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EPSOM DERBYS OF A HUNDRED TEAKS. Incidents Attending the Running of the Most Famous Race of the Wrld. Tenth Article. This brines us to the Ml of Portlands lucky period. The duke won the Derby in two consecutive ye;irs. His first winner was Ayrshire, like the winner of the previous year, by Hampton out of Ata-lanta. Ayrshire had a successful first season, ■winning five of the seven events in which he cornered. In the course of his final race as a to-year-old. however, he met with an accident which "kept him away from a race course until the Craven meeting of the following year. By this time he had shaken off the effects of his injury and had no difficulty in beating his only opponent for the Rid-dlesworth Plate. Following this. Ayrshire easily carried off the Two Thousand, the Duke of Port-hind also supplying the second in Johnny Morgan, while the favorite, Friars Palsam. which had displayed good form during the previous season, ran badly. As a consequence of all this, slight odds were lnid on Ayrshire for the Derby. Orbit and Crowberry. belonging" respectively to the owners of Ormonde and Minting, being regarded as the main sources of danger. Ayrshire was onlv fairly well placed until Tattenh;im Corner had been left behind, after which he ran into third position. Van Diemans Land and Orbit lieing the leaders. At the distance Ayrshire had disjK.sed of th» animals last mentioned, but Crowberrv then appeared on the scene and challenged the favorite. The latter, however, was never in serious trouble and eventually won by two lengths from Crowberrv. with Van Diemans Land third. Ayrshire endeavored to win the -triple crown." but made no show in the St. Leger, in which he finished unplaced to Seabreeze. This son of Hampton was a horse of more than ordinary merit, however, and in the course of his three seasons on the turf won nearly 40.000 pounds in stakes. Ayrshire was unquestionably a good horse, hut the Duke of Portlands second winner, Donovan, was even better. Donovan was a son of Galopin and made his acquaintance with a race course early in his career. He was. as a matter of fact, saddled for the first important two-year-old race of the year, the Brocklesby Stakes, which he won easily from Poem, after having been beaten in a trial. In his first season Donovan took part in thirteen races, in the course of which he sustained but two defeats, the smart Cliittabob beating him in the Whitsuntide Plate at Manchester, while he finished third of four to El Dorado and Gold in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Goodwood. Donovans juvenile form, nevertheless, entitled him to winter favoritism for the Derby. He commenced his second season by securing the Prince of WalM Stakes at Leicester, worth the mammoth sum of 12,000 pounds. His next essay was in the Two Thousand, in which substantial odds were laid on him. To the surprise of every l ody, however, the colt was beaten a head by Enthusiast, which had finished many lengths behind the favorite at Leicester. That the result was a fluke was the -general opinion, and when the Two Thousand winner and Donovan again met. in the Newmarket Stakes, the latter was again made favorite. Moreover, he justified the confidence of his friends by winning easily. Enthusiast lieing out of the first three. Donovan had now thoroughly rehabilitated himself in the good graces of the racing public, and when Derby Day arrived odds had to.be laid on the Wel-beck colt for the great race of the year, while Enthusiast was on offer at 33 to 1 against. Fred Barrett had ridden Donovan on the occasion of his Newmarket defeat, but Tom Loates now had the mount. Descending the hill to Tattenham Corner. The Turcophone. which was acting as pacemaker to the favorite, and Gulliver were leading, with Enthusiast and Donovan following. The Two Thousand winner was not travelling too well, but Donovan was going easily. Coming into the line for home, the dukes second string was still leading from Gulliver, Miguel and Donovan, but three furlongs from home, when The Turcophone had shot his bolt. Donovan was sent to the front, and it was soon all over, the son of Galopin winning comfortably from Miguel, with El Dorado third, Enthusiast again being nearer last than first. After a race at Ascot. Donovan was put by for the St. Leger. which he duly won by a length and a half from Miguel. I ord Bradfords Davenport filling third position. The north country colt Chittabob was strongly fancied for this race, but after running well to the distance he faded away. There is no question but that Donovan was a rare good colt, and with ordinaary luck he would have joined the band of "triple crown" winners. The Duke of Portland thus won the premier classic in consecutive years with Ayrshire and Donovan. The latter was followed by Sainfoin, a colt by Springfield — Sanda. bred at Hampton Court. Among j those present at the sale of the yearlings from the j royal stud in 1N8K were those good judges, the late Mr R. Jardine and the evergreen John Porter. In the course of conversation it transpired that both : were somewhat keen on obtaining imssession of the I son of Springfield, but the Kingsclere trainer de- I cided that it was hopeless to oppose the Scottish ! baronet and said so; whereupon Sir Robert replied: . "Very well; you buy him and well have him to- | gether and you can train him." Porter agreed and purchased the colt for 550 guineas. Sainfoin ran but once in his two-year-old days, contesting the Astley Stakes at Lewes, which event he won comfortably front Mr. "Jack" Hammonds barter. He reappeared at Sandown Iark in the following spring, taking part in the Esher Stakes, starting favorite and winning in a canter. Among those who witnessed the race was Sir James Miller, who