St. Blaise, the property of Sir Frederick Johnstone, was bred by Lord
Alington, and is by Hermit from Fusee. This is an unexceptionable
pedigree, for Hermit is now as successful and fashionable a sire as was
even Stockwell in his palmiest days, while Fusee was far more than an
average performer on the turf, and won several Queen's Plates and other
races over a distance of ground. St. Blaise is by no means a big colt,
standing considerably under sixteen hands. His color is about his worst
point, as he is a light, washy chestnut, with a bald face and three
white heels. He has a good head and neck, and very powerful back and
muscular quarters, added to which his legs and feet are well shaped and
thoroughly sound. His first appearance was made in the Twenty-fourth
Stockbridge Biennial at the Bibury Club Meeting, when he won easily
enough; but there were only four moderate animals behind him. A
walk-over for the Troy Stakes followed, and then Macheath beat him
easily enough for the Hurstbourne Stakes, though he finished in front
of Adriana and Tyndrum. For the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood, he ran a
dead-heat with Elzevir, to whom he was giving 7 lb.; and Bonny Jean,
in receipt of 10 lb., was unplaced. A 7 lb. penalty seemed to put him
completely out of the Dewhurst Plate; but he must then have been out
of form, as, on the following day, it took him all his time to defeat
Pebble by a neck in the Troy Stakes. This season he has only run twice.
His fourth in the Two Thousand was by no means a bad performance,
considering that he was palpably backward; and his victory of last week
is too recent to need further allusion. Porter, his trainer, can boast
of several other successes in the great race at Epsom; but Charles Wood
had never previously ridden a Derby winner. St. Blaise was unfortunately
omitted from the entries for the St. Leger, but has several valuable
engagements at Ascot next week, and appears to have the Grand Prize of
Paris, on Sunday, at his mercy.--_Illustrated London News_.
[Illustration: ST. BLAISE, THE WINNER OF THE DERBY.]
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[NATURE.]