Ras Prince Monolulu
The British racing institution, known to his mother as "Pete"
Amanda Uren
1920s-1950s
Head to the British racecourses of Newmarket and Epsom in the first half the 20th century and there was a good chance you would encounter Ras Prince Monolulu. Often in an ostrich headdress and embroidered gowns, the Prince was hard to miss.Ras Prince Monolulu's origins are hazy at best. Claiming to be a chief of the Falasha tribe of Abyssinia (in the north of present-day Ethiopia), Monolulu said he had been kidnapped from the African coast and forced to serve as a sailor on a British ship. In fact, he was born Peter McKay in 1881 in the Virgin Islands, into a family of horse ranchers. First coming to England around 1903, Monolulu quickly establishing himself as a tipster at Epsom Derby.When WWI broke out in 1914, Monolulu was in Germany and was subsequently detained at Ruhleben internment camp, near Berlin, for the duration of the war.At the end of the war Monolulu returned to London and resumed his career at the races. Then in 1920, he attained sudden fame when he backed the 100-6 outsider, Spion Kop, at the Epsom Derby. Monolulu pocketed around £8,000 from the race, worth almost £370,000 ($500,000) today.Alongside his racing activities, Monolulu ran a stall in Petticoat Lane street market and regularly drew crowds at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park London. The Prince also had cameo roles in 10 films between 1936 and 1960, and in 1957 he appeared in the U.S. quiz show Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx.But in 1965, Monolulu's colorful life came to an abrupt end, under odd circumstances. While in Middlesex Hospital, he was visited by journalist Jeffrey Bernard who sought an interview. Bernard brought Monolulu a box of chocolates, which proved to be fatal. Monolulu choked to death on a strawberry cream.
I gotta horse! - Ras Prince Monolulu's signature cry
I'll give you a wife and when you get your wife, boy, no lodgers. Put the light out and remember, gentlemen, that luck is wonderful. - Ras Prince Monolulu
