THE EPSOM DAIRY WINNER.

Common, the winner of the Epsom Derby on Wodnesday lasb, must bo a very brilliant colt, for the cable informs us that despite the f.icb that the race was run during pouring rain, he won in a canter. The pedigree of the Derby winner is ever a topic of conversation among brooding etu-

Last season Common was unknown to fame, for he never sported silk ; bub about a month before tho Two Thousand Guineas tho colt was thus prophetically referred to by tha London " Sporting Times ":— " There ia an exceedingly fine three-year-old in the Kingsclere stable, called Common, who is another of the big sort that could nob be gob ready as a two-year-old. He is built on a very different scale to most oi tho Isonomys, bub as yeb nothing is known about him. Hβ is oub of a Scottiph Chief mare. Being so good-looking, he has been left in the Eclipse Stakes, and he is in the Derby. The opinion of those who are best qualified to form a sound judgment in the matter is very favourable to the colt." Common's victory makes tho thirteenth timo in which tho winner of the Two Thousand has also pulled off the Derby. The first to accomplish the feat was Bmolensko, in 1813, but the double event was not secured again until 1828, when Cadland won them for the Duke of Rutland, after a dead heat with Mr Petro's The Colonel.' Lord Jersey won them both with Bay Middloton in 1836, and Mr Bowes with Cotherstone in 1843; while the latter gentleman, in 1853, not only won these two races with West Australian, bub carried off the St. Lager as well. Apain, in 1863, Mr Naylor won the Two ThouBand Guineas and Derby with Macaroni, and in 1865 Gladiaßeur, in 1366 Lord Lyon, and in 1886 Ormonde did for Count de Lagrange, Sir Richard Sutton, and the Duke of Westmin»ter what West) Australian had done for Mr Bowes. In 1869 Pretender was the hero of the Newmarket as well as of the Epsom race, in 1881 Iroquoie, in 1885 Melton, and in 1889 Donovan of tha Dorby and St. Leger, while in 1883 Ayrshire carried off the Two Thousand ac well aa the blue riband.

Until last year the nominators have never had anything to run for except thoir own money, the stakes having been made up entirely of the ownovs' subscriptions of 50sovs each, half forfeit. This caused a considerable fluctuation in value, from the highest on record—£7,3so _ in Lord Lyon's year, some of which his owners never got—down to, say, the £4,060 Donovan won for the Duke of Portland in 1889. This season, for the second time on record, the prize is a fixed sum, the promoters, the Epsom Grandstand Company, guaranteeing s,ooosovs for tho winner, 500sovs for the nominator of the winner, SOOaovs for the owner of the second, and 200sov8 for the owner of the third horse. The race was first instituted in the year 1780, and attracted nine starters oub of 36 subscribers, the winner being Sir Charles Buubury's Dionied, ridden by S. Arnull, who rode three other winners of the raco afterwards. One-and-twenty years lafcor Sir Charles Bunbury again carried off the "blue ribbon," and also the Oaks Stakes—instituted a year before the Derby —with Eleanor, the first mare whose name appears on the roll, and one of tho only two that ever landed the double event, the other being the no loss famous Blink Bonny. The second winner wae Colonel O'Kclly's Young Eclipse, a eon of the celebrated horse that his owner placed " first, and the rest nowhere." Since then the race hns> fallen to favourites and outsiders of every degree. In 1838 tho winner, Amato, dropped dead after passing the post, and his crave, with its neat iron railing, may be seen adjoining the rural lane leading from the town of Epsom to the racecourse, through the beautiful Durdans Estate, formerly tho property of his owner, Sir Gilbert"Heathcote, but now in the possession of Lord Rosebery, if we remember rightly. Only twice has the race had to be run twice over, owing to the judge declaring a dead heat-in 1828 between Cadland atid The Colonel, and in 18S4 between St. Gatien and Harvester, the first-named winnine the decider, and the stakes being divided on the second occasion. In 1844 a four-year-old, entered falsely as Running Rein, came in first, bub was subsequently disqualified on the fraud being discovered, mainly through the instrumentality of Lord George BenfciTick, and the race awarded to Col Peel's Orlando. Orlando'sdano, Vulture, according to "The Druid," "had perhaps

the highest speed of any animal that ever trod the turf." How much Lord George Bentnick would have given to win the Derby ib would not be easy to say, but Lord Beaconefield has placed on record the " splendid groan " to which he gave vent on learning that Surplice, disposed of when he gave up hie stud, had carried off the coveted object of his ambition that always seemed placed beyond his own reach. Of the owners who still patronise the turf the Duke of Westminster has been the most fortunatso at Epsom, Bend Or, Shotover, and Ormonde having each placed the Derby Stakes to his credit, and the Duke of Portland is the only other who hae scored 6 double first—with Ayrshire and Donovan: Of the jockeys whose names are associated with the race, Jem Robinson made the highest score, having ridden no lees than six winners ; J. Arnull, Frank Buckle, Clifb and Fred. Archer tieing for second place, with five victories to the credit of each. Custance was successful three times, on Thormanby, Lord Lyon, and Goorgo Frederick, and Charlie Wood, after winning on St. Blaise, rode a dead hoab for the first place on St. Gafcien. The lake George Fordham, though he headed tha list of successful jockeys for a long series of years, never landed tho great prize ab Epsom until near the close of his professional career, when he at last gained the fiat on Sir Bevys, perhaps one of the worst horses that ever won the race.

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