May-day

Until 1913 there was no requirement for British racehorses to have names,[4] and many horses were known by the name of their owner or their pedigree. The filly who would become known as May-day made her first appearance as "Ld Berners's ch. f. by Lamplighter, out of Camarine's dam" in the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket on 28 October 1830. She was made the 4/1 second favourite in a field of thirteen two-year-olds, but finished unplaced behind Bentley.[5]

The Lamplighter filly made her first appearance as a three-year-old in the twenty-first running of the 1000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket on 1 May (May Day) 1834. She was ridden by John Barham Day and started at odds of 6/1 in field of seven fillies for the classic over the Ditch Mile course. The field was considered a good one and the early pace was strong. Day produced the filly with a late run on the outside to take the lead inside the final furlong and won comfortably by a length[6] from Mr Walker's filly Velocity with Amadou in third and the favourite, Rosalie, unplaced.[7] The New Sporting Magazine described her as "a fine, racing-like mare" whose "speed and stoutness" made her a serious contender for the Oaks.[8] Following the 1000 Guineas, Lord Berners named his filly May-day "in honour of the day of her first victory".[6]

Four weeks after her win at Newmarket, May-day was moved up in distance to contest the Oaks over one and a half miles at Epsom. She started the 7/1 third favourite against fourteen opponents. The race was delayed by half an hour by a series of false starts and the early pace was unusually slow. May-day, ridden by Frank Boyce was restrained by her jockey until the straight where she moved up on the outside and had "the appearance of a winner"[9] when she fell heavily approaching the final furlong. May-day got to her feet but had sustained a complete fracture of her left foreleg just above the fetlock and was immediately euthanised. The race was won by the 20/1 outsider Pussy.[10]