PRINCE PALATINE 



others of the Royal Family. The gallop was to take 

 place on the private course which surrounds the 

 grounds of the trainer's residence, and Marsh thought- 

 fully had a little stand erected on his lawn for the 

 accommodation of the Royal party. Safety Pin and 

 Courtier were put in, but the trial horse was the 

 Duke of Devonshire's Balsamo, who was to win the 

 City and Suburban next year and had already shown 

 good form. Persimmon was set to give Balsamo 

 21 lb., with of course a very great deal more weight 

 to the others, and to the general delight he won so 

 easily that his Derby prospects were considered to 

 have become promising in the extreme. Her Royal 

 Highness the Princess warmly expressed her admir- 

 ation of what she had seen, and asking Marsh what 

 impression had really been conveyed to him — 

 whether, that is to say, there were really strong hopes 

 that Persimmon would win the Derby, the answer 

 was "We have only one to beat. Your Royal High- 

 ness — Mr. Rothschild's St. Frusquin." 



How accurate the trainer's opinion was the event 

 shortly proved. Marsh's fears were a reflex of public 

 opinion. In summing up between St. Frusquin and 

 Persimmon it was almost a matter of course that the 

 preference should be for Mr. Leopold de Rothschild's 

 colt. He had beaten Persimmon five lengths in the 

 Middle Park Plate, and though no secret was made 

 of the fact that the Prince's representative was not 



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