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RINGER IN THE DERBY. The history of the turf contains many stories of fraud, but none more audacious and impudent than that associated with the Derby of 1844, which has been described as the most sensational race on recordat least in its developments. The. Derby of that year was won, as the records tell, by "Mr. A. Woods Running Rein, by Saddler, out of Queen Mab, by Duncan Grey," ridden by Mann. The same horse had won a two-year-old race at Newmarket in the previous autumn, and it was then rumored that he was a year older than was claimed, and when he romped in first in the Derby Colonel Peel. Whose hose Orlando ran second, promptly lodged an objection against the winner and obtained an Injunction against the payment of the stakes to Mr. Wood until the dispute had been settled in the law courts. Messrs. Weatherby accordingly paid the stakes into court and left Mr. Wood and Colonel Peel to fight the matter out. Colonel Peels contention was that the winner of the Derby was none other than Maccabbeus, a four-year-old horse bred by Sir Charles Ibbetson, and thus disqualified by age for the Derby. So zealously and successfully did he and Lord George Bentinck collect evidence that when the great action Wood against Peel came up for hearing before Baron Al-derson at Westminster, they were in a position to prove their tcase up to the hilt. The case created much excitement. The court was crowded to suffocation. Hundreds were unable to gain admittance and feeling ran dangerously high. After counsel had opened the case for the plaintiff, ; the Judges very sensibly suggested: "Produce your horse and let him be examined by experts. That is the best answer to the whole question," and the case was adjourned for the production of Running Rein on the following day. When the next day came, however, plaintiffs counsel had to confess that the horse was nowhere to be found It had been spirited away. Whereupon Baron Alderson was furious. "This is horse stealing," he exclaimed, "a .case for the Central Criminal Court; and if I try the parties and they are convicted, Ill transport them for life, to a dead certainty." Under the circumstances Mr. Wood withdrew his action, stating that a gross fraud had been practiced on him by his rascally trainer. A verdict was given for Colonel Peel and Orlando was declared winner of the 1844 Derby in place of the fraudulent Running Rein, exposed and deposed. London TId-Blts.
