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t ■ I * I I t t - i • - ■ l [ ■ i EPSOM DERBYS OF A HUNDRED YEARS. Incidents Attending the Running of the Most t Famous Race of the World. Seventh Article. The following year. IS75. an exiled foreign Prince, • venerable alike for his age ami his honorable dedi- cation of more than half a lifetime to the sport, • saw bis long-cherished hopes realised when ialo- 1 n one- of the fastest horses and least credited ■ J with staying powers, enrolled his name among the 5 deathless ones. Purchased as a yearling for 520 gaiaeaa by Prince Batthyanv. it was not long be-: lore his trainer, John Dawson, knew that in lalo- pin he possessed a youngster of more than ordinary .. merit. He won four races in his first season, and Ins only defeat as a juvenile was in the Middle Park Plate, for which he was unluckily beaten I by Plebeian and Per Se. A smart display against Stray Shot in a match i. over the Rowley Mile in the following spring, when :. he gave her ten pounds and a ten lengths beating. caused Galopin to be in chief request for the Derby: : but after Camballos success in the Two Thousand i Guineas, Mr. Vyners colt became first favorite. A week before the eventful uav, however, a report I got about that all was not well with the latter, anil Galopin again went to the head of affairs in ; the- quotations, with Prince- Soltykoffs Balfe second i in demand. The- story of the race needs little » telling, for Immediately the straight was reached i the victory of Galopin was assured, and he passed 1 the post an easy winner by a length from Clare-mont. . At Ascot, he won the- Fern Hill Stakes for r tie- second time, and then followed the famous ■ match for 89,008 over the Rowley Mile against the , live year-old Lowlaneler, which quite failed to , present twelve pounds to the Princes champion. An easy victory, two days later, over the St Leger J winner. Craig Millar, in the Newmarket Derby completed his racing career, and he forthwith retired . to the stud. As a sire his name appeals in i many a classic- pedigree, but more famous still 1 was one of his sons. St. Simon. Another foreign triumph in 1S70 was received I with nerfect good humor and acclaim by the English masses, not only because we grudge the honors i of the day neither to friend nor foe. but also . because the- handsome Kisber. for all his outlandish i name and alien birth, was a home-trained colt, and I sired by an expatriated English worthy. Buccaneer, by Wild Dayrell. whose name was once - great in our land. Kisber. which was named after ■ the place where he was foaled in Hungary, was owned by Mr. Balta/zi. whose colors had been i sported in England several years ltefore the son of Buccaneer and Mineral gained such distinction. In his first season Kisber finished Up bv winning the Dewhurst Plate, but had earlier finished liehind Petrarch in the Middle Park Plate, although excuses exist for this defeat, as he got away badly. However, when Petrarch upset calculations by defeating his more fancied stable-companion. Kaleidoscope, in the Two Thousand iuineas he naturally commanded most attention of backers tor the- De-rby. The demand for him did not seriously affect the market status of Kisber. which had lreen sounelly backed ever since betting on the Derby commenced, ami it was no secret that the colt had the full confidence of all connected with him. Kisber finished lengths in front of anvtliing after Petrarch had made a brave show to the elistanee-. where he compounded anil finished out of the first three. This year will always be remembered as productive- of an exceptionally good field in the matter of quality, and so satisfied were- at least lour of the owners of tin- excellence of their representatives that never was there greater partisanship or perhaps heavier betting. Mr. Baltazzi and his ] friends took over 100,008 pounds out of the ring. Tie- rider id the- Wlaaer, Maidment. was not for- ; gotten, ami sensibly Invested the money for the j I. cue-lit of his children. Kisber hail to run the gauntlet of an objection on the ground that his certificate of pedigree was informal, but the- stew- : aids e,f the Jeecke y club overruled the complaint ] and pronounced it frivolous. The St. Leger. which was Kisbe-r"s only other | race in England, was now looked upon as a fore-- j gone conclusion for Mr. Baltazzis colt, hut to the I -in prise- of everyone- Kisber. which was only on this ] occasion ridden by J. Osborne, failed to stay the i Doncaster course when tackled by his old rival. | Petrarch, which thus took ample revenge for his 1 Epsom defeat. A second success for the "magpie" colors of Lord [ Falmouth was -ecu in 1*77. when Silvio, with F. ] Archer up. enrolled his name among the winners i of the great Epsom race— the only English peer, .1 let it he noted, to suieeed since the Lord of Aske S won the- rae-e