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EPSOM DERBYS OF A HUNDRED YEARS. 1 Incidents Attending the Running of the Most ,■ Famous Race of the World. First Article. The Derby of Waterloo year was won by the , . Duke of Graftons Whisker. The Duke had previously won the race on three occasions — with Tvrant. Ioiie ami Whalebone, the last two named, like Whisker, being sired by the famous Waxy. After Whisker came in I8it H. R. H. the Duke of Yorks Prince Leopold, of which there is nothing else particular to record: but the names that crop up about this period are significant signs of the times, as sedated as they are in more than one instance with eoateoiporary history. This must have been a somewhat melancholy occasion to many of those then present, for since the last gathering on the downs the fields of Quatre Bras and Waterloo had Ix-en fought and won. and more than one familiar f.irm and face was missing. A name intimatley known to old students of the turf is associated with Azor. the 17 winner, which was owned by Mr. John Payne, uncle of a genial and popular sportsman. George Iayne. as he was familiarly called by his contemporaries. Azors owner was the elder brother of Joseph. George Paynes father, who some years before had fallen in a duel, liotb brothers hatha amongst the fastest and gayest of men about town, but John was the only one of the family who bestowed any active patronage upon the turf until his nephew made linn-elf famous upon it. At the date of Azors Deny young Payne was but a lad of thirteen at school, where possibly, like his friend of after years. Admiral Rous, when a Westminster scholar, he may likely enough have made and landed his maiden investment upon his uncles colt. This. however, without meaning any pun. is purely a matter of s|teculation. which we must abandon for the region of facts, of which the one that remains to be mentioned in connection with Azors Derby is that it was the first winning mount in the race of that pre-eminently famous jockey. Jim Robinson. The stake also showed a decided improvement in value, but that of 1818. won by Mr. Thornhills Sam. was still richer, with sixteen starters out of fifty-six subscriptions, giving a value of £8,500 — the largest then known. Tiresias, the next year, landed the same amount within a "century" or so for the Duke of Portland, and then there was a depreciation in its value for a few years. Both the talent and the fielders alike experienced a rough time at Epsom in 1820. not exactly in a pecuniary sense, though someone must have suffered in this way, too. but by reason of a boisterous gale of wind that raged over the Downs, rending the booths to shreds, end demolishing the "gibbet," making a state of things as disagreeable as on Bloomsburvs and Hermits wintry festivals, or. as in the early morning of Placidas Oaks day. when a stand was fairly blown down, though by the time the race was run the elements had happily taken upon themselves the character of the heronincs gentle name. Appropriately enough. Mr. Tnornniirs Sailor, a son of Scud, weathered the storm of 1820 and won. iHing. no doubt, quite at home t::ic:or me unusual visitation, but history is silent as to whether the field behind him was scattered like the canvas wreckage that strewed tlw hill and course. Noth Ing particularly noteworthy attends the victories of Gustavus and the Duke of Yorks Moses in the next two years, but of Mr. Udneys Emilius, the winner of 23. it may be mentioned that he was Frank Ruckles last Derby winner, and that his name is in many fashionable and distinguished pedigree tables at this day. He was a stout, muscular animal, of a hunting more than a racing stamp, and successful, too. in getting hunters, the best of his bloodstock lieing The— and the better-known Priam. Two past Derby winners. Phantom and Whalebone, claim between them the honors of the next three years with their issue, the first with Cdrlc and Middleton, the other with the neat little Lai*log. Of this trio, the best known is Middleton. whose history is somewhat curious. He never started but once in his life, and this was for the Derbv. which he won. and for which though he had never seen a race course before, he was made a 7 to 4 favorite. His hackers, as "The Druid" tells the story, were blissfully ignorant of the risky nature of their speculations, the fact being that on the morning of the race the lad in charge of the horse had been tampered with and prevailed ui on to indulge him with a bucket of water to drink shortly before starting. Happily. Middleton was located some little distance from the course, and having wnlked over from his stable to the post, was after all so little the wors-.