THE RACE FOR THE ENGLISH DERBY, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5408, 27 July 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE RACE FOR THE ENGLISH DERBY, 1878.

‘ .(From the Pall Mall Gazette.) Just before the start the first favorite was Insulaire, whose appearance’and stylo of moving gained him many friends. The second favorite at the start was Bonnie Scotland,; who was purchased an hour or two before the race by Lord Rosebery from Mr. Robert. Peck, the owner and trainer of the colt, who appeared in public for the first time. Thurio was much admired as he walked up and down the paddock, and Sefton was so perfectly trained that, and had evidently made so much improvement since he ran for the Two Thousand Guineas that he advanced to 8 to X, at which price Cyprus, who was the only representative of the Russley stable, found plenty of friends. Club derio and Attains were not in much request, ■ and the “ dark" colt Knight of the Cross, as to whose merits rumor had been so busy a few days before the race, scarcely had a backer at the last. None of the others were mentioned in the betting, and they might as well have remained in their stables for any chance they had of winning the,race. The only absentee of the 23 colored on the card was Mr. Peck’s Reefer, with, whom it had, been intended to make the running for Bonnie Scotlond, but the transfer of the latter to Lord Rosebery rendered his presence unnecessary, and the only stables which had two representatives were those of Count Be Lagrange and Prince Soltykoff, who sent Pontoise and The Gallant to force the pace for Insulaire and Thuro. In the defile past the stand, Knight of the Cross and Bonnie Scotland, who was not generally recognised, as he did not carry the colors indicated on the card, led the way, but when the twenty-two runners wheeled round, and cantered down to the starting post, Childerio took the lead, and was as much admired as any. There was little or no delay at the post, and the flag dropped to an excellent start, the whole field running almost- in a lino for the first 290yds. Soon after this Sefton took a slight lead, and held it all the way down the hill by Tattenham corner, with Thurio, Oasis, and Childeric as his immediate attendants. Sir Joseph and Insulaire came next, and the latter, who had been running well within himself, passed Thurio and Oasis, who dropped back beaten when they. were once in the straight Tine for home. Childeric. was going so well at this point that his victory'seemed very probable, but he could not overtake Sefton, who was never deprived of the lead, and won by a length and a-half. Insulaire, making up a lot of ground at the last, was within that distance of Sefton, the same interval separating second and third, and Topaz, whose name was not quoted, ran fourth, in front of Thurio and Bonnie Scotland. Sir Joseph ran very badly, aud Attains, though he showed groat speed, was beaten before it came to racing in good earnest. The result of the race is not in accordance with the previous running, so far as the first aud second are concerned, for in the Two Thousand Guineas Insulaire had a clear advantage of Sefton, beating him as easily as he was himself’ defeated yesterday. The two long journeys which Insulaire had had within the last week may havo slightly affected him, but Sefton has also improved iu the interval more than his rival, for when ho ran second to Pilgrimage in the Two Thousand Guineas, he was ns fit as hands could make him. It is none the less singular that this year, at last, the horse which ran third for the Two Thousand Guineas should havo won tho Derby, and that the horses which finished second to them at Newmarket should have been behind them at Epsom. Sefton was ridden by Constable, who has thus won liis’ first Derby in the colors of a gentleman for whom he had novfr ridden before. He is the property of Mr. Stirling Crawford, who had never before secured the prize, often as he has made a bid for it. By Speculum, out of a West Australian mare, Sefton was r bred by General Peel, purchased by, his present owner for 1000 guineas at the annual sale ‘of the Glasgow Stud yearlings, but he did not do much as a two-year-old, the best of his four .unsuccessful performances having been when he ran second to Hedwing for the Hurstbourno Stakes at Stockbridge. Ho began bis : three-year-old career by getting second to Thurio, who had 51bs. the worst of the weights in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket, and though he afterwards won tho City aud Suburban Handicap, he had only sst. 81b. to carry, .and could .but just defeat the heavily-weighted Advance. When'in tho following week he was third for tho Two Thousand Guineas,: his Derby prospects seemed very doubtful, aud it . does not say much for his competitors that he was able to win so easily. . 1