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CAREER OF A GRAND RACER AND SIRE. Interesting Story of Persimmons Rivalry with St. Frusquin as a Three-Year-Old, Naturally the untimely death of King Edwards great sir •. Persimmon, was much deplored in Eng-land and much space was given in turf publications to descriptions of the horse aud his c;arcer. One of the best was that written by "Audiix" in Horse and Hound of which the following is a part: "It is with the most genuine regret that 1 record the death of Persimmon. Only last week news of his improvement caine to ine direct from the Sand-ringham Stud, but as he got liett r in health he became more restless in the slings, and it was thought necessary to lower him so that his hoofs touched the ground. Presumably this set up an irritation in the p -lvis. which was fractured in two places and he died from exhaustion on Tuesday night. The injury due to plunging about and slipping whilst out at exercise originated on Decem-l er 30. but did not show any serious d velopmcnt until some days later. Bred by His Majesty, and foaled April 15, 1893. Persimmon, a grand stamp of horse, a bay with black points, standing It! hands 2 inches, was a fourth foal and by St. Simon, out of Perdita II.. by Hampton. Tried to be very smart the week before the meeting in 1845. the son of St. Simon started for and easily won the Coventry Stakes at Ascot, and he was even better galloped before his next essay at Goodwood, doing so well with the three-year-old. Igly, that his able trainer. Dick Marsh, considered him to be quite the son of Mintings equal at ev--n weights: it must be remembered, though, that Igly at that time was nothing like so good as he subsequently became. I may mention that Persimmon easily s cured his Sussex engagement, this being the Richmond Stakes. but in his only other race that year, the Middle Park. Plat.-, he was very much off color from the J effects of a cough, aud could get no nearer than third to St. Frusquin and Omladina. His massive frame not coining to hand quickly in the spring of 1896, Persimmon was wisely not started for the Two Thousand, and came out first for the Derby. His old rival. St. Frusquin, which had won the first of the "classics from Love Wisely and others. was a hot favorite at 13 to 8. fives being freely offered against Persimmon; but after a beautiful race the latter, challenging just past the number t oard, got his neck in front of St. Frusquin a few-strides further on. and won a trifle cleverly by that distance in the hands of John Watts, nothing else being near these two great sous of St. Simon, aad they, much the best male representatives of this champion of champions, were begottn. by the way. during a season when St. Simon himself was in far from good health. The result produced the most extraordinary scene of excitement ever witnessed upon a race course and it can certainly never be exceeded, if even equalled. "After this the two famous rivals met to fight out the rubl er at Newmarket in the then mile Princess of Wales Stakes, the result being that St. Frusquin, receiving three pounds, won by half a length from Persimmon, the latter beating Regret, to which he was conceding twelve pounds, by a similar distance: but had this race been ruu over any course except the remarkably severe Buubury Mile, the second would probably have wou. as the wonderful hind leverage of St. Frusquin told greatly in his favor when climbing the steep hill, and although Persimmon finished the faster of the pair, he failed to make up the lost ground in time. Rivalry l e-tweeu the partisans of these great colts as to which would win the St. Leger rose very high, but St. Frusquin unfortunately gave way in training during August, am his racing career ending. Persimmon, although far •from his best at Doucaster. had little trouble to lieat Labrador aud others. He was in much better trim when next seen out for the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket, and made a tremendous example of the Derby and St. Leger winner. Sir Yisto. and eight more, they including Laveno aud Regret. The best day of Persimmons life, however, was when he won the Ascot Cup the following year, aud he simply treated Wiukfields Pride and Love Wisely as though they were hacks in this race, but for all that felt the effects of it. and was nothing like the same horse when ending his racing COM a few weeks later by readily iK-ating Velasqicz aud others for the Kdipse Stakes. "He was a very good-tempered horse, but hated being l*»xcd, aud gave great trouble at Dullingham Station when being dispatched to run for the Derby. Persimmon was ridden in all his races by John Watts, who several times told me that when at his ImM be had no doubt he was the greatest horse he ever rode. During his time on the turf the great brother to Diamond Jubilee and Klorizel II. won 73,530 in stakes, besides ,000 in place money; and in the spring of 189S he began his stud career at Saudringham covering at a fee of 300 guineas. Among the first of his get was Sceptre, sold for the world-record price of 10,000 guineas as a yearling to Mr. Sievier: and, except when failing to sIkav her true form in the Derby, the famous filly won all the other classic events of 1902. Others of note sired by Persimmon may be mentioned in Chats-worth, Cheers. Coloola, Fugleman, Keystone II.. Mead. Mountain Apple, Perrier, Persuasion. Plum center. Plum Tree, Royal Dream. Royal Realm. Kushcutter and Zinfandel. Altogether fifty-six of his get have between 1901 and the end of 1907 won on the flat in the United Kingdom 14ti races, worth 1908.sh22,520, while one of his sons, Ouadi Haifa, has won some rich stakes in France."
