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SOME LORE OF THE EPSOM DERBY. Peculiar Incidents Attending the Running of the Worlds Most Famous Race. Sunstars easy triumph In the Epsom Derby of this year evoked a flood of turf literature of one sort and auother iu English newspapers, of which the following specimen from Sporting Life presents an interesting historical recital of incidents marking the running of the great race: The Derby was first run for on Thursday, May 4. 1780, and was won by Sir Charles Buntmrys chestnut colt, Diomed. by Florizel — Pastorellas dam. M;tj. OKellys Boudrow was second. Mr. Walkers Spitfire third and Sir. F. Evelyns Wotton fourth. Diomed was favorite at 6 to 4. The distance was increased from a mile to a mile and a half in 1784, in which year the weights were re-adjusted so that colts carried 115 pounds and fillies 112 pounds. The race fell to Col. OKellys Sergeant, a son of the famous Eclipse, to whom Lord Grosvenors gray colt, Carlo Khan, was second. In 1785. when Lord Clermonts Aimwell won from Lord Grosvenors gray colt, Grantham, a prize of 100 guineas went, for the first time, to the horse that finished second. Scotia in 1786 was the first filly to start favorite for the race. She was nowhere, however, and the race fell to Mr. Pantons Noble, by Highflyer, whose price at the start was ;iO to 1. The then Prince of Wales, afterwards King George IV.. was victorious iu 1788 with Sir Thomas, who started at G to 5 on. and easily vanquished Lord Grosvenors Aurelius. by Eclipse. In 1792 a 100 to 1 outsid«r. Lord Clermonts Specu-lor, was second. The winner was John Bull, which started favorite at 0 to 4 on. Bustart, afterwards a successful sire, was third, and Lyrieus fourth. There were only four runners in 1794. the smallest field on record. The Duke of Bedfords L*on was favorite at 5 and 6 to 4 on, but he could only get third, Daedalus being first and Ragged Jack second. Champion in ISOo was the first colt to carry off both the Derby and St. Leger. as Eleanor was the first filly 1S01 to win the "double" of Derby and Oaks. Champion started at 7 to 4 for the Derby and 2 to 1 for the St. Leger. In 1803. when Sir H. Williamsons Ditto was successful, the weights were revised again, colts having to carry 117 pounds and fillies 112. Lord Greys Sir Oliver was second. An outsider scored in 1S05, when Lord Egremonts Cardinal Beaufort, a 20 to 1 chance, got home from Plantagenet. Goth and Bassanio In that order. The favorite at 7 to 4, Imposter, thoroughly justified his name. There was a terrific finish in 1S0G. the judges verdict being half a head only in favor of Lord Foleys bay colt, Paris. B to 1. over Lord Egremonts Trafalgar. 6 to 1. with the grey Hector third. Pan. starting at 25 to 1. defeated by half a length the great favorite. Vandyke, in 1808. and the 20 to 1 Chester was third. Pope, 20 to 1, won iu 1809. Smolensko. a black colt of great merit, in 1813 was the first to win both the Two Thousand Guineas — established in 1809 — and the Derby. It was only by "half a head" in the last two or three strides that the Duke of Graftons Blocker defeated Raphael in 1815. and Busto was only a neck away. T. Goodison rode Blueher and J. Jackson Raphael. A 50 to 1 outsider. Mr. Paynes Azor. won easily in 1817 from the 30 to 1 Young Wizard. Mr. Thornhills Sam. which was foaled on Mav 2S. 1815, won the Derby on May 28. ISIS — a fact without parallel in the history of the race. There were ten false starts that year. Gustavns. in 1S21. which had been previously a hot favorite, was the only gray horse to win "tin-great event. Second to him was the Two Thousand winner. Reginald. The value of the Derby Stakes in 1S25 was ,500. the largest up to then. The favorite. Lord Jerseys Midtlleton, won. It rained all day when Lord Egremonts Lap-dog won the Derby on May 25. 1820. His starting price was 50 to 1. and Mr. Wests Shakespeare, lti to 1, was second. There was a dead heat in 1.K2S, but Cadland succeeded in defeating The Colonel in the run-off. Both were good horses, and The Colonel afterwards won the St. Leger and Ascot Cap. Port*, who rode Frederick 40 to 1 to victory in the Derby of lsJ.t. was over sixty years of age at the time. A grey. The Exquisite, nearly brought off a very big surprise. Lord Louthers Spaniel, which won in 18.11. was an own brother to Lap-dog 1820, and. like the latter, started at 50 to 1. Riddlesworth, the hot favorite at 0 to 4 on. was second. The outsiders had it to themselves in 1833, for Dangerous, the winner, .