`I was the first woman to own a Derby winner at Epsom. We were introduced to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth - a great honour'.

Byline: Rodney Masters

On the most recent occasion Lettice Miller went to the Derby, she owned the winner. That same summer, the

242-ton airship Zeppelin Hindenburg, the pride of the Third Reich, crashed in flames. Elsewhere, the Spanish Civil War was at its bloodiest, and the Japanese attempted a conquest of China. It was 1937.

Miller remains in good health; strong of voice and spirit. She lives with her daughter Blanche near Shaftsbury on the W?iltsh?ire-Dorset border. At 96, she is the longest-surviving owner of a Derby winner.

She apologises that her memory of Mid-day Sun's win has become blurred. As the conversation progresses, however, it becomes evident she has forgotten little of that day, when she was aged 29.

Sent off at odds of 100-7, Mid-day Sun won a prize of pounds 8,441. He was trained at Kingsclere by Fred Butters, ridden by Michael Beary, and Miller shared ownership with her mother. The trainer had purchased the horse on their behalf for around 1,000gns after he had failed to make his reserve at Doncaster sales.

"To be quite honest, my dear, I don't think it was a very good Derby that year," Miller says. "We thought our horse would run well, and would have been disappointed if he hadn't reached a place.

"He'd improved over the winter and, after Epsom, he went on to win the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot."

She adds: "Winning the Derby was so exciting, it was difficult to take everything in. I was the first woman to own an Epsom Derby winner. We were introduced to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth after the race, which was a great honour.

"Unfortunately, my mother died soon afterwards, and that was my final visit to Epsom. My fascination for racing had come from my mother, and it wasn't the same from then on, although I did have horses with Bill Wightman until about 20 years ago."

Her late husband George, whom she had married three years before Mid-day Sun landed the Derby, had a limited interest in racing. He was the director of an aircraft company, and was developing an

experimental wind tunnel at the time.

Miller's opinion that it was a far from vintage Classic year is confirmed by Racing Post turf historian John Randall, who ranks the colt in the `poor' category in his classification of Derby winners.

There's no current photograph of Miller because she doesn't do photographs. "The African tribes don't like having their picture taken because they believe it invites bad luck," she says. "I agree with them."

Going strong at 96, who's to argue with a lady who believes

she was fortunate to have her

sole Derby runner compete in a below-average year?

They all count.

CAPTION(S):

Mid-day Sun: went on to win the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot