SOLARIO'S FIRST

FORM OF MID-DAY SUN

(By "Rangatira.")

The best of England's three-year-olds proved equal to the task of once again breaking down the attack of French and American horses in the D*rby yesterday. Two French colts, Le Ksar and Goya 11, filled the two leading place's in "the first of the season's classics, the Two Thousand Guineas, but both we're unplaced in the t Derby, in which the three placefillers were English-colts. „ The winner. Mid-day Sun, was third in the T,wo Thousand, but that'form evidently did not impress the critics a great deal, as Mid-day Sun has never been among the best-favoured division for the Derby, so far as cables have disclosed.

Mid-day Sun's form has been one of steady improvement. He did a fair amount of racing as a juvenile, and a win came his way in the Ditch Nursery Mile at Newmarket on , October 13. when he scored by 1J lengths from Jupiter and Barking Fox in lmin 43sec on firm going. At his only subsequent outing'last termjie was beaten three parts of a length by Reconsider, to whom he was conceding 171b. in the Old Nursery Stakes (Rowley mile) at Newmarket on October 27, the time being lmiri 40 l-ssec. On those performances he was weighted at 7.1 in the Free Handicap Sweepstakes, 7 furlongs, run' at Newmarket on' April 15 (Craven Stakes Day), and, having his first race as a three-year-old, he was the winner by three parts of a length from Exhibitionnist (who subsequently won the One Thousand Guineas) and Gothic, the time being lmin 29 2-ssec. At his next outing he was third in the Two Thousand. / Mid-day Sun is the first of the recordpriced Solario's getg to win the Derby. Indeed, until Exhibitionnist won the One Thousand this year Solario had not had a classic success. However, Solario, a perfectly-conformed son of Gainsborough, had his best season last year, and it was predicted. that his stock might go on to their most successful season this year. Bridge of Allan, the dam of Mid-day Sun, is" by Phalaris out of.Spean Bridge, and in a brief career on the Turf of two outings she won a novice event at Salisbury as a. three-year-old. Mid-day Sun was apparently secured privately, as there is no reference in the records _t° his purchase at any of the big sales. Le Grand Due, who finished third in the Derby, is of interest to the Dominion, as he is a three-quarter-bro-ther to Bulandshar, who is now at the stud in the Dominion.. Bulandshar is by; Blandford, and Le Grand Due is

by Blandford's Derby ■ winner Blenheim. The dam of the pair is the Spearmint mare La Douairiere, who was sold for 1300 guineas as a yearling. ...