he had been in the past, started reasonably well, and was able to track Lemberg throughout the race. The two favourites drew clear of the rest in the final furlong and Neil Gow, under a vigorous ride from Maher, prevailed by a short head in a “superlative” driving finish, with Whisk Broom two lengths back in third place. Although he been beaten Lemberg on both their meetings, Neil Gow did not start favourite for the Derby. He was regarded as a doubtful stayer with an unreliable temperament although his defenders ascribed his occasionally difficult behaviour to "playfulness". His chances were compromised when he “sprang a curb” (became lame owing to a swollen hock) in one of his final training gallops, but he was allowed to take part as Rosebery did not want to let down members of the public who had already wagered on the horse. At Epsom on 1 June he started second favourite in front of a crowd estimated at 250,000, many dressed in black as a mark of respect to the recently deceased King Edward VII. Neil Gow became agitated and gave trouble at the start and failed to reproduce his best form finishing fourth of the fifteen runners behind Lemberg, Greenback and Charles O'Malley. At Sandown on July Neil Gow faced Lemberg for the fourth and final time in a much anticipated contest for the Eclipse Stakes, then the most valuable race in England with a prize of £10,000. The relative merits of the two were much discussed and the race was expected to decide which of them would be regarded as the "horse of the year". Maher allowed the colt to settle towards the back of the six runner field while Bernard Dillon positioned Lemberg directly behind the pacemaker. Lemberg took a clear lead early in the straight but Neil Gow reduced his advantage and drew level twenty yards from the finish. The pair crossed the line together after a "sensational battle" and a dead-heat was declared. After what was described as the "race of the century", the owners agreed to divide the prize rather than subject their horses to a deciding heat. The contests between Neil Gow and Lemberg drew comparisons with the nineteenth-century rivalries, including those between The Flying Dutchman and Voltigeur (1850–1851) and between Bend Or and Robert the Devil (1880–1881). Neil Gow's share of the prize money took his earnings for