April the Fifth was a big, good-looking[3] brown horse sired by Craig an Eran, the winner of the 1921 2000 Guineas[4] and Eclipse Stakes,[5] as well as the runner-up in that year's Epsom Derby, finishing second to Humorist by a neck.

On his racecourse debut he finished sixth in a minor race at Gatwick and then failed to reach the first ten in similarly unimportant events at Wolverhampton and Derby.

[13] April the Fifth showed some sign of improvement on his three-year-old debut as he finished a close fourth in a small handicap race at Birmingham Racecourse in March.

Despite his modest achievements he was then sent to Newmarket for the 2000 Guineas on 27 April and finished sixth of the eleven runners behind Orwell, who had been the best British two-year-old of the previous season.

In a strong field which included the Aga Khan's well-regarded colt Firdaussi, April the Fifth displayed form well in advance of anything he had previously shown to win comfortably by two lengths.

"[15] On 1 June, with a million spectators at Epsom Downs,[16] April the Fifth started at odds of 100 to 6 (16.7/1) in a field of twenty-one runners with Orwell being made the 5/4 favourite, despite doubts concerning his stamina,[17] ahead of the Newmarket Stakes winner Miracle.

Finishing strongly, he overtook the Aga Khan's colt Dastur inside the final furlong to win by three quarters of a length with Miracle a short head back in third.

While staying at a stable in Sussex he sustained a knee injury which interrupted his schedule and prevented him from running in a trial race at Hurst Park.

He was however a useful sire of National Hunt horses[1] and Sydney McGregor bred the 1958 Ascot Gold Cup winner Gladness from a mare by April the Fifth.