The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-22 00:00:00

THE FRONT RANK.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EXPRESS.

Sitt,—Having in my last, when dealing with the
" sti.gglers," paid all due attention to the claims of the
most prominent members of the " dark" division, it only
remains for me now to review the pretensions of those that
have woo their way to the front rank ; and of this body J.
Day's lot is entitled to precedence, not only because it is so
numerous, but also front the fact of its containing the ab-
solute " tirst favourite" at this writing. Rustic and Jack-
in-the-Green represent the Duke of Beaufort, and King Hal
and Blue Baband the Marquis of Hastings, the
gentlemen being the great supporters of the stable ;
and it cannot be doubted that with such an
array the Dumber,. party Is fully qualified to
challenge any other. Even in the event of an accident
to the sheet anchor, they have more to fall back upon than
would any other stable in the same dilemma ; for if we are
really to believe Blue Riband was not quite " wound up"
when he ran the deed Mot with Mr. Pitt at York, there
cannot be much difference between him and the best of his
year. But ever since Rustic has been under J. Day's care
he has given every satisfaction, and done his work so well
that no fears are entertained about "getting him well to
the post ;" so that, as he M • much better performer than
the Marquis's purchase, there is little chance of his oppo-
nent', seeing him "shunt" in favour of any thing else
trained at Danebury. As is the case with his whilom stable
companion, Lord Lyon, the greatest objection that can be
advanced against Rustic is on account of his dam, Village
Lass, before she threw this magnificent colt to Stockwell,
Leine favoured us with nothing better than the most
wretched platers. King Hal never looked like stindingsevere
work ; and Jack.in•the•Green's Derby chance will probably
be spoiled by his undergoing a thorough preparation for the
Two Thousand, in which race he is in every way qualified to
shine. In fact, if he cannot tell them at home, after the
great Newmarket race is decided, what Rustic and Blue
Riband are capable of doing with the Student, Lord Lyon,
and Janitor. I shall be very much mistaken. W. Day must
give in to John when he could produce no better two year
olds than Cranford (the Mies Lavinia colt), the Doralice
colt, and the Rather High colt, only the latter having the
semblauce of • prospect of distinguishing himself in
the hint for the blue riband, and that more on account
of his good looks than performance ; and William's
neighbour, Woolcot, with nothing better than Laughem
and Kir:g Christian. must also e before the same s• ;
wLiist the best of H. Goatee's (Abergeldie and Mephisto-
pheles. perhaps, bad performers as they are) will have to
devote their attention to handicaps.
Larcb,,urne and Ilsley were never better represented in
the Derby, the natives scarcely dreaming of the prize going
to any other quarter. Touts have for months been lis.eg
on Lord Lent, with whom Dover has certainly done great
things for Mr. Sutton, as when he did Bing the horse out
there was no mistake about him, and the 3,560/. he won by
his three races at Doncaster and Newmarket, in the space
of six weeks, paid for all the anxiety he had caused.
The moot point is whether he will arty, his dam,
Parad.gui, having thrown three colts by Kingston—Man•
et
-Arms. Kingoit-Arms, and Blue Riband—that were all
as "soft" as Gcrdevisure (by Vedette) sod nothing else
worth io,otioniug beyond Rouge Dragon (by Win,"ioutd),
one of those doubtful gentlemen, good at nothing but
being reside a favourite without deserving it. The case looks
black against him undoubtedly, but the evidence is not
quite fatal. there being no cogent reasons why Stockwell
should hit tea badly with Paradigm as Kingston and Vedette
did, arid those who saw Lord Lyon perform last sc mon
discovered nothing to raise their doubts about his ability
to stay. Should he fail in this particular quality it wi't be
all over with Mr. Sutton's colours, which Split the Diffe-
rence (inferior both to Mr. Merry's and the Danebury second
string-) is not good enough to carry, sod all the hopes of
hairy will go with them. However, Ido not fear such a
catastrophe, it being only for Lord Lyon to get well through
the Two Thousand for him to have my suft 'ages at Epson!,
es, to perform this feat, he will have to meet (perhaps) one
of the very great guns of the year in Tue Student,
the pride and hope, riot only of Russley -park,
but of all Lambounie. M. Dawson has others
of Mr. Merry's to take care of, soil a very use-
ful pa'r in the Primate and Beelzebub; but
in ear em-
counter where Lard Lyon has to bo met it met teat with
the Student to early the yellow jraket successfu'iy, the
Primate having been easily beaten by We lordship in all
three of hie races. Exception is taken to the ritudtrit'a
staying certificate because lie ran so much hotter over the
thau over the three-quarters at Newmarket in
▪ sly. When he won his two races at Goodwood, however, he
compass.! a full six furlongs, and tio'sheil in a style that
set at rest all doubts as to his ability to rover the longest
T.Y.C. be might have been put to at two years old. There
is more to fear from the natural .delicacy f the colt, who
was amiss last autumn as well as in the spring, sod thus
lost the opportunity of estimating whether lie was the equal
of Lord Lyon' to whom he left the Troy Stakes at Newmar-
ket after proceeding to the scene of operations ostensibly to
"have a cut at aim." A finer colt, or a incite ilen:eetly shaped
one, it is not often thelot of the critics to see, and it "meld be
a pity indeed if the chapter of accidents should deprive us
of the pleasure of seeing the Student stripped in the paddock
OD the Derby day. With Matthew Dawson'a beautiful
polish on him, Le could proudly take his stand beside Lord
