New-York tribune., 1891-01-28
THE DERBY.
HISTORY OF A FAMOUS RACE.

1t Is unlikely that a simple cIHonlcio vi 'io DN'0'
would appeal to large number Of American readers
but Mr. Curzon has crvened his history OF 'he Ilue
Rbon7 with so many interesting records ana amusing
anecdotes concerning trainers, Jockeys o"hers anu
betting men that TO read the book Is 10 acquire io
eral education In turf matters For that reason II shon'
command some attention here, as well as Ill fhGdhu'
where not TO know the Derby IS to confess ones sell
stranger from distant country not in the queens
souinions II might be said of the Derby that 1t Is
FIRST in war first in peace in the hearts of Eng
Ishmen For 40 years its place has been secure
No crisis political financial or military, has had the
mower 10 shake it, As Lord PalmcrstOn remarked. to
adjourn for tho Derby is part OF the unwrten law OF
Parliament" Recent writers have told us tlat us
elories are beginning to and that in short time
IL will be shorn of its interest; but Mr.. Curzon taxes
more hopeful view, believing that it will continue to
he for many years the race Of races. For our own
part We inclined to suspect that the Derby Is on
the decline. Judged by the barometer OF the betting
market alone the interest in the in 500 was not
tenth of that manifested in the Derby Of twenty-five
years ago. The for this decline may be traccH
to the large in the number of rich stakes tat
are being offered at other courses in England not less
popular than Epson.
II is TO Diomed. winner Of the first Derby, that
many OF Americas most noted racing fanlheS owe
their origin The old horse after eleven years OF ser
vice on his native heath sold for 500 70 oeaer
who sent him to Virginia, where he was resoid lor
,
he remained until the day OF his death But our most
Intimate relations with the Derby existed at much
more recent period Indeed, it was exactly lol years
after the success OF Diomed that Americans began 10
take a serious interest in the English classic" The
victory Of Pierre LOrard, Jacob Pncus and lrOquois
I'm the Derby was the racing sensation OF l5ol llo-
uuois also won the ST. Leger and as Mr. keenes FOX
hall in the same season captured the double event
the Cesarewitch and eshre-sportng writers
began to speak OF the "American year feature ol
the American year" was the success OF "liuilse'
Walton whose winnings amounted TO S463ooO net
Iroauois gave Encshmen something 10 talk about'
and for long time the doinGs of horse and trainer
were remorselcssly chrOnicled and commented upon
generally to the disadvantage of BOTH for the INVASION
was not relshed We are glad that Nr. Curzoh mas
the courage and frankness to say the truh apou' Vo
Americans and crtciSe the critics who TOOK relus3
in the excuse that the English racehorscs which COM
petcd in the American year" as three-year-ods Wee
a very moderate lot" and that In consequences ITO
ouos and Foxhall were exceptionally lucky. Ihat
&c hut shabby reasoning" says the author OF The Blc
Ribbon of the Turf "lrOquos could only peat tne
horses set against him. and if he never met rediN
class three old. sound IN Wlnu anu Hp ~
himself that Is due TO the fact of English owners ho'
having entered any sucl- any such were that year III
existence 1t was forgotten by our tnrfwrlterS' IA
+bo,r nm xiotv 10 keep up the credit OF 'Old England
As horse breeding nation. that the mighty behu VI
was well beaten in the Cambrdgcshire by foNiaH' a'
4 difference of eight pounds, the one Oelhs Il ''ie0
ycarold and the other n fouryearold True previous
10 that. in the City and suburban. tie EhshSn no'So
cave the American thirty -four pounds and beating
t,+ aferrard Foxhall won the Grand Prize Of Paris,
and in all probability could have beaten Bend or IN
their october struggle at level weights the money
won in stakes by lrOquOiS amounted 10 @'""'o' Inv
eot gave his trainer vast amount OF touDc' He
had as a twoycarold undergone severe orucdi.
having been called upon to run twelve races some OF
yo,,ous ills overlook him-sweled knees indgesuon'
,s of annette etc-but care and attention brought
him round. till ultimately PmcuS led him IN as VIII
ncr Of the greatest English race. Ent lroq""' was
called upon TO perform a feat when no DERBY "l''e'
had ever succeeded in accomplishing, and that was 10
win the Prince of walcs'S Stakes at ASCOT owe, or
~ +he most irving courses in England ana the hoINe
s,s all ho was asked TO do that occasion-he
won the race. ,, 49, n;,is,
Rut America was not alone in robbins the BRUSH
~ their fondest hope in racing In loo' ,o"n'
Lagrange and the French confederacy OF WHICH nc
was the moving power swept the EnclSh turi a'n
Waterloo was avenged. For popularity theS cAlcu
,o,binc--thc horse. to them, was simply an lnSUn
mont 10 gamble with. The victory OF "Iadia'e"I
viii hc long remembered by those who saw IT, ana
Enrlishmcn will never tire Of repeating tne many
scnsatonal stories to which ii gave rise INA. u'o
\ French horse had year in hand whch ne ealcu 10
Derby was with many persons solemn bchei. i"c
oy-ner of another animal in the race demanded an
examination Of Gladistcur's mouth. but the ste"au'
Of the meeting declined to accedc to ms rePueN'
There never was a doubt in the minds of competent
,udres that the best horse won Never before III
the annals Of the British turf were 80 extensive pre-
cautions take, 10 guard against fraud. Between the
preceding race and the for the Derby an h'erV
~ an hour was allowed for the necessary prelmhdrc>'
which included feature. by speclh 0uer oi '"o
stewards 50 a. 10 prevent any foul play or chcaoefS
respecting short weights. which more than one winner
nrcvious thirty wears. The weighing was conducted
with scrupuous mnuteneSs. the saddle, bHdle anu
all the other riding paraphcrnala being pfiVa~N
marked and weighed separately from the !ock WHOSE
bodily weight was also registered, after winch nc
uas weighed with his gear in the aggregate ana
q. cuard AGAINST the slightest deception, body of
roonntod poce was ordered 10 escort the winner
hack 10 the stand, where detective superintendent
the unsaddlinc and to conduct the Jockey 10 inc
.caIes Glallateur, ridden by Grimshaw. won hahd-
somely having behind him as he galloped past Ie
winning post twenty nine opponents
Va sooner had the race been run than stories 0f
many kinds were set afoat to the money that had
oeen won and lost As matter of fact the stakes net
ted but little S34 0O0 while the Count was ehaoei
10 claim from the ring the sum OF about S-oo'ooo' '
trainer also winning good amount-Sooooo' IL was
stated Count Lagranges commissioner won about as
mnch while a considerable number of persons were
,povn to land from $4,000 to $4,000 over the
vicorv Three of the larger bookmakers lost between
them $500 OOO all Of which they had to pay over 10
tbe French confederacy At one time In the course
of the winter preceding the Derby any oIdS hlsht
have been obtained against Gladiator. = Lohdoh
wine merchant founded his future on trpleevent oet
laid him by a bookmaker who fcquented his parior'
against the French horse winning the three classic
races-the Two thousand GuincaS, the Derby ana the
81 Lecer The bet laid was $4,000 TO case OF
champagne. and was duly paid on the saturday fol
touring tbe st IeCer When the bet made it was
thoueht Gladiateur would prove an impostor
Count Lagrange raced in the grandest possible fas
ion In his best days lie giant on the turf ana
his stud must have cost him for several years AN
enormous expenditure. such stable as his had never
been KNOWN his training and incidental expenses
having been as much as $3.50. 900 year. GadateurS
turf career brought him in over II so 900, and in File