314 The Derby 



second. It was then thought that, had Mornmgton 

 Cannon-in strict obedience to orders — not made so 

 much use of the filly she would have w^on, instead of being 

 beaten half a length as she was. Eegret was understood 

 to be ' the same animal ' as Omladina, and the inference 

 was that the Derby lay between Eegret and St. Frusquin. 

 The former did not appear till late in the following year, 

 but St. Frusquin had meantime grown in favour, Per- 

 simmon had declined the Two Thousand, had occasionally 

 gone in slovenly fashion at exercise, rumours to his 

 detriment even up to when he did reach Epsom ; 5 to 1 

 was laid against him, St. Frusquin being backed at 13 

 to 8 on. Had Mr. Leopold de Eothschild kept him fresh 

 for the Derby, the chances are that he would have won ; 

 but he had run twice previously — with success — and cer- 

 tainly did not look his best. He was beaten by a neck, but 

 that the world in general still considered him the better 

 of the pair was proved by the ' market ' in the Princess of 

 Wales Stakes a month later. Persimmon had 3 lb. the 

 worst of the weight, it is true, 9 st. 5 lb. against St. 

 Frusquin's 9 st. 2 lb. That would have equalised the 

 neck beating so nearly that, if the Derby running were 

 accepted as correct, it should have been the same odds 

 against both, or a shade perhaps in favour of an animal 

 with the j)rcstujc of having won the great race ; but the 

 ring laid 4 to 1 against Persimmon, only 5 to 2 against 

 St. Frusquin, who beat his rival by half a length and 

 never ran again. 



Meanwhile it had seemed that Lord Eosebery must 

 have an altogether exceptionally good two-year-old in 

 Yelasquez, who came out at Ascot, won the New^ Stakes 

 in a canter on July 4, the Prince of Wales Stakes at Good- 

 wood and the Champagne with equal ease ; and Lord 