Lyon, Rustic. or Janitor ; and there would be such a rush
to "get out," on the part of those who seem habitually to
take Pberties with Mr. Merry's Derby favourites, as might
rause !.its to start at as short • pries as Duedee dal in Isla.
But Millet the Rudest or Lord Lyon—perhaps both—will
lose cast after the Two Thousand is decided, and till then
it is dithcult in the extreme to make a choice between the
two horses. Sir Joseph llawley's lot is not a threatening
one, del its the heavy het he has with Mr. Merry as to
which cabinet the twowill win a Derby first ; in truth, form
what I saw of the horse at Newmarket last J ely. Porter will
be very clever iudeed if he can send Wolsev, the hope of the
cherry jacket, to Epsom sufficiently wound up to oppose
the flower of this season's three-year-olds.
Lord St. Vincent's general ill-success on the turf does
not prevent his haeilig a good horse now and then ; and
since sending Reden and others to Royston, to join Mr.
Boyar", string trained privately by Purr, hopes have been
indulged in of his lending soother-1 was gene; to write
another Derby, but his lordship was act so fortuuate as to
quite secure the blue filmed by the aid of Lord Clifilee.
Reda° has that cut-cod come-again Ic ik about biro that di-
vests his admirers of all fear, as to Llesttmdiug the prparatioo,
or getting over the Epsom mite and a half ;arid yet it struck
me he did not like the hill when he ran for the Woodeote,
• first and last performances, at Chester and Doncaster,
on flat courses being so decidedly superior as to reoder it
possible he will ran worse at Epson[ this year than at other
places. His running away front Chibisa at Stamford (a fiat
course). after succumbing to him at Ascot when attempting
to concede sib ouly, will favour this impression ; but, under
any eh ,:censtatices. it is not rersonable t expect him ever to
get so hear Lord Lion as he did in the Champagne (vocal.
daring toe great improvement the latter showed vubse-
9uently), ,uppoiing toe two to be equally gifted with stay-
ing powers, aud I am likewise of opinion that Janitor will
beat him again whenever they meet on even terms.
Alex. Taylor's colt by Stockwell out of Bribery was once
one of the great fancies for the Derby, and we were led to
expeA a few weeks ago that he would turn out as well us did
big brother St. Albans; however, the letnit reports from
Fyfield have been so adverse to him that he is DO leliger
is the front rank of favouriteo, and it will not
surprise me to see him some day among " the stra ;glerv."
The coming under this denomination, noticed in my
last, might bare been considerably swelled had all that are
d-cited to have good l• outside chalices been noticed.
For instance, lirewitt is reputed to have three good
" dailies." in Mr. Henry's Apeley and SThoolboy and Mr.
Spencer's Grevfout, at Lewes ; Wadlow is believed by a few
to be ee,eally fortuoate with regard to Mr. Ilarenc's Argyll;
Lord Stamford is said to presets a better horse than either
Chihira or Esca in the dark Peer • and there is something
about the looks cf Mr. T. Purr's LCchiel. C Hanilley'a
Custaloge, Mr. F. Fisher's Magician, Mr. Partner's Nutri•
tion, Mr. Brown's Harefiold, and Lord Westmoreland's
Crown I'rince (all trained in " unfashionable" stables, ex-
cept the last named), that augur we shall see them in • much
better light this year than last. But I must confess
to knowing little concerning these that should cake them
feared for the Derby ; and a partiality towards Apeley
(who is by Arthur Welesley out of Pelle • dem), Crown
Prince, and Magician will not allow of my yet entertain-
ing their pretensions for anything the other side of the
Two Thoosand, Still Rica has shown some merit, and
always looked so like improving and staying that if the
Peer (by Newmiester out of the celebrated Fisherman's
dam) redly iv, or should train into, the superior horse of
the two, the Euviille blue must not be despised.
These •' ifs,- however, are scarcely worth pondering
over on this occasion ; for let all them we did not see in
their true colours last season improve Si they may, and
the ",dark" division produce ever so many flyers, Lord
Lyen, Rustic, and. Student (all well) will shine the
bright particular stars of the Derby when
they walk down to the start ; and even should the whole
trio come to grief before the day a formidable front will
still be presented by Janitor, Blue Riband, Slid Roden. This
L the rich lot that must be looked to, supposing Auguste to
be no Gladiatenr, for the winner of the richest of Derbies (it
will be w0rthi7,3751., with theisme number of starters as last
year) ; and in selecting Lord Lyon as the beet of the first
division, and Janitor as the best of the second, I must for
the present claim the pair as my representatives, both having
shown an adaptability to the „fatal bill" that others may
be foiled to lack, whilst in Lord Lyon lam assisted by a
performer than whom there was nothing superior, if we
saw his equal, all last year.—l am, &a, METEOR.

LAND IX THE CITY.--Another illustration of the
value of land is the City is afforded by the history of •
little piece at the corner of Lombard-street, formerly the
ite of Msesn. Spooner and Co.'s banking house. When
these premises were pulled down the ground was let to the
Agra and Mastennan's Bank, for ninety.nine years, at 6,6001.
a year. Owing to a change in the arrangements of that
bank it was next sold to the City Oilier Company at •
premium of 70,0001., and a building is now to be erected
upon it, at • cost of upwards of 70,0001., the gross rental of
which is estimated at t 2,0001., the London and County
Beak
_paying 12,11001. for the ground floor and buiement.—
Cisr.

idErsorourax Piz Hamm, Davonruntas
Noma, Cm.—The aggregate number of praiser. relieved
&sing the week ending Jan. 20 war—Yedical„ 006; surgical,
560; t 0661. 1,366 ; el which 596 were am sass.