THE HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD 



owner makes no excuse for his neck defeat in the 

 most memorable Derby that has ever been run, 

 but considers that he and Persimmon were one 

 and the same horse. There was no mistake about 

 St. Frusquin's condition Avhen he was brought out 

 for the Princess of Wales's Stakes, and, as 1 stood 

 at the end of the paddock and watched him saddled 

 for his third meeting with his great rival, I thought 

 that I had never previously seen him in quite such 

 trim. " Has he kicked ? " inquired JMr. J. T. Wood 

 anxiously as he hurried up when the toilet opera- 

 tions were nearly over, and, when I assured him 

 that the colt had more than once elevated his heels 

 a good six feet off the ground, he seemed much 

 relieved, and expressed himself as having no fear 

 with regard to the result of the race. Both the 

 sons of St. Simon acquitted themselves grandly, 

 and the half length by which St. Frusquin won 

 Avas partially nullified by the 3 lb. he received. A 

 fortnight later St. Frusquin carried off the Eclipse 

 Stakes, and it is curious that this is the victory for 

 which he has generally received the most credit. 

 Yet, as a matter of fact, it was about the worst 

 race he ever ran, for, although he scored comfort- 

 ably enough at the finish, at one point he was 

 undoubtedly hard pushed by two moderate horses 

 like Regret and Troon. The St. Leger of 1896 

 was anticipated with unusual eagerness, for it was 

 generally known by this time that not the smallest 

 importance could be attached to the result of the 

 INIiddle Park Plate, as far as Persimmon was 

 concerned. Thus people regarded the great race 

 of the North as being the third and decisive game 

 of the rubber between the champions of the Prince 

 of Wales and ]Mr. Leopold de Rothschild, and 

 great w^as the disappointment when it became 

 known that St. Frusquin would never run again. 



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