- for his unorthodox refreshment that his trainer declared that "even with five gallons inside, nothing could touch him." and. as the event proved, he could have won the Derby J in a trot. Middleton was a big-boned, heavy-topped animal, and won the Derby from sheer speed, staying not being his strong point, although not quite deficient in endurance; but his great frame and weight adapted him best to a two-year-old course. It mattered little, however, what sort of course or distance he was likely to prefer, for after his solitary essay and triumph at Epsom he developed such au extraordinary temper that nothing could be done with him tint to turn him out of training and he was ultimately sold to the Emperor Nicholas for th- stud. With Lapdog. the winner in 20. a 50 to 1 outsider, the name of Lord Egremont appears for the fifth time on the roll of successful owners, a series of triumphs which is not chronicled of anv other patron of the sport, though in later times Mr. Rowes and Sir Joseph Hawley are each credited with four, and several gentlemen l efore and since with three each. To the latter class belongs Lord Jersey, who. scoring his first win with the chestnut Middleton in 25. followed up his success in 27 with Mameluke. a son of Partisan, another admirable strain of blood, from which descended the mighty Gladiateur. A marked advance is now noticeable in the entries, for which the highest number previously was sixty when Emilius won, but with only eleven starters, while on this occasion they reached eighty nine and twentv-three re-S| ectivoly, raising the stakes to about 3,500. In 28 occurred the first instance of a dead-heat in the Derby for first place, ties for other places, however. I»eing of more frequency. The dead heaters on this occasion were the Duke of Rut lands Cadland. by Andrew, a little-known sire, and the Hon. E. Petres The Colonel, by Whisker, trained at Whitehall, and mounted bv Bill Scott. The Colonel was a short, cobby animal, of fine speed, but soft-hearted, always cutting it when collared, rare though it was that he met anything fast enough to collar hitn. Cadland. it seemed, did this in the Derby, though not quite early enough to finish in front of him. In the run-off. however, Cadland stuck to his rival till he wore him down, and won. the set-to between Jim Robinson, on the winner, and Scott, on the son of Whisker, being perhaps one of the most memorable incidents in Epsom records. This was Jims fifth Derby victory, but as yet his great contemporary had not scored bis first at Epsom. He had his solatium, however, at Don-caster, when TIM Colonel, in the St. I Mil, proved himself after all the better hoise. and was ultimately purchased by his Majesty George IV.. and at the royal sale in the next reign came into the hands if Mr. Tattersall for stud parpHM, for which his Waxy blood eminently qualified him. His sire. Whisker, the Derby winner of 1815. was also useful at the stud, particularly in getting good sound mares, one of which, named Catherina. ran in 171 races, .-iml foaled until her thirtieth year. In 1*29 the fiftieth Derby was run, which Mr. Gratwioko. with rare good luck, won with Fred prick, tliis being his first season, and the winner the tirst horse he had run for any important stake. Glancing down the list of winning owners, the prize had up to this date fallen most frequently to the aristocracy. The same sires, too. and ■■pal of them winners of the stake, appear pretty frequently in the | edigree tables of tlie winners. The number of subscribers to and value of the stake had. of course, fluctuated from year to year, but by this time the original figures had more than doubled, proving that the race had taken a fair hold upon popular favor. At the end of the Georgian Era a change is noticeable in the character of the race: the aristocratic element amongst its supporters gradually diminishes, and though luck dees not quite des.t them, the influx of less noble lint wealthy sports men into its list of patrons tends greatly to its increasing importance, and. of course, to a more equal division of its honors between the two classes. Thus in 1830 we find William Chiffney. the trainer, winning with Irlam. and after Lord Lowther had taken Hm race with Spaniel in 31. four commoners in su i-ess!on were returned as the recipients of the priae. Harking back for a moment to the winner of the race of MM, whieh. like Mameluke in his year, had to put np with second honors in the I-cger. we may nde that lriam. with St. Giles, a later Derby winner, and some others, was purchased at a high figure by the Americans, the result of which enterprise has been apparent in the unproved condition of the thoroughbred in their country. In Spaniels year 1831 the subscribers to the race for the first time reached three figure--, the nnmber being MS. hi tow which it has not since fallen, except in the following year, when it only just toiqied the century. The winner on this last occasion was Mr. Rldsdalcs St. Giles, bv Tramp. which gave Bill Brett his maiden Derby success. Tramp again sired the winner in .°»2- Mr. Sadlers Dangerous, about the last of the old four -mile heros progeny that need, and got when he was unite blind and broken-winded from age. Isaac-Sadler, it seems, had set his heart on having -a Tramp, and having sent one of his best inaresMo Wm, tlie result proved that, in spit© of ago, itt- 1 ,■ firmitv, and disinclination — for the horse and his visitor hail to be left together for a night in the loose box — the stout old stallion could yet leave among his last sons one good enough to win a Derby. To l e continued.
