92 THE TURF 



sound and kept his form, Persimmon would have had a 

 very remote chance of approaching inclusion in the 

 list of winners of over ^20,000. 



Whilst these things were happening, Velasquez, 

 carrying, it will be gathered from what has been said, 

 the extreme confidence of his owner — one of the 

 shrewdest and soundest judges known on the turf 

 for a very great many years past — had cantered home 

 for the New Stakes at Ascot, where he had only to 

 beat Monterey, a son of Goldfinch and so a grandson 

 of Ormonde. He sustained his reputation in the 

 Prince of Wales' Stakes at Goodwood, and with odds 

 of 100 to 9 on him beat a solitary opponent for the 

 Champion Stakes at Doncaster. It was natural, there- 

 fore, that he should have started a very strong favourite 

 for the Middle Park Plate, where odds of 5 to i were 

 freely laid on him ; but here he met with his first 

 defeat, from Galtee More (Kendal — Morganette), a 

 colt that had won three races out of four previously to 

 this, without, however, making any great impression. 

 Mornington Cannon, who rode Galtee More, said after 

 the Middle Park, that when the two met again 

 Galtee More would always beat the other. Excuses 

 were made for Velasquez on the ground that he could 

 not act in the very heavy going at Newmarket that 

 autumn ; but the jockey was right, and Galtee More, 

 as history records, beat Velasquez in the Two 

 Thousand and Derby, winning also the St. Leger, 

 but not in at all brilliant fashion, and quite failing to 



