1881.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
357 
MR. PIERRE LORILLARD’S T H R E E - V E A R - 0 L D COLT "IROQUOIS,” WINNER OF THE “DERBY” FOR i 8 8 i. 
The American Winner of the “Derby”:— 
“ Iroquois.” 
The most celebrated horse races in the world 
are those founded by the late Earl of Derby 
in 1780, which are run by three-year-old colts’ 
upon the downs near Epsom, a suburban Lon¬ 
don town in Surrey. The ‘ ‘ Derby ” is held on 
the Wednesday preceding Whitsunday, and 
is one of England’s great holidays. It is re¬ 
garded by the Englishman quite as regularly 
as the Fourth of July is by the American, 
though for very different reasons. Wherever 
the Englishman may be, he remembers Derby 
Day, as the home holiday next in importance 
to the Queen’s Birthday. The attendance at 
the races is very large, and it is said that 
London literally “ empties itself,” the people 
making their way to the course by every 
possible conveyance. Not only are the prin¬ 
cipal stores closed, but the Houses of Parlia¬ 
ment adjourn, and it is said that every horse 
within 40 miles of London is engaged a long¬ 
time in advance. For a horse to win the 
■“ Derby” is to obtain a lasting fame among 
the horsemen of the world. By degrees this 
famous race has become international^ it 
has been won by the French, and at last the 
prize is obtained by an American horse. 
Mr, Pierre Lorillard, of New York City, is 
one of the largest owners of race horses, and 
his colt, “ Iroquois,” was this year successful 
in winning the “Blue Ribbon of the Turf,” 
—an expression used by the late Disraeli in 
connection with the “Derby.” This cele¬ 
brated three-year-old colt was sired by the 
well-known “Leamington” and bred by Mr. 
A. Welch, of Chestnut Hill, near Philadelphia. 
“Leamington” was figured by us in June, 
1870. He was impQrted by R. W. Cameron, 
Clifton, Staten Island, in 1866, and was sold 
in 1869 to Mr. Welch for $15,000. Several 
others of his get have acquired fame in this 
country, but it was reserved for “Iroquois” 
to win the “Derby.” Mr. Lorillard bought 
“Iroquois ” when he was a year old, and soon 
after sent him to England to be trained for 
the great race in which he has finally tri¬ 
umphed. He did some very good running 
when in his second year, but seldom was vic¬ 
torious. He surprised every one in last year's 
July meeting at Newmarket, and defeated 
nine speedy competitors for the “ Chesterfield 
Stakes” on the day following. This year 
“ Iroquois” was second for the “ Two Thous¬ 
and Guineas,” but the laurels rest fairly upon 
him in the “ Derby,” where he met and tri¬ 
umphed over the best horseflesh the whole 
world could put in the field. “Iroquois” 
stands 15 hands 3 inches, is of a brown color, 
with a little white on the near fore heel, and 
a narrow blaze on the face. His strongest 
point is his shoulders, which are unusually 
deep ; the feet are excellent, and the legs free 
from blemish. The neck is a trifle light, but 
well set. The accompanying engraving, taken 
from the “Illustrated London News,” shows 
that the “ Derby ” winner is a handsome ani¬ 
mal, and in every way built for rapid work. 
Hints and Suggestions of how to do, 
in the easiest and best way, the various kinds 
of work upon the farm, in the garden, and 
within the house make up a large part of the 
American Agriculturist, and upon this we be¬ 
lieve its great usefulness largely depends. 
The number and value of the labor-saving 
devices, etc., published, must be determined 
largely by the subscribers themselves. The 
greater the number sent, the more select will 
be the collection which is given from month 
to month. Now that the hurry of midsum¬ 
mer work is over, we hope that each one 
will sit down for a few minutes and give us 
an account of how he or she did this or that 
thing. If an engraving will make it clearer 
to the reader, a rough pencil sketch will enable 
the artists to do their work. Let us hear from 
every county in the United States, that all 
the readers in all sections may be benefited. 
