AIR J. W. LARNACH'S DERBY.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, May 27.

For weeks before the day it had been the general impression that the Derby of 1898 was to be an outsider's, and most of the sporting fraternity were prepared for a turn up. But to see two horses, quoted at 100 to 1 when the fla«; went up, finish first and third was something we did not anticipate. Lucky Mr Larnach! He has only been racing a couple of years, and has won the Derby at the first time of asking with the rankest outsider that, ever finished first in the race for the blue riband, and, judging by its past career, one of the most unreliable beasts that ever looked through a bridle. Indeed, the performances of the gigantic son' of Janissary and Pilgrimage have been such as to make it absolutely impossible to entertain his chance for a, moment. He certainly won the Craven Stakes, but only after a close struggle with Schoiiberg, whose form has been "consistently moderate, whilst the wretched Calveley was third. Then a poor show in" the' Two Thousand was followed by a still worse one in the Newmarket Stakes, so it is not surprising that he should have dropped clean out of everyone's reckoning as far as the great race was concerned. The field for the Derby was the biggest that had turned out since Bend Or snatched the race from Robert the Devil eighteen years ago, eighteen animals sporting silk, but the quality of the field was very much below the average. Of the horses deemed to have a chance the public placed most confidence in the Two Thousand winner-Disraeli, against which the best odds obtainable at flag fall were 2 to 1, and Dieudonne, the latter starring at 7 to 2. The Yankee bred Archduke IL stood at 9 to 1, and the Duke of Westminster's disappointing colt Batt (Sheen— Vampire) at tens. Mr T. R. Dewar's Perthshire had friends to back him at twenties, and at slightly longer odds many people trusted money to The Virginian, Heir Male and Wantage. The Wyvern and Horatio Bottomley's expensive purchase Hawfinch were 40 to 1 chances, and egainst Elfin and Bridegroom 11. fifties were always on offer. Tlie friendless ones of the party were Jeddah, Mr W. Ward's Dunlop, Pheon, Schonberg and Cherry Heart, against any one of which the fielders were anxious to lay 100 to 1. The absolute outsider was Calveley, against which the insulting odds of 300 to 1 were occasionally called. ' The mist which had oWcured the proceedings prior to the great race happily cleared away before the field mustered at the post. £ome time was cut to waste before the runners were despatched on good terms. The favourite made play at the start, but was soon passed by Elfin, who kept the lead until, when nearing Tattenham • Corner, Batt forged to the front. Simultaneously the favourite began to compound, and Jeddah, who had been with the rearguard, began to make his way through the already beaten division. As the field swept round Tattenham Corner Batt and Wantage were leading, with Heir Male, Pheon, and Archduke 11. their nearest pursuers. By the time they were fairly in the line for home Jeddak had taken third place, and a little later, a quarter of a mile from the winning post, perhaps, Batt shook off Wantage. As the latter died away, Jeddah challenged the leader, and overhauling the Duke's horse stride for stride, caught him a couple of hundred yards from the chair, and won by three parts of a length. In the last few strides Dunlop passed Wantage and Dieudoune, beating the latter a neck for third place. The result was received with solemn silence by the vast crowd gathered on the Downs; not-because Mr Larnach is unpopular, but simply because everybody was dumbfounded. The winner was ridden by O. Madden, the most successful jockey, of the season so far. •,-.-• Jeddah, whose mother Pilgrimage was purchased by Mr Larnach when 19 years old for 160 guineas and died only a few days ago, covered the course in 2min 47sec, and the value of the stakes won was £5,450.