thirty years before. A more ragged I Held in all probability never contested the? Blue l Riband, said our contributor at the time, but the I event was happily decided in favor of a popular owner, a popular traim-t i Matthew Dawssa, a I popular horse-, and a popular jockey. Silvio was i without doubt the horse of the people, Who invari- ably rallied round Lord Falmouths colors with that t persistence which similarly characterised their s former adherence to tin- cherry and black of sir ] Joseph Ilawlc-y or the yellow and black of Mr. Merry. , That Silvio was in far greater demand amongst l the- general public than amoagst those who wore i regarded as being more- intimately and regalarlj I associated with tin- turf waa i vtdeaced from the fact that whereas in the- lesser rin-_-s and "out- i -iele" Silvio was backed at 5 to 1. that being fir - the- most part I he best pine- procurable, in Tat- I tersalls 1,000 to •»• was always forthcoming. That I great Improvement had beeh made in Silvio since I tie- Two Thousand Shtnbhs was shown by the dis- I tame he beat Brown Prime. Which over tiie Rovvh-v S Mih- Bnished in froal of bim, while- it was believed 1 that Brown Prime- himself was a considerably i better animal than cm that oceaatoB. The victory . of Silvio over the eiutsiebr. Glen Arthur, credited 1 I :- -in- Blair Atnol. with lis first and only winner J of the race in which lie- himself made his name- famous. Silvio afli-rwards won the- St. Leger. but later on in the- same year be met more than J his match in the four yi-ar-o] I Springfield in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket, the latter being unbeaten thai rear. | Victory iu is7s rested with one of the old schoal i Of turf supporters, intimate of Glasgow. Rous und Iayue, and other great tines of the pust, when I Mr. Crawforels Sefton snatcht d another eaaaaest from tin- dangerous Preach stable- represented by Insulaire, the property of Count F. an Ijjgratige. and tin- almost invincible Lord Kalmouth. with Chilclerie. Had not Insulaire twice crossed the "silver streak" separating England from France within a few days of the contest. Count Lagrange would no doubt have been able to boast of another Gladiateur. Insulaire had on the- Sunday of Epsom week anas Ted the- Preach Derby, and tlie journey to and from Frames must have? taken some of the steel out of him: but he had so many friends that he- Started favorite at 108 to 30, with lVmnie Scotland next in demand at 4 to 1. Within a few minutes of the race the latter had bee-n purchased f,r 6,000 pounds by Lord Boeebery, anil Webb, who had weighed out in Robert Pecks colors, had to change his jacket and don the primrose and rose- hoops of the noble master of the Durdans. Aeeording to the liook Sefton had not much chance of beating either Tliurio or Insulaire, but under the care of Alec Taylor he- Improved "ii-sieleiably. and left his earlier form a lenig way behind. Taking the lead a mile from home, he was never headed, and answering the final call of Constable with admirable resolution, lie- pa-se-,1 tin- post a length and a half in front of the Frenchman. No victory was more popular or battel deserved, and it was a gratifying sight to note- tlie genuine pleasure which illumined the owners face. The following year 1H7! saw the hundredth Derby contest, when Sir Bevys. carrying tie- colors of Baron Lionel Rothschild, who raced as "Mr. Acton." struggled he uie iu the mud over the Miel-dleliam-tralned outsider, Palmbearer. with another despised runner in Viseonti. from Russley. ,e e upy-hag third place. The field coulel hardly lie termed a grand lot. and had not the owner of Peter, winner of the Middle Park Plate, died early in the year, thereby voiding Peters nomination. Sir Bevys would probably not have gained classic- honors. His juvenile record was not inspiring, but he- vva- a plodder, and the heavy going was just to his liking. Jooil horseman as George Fordham undoubtedly was the victory was his first and only saccesa iu nineteen races for the Blue BJbaad, ami the ran* Lraiul.ii ions in- received on achieving his ureal ambition were thorenigrhly deserved, for "The Demon" handled Sir Bevys with consummate- skill. Allowing his mount to run along without anv bustle. It was not until well in the straight that In- called Upon Sir Bevys for an effort, ami gradually mak lag up ground, he overhauled Victor Chief and Viseonti in turn, and catching Palmbearer 100 yards from home wen easily by three-parts ed a length. The race was a disastrous one for hackers of the favorites, as not only did Sir lievys start at -." to 1 against, but almost any price in reason could have be-en obtained about Palmbearer, whilst Viseonti was epioted at 50 to 1. Sir Bevys afterwards turned a roarer, and after making no show in the St. Leger retired to the stud, when- he was not much of a success. To be continued.
