Ellington was a long, low brown horse standing 15.2½ hands high with a "coarse" head and unusually large feet.

Ellington's sire, The Flying Dutchman was one of the outstanding horses of the mid-nineteenth century, winning fourteen of his fifteen races including the Derby and the St Leger.

In the latter race he went well clear and was winning so easily that his jockey, Thomas Aldcroft stopped riding and was almost caught on the line by Job Marson on Gildert.

[7] His performance at Chester was disappointing as he seemed to "cut it" (give up) under pressure and it was only with difficulty that Dawson persuaded Admiral Harcourt to send him to Epsom for the Derby.

[8] Aldcroft rode a waiting race on Ellington, tracking the leaders and moving steadily closer in the straight before making his challenge inside the final furlong.

Dawson offered no excuses for his colt's defeat although some felt that Aldcroft had ridden a poor race on the favourite, forcibly restraining him in the early stages instead of allowing him to gallop.

Later the same afternoon he turned out again for the Doncaster Stakes over one and a half miles, in which he carried top weight of 129 pounds and finished fourth of the six runners behind Bonnie Scotland.