THE DUKE OF PORTLAND 



as compared with the chances of owners at the 

 present day. 



After the decision of the Portland Stakes both 

 Donovan and Chittabob had a rest, and neither 

 was out again until the Whitsuntide Plate at 

 Manchester. At Leicester they had met at even 

 weights, but at Manchester Donovan was at- 

 tempting to concede 13 lb., and it is not surpris- 

 ing that such a task proved to be quite beyond 

 his powers, for, on the rare occasions upon which 

 the best son of Robert the Devil could be got 

 thoroughly fit, he was a very good horse indeed. 

 Nevertheless the Duke of Portland's crack beat all 

 the others, and it was no mean task to give 16 lb. 

 to Mr. Manton's Antibes, a pretty smart daughter 

 of Isonomy and St. INIarguerite. The field for the 

 New Stakes at Ascot was not a very strong one 

 that season, and Donovan was backed at even 

 money in spite of his 7 lb. penalty, and got home 

 all right, though only by a neck from Gulliver. 

 This was followed up by four more successes off 

 the reel, the most important of them being the 

 Hurstbourne Stakes and the July Stakes, in the 

 second of which Gold was his only opponent. 

 Prince Soltykoff's colt ran him to half a length, 

 and was an infinitely better horse than was 

 generally imagined. Few people indeed will be 

 inclined to credit that, later in his career, his 

 stable companion, Sheen, was only half a length 

 his superior over the severe Ditch In course, but 

 it is nevertheless a fact. Donovan's experience at 

 Goodwood that season was by no means a happy 

 one. There had been an altogether abnormal 

 amount of rain, and the course was very heavy 

 even on the opening day. However, he })ulled 

 through the Ham Stakes all right, and was 

 brought out again for the Prince of Wales's Stakes 



183 



