130 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



on three anniversaries the runningr of the race 

 has exceeded three minutes, the distance being 

 one mile and a half. Many racing men do not 

 believe in the time test, thinking it impossible to 

 ascertain with the necessary precision the precise 

 moment of the start and finish. 



Not till the advent of a sporting newspaper — 

 now dead, but famous in its day, Bell's Life in 

 London — did the Derby become popular with the 

 people. It has been said that " Bell made the 

 race," and the saying is undoubtedly to some 

 extent true, as in the course of time that journal 

 began to devote special attention to the Derby, 

 giving a minute history of the breeding and per- 

 formances of those horses likely to take part in 

 the struggle. A feature of the work undertaken 

 by "Bell" was greatly relished, namely, a very full 

 description of the Sunday gallops of the various 

 competitors on Epsom Downs, a special edition 

 of the paper being issued with the information, 

 containing also the latest quotations of "the odds." 

 As time went on these features of Bell's Life were 

 eagerly looked for and enjoyed, the circulation of 

 the journal being considerably increased by the 

 pains taken to give accurate reports. Then the 

 day of the race came in for an immense amount of 

 journalistic attention, the struggle itself and all its 

 incidents being minutely described, the throng of 

 people on the routes to and from Epsom, and all 

 the varied occurrences which characterised the 

 journey, being graphically described. 



Nowadays the " form " of the horses which 

 compete in the Derby is so well known as time 

 progresses that no special efforts of the kind 

 alluded to are made ; moreover, nearly every 



