view raw text
ONE OF ENGLANDS GREATEST RACES. Short Account of the Running- of the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Farlj, Near London. Last year Sandown Parks famous 0,000 race, the Eclipse Sakes, resulted in a dead heat between Lemberg and Neil Gow at the end of a tremendous struggle, and the rich prize was divided, the owner of each horse receiving 1,925. There was no such exciting termination this year, for Swynford defeated Lemberg even more decisively than he had previously done in the Princess of Wales Stakes at the Newmarket First July meeting. Naturally, in the case of a race of such great value, there was prior to its running much discussion of the event, and the following interesting history of its running appeared in London Sporting Life: "When a race of the great value of 10,000 pounds was first projected, it was universally assumed that it would annually bring together most, if not all, of the equiue cracks in training at the time of its decision. "In the case of the Eclipse Stakes, the first and by far the most popular of the "ten thousand pounders," this assumption has been abundantly justified. The race has very rarely fallen to even a moderate performer, and its list of past winners includes many of the greatest of equine celebrities. "Seven times, including Leinbergs dead heat last season, it has fallen to a Derby hero, the others having been Ayrshiro 1SS9, Isinglass 1S94. Persimmon 1S97, Flying Fox 1S99, Diamond Jubilee 1900. and Ard Patrick 1903, and Derby winners like Cicero, Common and Ladas have run for it and failed. It has also hcen won by such exceptional animals as the versatile Bendlgo, the brilliant but wayward Surefoot, the French cracks, Le Justicier and Val dOr, the gallant St. Frusquin, the eminently useful Velasquez, that remarkable gelding Epsom Lad, the mighty Bayardo, and the speedy and handsome Lally. Tho Eclipse Stakes has indeed made history during its short career, and no great race has a superior record for exciting incident or the quality of the animals that have contested it. "Unpleasant climatic conditions marred tho brilliance of the first Eclipse Stakes on Friday, July 23, 1SSG, but the value of the race had attracted such widespread astonishment as to bring a great concourse to the beautiful Esher enclosure in spite of heavy and persistent rain. The meeting of Ben-digo and St. Gatien, too. was a sporting attraction hardly to be excelled, Tom Cannon being seen on Mr. Barclays famous black-brown six-year-old, and Charles Wood on tho white-legged chestnut, St. Gatien. one of the recognized champions of his time. Bendigo was favorite, at. C to 4, St. Gatien next best at 9 to 4, and they finished first and third, the three-year-old Candlemas intervening. Gay Hermit was fourth, Fra Diavolo fifth and Miss Jummy that seasons Oaks winner next. Bendigo, whose only race it was that year, won easily, but it is likely enough that he was somewhat lucky to catch St. Gatien a little off color. "There was no race in 1SS7. but it was revived in 1SSS, when the late Duke of Westminster supplied the winner and runner-up in Orbit and Ossory. T. Cannon, Sr., rode the winner, and T. Cannon, Jr., the second: The pick of the opposition were The Baron, second in the Derby and Grand Prix de Paris, Enterprise, winner of the Two Thousand, and Florentine, winner of tho Middle Park Plate. "In 1SS9 Ayrshire, a Two Thousand and Derby hero, having previously won the Royal Stakes worth ,450 at Kempton Park, carried off tho Eclipse by two lengths from El Dorado, with Seclusion third, and Seabreeze, Benburb and Gold unplaced. This son of nampton and Atalauta, though he failed in the St. Leger through lack of stamina, was a very good horse, but he would have come off second best in the classics of his year had not the flying Friars Balsam, which beat him easily as a two-year-old. providentially for the Duke of Portland, suffered with serious teeth trouble. There was no Eclipse Stakes race in 1S00, but Commons victory, lie having just previously won the Two Thousand and Derby, was confidently expected in 1891. He finished a good third to Gouver-neur. which had been second to him at Epsom, and Surefoot. the latter winning the huge stake in the bands of Liddiard. "Ormes dual victory 1S92-93 was very popular, public sympathy having been aroused by the fact that the Kingsclere crack had been unable to take part in either the Two Thousand or Derby of his year. That Orme would have won both these great events in happier circumstances lias always been the belief of the famous trainer in whose charge he was. "The second meeting between Isinglass and Ladas, the Derby winners of 1S93 and 1S94. made the Eclipse Stakes in the latter year an event of particular interest. They met at twelve pounds for the year, and, as in the Princess of Wales Plate at Newmarket a fortnight previously, the lion-hearted son of Isonomy and old Deadlock asserted his superiority. The field was not up to the usual high standard In 1S05, when Whittier, None the Wiser. Le Var, Solaro and Troon were the best we could oppose to the crack French three-year-old Le Justicier, wliich accordingly won easily by three lengths. "St. Frusquin, fresh from his defeat of Persim mon, had only the over-rated Regret, Troon and Labrador to beat in 1S90. but his great rival. Persimmon, had more formidable opposition, a twelvemonth later. Velasquez, however, though he was no matcli for Galtee More in either the Two Thousand or the Derby, was a good, honest little horse, and it spoke volumes for Persimmon . that he wjis beaten by the late King Edwards great horse without the semblance of an effort. "Velasquez was himself victorious in 1S9S. He gave Batt, which had been second to the surprising Jeddah in the Derby, eighteen pounds for the year between them and beat him easily by three lengths, Goletta being third. "Flying Fox in 1S9D had nothing better than his own stable companion, the mediocre Frontier, to dispose of, and it is needless to say that Ormes wonderful son snuffed out his pretensions, and those of Ninns, Golden Bridge and Heir Male in double-quick time. "Diamond Jubilee also was fortunate in having to run against some very poor competitors in 1900, and was himself beaten into fourth place a year later. Epsom Lad. Ian and Disguise were then the leading trio, and the Spanish-American jockey, Gomez, when his saddle slipped at a critical part of the race, gave a remarkable exhibition of skill, resource and presence of mind. That was a fast run Eclipse Stakes, too, the time for the mile and a quarter being 2:0S. "Cheers, a pretty good horse that day, starting at 20 to 1, won the race in 1902, defeating Rising Glass. Ro-al Lancer and Fowling-piece in that order, and then came Ard Patricks memorable battle with Sceptre in 1903. On the theory of latest being best, Rock Sand started favorite, but, good horse as was that son of the 1S90 Derby winner, he was no match for such equine gems of purest ray serene as Ard Patrick and the Hying Sceptre. "Darley Dale, which won the Eclipse Stakes of 1904, was a very poor specimen compared with his predecessors. Nevertheless, credit must be given to him for his easy defeat of Rydal Head, Henry the First and others at Sandown. Cicero, a better-class Derby winner than he Is generally considered, only failed by half a length to give three pounds to the brilliant Frenchman. Val dOr, in 1905. and Llan-gibby, whicli himself won the mammoth stake in 1900, was then third to them. Lally, a very good sort at his best, though he had failed lamentably in Spearmints Derby, was good enough to win the Eclipse of 1907, defeating Sancy. Bezonian, St. Martin, Gingal and others, and J. B. Joels colt. Your Majesty, preceded his St. Leger victory by winning this event in very conclusive fashion. "Bayardo set the seal on his fame in the Eclipse Stakes two years ago, and the thrilling encounter of Lemberg and Neil Gow. which ended in a dead heat, was, of course, one of the sensational features of last years turf campaign. The Manton crack handicapped himself to some extent by hanging away from the crowd, and, as on one or two other occasions, it is doubtful if lie. in the vernacular, put it all in. In this years Eclipse he will have another opportunity afforded him, but that he has the magnificent Swynford again up against him is tantamount to saying that we are in for another very interesting race."