was so impressed that he made a bid of 6,000 pounds, with a contingency in the event of the i colts triumph in the Derby, and the offer was duly ! accepted. Though Porter recognized that Sainfoin i was a pretty useful animal, he scarcely anticipated that the colt would prove sufficiently good to triumph at Epsom. The popular choice that year was Surefoot. which had won three of his four races as a juvenile, and which had opened his second season auspiciously by easily defeating Le Nord and seven others in the Two Thousand. On the day of the great race odds of 9." to 40 were demanded on Mr. A. W. Merrys representative, while Sainfoin figured as second favorite at 100 to 15 against. The day was one of the worst imaginable, rain falling in torrents throughout the morning and while the race was being run. Perhaps the conditions in St. Amants year some seasons later were even niore terrible, but that is a matter of opinion. As to the race itself, at the mile post Orwell, a stable companion of Sainfoin, was leading from Kirkham. witli tlie favorite among the last trio. The Duke of Westminsters colt still led when Tattenham Corner had been left behind, Sainfoin being second and Surefoot fourth. A little further on. however, the last-named had to be shaken up, and though he made up ground. it lxcame evident that he could not sustain the effort. It may be here noted that Surefoot was not in the mood for the business on hand, and made more than one effort to savage certain of his rivals. When Surefoot dropped out. Le Nord challenged, but Sainfoin got the better of a brisk tussle and won by three-parts of a length. The colt never won another race, but later in life sired Rock Sand, of which more anon. Kingsclere was also associated with the triumph of the following year, when the prize fell to Common, a son of Isonomy and Thistle, the joint property of Lord Alingtou and Sir Frederick Johnstone. Porter experienced some trouble with Common during his early days. He was a big colt, with joints that were somewhat doubtful looking, and there was no hope of getting him into condition for racing as a two-year-old. Eventually, however, he outgrew his weaknesses, and in the spring of 1S91 he was sent along with a view of taking part in the Two Thousand Guineas. Sme little time prior to the race Common was pitted against a couple of stable companions and though he gave both weight and won his trial easily, a great deal of importance was not attached to the result, and tfc_a concerned with his fortunes were hopeful lather than sanguine. France supplied the favorite for the Newmarket race, this being M. E. Blancs Gouverneur, which had the previous year won the Middle Park Plato. The best offer against Gouverneur was 5 to 4. while Pet-r Flower was second in the list at 3 to 1. with Common quoted at 9 to 1 against. The 1 i-t -named confounded his detractors — and of t!:e.-e there were mere than few — by cantering away with tiie race, Orvieto. which later won the "Jubilee" carrying a big weight, being second, and Peter Flower third. This successful debut of Common, of course, necessitated a revision of ideas on prospective happenings at Epsom, the Two Thousand winner being honored with the position of favorite, and when the day for the decision of the race came along odds of 11 to 10 had to be laid by those desirous of supporting Isonomys son. 10 to 1 being offered against the "next best," which was as-Mimed to be Sir 1. Coopers filly Dorcas, while Gouverneur. which had disappointed at Newmarket, was 100 to !• commodity, at which price he claimed sonic Mttli, who refused to believe in the early form of the colt, and whose hopes hail lioen revived by a victory in the French Two Thousand. As was the ease a twelvemonth earlier. Derby Day was attended by miserable weather. The eleven competitors g*it well away. The first to Know signs of baring had enough was the Two Thousand third, peter Flower; but the Freie-h candidal*- was going well, and turned into the straight leading from Dorcas, with Common thereabouts. A little later the filly was beaten, and when a quarter of a mile remained to be covered Common tackled the leader, the pair coming away from the remainder of the field. It was apparent that, well as Gouverneur was travelling, the favorite had his measure. At the distance George Barrett sent his mount to the front, and when the winning post was reached Common was two lengths ahead of Gouverneur, with Sir James Dukes outsider. Marten-hurst, a moderate third, Cuttlestone fourth and The Deemster next. The jockeys were all drenched to the skin and were two pounds overweight on returning to the scale, but they were, of course, passed by the stewards. Common ran in but three other races. He had no difficulty in accounting for his solitary opponent in the St. James Palace Stakes at Ascot, but was unexpectedly beaten in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, which fell to the Derby disappointment of the previous year, Surefoot. The latter, giving of his best, won by a half length from Gouverneur. with Common beaten a short head for second place. His final essay was in the St. Leger, which, with odds of 5 to 4 laid on him, he won easily from another French colt in Reverend, with St. Simon of the Rock third. Thus Common enrolled his name on the scroll of "triple crown" winners. The joint owners were soon the recipients of offers for the horse of the moment, one of 14.000 guineas coming from the Austrian government. This was refused, but a bid of 15,000 guineas from Sir Blundell Maple was accepted. Shortly afterwards the Austrian government wired offering 20,000 guineas, but Sir Blundell Maple refused to part with his new possession. It must be admitted, however, that Common was anything but a success at the stud. To be Continued.
