New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-06

everywhere rs a man of honor, and his horses
always run to win. The course of the betting
and ali the circumstances should convince the
densest dOlt who lost on Peregrine that there
could DO no foundation for such a theory
There ia really nothing "bewildering" about
the result. or about the management CT
Mr.. Lorillards stable in England. Every
one familiar with the history of the Eng
lish turf knows that winners Of the Two
Thousand Guineas are generally beaten in
the Derby. Since the two races were first
run only nine horses have won 10th of them.
1t has happened repeatedly that colt sue
cessful in the Two Thousand has been made
commanding favonte in the betting on the
Derby and has failed to meet the expectation
of his hackers. The courses Mt EPSON and
Newmarket are wholly different, the Derby
course with its steep hill and its sharp turn
being one Of the hardest in the world for race
horses. Percgrine is a TALL light horse, of n
shape peculiarly untitled for the highest speed
on such course, while Iroqu0is has form
and action well adapted for any course. Pere-
grine is capable of greater burst of speed
than Iroquois. He showed that In the Two
thousand. But lroquois can Outlast him on
difficult course. No one suggested that lro-
quois did not do his best in the earlier race
at the time that race was run. This precious
discovery was reserved until Peregrine was
beaten.
The running Of the two horses is a striking
example of that GLORIOUS uncertainty of
racing which has been 40 often commented on.
As remarkable an illustration is furnished by
the best fOur-year- in England, Bend Or
aud Robert the Devil. Last year Bend Or
won the Derby beating Robert the Devil by a
head only. In the autumn races Robert proved
the better, defeating Bend Or in the st. Leger,
Great Foal and Champion Stakes. After those
three triumphs, and after Robert had added
the Cesarewitch, the great handicap, to his
victories, it would have been hard to find q
man in England who doubted Roberts superb
ority to Bend Or, or that Robert was the best
racehOrse of his years in the world Within
three days the two rivals have met again,
Robert the Devil being of course the fayorite
in the betting. Bend Or defeated him after a
desperate struggle. No Englshman thinks of
suggesting that Bend Or was allowed TO lose
any of his previous races. Bend Or is the
property of the Duke of Westminster. If he
belonged to an American gentleman, perhaps
some of the losers on Robert the Devil might
be vicious and reckless enough to suggest foul
play, as in the case of Peregrine.
Now as to the statement of prominent
English journal that Mr.. LOrlard's horses
have been run in a "bewildcring" manner.
This seems to be intended to cover sneer or
n suspicion which the writer was not bold
enough to avOw. 1t il not true in any sense
at all discrcditable to Mr.. LOrlard or bis
agents. American horses abroad have been
affected by the change and by the climate in
such a way as to make their running often
uncertain. But there has been nothing at any
time TO indicate that their owner or his agents
intended to "bewilderr the public. He has
been mistaken himself as to the relative merits
of some Of his animals. Private trials often
mislcad owners, and Mr.. LOrllard was so far
mi>lcd that hc thought Barrett could win the
Derby and IroquOis could not, and made his
bets accordingly. There WAS certainly nothing
in that to his discredit. No fair minded Eng
lShman, who has watched carefully and with
out prejudice the running of the American
horses in England, will say that there is any
ground for the suspicious and sneers of dis
appointed hackers of British favOrites.