CHAPTERS FROM TURF HISTORY 



Three years later, Iris won the Oaks. This 

 mare was by Derby's horse Ithuriel, who in his 

 year had been much fancied for the St. Leger, 

 but fell lame just before the race. In 1854 Derby 

 was unlucky to lose the Oaks. His filly Meteora 

 started a hot favourite, but her jocke}^ failed to 

 do her justice, and she only filled the second place. 

 In 1856 he won the Two Thousand with Fazzoletto, 

 who, however, was only fourth to Ellington in 

 the Derby of that year ; and four years later 

 he won the One Thousand with Sagitta, a 

 daughter of his horse Longbow, a winner of much 

 distinction. 



It was, of course, Derby's ambition to emulate 

 the success of his grandfather and to win the 

 Derby. His opportunity, apparently, had arrived 

 in 1858, when he was Prime Minister for the second 

 time, and when, to use his own words, he hoped 

 " to pull off the double event." He had a bay 

 horse by Longbow from Legerdemain,^ named 

 Toxophilite, and with him had won a good race 

 at Goodwood, beating, among others, Sir Joseph 

 Hawley's Beadsman, to whom he gave 8 lb. It 

 was this performance that caused Toxophilite to 

 be fancied and well supported for the Epsom 

 race. The racing public were greatly interested in 

 a contest with which the First Minister of the 

 Crown was so immediately concerned, and Toxo- 

 philite became a popular favourite, his name 

 — generally abbreviated to Tox — being on the 

 lips of people who had never seen a race in their 

 lives. But, alas ! it was not to be. Beadsman 



' Legerdemain as a three-year-old with 5 st. 7 lb. won the 

 Cesarewitch in 1849, and a day after the race slipped a filly foal. 



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