Rockhampton Bulletin (Qld. : 1871 - 1878), Friday 3 August 1877, page 3


The fíaoe for the English Derby of I

1877. j

But for the fact that the Derby has been won by so good a sportsman as Lord Falmouth, yesterday's race would have had to be classed among the most unsatisfactory upon record, for of the six or seven high-class horses of the season, roany were not engaged, while the remainder met with some mishap which either kept them in their stables or was the cause of their being sent lo the post in anything but proper condition. Jongleur and Verneuil, first and second in the French Derby last Sunday, were not among the entries. Foutainebleau, who proved himself to be a good horse by his running in France, got an attack of influenza, and Pellegrino did so badly that the Duke of Westminister, to pre-vent him being subjected to market manouvres by which the public would suffer, struck him out of the race. All this was much in favour of diamant, whose most dangerous opponents were thus removed out of his path; and though the winner of the Middle Park

Plate had never vet succeeded in

winning the Derby, it seemed as if the spell would be broken at last. And so it probably would have been if Count de Langrange's had remained well ; but directly he made his appearance in the paddock it became evident that he had as little success as Plunger, who ran third in the Middle Park Plate, and second in the Dewhurst Plate a fort. night afterwards. The latter who was

with Chamant a far better performer than any of the others, went lame two months ago, and though his trainer had patched him up and his owner had invested a large sum of money upon him, he was in no condition to run. With regard to Chamant it is more difficult to speak ; for, though there can

be no doubt that he was lame in his near hock, the causes of that lameness have not yet been explained. He was one of the first brought into the paddock, and his .owners gave orders that he should be trotted a few yards, so that the spectators might see themselves that the colt was really lame. He was strongly advised not to run him, but Chamant had been such a general favourite since his victory in the Two

Thousand Guineas that Count de Lagrange determined that his backers should have every chance.

All the seventeen horses which came

to the post were brought into the paddock, and the crowd was so great there that it was difficult to get a view of the principal favourites, one of whom was Silvio, for the colours of Lord Falmouth are always popular

even when to wish for their success

seems hoping against hope. The mishap to Chamant and the withdrawal . of Pellegrino, Hidalgo, &c, was so far 1 productive of good that it led to an

increase in the number of runners, for many horses which had not been reckoned upon as starters were found at the post Chamant went back in the betting upon the morning of the race but when his number was exhibited upon the telegraph-board his enemies took fright, and he then became second favourite, but Rob Roy started in .most demand, while Altyre and Brown Prince stood next, Plunger, Silvio, and Touchet being the only others backed in good earnest. The names of the runners were Lord Falmouth's Silvio (F. Archer), Mr. Mitchell Innes's Glen Arthur (Dodge), Mr. Mackenzie's Rob Roy (Gustance), Mr. Beddington's Altyre (Cannon), Mr. Sanford's Brown Prince (J. Osborne), Count de Lagrange's Chamant (J. G-oaterV Mr. Langland's Don Carlos (Wyatt), Lord Langlesey's The Grey Friar (Hunt), Mr. Bowes's Jagellon ÍGriffiths), Mr. Rogers's Lady Miller Weston), Mr. Gerard's Orleans (F.

Webb), Mr. Baltazzi's Plunger (T. i Chaloner), Mr. Bevin's Rhidorroch (H. Geffrey), Mr. Alexandre's Thunderstone (Morbey), Mr. Holdsworth's Tantalus (T. Osborne), Lord Rosebery's Touchet (Constable), and Lord Huntly's Covenanter (Morris). The flag fell at the first attempt to an excellent , start, and the whole field kept I well together, with the exception of

Lady Miller, who was tailed off in the first fifty yards for nearly a mile. Warm-ing to their work, Chamant and Plunger ran well for some distance, and indulged their backers with brief hopes of success; but the efforts told, and both were beaten at Tattenham Comer. At this

point Rob Roy's jockey endeavoured to come to the front, but he was obstructed by Thunderstone, and Custance lost so much ground that the horse was unable

to respond to the final call made upon him. While this was taking place, Touche), who had run well for about a

, mile and a quarter, gave way, and it

: seemed for a moment as if the race

would be won by Glen Arthur, «hose name had not been alluded to as a pro-bable starter until the day before the race, and against whose chance odds of 50 or even 100 to 1 might have been obtained. He was in front nearly the whole of the way, and it was only in the last hundred yards that Lord Falmouth's Silvio, beautifully ridden by f. Archer, who thus wins his first Derby, overtook him and won by half a length. Rob Roy, answering gamely to Custance's challenge, finished third, three-quarters of a length from Glen Arthur, while the extreme outsider Rhidorroch was fourth, beaten only by a head. Altyre, who was altogether too small a horse to win the Derby, was fifth, Brown Prince and Touchet coming next, while Chaînant, pulling up very leg-weary, past the post tenth. Lord Falmouth's victory was greeted with the most unfeigned glad-ness by every one who witnessed it ; but there can be no doubt that Silvio is one of the worst horses which ever won the Derby, and nine years out of ten he would not have been successful with 21 lbs. the best of the weights. This may be assumed not only from his own previous performances, but I rom the doings of Glen Arthur and Rhidorroch,

who finished so close behind him. Silvio, bred by Lord Falmouth who never buys a yearling, is by Blair I Athol out of Silverhair, and as a two

year-old he won the Ham Stakes at Goodwood, the Clearwell Stakes and two other Sweepstakes at Newmarket, [ his only defeat being in thc Buckeqham [ Stakes at the Newmarket First October Meeting, when Verneuil finished half a length in front of him. Silvio made a bad beginning this season, for he was unplaced in the Newmarket Biennial Stakes for which The Grey Friar and Jangelleon, who were far behind him yesterday, finished first and third. He then ran in the Two Thousand Guineas, and was placed third to Chamant and Brown Prince, both of whom were beaten by him yesterday, so that he has had an ample revenge upon his conquerors. Lord Falmouth never engages his horses in the French races, so Silvio will not run for the Grand Prix de Paris ; but he is entered in the Prince of Wales' Stakes and the Ascot Derby in the Doncaster and St Leger, and in several races at Goodwood, York, and Newmarket. Lord Falmouth won the Derby in 1870 with Kingcraft, who, like Silvio, had been placed third in the Two Thousand Guineas, and who in the Derby beat the first and second horses in the Two Thousand Guineas very easily, while, to complete the parallel, Macgregor, who was to King-craft as Chamant to Silvio, had very

much the same- fate as Count de Lagrange's unfortunate colt. The run-ning of Silvio and Rob Roy, both of whom are sons of Blair Athol, will serve to favour the belief that bis stock

are gradnally improving in stamina, for Silvio's victory was wholly due to the

stoutness which he showed in the last hundred yards. What would have been the result of the race, with Fontaine-bleau, Chamant and Plunger fit and well, and with Jongleur and Vcmeuil also at the post, it is not easy to say ; but it is pretty certain that none of the horses which occupied the three first places yesterday would have obtained

recognition from thc judge.

-Pall Mall