The Derby was run on Wednesday under very favourable cir-
cumstances, the rain of the previous day having laid the dust, and the day of the great festival itself proving clear, if not very sunny. The Favourite had been Gang Forward, after which came Kaiser, and Ilochstapler, a German horse, the bet- ting being not much more than 2 to 1 against the Favourite, and but little more than 4 to 1 against the German candidate for the Derby stakes. Montargis, a French horse, was also well thought of, but the odds against him were 15 to 1. However, a " dark " horse, Doncaster, belonging to Mr. Merry, who won the Derby in 1860,—a horse so little regarded that the odds against him were 40 to 1,—carried the day, and a poor man who at the last moment staked 5s. on the horse was seen carrying away an order for £8. The two Favourites came in second, neck and neck, while the German horse was nowhere, his French rival beating him by a considerable distance. A Derby with so few competitors,— there were just a dozen,—has not been run for a great many years ; but if the competing horses were fewer, the spectators were more numerous than ever. Clearly the interest does not vary with the elements of the race, but is a constant quantity so far as the racing attractions are concerned, varying only with the Londoner's need for a holiday, and his means of enjoying it.
