6 THE BLUE RIBBON OF THE TURF. 



pens of ' special corresj^ondents,' and if all tales be 

 true, some of these slaves of the pen have been clever 

 enough to describe the scenes without seeing them. 

 Most London and provincial pressmen have at one 

 time or another ' done the Derb}'.' It is an open 

 secret, indeed, that not a few of the men who have 

 been or are eminent in literature — poets as well as 

 writers of prose — have used their pens in writing a 

 sketch of the Derby Day. 



Journ;ds which are specially devoted to our national 

 sports and pastimes make a point of giving long 

 descriptions of the race and its surroundings. But 

 the writings of the period lack the ' go ' of olden 

 times ; the ' Sunday gallops ' no longer take place ; 

 the public, in fact, do not want them. Times have 

 changed in these respects. The 'form ' of almost every 

 horse that is to compete is known to an ounce, having 

 been discounted by its two-year-old running, whilst 

 the touts and prophets of the period keep up for the 

 benefit of all concerned a perpetual current of infor- 

 mation as to what is being done on the various train- 

 ing-grounds. Still, the old story is well continued ; 

 incidents of the most varied kind crop up for the 

 benefit of the industrious reporters ; casualties are 

 ever occurring : it must be so whenever and wher- 

 ever a hundred thousand people gather together. 

 There is the Derby dog and the Derby suicide ; there 

 are also the Derby pickpockets and the Derby welshers 

 to write about, and, although the glories of the road 

 have so far faded, and the abundant chaff and horse- 

 play which were at one time incidental to the journey 

 have been toned down, something smart and spicy can 



