PRINCE FALIS IN RACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18703, 8 May 1924, Page 12

PRINCE FALIS IN RACE.

STEEPLECHASE MISHAP. •Alf tJNLCCKY "THIRTEEN." ■ escape in- EARLIER EVENT. [FBOM 0t» OWS COKEK3?ONDBNX.] ; i m : .;• ' : : ;<■';* ■■ ': OjOKDOH, March. 20.. Sffilive:- weeks after breaking his collar- . ; b ' ; bone at Leighton Buzzard, * the Print* ~ J f of "Wales made his first public appearance •" on a racecourse as an , entrant in Iht Army ; Point-to-point -paces, - helcl near Wokingham, ; Berks, last Saturday. . . The Prince, 'who- rode in two events,-was un- - fortunate in both, but it • -was the seconc .'■'■■ which provided the more serious ittishap, '■"• ' This Was the last event of the day, Past and Present Steeplechase, for the ; Earl of Cavan's cup, in which thei« wen 23 entries. - .Only eight ; started, fhow - ever, including the Prince of Wales M his bay gelding, Little Favourite. Hi! •v■ ' card number •- was the unlucky .13. The Prince appeared to be in : excellent spirits, and * when he ■ rode off toward/th( starting point he was cheered by a largf crowd. of well-known ■: people. Tha r star' was ra' good, one, the, Prince getting wel away, but at the first fence the hors< ' stumbled-.. and fell, throwing his ridei somewhat . heavily, ou to his head arte hand*,-. . . ;; V i^y-v'M< One.who was present states:-—"I wa< near the tricky • jump where ' the Priuc* fell. The first' I knew that . somethiiif ••' was wrong "was' "when 1.- saw . a riderlesi horse careering along, bearing - the tin V lucky number 13.'j. There was a rush to joii - the ; little ; crowd ; . that; had run vto hell i.--..:. . the * fallen ; rider. ' ' The v Prince . ha: ■V . ; } fallen!' was the cry : from v the lips 0everyone. The Prince ' was being' placet ■ ■ ■;cn a stretcher just as •I ■ got .near.';.- H< : " seemed in a very dazed -state, and blooc . was streaming : down - his face.' , •' What's Happened?". ■,■' M 'What's happened?' * the f Prince" mar ■ . ; mured, and someone said, > Xoa ■: fallen,?. - Then the Prince seemed. tto 00l lect' himself a little, ' and he waved his awps;ss if to say, ' Why all this .trouble. I' don't . need an * ambulance.' • ' I'm quit" nil right, How's the nag?' That ww his first" remark, stndi-it ■is typical of hii • etoicism and his wonderful nature. • "A policeman and - a stjretcher-bearei carried . the •.• Prince ; 200 yds- across a fie.lc . - into, the main . road, , and then , into 'i farmhouse. ;, •; The Duke :of York, looking : : very anxious, led the procession. Tin '• Prince's .; horse was very : restive. Hi ■ ' cleared "a ! low fence -just previous to th« ■;V. fall, but the awkward drop on 1 the ottiei side caused him to fall. The Priac< was ■ shot over his mount's head.. . " I '• liave seen " the .'Prince' ricfei'-tnanj ' ••-Itimes.t'. Ho is a plucky; rider, and lam cer- ■■■', tain he would never, have consented ■to' be ? • carried -on a * stretcher ' hid he ' not beer , badly-; hurt. /-The fence 'where he fell was only a hundred yards from the start - ing point. ' In the first race he rode ' Passport 1. in the Prince ;of "Wales' Cup. : " ' At a later stage ol this race his mount • refuEed to jump a *■ fence ;and the Prlnff -, discreetly- : turned it - round, and . rode back to the startipg-post. Just l before this, ; - however,: he. bad a narrow escape, for .at the *. third; fence,; just before the waliitt ■jump, : four horses fell in front of aim. ' . By pood horsemanship; he avoided being ' ' mixed up in the ! melee, • and ; jumped; out vof the way to the left. / v • Attention of Photographers. " His Boyal Highness ,is : never < ; lacking in grit, but „ owing to a weakness • ol ' feat * he is prone to be unseated quite easily. . He was a little nervous: all day, and was somewhat 'worried by the con- - - stant ' attentions , of ? people . .with i Caracas; • ec much so that at, one time he called one over. .and told -• him : that he. would like him to take what photograph he . wanted ' ; and ' leave .-. him. ' "There were V nliotoV. r praphers i everywhere, and c they , followed the Prince wherever he went.". V " Many i photographers were!; gathered st the - worst jump,, where it was ex- •;; pected the : rjders would fall. I asked one -of 'thsan if he expected : the • Prince to fall. J- 4 No,' he replied, ' I hope he won't, but he may. I .J. ; '.'Ha is afraid of : ■; Jiothing,' * said a ; well-known farmer, ; who ,v'V.'?! was on if the course. ' But a ! horseman ' has not nine lives.' ' / "An - amusing t" incident occurred f while . the 'Prinze was t returning from the firstrace. He happened to drop his whip, ; _-'J. and , stopped his horse until someone ;..- ro?ild come and pick it,up.- A pedestrian ■« did : this, and ireceived :< a , jovial * Thank you,'. and ; then i"he turned ,to another . an ding," by, as the young rider trotted • S. 'jklsi' the Prince riding ■' to-day?' .he » • ssfeed. ' Yes.' wag the reply, .* you have just given him hack his whip.' " Alarm of Corajshmea. At the ? annual dinner of Cornish folk . in London, Mr. L. C. Thomas, chairman, ' referred;.: to ... the news that had just : reached * him, that the *'■Duke of .i"Corn- », wall " had met with another.- riding - acci- ,, dent. ; 5/He: added: i*" Speaking for myself and for my fellow Cornishmen. I do w^sh • C he , would > not do that sort of thing. ,We go : about "; with ? our hearts in > our mouths. . , fearful of what may- happen next-. '' 1 ;; ; do not think we owrhi to he put in .that ." . position*.',-' I .think His ; Royal Highness is might. • confine himself to a hack In Hyde V v Park! As the Secretary'to the Duchy I is a present- I hope ''he will } convey that suggestion to what is officially-;^known"as the proper quarter." '.{Laughter). v.. . The Prince's decision in the r matter has pp| yet to be taken>?, Those in close'touch , "with him believe that he will not i*s | slow -to realise - the wisdom of .'greater -V'caution !in , the future. . Further, : the , • Prince has the ?; warning j before \ him ol ' the recent accident to * his Master :of , c Horse/' Major Metcalfe, : • who - was r- so v; severely damaged -as the result -of falling OS fiis -face into a roa<! as to require no ; .fewer. than 27 stitches, ; and the t services of an - eminent surgeon, who specialised in facial injuries during the. war. :^;-^-;Vi