AS A TWO-YEAR-OLD 



Epsom. The ninth Derby was won by Sir Thomas, 

 belonging to the heir to the throne, and it need 

 hardly be repeated that King Edward when Prince 

 of Wales won Derbys with the great brothers, 

 Persimmon in 1896 and Diamond Jubilee in 1900. 



In 1909, however, Colonel Hall Walker disposed 

 of all his yearling colts with the one exception of 

 Prince Palatine, who appealed to him so strongly 

 as possessing all the attributes of an exceptional 

 horse that he determined not to let him go. How 

 he came to do so may be briefly related, for it 

 seems needless to describe the business in elaborate 

 detail. Summarising the circumstances, Colonel 

 Hall Walker had to a certain extent confided his 

 interests to an agent, and the breeder of Prince 

 Palatine tells me that he was vastly surprised one 

 day to be told that this agent had sold the colt. 

 He had offered him to Mr. Thomas Pilkington, 

 who was then in search of a good young one, for 

 2000 guineas. Colonel Hall Walker valued the 

 Prince at something like five times that sum, and was 

 the reverse of gratified on hearing what had taken 

 place. He had some idea, indeed, of declining to 

 recognise the bargain, made as it was without his 

 direct authority ; but on enquiring the name of the 

 purchaser he abandoned the idea, feeling that the 

 position of the Turf could not but be considerably 

 strengthened by the accession of a great Lanca- 

 c 33 



