MEN WHO HAVE WON THE DERBY. 43 



The names of most of the Duke's horses began with 

 the letter P, no matter how they might be bred — a 

 plan of turf nomenclature wl'ich happily has not been 

 followed. In the year 1802, the Duke's horse Tyrant 

 won him his first Derb}^, the colt being ridden by the 

 famous Francis Buckle ; the number of horses enQ-aired 

 in the race being eight, out of the thirty which had 

 been nominated. In 1809 and 181 his Grace won 

 two consecutive ' Blue Ribbons.' At the ripe age of 

 seventy-six the third of the Graftons was gathered to 

 his fathers, having done much for the improvement 

 of the.Britisli race-horse, and leaving as a legacy a 

 strain of blood of which breeders are particularly 

 fond. 



II. 



Before going farther it may bo noted that, in the first 

 fifty years of the two great races run at Epsom, men 

 with titles carried all before them. * The dukes and 

 lords of tue period,' it has been said, ' were never done 

 scoring.' The Oaks three times, and the Derby as 

 often, fell to the name of Bedford before these races 

 were twenty years old. Lord Grosvenor, in his day, 

 was credited with a victory in the Oaks on six occa- 

 sions, three of them being secured in consecutive 

 years, and he thrice ' landed ' the Derby as well; The 

 number of these two races won by the ducal house of 

 Grafton has just been stated. Thirty-two times, in 



