234 BACECOURSE AND COVEET SIDE. 



salad are considered of more interest than 

 anything else. What is going to win the Derby 

 is the burning question of the moment. 



A strange story goes round about one of Mr. 

 *' Acton's" horses, named Squirrel. A lady is 

 said to have dreamed — and unquestionably did 

 dream, for the story was current many days 

 before the Derby — that she was alone on the 

 Downs, and suddenly saw a squirrel run up the 

 winning post. The lady told her friends, wlio 

 had not been aware that there was a horse of 

 that name in the race, and they, on discovering 

 the fact, came to the conclusion that "there 

 must be something in it." 



A curious calculation in the doctrine of 

 averages pointed to Zut as the winner, from the 

 circumstance that, though there are many horses 

 in training with monosyllabic titles, one has 

 not come in first for the Derby for over fifty 

 years. On the hill, however, the favourite was 

 decidedly Victor Chief, and when presently the 

 horses came out to parade the impression in his 

 favour was greatly increased. " There's the 

 Squirrel," somebody says — " dark blue, yellow 

 cap. There's another of them, though, Sir 

 Bevys. Who knows anything about him?" 

 " He's one of the Eothschild lot, and they think 

 he's rather a good horse, but Hayhoe hasn't 



