In the summer of 1817 he created a 50/1 upset by winning The Derby after being entered in the race to act as a pacemaker for a more highly regarded stable companion.
Payne also owned Azor's dam Zoraida and his older sister Zora who won a race at Newmarket and finished second in the Riddlesworth Stakes in 1815.
Azor was the first notable winner for James "Jem" Robinson, who went on to win twenty-four classics including a record six Epsom Derbies.
The Student, trained like Azor by Robert Robson, started the 7/4 favourite in a field of thirteen runners.
[12] Azor did not race after his defeats at Newmarket in autumn 1817 and late in the following year he was offered for sale as a potential stallion.