seen in a race for the Kentucky Derby. THIRTY-SEVENTH DERBY 1911 Louisville, Ky., May 13, 1911.--Weather clear, track fast. 1-1/4 miles. Time 2:05 (equals track record). Value to winner $4,850, second $700, third $300. Meridian, 117, G. Archibald 1-3/4 length Governor Gray, 119, Troxler 2-15 Colston, 110, Conley 3-2 Jack Denman, 117, Wilson 4 Mud Sill, 107, Koerner 5 Round the World, 117, McGee 6 Col. Hogan, 110, McIntyre 7 $2 mutuels paid $7.80 straight. At post 2 minutes. Start good, won driving, second and third same. Meridian, b c, 3, by Broomstick--Sue Smith. Owned by R. F. Carman, trained by A. Ewing. DESCRIPTION OF RACE Meridian, Kentucky-bred, but Eastern-owned, triumphantly carried the colors of R. F. Carman to the front in the thirty-seventh Kentucky Derby in record time and before a record crowd at Churchill Downs to-day. The Derby was run from "eend to eend" as Frank Harper of Ten Broeck and Longfellow fame, used to say, for the winner set a heart-breaking pace and had the stamina to last the route and get home a scant length in front of Governor Gray. The latter was about 15 lengths in front of Colston, the dark horse for the Derby. The time 2:05, a new mark for the Derby. The best time ever recorded for the sixteen blue ribbon events which have been run at this distance was made by Lieut. Gibson in 1900, when 2:06-1/4 was made. It also equaled the track record made last year by Royal Report. The race was not a gallop for Meridian for he was a tired horse at the finish and was exceedingly well handled at the end by Jockey G. Archibald. Governor Gray had some bad luck. He was next to the fence going round the first turn, and Troxler was forced to take him back, and he was lengths behind the pacemaker going into the back stretch. The others were not in the same class with the two placed horses and only figured in the race for the first mile. Probably Colston will do better in the next effort and the same could be said of Mud Sill and Jack Denman.