WEIGHT-FOR-AGE RACES 43 



should be so generally, if not universally, regarded as 

 the chief of these. The mile and a half Epsom course 

 is far from one of the fairest, as a horse that has the 

 misfortune to be badly placed when Tattenham Corner 

 is rounded is at a great disadvantage ; whereas the 

 Doncaster course (i mile, 6 furlongs, 132 yards) is one 

 on which there is much less chance of jostling and 

 accidental interference ; it is longer, and so affords a 

 better test of merit — except that in the period of from 

 three to four months that elapse between this and the 

 Derby the young horses have " come on " and acquired 

 stamina ; and, besides these things, the Derby winner 

 usually runs, to prove or disprove the correctness of 

 the Epsom race, and not seldom he meets the Oaks 

 winner, so that an interesting point as to the relative 

 capacity of the colts and fillies of the season comes up 

 for decision. 



Horses are entered for the Derby in the middle of 

 their yearling season — thus the entries for the Derby 

 of 1898 closed on July 21st, 1896. The reason for 

 these early entries has already been given : if owners 

 were allowed to wait until they had ascertained 

 something of the real ability of their animals, many 

 fewer subscriptions would be taken ; as it is, the 

 chances are that the most promising colts and a 

 smaller proportion of the most promising fillies are 

 given an opportunity of obtaining what is supposed to 

 be the highest honour the Turf affords. A few years 

 since there was no " minor forfeit " for the Derby, that 



