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ENGLANDS DERBY AND ITS WINNERS. gentleman asked me the other day if a mile and a half were not the regular Derby distance. Mv renlv was that just now it undoubtedly is recognized as such, but there is warranty for a reduction of the journey in the fact that the original distance of the famous English race was a mile and that Dlomed, the horse that at 22 and afterwards laid the foundation of the American stud book, won the first of the great list at that distance. This brought up a discussion on the success as stallions of Derby winners. I had made a remark to the effect that of necessity thebest race horses were not the best sires, although undoubtedly the success of the progenitor on the turf in many cases means a better line in posterity in large measure because of the best opportunity. It was then instanced St. Simon, Cvlleno and Orme as horses of recent years that had "not won any of tin classics, but had been marvels in securing entry to the line of descent. This led to argument as to the Derby winners that hail been successful. St. Gatien and Harvester, the great dead-heaters in the Derby, were not excessively successful at the stud, although St. Gatien has left some reminders ou the female side. .Melton was more than an average Derby winner, but beyond Svsonbv and Best. .Man has not proved a great or lasting stallion. Ormonde was an exceptional horse, but unlucky at the stud, for he went wrong almost at once, having left Orme to carry tin the line. Merrv Hampton was a bail Derby winner and a poor stallion, and at the moment can only be recalled his daughter, Mcitv Wife, the dam of Santoi. as a transmitter of his blood. Ayrshire was a successful sire, whose blood both in male and female lines is doing well, and Don-.van got a lot of winners, but the blood in the male line is nothing like so much to the fore as it was a dozen years ago. Sir Hugo did not do much for posterity, ami Common was to a great extent a stud failure, though there is now a chance of Mushroom carrying on his line. Sainfoin sireil Rock Sand and Rock Sand Tracery and thus a moderate Derby winner as Sainfoin undoubtedly was sireil a "better horse than himself, and his son a horse that, as far as can be judged, was better than either. Isinglass was a stud success, while Ladas had some successes, hut never did anything like as well as he was expected to do. St. Visto made no great mark, but Persimmon was a giant, both as a race horse and at the stud, anil he headed the winning sire list of England on four different occasions. Galtee More has done well at the stud in Russia, but Jeddah was a failure, while Flying Fox was a success. Diamond Jubilee is doing well in the Argentine, but Volodyovski has not sireil anything approaching a great horse, while Aril Patrick went to Russia and Rock Sand came to America and is now in France. St. Amant has not done much as yet, though he sires a fair number of winners, and the same may be said of Cicero.: but both are still young horses and their day may come. Spearmint, on the other hand, has already made a big mark, and Richard Crokers Orby, only ten years old. had live winners of ten races last year. Two tillies and eight and twenty colts have won the Derbv in the last thirty years, and about half of the colts did well at the stud, while the other half were failures. Last year there were three Derby winners among the twenty leading stallions Rock Sand, Spearmint and Isinglass, to wit and of the other seventeen there are several that did not greatly distinguish themselves on the turf Harry Good in Montreal Mail.
