Amato was a brown bay colt, bred on Epsom Downs by Sir Gilbert Heathcote in 1835, and was by Velocipede[1] out of Jane Shaw, by Woful out of Bella Dona (bred by the Duke of York in 1816), by Seymour.

[4] The Epsom trained Amato ridden by Jem Chapple won the 1838 Derby Stakes.

Before the flag was finally lowered there were three breaks away and when the signal to ‘go’ arrived two horses were left at the start whilst several others were slowly away.

Amato who was bred at The Durdans in Epsom[5] by Heathcote and trained by local trainer Ralph Sherwood was a popular winner and today stands a public house, the ‘Amato Inn’ named in honour of the Derby winner.

In a tradition going back 170 years the publican tips the winner of the Derby and displays the name for the race goers on the morning of The Derby[6] When Amato died in 1843 [note 1] Sir Gilbert Heathcote buried the body in the woods of his Epsom home, the Durdans.