48 THE TURF 



Plate was started (1888) at Manchester, and Sea- 

 breeze, who had beaten Ayrshire in the St. Leger a 

 fortnight previously, beat him again, and credited her 

 owner with the curious sum of ^10,222 105. lod. 

 Le Sancy, at the time of writing the best sire in 

 France, was third. A race called the Royal Stakes 

 was run at Kempton, and added ^9,500 to Ayrshire's 

 large winnings on the year. There he had the best of 

 Seabreeze, who was second. The Prince of Wales's 

 Stakes, for three-year-olds, was also devised at 

 Leicester, and Donovan in 1889 earned ^11,000 by 

 his victory ; but the race was a mistake, as it was fixed 

 for April, and it was felt to be doubtful policy for 

 owners who wanted to run their horses in the classic 

 races to have them ready so soon. Colts and fillies 

 could not well be trained for this event and be at their 

 best a few weeks later in the Two Thousand, a month 

 afterwards in the Derby, and between three or four 

 months later still, in the St. Leger. The Leicester 

 race was for a time transferred to the Summer Meeting 

 and reduced in value ; but this, together with the 

 Royal Stakes and the Lancashire Plate, has now 

 been abandoned, though, on the other hand, the 

 Stewards of the Jockey Club have introduced two 

 £10,000 races at Newmarket, the Princess of Wales's 

 Stakes, run at the First July Meeting, and the Jockey 

 Club Stakes at the First October. The conditions of 

 these are on the lines of the Eclipse, and these three 

 are now the only stakes of this value. Comments on 



