The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-29 00:00:00

DERBY

Stakes at Epsom, with thirty-six tubscrilers, was won by
Sir Charles Bunbury's Diomed, iu very clever style,
heating a field of eight. No very great improvement,
either in the number of subscribers or starters took place
until 1825, when the former amounted to fifty-Fight, and
Lord Jersey's Middleton, the sire of Bay Middleton, and
granthire of the Flying Dutchman, ridden by Robinson,
beat a field of seventeen. From this time the position
of the Derby was determined; it became the first racing
stake on the face of this sublunary ball, "the blue rib-
bon," as Disraeli has termed it, of the universal Turf.
In 1827 a considerable advance in the number of sub-
scribers took place, they suddenly rose to eighty-nine,
and fur the four successive years—Mameluke's, Cad-
land's, Frederick's, and Prism's—remained at that iden-
tical figure, From this period the number of subscribers
gradually increased, until in 1842 (Attila's year) they
amounted to ono hundred and eighty. However, in the
two following years, they tell off considerably, and in
the Merry Monarch's year (1845) had decreased to one
hundred and thirty-seven, probably owing to the shaking
the Ring had had two or three years before. From this
time the Turf has been in as flourishing a condition as it
well can be, notwithstanding the dampers that have oc-
casionally been thrown over it by several wretched sot-
, tling days, as is testified by the number of nominatious
in Pyrrhus the First's, and succeeding years, standing
recorded as follows:

SUBS. STARTERS,
1846—Pyrrhus the First 193 ... 27
1847—Cossack ••• •" 188 ... 32
1848—Surplice ..• ••• 215 ... 17
1849—The Flying Dutchman 237 ... 26
1850—Voitigeur ... 204 ... 24
185 i--Teddington ... 192 ... 33
This great race was established by the grandfather of
the present Earl of Derby in 1780, as Sweepstakes of
50 guineas each, h f, for three yrs old, colts Bst, fillies
7st 111 b over the last mile. The conditions were altered
in 1784 in respect to the weights and distance, the
former to be colts Bst 31b, fillies Bst, and the latter the
last mile and a half. Ia 1807 the weights were again
altered to what they have remained ever since, viz.,
colts Bst 71b, fillies Bst 21b. In 1848 the new Derby
course, one mile and a half, as originally proposed, I
believe, by the late Lord George Bentiuck, was finished,
and Surplice, the produce of Lord George's celebrated
mare Crucifix (the winner of the One and Two Thousand
Guineas and Oaks Stakes) was the first to travel over it
a Derby victor, and destined afterwards to be renowned
as the dissolver of the Champion charm—winning both
Derby and St. Leger. The levels of the new Derby
course, as far as rough measurement (taken a year ago)
will allow me to judge, are as fellows :
Ia the first 100 yards it rises 1 foot in 18.
In the next 120 yards it rises 1 foot in 16.
In the next 130 yards it rises 1 foot in 17.
In the next 160 yards it rises 1 foot in 18.
In the next 215 yards it rises 1 foot in 40.
In the next 155 yards it rises 1 foot in 25.
.(Here it joins the Old course.)
In the following 120 yards it rises 1 foot in 48.
(Here ends the hill.)
The noxt 720 yards are nearly flat, then a gradual
descent of 1 foot in 75 for 280 yards; then 1 in 45 for
the following 280 yards; then 1 in 52 for the next 104
yards; then nearly flat for 116 yards, and ends on a
steady rise from the distance to the beginning of the
stand of 1 foot in 30, and from the stand to the winning
post of 1 in 22—a very severe finish. I have been in-
duced to give those particulars as I think they may be
of service to the thoroughlaecd turkte.
The Derby, of 1852, in the number of subscribers, of
falls short of this year's by eleven, ono hundred and
eighty-one nominations bring all that are made for :the
" great go " on the Downs of Epsum next May.
The favourite in the betting claims my first attention,
I shalt therefore begin with the merry lot trained by

SAUNDEP.S.

at Iledaesford. This lot consists of the crack Masham,
Saredon, and Garibaldi.

Mr. Merry's ROBBIE NOBLE, by Pantaloon out of
Phryne, bought some time since of Lord John Scott,
for, I believe, the hitherto unprecedented sum for a two-
yeamold, of six thousand five hundred pounds, has ap-
peared in public twice. His debut was at Ascot, where
he won the New Stakes in a very clever off-hand man-
ner, beating Grey Tommy (second), Kingston (third),
and nine others, including Glenluce. His next appear-
ance was at the Newmarket July Meeting, where, with-
out the semblance of a struggle, ho beat Claverhouse
(second), Livermere (third), Bullseye, and Songster.
These are his only performances, but they are enough
by themselves to stamp him as the best two-year-old out
engaged in the Derby of next year. This horse is un-
dergoing a careful preparation e.t the hands of Saunders
of Ilednesford, and if first-rate training can
Derby
him, and he can be kept in his present form, theaf eyof 1852 seems all but over; but there are
signs
odescrip-
tion. Should they allow him
weak-
ness in the posterns, which are of the. longest
on by
tender
do oughtp f
at least long
treatment I think he waY
bekept
Guineas,l and attempt
enough to do the Two Thousand
ni
y strong in the fore-arms,
the Derby. He is ream
short, remarkably
well laid down. He is, in
and has splendid quarterst to
.ntra;onrm,
race-horses I have ever seen, and
fidnerase to believe that he is a second
would almost leaan.
He is quite well a t the present
Flying Dutuhrn
ono of the
also another Derby nag, which he
dr. Merry has
time, and takes gentle exerci:e diurnally.
by N • h
purchased of utwit Mr. Ewbank—a b c MASHAM,,
dam by Velocipede, out of Sultanas. This horse may do
something in the handicap way, some time or other, but
has no chance in the great spin of May next.
Mr. Merry's string has two other nags, a b c SAREDON,
by Verulam out of Ridotto, who has managed to win
ono stake out of fivo that he has started for, and this
was only accomplished by a neck; be, however, heat
Trosseau, though this performance is not good enough
to warrant an ;AvePtinent for the Derby.