John Tait was a worthy rival of the Fishers. We see him, in ’66, winning with the mighty Barb, then a three-year-old. Mr. John Daly, until of late the handicapper to the A.J.C., a man of the soundest judgment, and with a prolonged experience, asserts with confidence that this black Sir Hercules colt was the superior even of our more modern Champion of Champions, Carbine. Volunteer, a brown horse by New Warrior, was a big winner for Mr. Tait, and ran a dead heat with Tarragon in the three-mile championship. They ran it off, and Tarragon won. Fireworks, a very great horse, and one with the curious distinction of being the Victorian Derby winner of 1867, as well as of the same race in 1868, was another of Mr. Tait’s winners whose name lives for ever. Honest John did not keep his horses to look at. Fireworks won the Derby on November 1st, and ran second to Mr. Fisher’s two-year-old Fenella on November 2nd—beaten a head. On November 30th he was third to Mr. De Mestre’s Tim Whiffler in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, 1½ miles, at the Complimentary Meeting. Later in the day he came out again and won the Galatea Stakes, two miles, beating Glencoe and a fine field of horses. Tim Whiffler ran, but smashed into a post, and was pulled up. On New Year’s Day Fireworks again won the Derby, and was saddled up for the very next race, the Midsummer Stakes, one mile and three-quarters. His starting price was even money, and he won easily by two lengths from ten opponents. In February Fireworks crossed the Straits and won the Launceston Champion Cup, pulling double, from Tim Whiffler, Strop, The Barb and two others. Next day he walked in for the Tasmanian Leger, and in March did the same in the V.R.C. race of that name at Flemington. At Randwick Glencoe beat him in the A.J.C. St. Leger, but both horses were in the one ownership, and Mr. Tait declared to win with Glencoe. At the same meeting, however, this great son of Kelpie took the All-Aged Stakes, one mile, the Autumn Stakes, and the Randwick Handicap, each a mile and a quarter. Races certainly were not run out from pillar to post in the ’sixties as they are to-day, and it would be not only impolitic, but impossible, to race a three-year-old in 1922 as John Tait used his Fireworks. Nevertheless, the three-year-old career of the colt must for all time be considered a very marvellous one. In the Cup of ’69 The Barb was allotted the handsome weight of eleven stone seven, his stable mate (Glencoe) was eleven stone, Mr. Fisher’s Ragpicker was set to carry seven seven, whilst the minimum of the handicap was his filly, The Fly, with five stone seven. The handicappers of the day were Captain Standish, Mr. William Leonard and Mr. Hurtle Fisher himself. This could not occur to-day. If it were possible, and the handicapper’s horse came home a winner, the vast crowd in its indignation would throw down everything and would not leave one stone standing upon another. But the