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ENORMOUS CROWD SEES THE EPSOM DERBY King Edwards Immense Popularity and Democratic Ways General News of the English Turf London June 7 The Derby of 1908 will be quoted frequently during the years to come for it was memorable in more ways than one It attracted the largest attendance that has ever been seen cm any race course in the world estimated at 330000 the railways carrying 80000 to the course it was won Uy ait animal starting at 100 to 1 and it was won by a nlly Epsom Downs have never before afforded such a spectacle as was presented yesterday The stands were so packed that fully n third of the people who had paid for admission could not get on to them and the Ini osures were congested The rails on either side of the course throughout its entire circuit were lined a dozen deep while for the last half mile the mass of people was so dense that It is remarkable many did not faint from the lieat When you once got into Tattersalls ring you wtre lucky to get out again at all The Jockey Club liiclosure held some 000 men whose names are known all over the world worldSo So long as the king extends his patronage to racing there Is up fear for 1U His personal popular ¬ ity is so great and so deeply grounded in the affec ¬ tions of bis people that any stort which he may affect is sure of a tremendous following With the reception accorded Minoru after his victory In the Great iSurrey Foal Stakes June 2 fresh in the mem ¬ ory one trembles to think what would have hap ¬ pened had Perrier proved good enough to win the Derby As soon as Minoru went to the front more than a quarter of a inilo from home the cheering began and it increased in volume as he ncarcd this goal and never ceased until long after he Itad weighed in and the all right had bcencalled It was a tribute of which any monarch might havo felt proud and the king obviously was well pleased Minoru was not bred by the king but is one of the batch of twoyearolds bred by Mr W Hull Walker and leased to his majesty Minoru has no fewer than thirtyfour engagements to his name in the Book of Races to come He is In the Two Thousand Guineas Derby and St Leger of 1001 He is by Cylleue out of Mother Slegcl It is perhaps too early yet to predict that he is in the lirst class but at the worst he cannot be far off it Some critics declared themselves not grcatlv impressed by his apiwarancc on the other hand several good judges pronounced him a clipper He struck me as being a little high on the leg but he will doubtless lose that fault as ho grow older and begins to let down downChevalier Chevalier Giuistrelll Signorinettas owner figures so largely in the public eye at the moment that the following little character sketch given to the writer by one who knows him perhaps1 as intimately as anyone in this country will be appreciated He is a foreigner who has got the ways of a real old English gentleman He is viry kind talks sense all the time he cant do enough for you He has a pretty little house on the Fordham Road close to what are known as the Brick Fields gallops He is out with his horses himself every morning He goes out very early and is generally back home again before other trainers come out He has only two or three Ills one object In life Is his horses You never meet him out at other trainers houses As a rule he spends his time after the morning work in his garden He has many pictures of race horses in his house and the biggest and most prominent is an oil painting of SIgnorlua He is fond of talking about his own country but most of his conversation is about SIgnorlua Signorino and Signorinetta I do not think he has ever missed it winter visit to Italy He has business matters to attend there All the stable lads worship him and so do the indoor servants Xo one who knows him can help loving him himThis This is the sort of man one likes to see win classic races A word of congratulation must also be extended to Signorinettas jockey W Bullock who in the Oaks as in the Derby rode a cool well judged and admirable race It is strange that prior to tliis Derby Bullock had only ridden one winner this year but what a significant name was that of this previous winner It was Double A What a double event was in store for him Signorinetta as in the Derby was ridden without spurs in fact of all the thirteen starters the only one whose jockey wore spurs was Courtesy and as a matter of de ¬ tail it will usually he found that two and three yearold fillies are almost invariably ridden without them Neither Lyne nor C Leader the respective riders of Rhodora and French Partridge was seri ¬ ously hurt though Leader received a severe shaking and was temporarily knocked out The two it hap ¬ pened had travelled down together in a motor car from London so it was strange that they should be companions in misfortune Both thanks to the kindly offices of a gentleman with a motor on the downs were conveyed from the scene of the acci ¬ dent to the ambulance room and later after being medically attended to they went off together in their motor hack to London LondonOf Of course there are people who backed Signorin ¬ etta A member of the Sports Club dreamed that he saw her win and took GtiO sovereigns to 10 about her in consequence Another member of the same club got a bet of 1000 sovereigns to 10 and 1T 0 to 10 for a place but these maddening freaks of fortune always are thrust upon our notice when we are wondering if the time lias not come to burn our lKMks and give up all pretense of judgment The Derby winners mother Signorlua fared badly In life and was maidenly weak and ill when she ran second for the Oaks for which the Duke of Portland beat her with Memoir The whirligig of time lias brought alnmt Its clianges and Its re ¬ venges and with a daughter of SIgnorlua he has avenged himself and prevented the Duke of Port laud DerbyJune from winning his third Derby June 2 tit Epsom American Jockeys won half the card iDaiiuy Malicr who is now second In percentage among the jockeys to Whoatley is riding but little Rheumatism grips him when the weather isnt warm But last Tuesday he had a double riding Mr Arkwrights colt Battleaxc by William the Third to victory in the Wellington Plate and Mr W C Coopers filly Perola by Persimmon in the Woodcote Stakes Neither was favorite favoriteThe The Craven Stakes saw Lucien Lyne on Major J D Edwards Claretol by Santoi and a receding favorite the colt won a line race by a head headMiranda Miranda is a threeyearold that may make a con ¬ siderable amount of improvement as the season pio ¬ gresses The sister to Pretty Polly which she is getting more like now she is filling out well was always among the leaders up to the last half fur ¬ long of the Royal Stakes About Ascot time this filly may be hard to beat Vivid an own sister to Flair made her debut in the Great Surrey Foal Stakes at Epsom and right well did she run She is on a taller scale than Lesbia which is also out of her dam without hav ¬ ing the full quarters of the Middle Park Plate win ¬ ner but she is equally as promising as her two smart sisters sistersIn In pulling up at the conclusion of the race for the Chipstead Plate at Epsom June 4 Ktiflir Chief slipped up on the tan path at the entrance to the padduck and J II Skeets Martin sustained a nasty shaking shakingM M Edmond Blanc would seem to be a lucky man to have bought Signorinettas sire Chaleurcux for 1000 Chalcureux is now in France and a very lucky purchase He was once bought for 5000 to lead work for Xewhaven II and proved far too good for the job but who at the time thought of him siring a Derby winner or indeed ever having the chance to do soV soVThe The 10000 Hamburg Grand Prix May 1 was won by Ilerr Grandltzs Aiiklang by Ard Patrick Alveole with Baron Oppeiiheims Sceger second and Herr Breits Norwaua third There were nine starters Auklang was bred in Germany but raced and won two races in England for Sam Darlings stable last summer summerThe The Union Penncn Gentlemens Derby was run Juno nt Hoppegarten near Berlin and won by Bayazzo 48 to 10 in the mutuels Forever second and Pollasch third Grand National so light But before Daly could reply Garth chipped in with Oil Just the BUIUO as you got El Cuchlllo Into the Empire last year These translucent gems of purest ray serene are what precipitate the mysterious silences which cau be felt Pond in Sports of the Times
