THE PRINCE'S PATRONAGE 



Early in the year 1886 Lord Alington in- 

 formed me that the Prince of Wales was buying 

 some racehorses which he wished me to train. 

 This was a great honour conferred upon me, and, 

 of course, I willingly accepted the responsibility. 

 In the previous eleven years his Royal Highness 

 had owned a number of steeplechasers, and 

 still had some in training at Epsom with John 

 Jones, the father of the jockey, Herbert Jones. 

 I believe, however, that when the Prince joined 

 the Kingsclere stable his colours had only once 

 been " sported " under Jockey Club rules. In 

 July 1877, at Newmarket, his Arab horse Alep 

 was matched against Lord Strathnairn*s Avowal, 

 to run four miles for ;^500 a side. Odds of 

 9 to 4 were laid on Alep, but he was beaten 

 thirty lengths by his opponent, a very moderate 

 horse. 



In 1886 the Prince bought a couple of two- 

 year-old fillies by Hermit. They were Counter- 

 pane and Lady Peggy. At Sandown Park in 



June, Counterpane, the first time out, won a 



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