TNE DERBY SENSATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume 13384, Issue XLI, 19 May 1914, Page 9

TNE DERBY SENSATION.

The scratching of The Tetrarch is a Derby sensation only- excelled- by thft dramatic incidents of last year's l'dcej when the horse first, pftSt the . post, Craganour, -was.- disqualified -for- 'boring after the King's -horse' had been brought down by a suffragette. .Last year The Tetrarch started seven times, and with one exception he wonSiis races "ill . ll canter, nothing being capable of extending him. Iv his first race, a maiden plate, at Newmarket, he electrified onlookers by the manner m which hu spread-eagled a field of 20 others; and then followed his victories m the Woolccte Stakes at EpSom and m the Coventry Stakes at Ascot, which were even increasingly impressive. Ho continued ■hi* successful career, and cleaned up all the two year old plums, including tho National Breeders' Produce "Stakes at Sandown Park, the most valuable _&cc for youngsters m England ; the Rous Memorial Stokes at Goodwood ; the Breeders* Foal Stakes at Derby; and the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. Before the season had ended he was installed a hot favorite for the Derby, and- all through the winter he ruled the market, paralysing the early betting. Some enormous wagers, at very short odds, tts low as two to one, were laid <m his ability to capture the World's greatest race, but then rumors began to 'circulate about his condition, and the racing public began to have doubts about the flying grey. The owner was very non-commit-tal, declining to say one way or another, what the prospects of his colt were. Many of those who had backed the horse began to hedge, and others' who had invested small fortunes on his chances arranged with Lloyd's to insure their bets., paying a fairly high rate to ensure a return of a portion of their losses m the event of the horse not going to the post. It was stated some time ago that the colt had befell filed, and this helped tb send him back m the betting, with tiie result that Kennymore was made a better favorite, The Tetrdrch's price being four to one, while Kennymore, the Two Thousand Guineas winner, was quoted at 9 to 4 against.

The news of The Tetrarch's withdrawal from the Derby will (writes Sir Bedivere) be received with regret m sporting circles the world over. In modern times no horse has .ever been more widery discus.-cd. His extraordinary . color, wonderful speedy and rumored breakdown at ' the close of last season have served to keep him right m the limelight ever since he made his first appearance m the Maiden Two-Year-Old Plate at Newmarket on 17th April, 1913, when after starting third ,favorite, he romped home by four ■ lengths. That performance was sufficient to stamp him as something unusually smart, but the racing public still had ' to be thoroujjddy convinced as to his exceptional brilliancy, and there was no occasion to lay odds when" he smothered Our Lassie and nine others m the Woodcote Stakes. Then everybody woke ~p. ;He made his next appearance m the Coventry Stakes at Ascot, and starting at something at odds on, he cam tered m ten lengths ahead of Courageous. Still greater odds were laid on him m the National Breeders' Produce Stakes, and his backers had a rare fright, for after being badly left at the start, he only managed to score by half a length. Going on to Goodwood he took the Rous Memorial Stakes by ."ix lengths - -from Princess Dorrie, and he next won the Champion Breeders' Plate at- I^erby. /He made his last appearance at Doncaster. where he beat Stornoway easily by theree lengths m the Champagne St akef_ In all his winnings have amounted to £11,336,' and he has never suffered defeat. Another -attempt may, of course, be made to traiti him, but it is more than probable his career on the Turf will -prove to have been as short as it Mas brilliant. His owner. Mr D. M'CaJmont, i.-- nn immensely wealthy man. and as. when approached last year, he ' intimated that Tin- Tetrarch w.ts not for sale at- any price, the chances are that he will remain m either Kngland or Ireland where as the greatest/ representative of the Herod line of modern times he should prove of incalculable value at the stud.