THE PRINCE'S PATRONAGE 285 



Maiden Plate, beating three opponents in a 

 canter. Poor Counterpane, however, had her 

 existence cut short three weeks later, when she 

 competed for the Stockbridge Cup. Just as 

 she had apparently taken the measure of her 

 rivals, she was seen to falter, and when nearing 

 the winning-post dropped dead. A post-mortem 

 examination showed that she had a diseased 

 heart. Lady Peggy also ran twice that year. 

 She was beaten at Newmarket in July, but at the 

 Houghton meeting in October won a Maiden 

 Plate from a big field. After that no more was 

 seen of her on a racecourse. 



It would be shortly after Counterpane had 

 won her race at Sandown Park that the Prince, 

 talking with a friend, is said to have used words 

 to the following effect ; "To be neither unduly 

 elated by success nor discouraged by reverses 

 has always been considered the first attribute of 

 a good sportsman. I have only won one race 

 under Jockey Club rules. Some day I hope to 

 own a Derby winner of my own breeding; but 

 at present my luck is so bad that if a horse of 

 mine were winning a race it would probably 

 drop dead before reaching the winning-post." 

 In view of what happened to Counterpane at 

 Stockbridge, this was a strangely prophetic 

 utterance. 



Thenceforward until the end of the season 

 1892 I generally had ten or a dozen of my boxes 



