AS A FIVE-YEAR-OLD 



the story I heard, upon what I take to be unim- 

 peachable authority, that he had been pricked in 

 shoeing and so stopped in his work. Before this 

 paper is published details may have come to light, 

 and if this is the explanation it may not altogether 

 contradict the idea just propounded that those 

 responsible for him would never have let him go to 

 the post if they had conceived the possibility of his 

 being beaten. One suspects they thought that even 

 when some pounds below his best form he was still 

 many pounds in front of anything that could oppose 

 him for this Cup. It is impossible not to sympathise 

 with Mr. Pilkington, whose pride in his horse must 

 have been so terribly wounded. I am sure he would 

 have given a great deal more than the 5000 pounds 

 the defeat cost him to have avoided it. As for 

 Mr. Joel, who so far as is understood was never to 

 run the horse carrying the black, red cap, he is not 

 likely to be pecuniarily affected. Several times 

 Prince Palatine has shown what he is : there can 

 be no mistake about him ! One or two owners 

 may perhaps hesitate about taking the subscriptions 

 they had contemplated, or may change their minds 

 altogether, but it is improbable that he will fail to 

 fill. It is only to be hoped that we shall yet see the 

 real Prince Palatine on the racecourse, running 

 against Tracery for choice. Of course the devotees 

 of this latter are in the condition which is described 



89 



