106 THE ENGLISH TURF 



Alvescot, winner of the Hastings Plate at Newmarket, and 

 Chevening, winner of the Queen's Prize at the Kempton 

 Easter fixture. Jones again rode the Prince's colt, who car- 

 ried odds of 2 to I on, and the public were greatly surprised 

 when Chevening and Diamond Jubilee ran home locked 

 together, the last-named only winning by a head, after 

 putting in all he knew to avert defeat. At first it seemed 

 as if Diamond Jubilee's Two Thousand victory had been 

 overrated, but, as a matter of fact, the Egerton House 

 stable were only too pleased that their horse had won, 

 and if the public had known what had taken place during 

 the forenoon they would certainly never have laid odds 

 in the fashion they did. 



It appears that when the Egerton House team were at 

 their usual exercise that morning, the horses walking round 

 in a circle, Diamond Jubilee suddenly reared up several 

 times, and finally fell backwards to the ground, rolling over 

 with Jones underneath. Luckily Marsh was near enough 

 to catch the horse's rein as he rose, and thus he did not 

 get away loose. Luckily also neither horse nor jockey 

 was hurt, but shortly afterwards Diamond Jubilee began 

 to tremble and sweat, and such a condition was he in 

 soon after the occurrence that his attendants were hardly 

 able to get him dry before it was time to take him to 

 the course. No doubt he had suffered from fright of 

 some sort, and when I saw him in the Birdcage some 

 hours later his coat was still half standing up, and with 

 none of the bloom it had borne on the Two Thousand 

 day. It was commonly reported afterwards that Diamond 

 Jubilee had caught sight of Morny Cannon, who had gone 

 down to ride a gallop on one of Marsh's string, before 

 he began to play the fool, but I understand that the famous 

 jockey was never very near the horse, and I can only say 

 that if the sight of Cannon was the real cause of the 

 contretemps, then horses have far quicker sight and greater 

 sensitiveness than is generally supposed. What is really 

 clear is that Diamond Jubilee was not himself, and it is 

 wonderful that he escaped defeat after passing such a 

 morning. The exceedingly clever riding of Chevening by 