-tarted at 3.1 to 1. and Connoisseur, the second, at 100 to 1. The famous Slane was fourth. Two colts named Ibrahim ran in 18;i3. one being l y Saltan tad the other by Emilius. and much confusion resulted. The race was won bv Mr. Bowes" Mundig. from Ascot 3 to 1 and Pelops 100 to 1. Bay Middleton, the celebrated winner of 1836. died at Danebury in Decemner. 1857. He started at 7 to 4 for the Derby and won easily from Lord Wiltons Gladiator and J. Days Venison. In 1837 Mr. Barclay, a West End bootmaker, rode his own colt. Pegasus, which was the joke of the race. Phosphorus, starting at 40 to 1. was unquestionably lucky to have beaten Caravan, which was much the best horse that ran in the race. Amaro, the 1838 winner, never ran before or after the Derby which, starting at 30 to 1. he won from Ion and the favorite. Grey Motnus. The first railway journey to Epsom took place that year, the trains starting from Nine Elms. Aaiato. which was a very littie horse, was trained at Epsom. Bloomsbury 1S39 bad not run before the Derby. He started at 25 to 1, and won by two lengths from ltcciption. which won the Oaks on the Friday, and Luclid. which ran a dead heat with Charles XII. for the St. Leger. The late Queen Victoria and Prince Albert witnessed their first Derby in 1840. and her Majesty presented a whip to the rider of the winner. Little Wonder. The colt started at 50 to 1 and was much Inferior afterwards to the second in the race, Launcilet. F. Bell, the rider of Merry Monarch, the winner, in 1845, died October 1857, as the result of an accident. Merry Monarch was so little thought of that he started without a price in the betting. Sir Tattoo Sykes. who won the Guinea-, and St. Leger of 1840. would assuredly have won the Derby as well bail not his jockey-owner foolishly stopped behind when the lag fell to argue with the starter. The Flvitig Dutchman, which defeated the 50 to 1 Hotspur by half a length in 1849. was the hottest winter favorite for the Derby known up to then. His owner. Lord Eglinton, also ran Elthiron, afterwards winner of the first City and Suburban. Job Marson, who won the Derby of 1S50 on Volti-geur. began riding in 1S30 and died at Middleham. aged forty one, in September 1S57. His last mount was a winning one on Vedette a son of Voltigeur at Newmarket on October 15, 1850. Teddington, the winner of the Derby in the "Exhibition Year" — 1851-was the first animal sired by Orlando winner of the "Running Rein" Derby to win a race. Andover. winner in 1854, was a son of Bay Middle-ton, out of a mare by Defence. He was ultimately sont to Russia. King Tom, the- founder of the Rothschild racing fortunes, was second to Andover. The slashing Wild Da.vrell was an easy winner of the Derby in 1853. but his subsequent career was a disappointment. He broke down while contesting the Doncaster Cup of that season, won by that fine stayer. Rataplan. Blink Bonny, which won the Oaks and Derby and was fourth in the One Thousand and Oaks of 1837. was destroyed in the summer of 1882. as the mare was in great pain with milk lever. The pony-like Borealis was her first foal. Bullock, the rider of Kettledrum in the Derby of 1801, was only twenty-two when he died in 1863 from a malignant tumor in the throat. He was burled at Morpeth. He first rode in 1854. and in 1S57 wou 43 races — his best score. Caractacus, the 40 to 1 winner in 1M52, had been unplaced in the Chester Cup. second in the Great Metropolitan, and second in the Newmarket Biennial that season. He had previously run thrice - ■ two-year-old. and was then seventh, fifth and third. There were twenty-five false starts in Macaronis year 1S03. of which Tambor Major was the cause. The race, due to commence at three oclock, was not l»egun until forty seconds before four ocl ... k. and then Tambour Major was left at the post. The Derby of 1808 produced an extraordinarily high class field. Blue Gown. Lady Elizabeth. Kosi-irucian. Green Sleeve. See Saw. Paul Jones. King Alfred and Speculum all being animals of exceptional merit. W. S. Cartwrights George Frederick, whose heavy shoulders were to stop him at Epsom according to the experts, won the Derby on the birthday o£ our present king, in honor of whom the colt, as a son of the mare Princess of Wales, was named. The field was very moderate in respect to quality when Sefton, himself much inferior to the average Derby winner, won in 1S7H. and was very little, if at all. better when the mud-larking Sir Beryl scored twelve months later.
