THE PRINCE AND PERSIMMON.

The Prince of Wales, -who has just won the Derby with Persimmon, is very partial to racing (says " Terlinga " in the Australasian.), but with so many calls on his time, it is qpldom he is seen on any racecourse save Newmarket, Epsom, Ascot, Goodwood, and Donoaater. Occasionally he attends one of the big gate-money meetings when a race such as the Kempton-park Jubilee Stakes or the Manchester Cup is to be run, and so popular is he that the announcement of his intended visit invariably adds some thousands to the attendance. Some years ago the Prince took a fancy to Arabs, and he had oue trained at Newmarket ; but one or two matches against selling- platers were sufficient to convince him that the Arab had no chance agaiubt the English thoroughbred. No matter what the distance, the English horae always won. The Arab could not gallop fast enough to put its opponent's stamina to tho test. The firsc thoroughbred which carried the Royal purple with gold fringe was Tho Scot, a Blair Athol horSe, which once fatarted a favourite for the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase. Tho Scot did not win, aud although he won races with one or two other jumpers, none of the Prince's horses proved equal to taking iNational honours. • When he first went irjto raoing proper; the Priuce trained at tßungsolere with John Porter. He never •had more thaa two or three in training, Qnd none of them proved of much use. r Then he bought a few mares and started 'breeding for himself, with Lord Marcus 'Beresford as manager of both his racing and breeding stud. At tlje end of 1892, the Prince's horses were removed from, ■Kin^solere to Newmarket, the reason for .tleo.hange being that the latter place was jnorb convenient. Now that he has something worth watering, the" Prince ,ia often »t Newmarket to Bee "his" horses gallop. Florizel 11. won some good races last year, and Persimmon, the Derby winner, is his full brother. Before he made his dibut at Ascot last year, the touts had discovered Persimmon's "worth, and he won his race Jife^aJ good colt. At Goodwood he again svoVriicfeiy, ,'andVas at once backed for the Derby. So far,!jiowever, he had not encountered eithiMj Si[t. Frusquin or Omladina. When he did ine_ftt these two cracks in the Middle Park Plate, they both beat him decisively. Admirers of Persimmon declined to accept the result as decisive, however, because the Prince's colt was known to have been coughing a, few days before the race. Persimmon does not seem to have been hurried in his preparation this year, and when tried for speed before the Two Thousand Guineas the result was so unsatisfactory that it was determined not to oppose St. Frusquin in that race. Subsequently, Persimmon must have come on again, as ho gradually shortened in price for the Derby until he came to 4 to 1. Sentiment would have something to do with this, as many people would support Persimmon for no other reason, than that he belonged to the Prince of Wales. This is the i-econd time a Prince of Wales has won the Derby, Sir Thomas having won in the Royal colours iu-1788.