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SOME CHALLENGED DERBY WINNERS. Sensational Incidents Following the Running of the Greatest of Races. Sporting men are fond of saying that the records of the Derby are the cleanest In the annals of the turf. Such, however, Is not the case. In the earlier days of what has now become a great national equine contest, matters on the turf were conducted in a somewhat lax manner, says Tid-Bits. The stringent rules and strict supervision of the Jockey Club at present prevailing preclude the possibility of a fraud being carried out in the Derby nowadays. The minutest detail of each thoroughbred from the day of its birth and its family history is contained in its dossier held by the racing authorities. The first Derby disputed was that won by St. Giles in 1S32. Directly the horses had passed the post, the owner of the second lodged an objection against the winner on the ground of wrong description. This amazing allegation caused an immense sensation at the time. Three prominent sportsmen were called in to adjudicate upon the merits of the ease and, after hearing the evidence pro and con, decided in favor of St. Giles, to the great delight of the horses Yorkshire owner, who had won a fortune over the race. Seven years elapsed ere another Derby winner was challenged, and the classic event was that year notable for many interesting reasons. This was the second occasion upon which the public were carried to Epsom by rail, and the crowd was so great that the railway arrangements broke down. Snow and sleet fell on Hermits Derby day, before and after the race; St. Amant won in a ter-ible tropical thunder storm; but Bloomsbury had to light his way to the winning post through a blinding snowstorm. He had never run on a race course before. The snow-sprinkled spectators received a rude shock shortly after Bloomsburys success, for the horse was objected to on the ground that his pedigree differed from the description in the official "Calendar" and the "Stud Book." The Epsom stewards speedily investigated the matter and decided in favor of the winner. Mr. Craven, the owner of the second horse. Deception, was not satisfied, and warned the stakeholders not to pay over the value of the race 0,-000 to the owner of Bloomsbury. Not only that, he made the matter the subject o a lawsuit, in which he, after a long delay, again finished second, the judge deciding against him. The year after Bloomsburys exciting "Blue Ribbon" the late Queen Victoria, accompanied by Prince Albert, visited the Derby for the first time after her coronation. The horse that won upon this historic occasion was Little Wonder, an outsider, at pounds to shillings against. This was the smallest animal that ever carried off the great race, and it was rumored before the event that he was more than three years old, the race being confined to horses of that age. It was roundly stated in expert circles that he was, indeed, three years above the age limit, and everyone expected and some dreaded an objectioa to be laid on these grounds after the judge ha-1 given his verdict. It was alleged at the time that Lord Westminster, whose Launcelot finished second, refused to lodge one. The famous jockey, W. Scott, who rode four Derby winners, had the mount on the second, and when, after rounding Tatteiiham Corner he saw that Little Wonder had the race in hand, lie offered that horses rider ,000 to slop him, having backed his own mount, which was favorite, to win him a lot of money. "Youre too late, Mr. Scott; too late," shouted Little Wonders jockey over his shoulder as he shot to the front. The most notorious Derby on record was that of 1S44, when a horse called Running Rein liilished first past the post, with Colonel Peels Orlando second. The winner belonged to a cunning betting clique Influential turfites had received mysterious, yet convincing, information that Running Rein was not the horse he was claimed to be by his nominators, but an older horse. Immediately the race was over, the owner of the second, Colonel Peel another of whose horses, Ionian, had, by the way, finished third claimed the stakes. Messrs. Weatherby were compelled in view of a lawsuit in connection with the scandal to pay them into court. The guiding spirit of the turf in those days was the popular Lord George Bentinck, and his patient investigations ferreted out the plot. It was eventually proved beyond all doubt at the trial, that Running Rein was, in fact, a four-year-old colt named Maccabeus. A verdict in accordance with the weight of evidence was given by the judge and Orlando became the winner. The Derby of 1S57, won by the famous Yorkshire mare Blink Bonny, gave rise to a great deal of acrimonious discussion. The race resulted in a magnificent finish, the judge declaring that Blink Bonny had won by a neck from Black Tommy, with Adamas, another neck away, third. Few, indeed, of the spectators with the exception of those who had won money over the winner were satisfied with the official placings. The majority vowed that Black Tommy had won, and the remainder that Adamas was the winner. The owner of the latter declared to his dying day that lie had been robbed of the Derby, and his jockey, Covey, was similarly confident that he had won. Had the verdict been given to either the second or third in this disputed Derby, their respective owners would have landed a fortune in bets. The victory of the rank outsider, a 40 to 1 chance, Caractacus, forty-live years ago, gave rise to several sensational incidents. The horse was, it is said, trained on a London common and stabled in a public-house stall. His attendant and staple boy, named Parsons, who begged for the mount in the Derby, failed to draw the weight upon returning to scale after finishing first past the winning post. When the bridle was requisitioned he just managed to pass the clerk of the scales. After a long delay the "All right" was called and the small bookmakers paid the winners their money. But Caractacus had not yet got the race, for he had to run the gantlet of an objection lodged by Lord Stamford on the ground that the start had taken place sixty yards iii front of the appointed starting post, and that his horse. Ensign, and several other3 had been practically left when the starter dropped his flag. The stewards of the Jockey Club, among whom was the celebrated Admiral Rous, investigated the complaint. The result was that they severely reprimanded Mr. MeGeorge, the starter, and Informed liiiii that a repetition of the offense would lend, to liis instant dismissal. According to the "Rules of Racing," Lord Stamfords objection was lodged a few minutes after the stipulated time allowed for making it. Had he not been too late the race must have been declared void and run over again. It may be mentioned that . V--. : the owner of Caractacus, who won, in addition to the stakes of about 32,500, 25,000 over the race, settled 00 a year for life on the stable boy who rode his horse to victory. The successful jockey died in a London hospital a few weeks ago. Another Derby in which the judges verdict was called into "question by the spectators was lhat of 1SC9, when Pretender, ridden by John Osborne, beat Pero Gomez by a head. Thousands of people who were confident that the second had won were exultant when Pero Gomez won the subsequent St. Leger and the doubtful Derby winner was not in the first three. Pretenders jockey is still alive, and he told the writer not long ago that he thought he had "just won." A few weeks after the late Duke of Westminsters Bend Or the sire of Ormonde beat Robert the Devil by a head, a tremendous sensation was caused in the sporting world by the owner of the second lodging an objection. A discharged stud groom averred that Bend Or was a changeling and not the one described, but a horse called Tadcaster. After exhaustively considering the evidence brought forward, the Epsom stewards decided that Bend Or was actually the horse he was claimed to be. The public will not readily forget the consternation created by the objection. It may be mentioned that the stud groom who made the allegation declared on his death bed a few years ago that his statement was absolutely true.
