136 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



The "favourite" from Diomecl (1780) to 

 Donovan (1889) has won the great race on 

 thirty-nine occasions, both of the horses named 

 being in that proud position. In twenty-three 

 of the races for the Derby the favourite has 

 required to put up with second place, and on 

 fifteen occasions with third honours only ; so 

 that from the beginning, in 1780, to the year in 

 which Donovan was first the favourite has won 

 or been placed as many as seventy-seven times, 

 leaving victory or place honours to be attained 

 by outsiders, or at any rate, non-favourites, in 

 thirty-two different years. In some years the 

 winner of the race has started at what may be 

 termed a remunerative price. The starting price 

 of Hermit, as all the world knows, has been 

 quoted at 100 to i, but very likely 50 or at 

 most 66 to I would more correctly represent 

 the rate of the odds ; two horses which started 

 at 50 to I were Azor (181 7) and Spaniel (1831) ; 

 Phosphorus (1837), Caractacus (1862), and Don- 

 caster (1873), were each priced at 40 to i, at the 

 start. Merry Monarch (1845) is the only Derby 

 winner which started at 33 to i; Noble (1786), 

 Lapdog (1826), Amato, and Bloomsbury (1838-9) 

 were all 30 to i chances, and on ten different 

 occasions the winner of the Derby has figured at 

 20 to I as the field was taken in hand by the 

 starter. Seven times have odds been laid "on" 

 the winner, whilst " evens " have four times been 

 recorded. 



As all interested in horse-racing know, the 

 Derby, till within the last three years, has been a 

 self-supporting race, and even now it is only, if 

 at all, a little less so. Harking back, and looking 



