A HISTORY OF SURREY 



The reports or the race tell us that the 

 regulation was acted upon with the most 

 complete success and had the effect of pre- 

 venting those annoyances which had so often 

 occurred in the starting for the Derby. 

 Cotherstone won very easily ; it is stated that 

 when the horse was at Leatherhead for his 

 Epsom race, great efforts were made to ' get 

 at him,' and all kinds of plans and devices 

 were resorted to, but were foiled by the 

 vigilance of William Scott, Cotherstone's 

 jockey, who never left the stable. 



The Derby of 1844 may be described 

 as the most sensational on record, for the 

 actual race was won by a horse falsely 

 described as Running Rein out of Mab 

 by Duncan Grey, who was subsequently 

 proved to be a four-year-old colt named 

 Maccabeus (afterwards Zanoni) by Gladiator, 

 dam by Capsicum. The so-called Running 

 Rein was disqualified and the race awarded 

 to Colonel Peel's Orlando by Touchstone, 

 who came in second. 



The case of Wood (the owner of Running 

 Rein) v. Peel which was tried by Baron 

 Alderson and a special jury is perhaps the 

 most famous turf lawsuit on record. The 

 matter, however, hardly comes within our 

 scope. It may, however, be said that Mr. 

 Wood's case broke down through his in- 

 ability to produce the horse, as ordered by 

 Baron Alderson, the animal having been re- 

 moved without Mr. Wood's knowledge or 

 consent. There was no imputation against 

 Mr. Wood, who had bought the horse with 

 his engagements, and he withdrew from the 

 case as he was satisfied that some fraud had 

 been practised on him with reference to the 

 horse. 



On this withdrawal the jury found a 

 verdict for Colonel Peel, the effect of 

 which was that the stakes were awarded to 

 Orlando, and the Jockey Club, at a meeting 

 held shortly afterwards, passed the following 

 resolution — 



That, it being now proved that Running Rein 

 was three years old when he ran for the Two Year 

 Old Plate at Newmarket, Crinoline must be con- 

 sidered the winner of that race, and that the Duke 

 of Rutland is entitled to the Plate. That the 

 thanks of the Jockey Club are eminently due, and 

 are hereby offered to Lord George Bentinck, for 

 the energy, perseverance, and skill which he has 

 displayed in detecting, exposing and defeating the 

 atrocious frauds which have been brought to light 

 during the recent trial respecting the Derby 

 stakes. 



Throughout the case Lord George Ben- 

 tinck played the part of amateur detective 

 with marked ability, and so greatly was his 



action in the matter appreciated by the best 

 patrons of racing that after all was over he 

 was presented with a valuable piece of plate 

 ' in token of the high sense entertained of 

 his indefatigable and successful exertions, not 

 only in the Running Rein afiair, but for 

 the services which he had rendered in pro- 

 moting the stability and prosperity of racing 

 in general.' 



Lord George Bentinck, a mighty power 

 on the turf during the middle of last century, 

 abandoned racing for politics, and sold his 

 stud en masse for ;^ 1 0,000. Amongst the 

 horses sold was Surplice, who in Lord 

 Clifden's colours won the Derby of 1848. 

 Disraeli, in his Life of Lord George Bentinci, 

 wrote that he met Lord George in the 

 . library of the House of Commons on the 

 day after Surplice had won, and on trying to 

 condole with him, he (Lord George) * gave a 

 sort of superb groan.' 



' All my life I have been trying for this, and 

 for what have I sacrificed it ? * he murmured. 



It was in vain to offer solace. 



' You do not know what the Derby is,' he 

 moaned out. 



' Yes, I do. It is the blue ribbon of the Turf.' 



' It is the blue ribbon of the Turf,' he slowly 

 repeated to himself; and sitting down at the table, 

 he buried himself in a folio of statistics. 



Lord George's fame is perpetuated by the 

 existence of the Bentinck Benevolent Fund, 

 which grants annuities and other relief to 

 trainers and jockeys, or to their wives and 

 families should they fall upon evil days. 

 The fund was started with a sum of j^2,i00 

 subscribed for the testimonial to Lord George 

 Bentinck, of which mention has been made, 

 and has always been managed by the Jockey 

 Club. It is at present most flourishing and 

 does a great deal of good. 



Following the win of Surplice in 1848 

 came two memorable Derbys in following 

 years, when the two great rivals, Voltigeur 

 and The Flying Dutchman, took the prize 

 in turn. Brief reference only can be made 

 to their doings. The Flying Dutchman was 

 bred by Mr. Vansittart, at Kirsleatham, some 

 two or three miles from the Redcar race- 

 course (which then did not exist) and was 

 sold to Lord Eglinton. He was by Bay Mid- 

 dleton out of Barbette by Sandbeck, and as a 

 two-year-old he won all his engagements, 

 amongst which were the July Stakes at 

 Newmarket and the Champagne Stakes at 

 Doncaster, without being extended. His 

 stride was enormous, and so much better 

 than all his opponents was he thought to 

 be when he came to Epsom that he started 



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