44 THE TURF 



is to say, a man entered his horse, paid ^50 if he ran 

 it, and £2^ — half forfeit— if he did not. Now, 

 however, if his representative turns out disappointingly, 

 and seems to have no chance, further liability can be 

 escaped by payment of ^5 at a date in the January 

 after entry. The subscriptions seldom fall far short of 

 300, and have exceeded that total — there were 301 for 

 the Derby of 1897. The stakes have been well over 

 ^7,000, but they have also sunk to under ^5,000, and 

 now the value is fixed at ^6,000, of which the second 

 horse receives ^300, and the third ^200 ; so that the 

 winner saves his ^50 stake and secures the balance, 

 ^5,450. Derby time is never very good, because of 

 the nature of the course. The average for a consider- 

 able number of years past has been a rate of i minute 

 48 seconds a mile, and in a well-run race a mile ought 

 not to take much more than i minute 40 seconds ; 

 but, as is elsewhere explained, nothing is more foolish 

 and absurd than paying attention to the times races 

 occupy. The subject of Derby winners is treated 

 later on in the book, in the chapter on " Famous 

 Horses." 



Entries for the St. Leger are made as nearly as 

 possible two years before the event, in the September 

 of the animal's yearling existence. Subscribers pay 

 ^25 whether they run or not, and the value of the 

 stake therefore depends entirely upon the number of 

 subscriptions. These are usually some sixty or 

 seventy fewer than for the Derby, but there is no minor 



