170 THE ENGLISH TURF 



twelve months before, winning for the Prince of Wales his 

 first Grand National amidst such a scene of excitement as 

 Aintree had never known before. The Prince of Wales is 

 the only owner who has won both the Derby and the Grand 

 National. Manifesto ran a great horse in this race, being 

 beaten by a neck only by Barsac for second place, though 

 weighted with 1 2 st. 13 lbs. 



On the first day of the Liverpool Spring Meeting the 

 programme is always a strong one ; in fact, I have often 

 thought that if the Liverpool prizes were offered at Lincoln 

 there would be so many runners that the fields would have 

 to be started in double line. Thursday's chief prizes are 

 the Molyneux Stakes for two-year-olds, and, until cut down 

 in accordance with the new rules, worth nearly £1,000; the 

 Prince of Wales' Plate, a six-furlong handicap, of about 

 ;^700 ; the Union Jack Stakes, a three-year-old weight-for- 

 age race, worth from £600 to ;^ 1,000, according to the sub- 

 scription ; the Duchess of York Plate, a ;^300 mile handicap ; 

 and the Altcar Four -year -old Steeplechase, with minor 

 events. On Friday, besides the Grand National, there are 

 the Sefton Park Plate of about i^SOO for two-year-olds ; the 

 Bickerstaffe Stakes of much the same value for three-year- 

 olds ; the Hylton Handicap of ;^6oo, six furlongs ; and the 

 Stanley Five-year-old Steeplechase, with of course one or 

 two less important items. On the Saturday there are the 

 Liverpool Spring Cup, a handicap of a mile and three 

 furlongs ; the Stanley Stakes, for two-year-olds, of ;^500 ; 

 the Liverpool Hurdle Handicap of about ^^400 ; and the 

 Champion Steeplechase. These Liverpool Cups are a great 

 source of attraction at Aintree. There is one at each of 

 the three meetings, all being handicaps, and all run over 

 the same course — one mile and three furlongs. Roughly 

 speaking, they are worth about ;^ 1,000 apiece, sometimes 

 more, and the course is a very pretty one. The start takes 

 place at the same spot used for the despatch of the Grand 

 National horses, but the Flat Course is well inside the 

 Steeplechase Course, and the field are always in view of 

 the stands. In formation the Cup Course is pear-shaped, 

 the field going down one side of the pear for half a mile, 



