THE ENGLISH DERBY.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 129, 5 July 1876, Page 2

THE ENGLISH DERBY.

■ - —♦ ; / The result of the great race is at last known, and the placed horses are thus given in our telegrams : Mr Baltazzi’s b. colt by Buccaneer— Mineral ... ... ... ... 1 Mr Cookson's Forerunner, by the Ear!or Palmer—Preface ... ... ... 2 Captain MachclPs Julius Caesar, by St Albans—Julie ... ... ... 3 Lord Dupplin’s . Petrarch, by Lord Olifden —Laura ... ... ... 4 Lord Falmouth’s Skylark ... ... 5 The “ Mineral Colt” is therefore the winner of the Bine Riband of the turf for 1876. He is the first instance of an unnamed horse being gazetted a Derby winner. Two or three animals, only distinguished l)3 r their pedigree, have come very near it ; to mention two that readily occur to the sportsman, we have Severnake, then known as the Bribery Colt, beaten.only a head from Lord Lyon in 1866 ; and the Makeshift Colt in the same position with reference to Crernorne, the winner in 1872. Baron Rothschild’s winnerin 1871,Favonius was only named a few weeks before the race, having been previously known as the Zephyr Colt. There has been such a strong impression, almost a superstition it may be called, that an unnamed animal would never win it, that plenty of men were found to declare that Favonius would not have proved successful had he not been christened just in time. The practice of omitting to name race horses is not very common with English owners ; the most notable exponent of it was the late Lord Glasgow, who fairly puzzled everyone with his numberless Rapid Rhone and Young Melbourne colts and fillies. The Mineral colt’s appearance and performances arc thus described by ah English turf wiitor “ He is a great bay colt, almost sixteen hands high, vvitli quarters powerful enough for a dray horse, and perfectly sound. He bears on his off hoof the signs of a blister, but the leg is now as sound as possible, and does not cause Ins owner or trainer the slightest uneasiness. He ran four times hiring unsuccessful on three occasions—the July and Scotchwortli Stakes at the Newmarket July fixture, and the Middle Park Plate. Ho, however, won the rich Dowhurst Plate in the most decisive fashion, and landed for his owner one of the largest coups of modern times, beating the much-fancied Springfield as be liked, though so greatly was Mr Honhvorth’s horse fancied that he was backed against the field.” Petrarch, the winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, and the w'n'er favorite, just failed it seems to secure a “ situation,” which is generally voted a certain 4 }’ for the winner of the first gr a three-year o'd event. His position of fourth reminds us of that ot ! Mr Merry's Macgregor in Kingcraft’s .year, 1870. Macgregor won the “ Two Thousand” in a canter by font lengths, and started for the Derby, at 9 to 4 on, but lie failed to stay and finished where Petrarch lias. Before Petrarch ran for the great Newmarket race he was pnrch iso 1 by a con"edoia,y, wi.h Lord Dupplin as principal, for the sum of £11,500. He is not the first eleven thou-sand-cr who lias failed to car.iy out the purpose for which he was bought, for Kangaroo was he light by the Marquis of Hastings for the same sum in Gladiateur’s year, and, more unfortunate than Petrarch, who has repaid the greater portion of his purchase money, never won a penny afterwards. We have no telegram as to what the betting was at starring-, or what jockey rode the winner, though it is most likely that it wiseith'-r Parry or Mai Im ait, the former of whom rode the horse in the Middle Park Plate, while the latter steered him in t'._e Mcwliurs; Plate at the Mo igli-t-m mooting last year. In alhision to luri victory on that oceasi >n, linV's Lfe, ol; fifth October, 1875, has the following;— ‘‘ Bred in Hungary, to which country Miner.ii was drafted from the Vanliey s(u I before tin in< rifs of Wculock were known.-the young Buce nicer is a very hai'ulsom > an I power if colt, -and the sfiaole sto id (o win thirty thonsan 1 pounds iC’on him in the Middle Pick Plato. His disgnee upon that occasion was ns signal as that of Lo'lynop, and we are glad to think th' i refore lint the Messrs Baltazu again snpp irbai him heavily, an 1 one of (hem a'tcrwards (looked 44 nme monkeys” from a popn’ar baronet for the Derby, this transaction bring followed up in other quarters by two thousand to two hundred and fifty, and sixteen hundred to two hundred. So decisively did the Mineral colt alter the Middle Park Plate (wherein he began badly) with Madeira and the Aline colt, that ho might have done the same with Petrarch. Yet we are not justified in arguing to that effect, and the relative merits of Petrarch, Skylark, and the Mineral colt promise plenty of wordy warfare during the winter months.” Buccaneer, the sire of The Mineral, is noted as the father of many equine heroes of late years. He formerly belonged to Mr Cookson, of Neasham Abbey,, but was sold to the Hungarian Government about 1867. By the above extract it will be seen that Mineral, one of whose sons, - Wenlock, won the St. Leger in 1872, has also been expatriated in the same direction. It must be very riling to English breeders to know that both sire and dam of their great winner have been sent to foreign parts. It is significant of the progress which foreigners are making on the English turf, that this is the second year running a Hungarian gentleman has owned the winner. Last year’s winner, Galopin, was owned by Count Batthyany. Messrs A and H. Baltazzi are two Hungarian gentlemen of large means, who have now very formidable racing studs in England, The owner of the Mineral Colt, Herr Aristide Baltazzi, has only joined his brother Hector on the English turf during the last two or three years, but during his short career he has been very successful. The Mineral Colt, though not according to latest quotations first favorite, was backed* for large money. Among the bets recorded in his favor in addition to those already alluded to, we notice at different times £4OOO to £2OO, £BOOO to £IOOO, £ISOO to £2OO, &c., &c. It looks now more than ever if Fordham was destined never to win the great race. By late reports he was ill, suffering from congestion of the liver on the eve of the struggle. His mount was to have been “All Heart.”