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MR VANDERBILTS EPSOM DERBY HORSE Mr W K Vanderbilt is the owner of a French bred colt that of late has received considerable no ¬ tice In connection with the Epsom Derby This is because some person has backed the colt until he is now at 10 to 1 in the Derby quotations The race will be rim June and at this time of the year it d fe not require the investment of any great sum to give an eligible such a standing in the betting market It does not appear that there is any very good reason to expect Sea Sick II to be returned the winner of the foremost race of the world In ¬ deed it is not certain that Mr Vanderbilt intends to send him to England to run in the race Of this matter and the colts history the Paris cor ¬ respondent of London Sporting Life wrote recently recentlyI I cannot understand who has been backing Sea Sick or Sea Sick II as he must be known in England for the Epsom Derby I can tell you for certain that it is not Mr Vanderbilt nor his trainer Wallace Duke Probably some one im ¬ pressed by the colts performance at Maisons La litte has sent a little money to one or other of the commission agents and they have covered them ¬ selves at the London clubs It is possible that some bookmakers anticipating money for the horse have taken a bet or two about him with a view to laying off but anyone who takes 14 to 1 about u French horse for the English Derby at the present time must be very bold or must know something which the owner and trainer do not know For myself 1 should call such a backer very impru ¬ dent dentThe The price that Saffery obtained about Mbntargls 100 to 1 represents the odds that ought to be offered against Sea Sick II for the English Derby at the present time Although he won the Handi ¬ cap Optional at Maisons Lafitte he was a good way down In the scale of weights and none of the best horses ran There will be many people prejudiced against him on account of his name and It must be admitted that it Is not a very happy effort in the way of nomenclature When I recently wrote of Mr Vanderbilts horses in train ¬ ing I spoke favorably of Sea Sick II but I did not expect to see him figuring so early in the Derby betting and it must not be overlooked that Mr Vanderbilt has another candidate at Epsom and other French horses arc also entered enteredSea Sea Sick II was bred by M Gaston Dreyfus at the Haras du Perray whicli has turned out so many good horses in France and was sold as a yearling by public auction at Deauville Mr W K Vauder bilt being the purchaser for 900 sovereigns At the same sale Mr Vanderbilt gave 2240 sovereigns for another yearling from the same stud This was Montavalle a colt by St Damien out of Mar ela which is also entered for the Epsom Derby i This colt only carried silk once last year when he was unplaced to Halima at MaisonsLafltte but he is capable of great improvement Sea Sick II is by Elf II the Ascot Gold Cup winner in 1S98 which is now standing at the Haras de Victot in Normandy his dam being Saf Saf lie ran four times last year and won on two occasions He made his debut in the Prix Yacowlef a fivefur ¬ longs race at Deauville when he finished third to the Marquis de Ganays Pernambouc He started favorite which indicates that he had been satis ¬ factorily tried Pernambouc did not win a race afterward and was beaten by Mr Vanderbilts Schuyler in the Prix de La Rochette at Chantilly Schuyler is Americanbred being by Meddler out of L6uise N and is Mr Vanderbilts best threeyear old His owner hopes to win the Grand Prix de Paris with him and that is why no doubt Sea Sick II may be free for his English engagement but I can tell you that the stable estimate puts Sea Sick II a good way behind Schuyler SchuylerSea Sea Sick IIs second appearance was in the Prix de Nezel a race for twoyearold colts at St Cloud on September 1C the distance being six and a half furlongs This race he won by two lengths beating Viscos and Patachon Vlscos afterward won the Premier Prix dAutomne distance a mile at Longchamps but the value of this race was only 240 and the horses competing were very moder ¬ ate Sea Sick II won again at St Cloud in heavy fidlng on September 30 the distance this time being seven and a half furlongs It was however only a small race value 100 In October he ran third for the Prix Eclipse value 1004 at MaisonsLar fitte the winner being Lamancur which was giving five pounds The distance was seven furlongs La maneur is npthing out of the common and was beaten a long way by Talo Blrlbll and Magellan inthe Pcix le Conde at Longcharaps a fortnight later5JTWs clearly is not Derby form The moral he run lR lhlrdclasS company he wins but when her meet jmnytlilhg approachihg topclass he is beatenV
