THE HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD 



it in point of jockeyship, added to which subsequent 

 events showed that he was not quite up to the 

 mark. Up to the present time no un-named horse 

 has ever succeeded in winning the Derby ; indeed 

 I may go further, and write that there is no 

 distinctly unsuitable name, or one in really bad 

 taste, in all the long list of the winners of the " blue 

 ribbon," so it was a distinct relief to those who 

 fancied the colt for his Epsom engagement when it 

 was announced a day or two prior to the race that 

 he had been named Favonius. Of course it is 

 absurd to suppose that this really had anything to 

 do with his running quite a 7 lb. better horse than 

 he had done in the Biennial, and it was doubtless 

 the strong work that he did in the six weeks inter- 

 vening between the two races that enabled him to 

 finish a length and a half in front of Albert \^ictor 

 and King of the Forest, who ran a dead-heat for 

 second place. Custance again rode the former of 

 this pair, but this time he met his equal, for Tom 

 French had been secured for Favonius. 



After a mere exercise canter in the Midsummer 

 Stakes at the Newmarket July Meeting, Favonius 

 was sent to Goodwood for the Cup, a policy which 

 was thoroughly justified by the fact of his having 

 no engagement in the St. Leger. It was a notable 

 field that took part in the race that year, the other 

 four being Mortemer, Dutch Skater, Ripponden, 

 and Shannon, and although the success of the last- 

 named, who started at 50 to 1, was generally re- 

 garded at the time as being one of the greatest 

 fiukes ever known, the after running of the filly 

 caused this opinion to be considerably modified. 

 She was a stayer of the first water, and the task of 

 giving her 10 lb. over two miles and a half might 

 well prove beyond the powers of even a high-class 

 Derby winner. Moreover, there could not have 



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