England -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Social classes -- England -- Fiction
Rumor says that the young Earl of Clarehaven, who has recently had
very heavy losses on the turf, positively intends to capture the
Derby this year. It was only a few months ago that we had to
condole with the gallant young nobleman on the sad necessity which
forced him to sell that great horse Moonbeam last year to the
well-known South African capitalist, Mr. Lionel Houston, who
indorsed the public view that Moonbeam's defeat in the Derby by his
own horse Chimpanzee was not true form when he sold Chimpanzee to
an Australian syndicate of breeders and bought Moonbeam for the
stud he is now forming, and which we have no doubt will give many
famous new names to the history of English racing. But our readers'
present concern is what is popularly known as the Starkey Lodge
Puzzle. We have the highest authority for saying that this is no
longer a puzzle. At an important trial held in great secrecy on the
Starkey Lodge training-grounds it was conclusively established that
Vanity Girl is more than likely to give the Blue Riband of the turf
to Lord Clarehaven and console him for the failure of Moonbeam. It
will interest our readers from the smallest punter upward to hear
that Full Moon, the victor of the Two Thousand Guineas and the
present Derby favorite, will not run at Epsom, having been sold
like his half-brother to Mr. Lionel Houston, who no doubt intends
to keep him for the St. Leger, a race which he is ambitious of
winning. We need scarcely point out to our readers the obvious tip
for this year's Derby, and we do not hesitate to plump right out
for Vanity Girl as the winner. We were the only paper to advise our
readers not to back Full Moon until the intentions of the stable
were a little plainer, and to all those who failed to follow our
advice we can only say, "I told you so." Lord Clarehaven has done
well to scratch the winner of the Guineas, for there is no doubt
that if both the colt and his stable companion had faced the
starter at Epsom the public would have followed the son of Cyllene.
As it is, we confidently expect to see Vanity Girl a raging
favorite before the week is out, and we may remind our readers that
Lord Clarehaven's beautiful chestnut has already shown that she
likes the Epsom course by winning the Woodcote Stakes last year.
Her running at Newmarket last autumn may be discounted. We happened
to know that the stable was coughing; as we have hinted, the
gallant young nobleman who sports the black, white, and purple was
very hard hit by her defeats, and this expression of renewed
confidence in the chestnut daughter of Spearmint cannot be
disregarded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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