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ENGLISH CUP RACES AND THE WINNERS Outstanding Incidents Marking the History of the Famous Ascot Goj.d Cup. First, Article. Ascots distinction and charm have often provided a theme for graphic pens, and,- though hyperbole may have played a par.t in their description, it can be admitted that, the subject is worthy of special treatment and keen appreciation. The meeting on the Berkshire heath has characteristics peculiarly its own, and, coming as it does with the sunshine of June-unless, indeed, our fickle climate should bring disturbing weather conditions it presents a radiant picture, alike from a social and sporting point of view. Cup day is its apogee, and, though Ascot lacks the floral embellishments of a Long-champs, a Lingfield or a Windsor, the display made by the aristocratic and fashionable assemblage is unequalled the world over. The sanction and presence of royalty are features that enhance the brilliance of hir occasion that leaves a striking impression upon all who assist at , It. That the meeting supplies the highest class of sport everyone knows, for all racing roads, lead to a fixture where the stakes ate worthy of thoroughbreds which have shown quality . that comes for endorsement and further reward., Of all Ascots valuable prizes the most coveted is the Gold Cup. and he is a proud sportsman who has a horse able to win the Derby and .afterwards earn the mint-mark of excellence stamped upon him by a Gold Cup victory. Besides indicating a capacity to stay, the journey over the searching two miles and a half is an undeniable test of merit, for all" the competitors run at weight-for age, witli no allowances for previous failure or penalties for previous success. Of course, many races to which cups are added are simply handicaps, but winning -such, under whatever conditions and over, wha.tevec courses, does not bring the victor into the category .of "Cup" horses, that description referring to, those only that have won one or more of the historic weight-for-age contests at such places as Ascot, Goodwood, Doncaster, etc. Itthns, however, happened that thorouglibreds of the highest possible .class have: not taken a cup, a case in point being supplied by Ormonde, which never won a nice of that class, and the fact has Induced many, In. appraising the merits of that unbeaten son of Bend Or, to, deny him the position among tjie .mighty ones accorded him by almost general consent. But success in events of that character greatly, .enhances the value of a horse as a stallion, of" which evidence was supplied by St. Simon, which was, the Cup horse-of his day, though circumstances took from him . the possibility of achleving-:honors in either, the. Two Thousand Guineas, tlie Derby or the St. Leger. Other instances might hp adduced of a similar kind, but tlie reputation of those horses has not suffered thereby. Acceptable Test for Race- Horse. For. over n. hundred years It was established in 1807 the Ascot Cup has .afforded an acceptable test for the race horse, and its list of winners gives the names of practically the cream of those in British turf annals. Many of them added other cups at other places to their Ascot trophy, and a considerable proportion as was inevitable won or were placed for one or ,other of the "classic" stakes. In the early stages of its history the cup was won by horses whose names are now forgotten, and shed no particular luster on its records,, but if gradually became a reflex of the highest form of the year, and brought out the best horses In training, though often enough the fields hava .been of -small proportions. Several horses have scored twice, and in the "thirties" of the last century Touchstone provided an instance. He belonged to the house of Grosvenor whose representatives have so often distinguished themselves on the race course and at the stud became an illustrious sire-, passing along his best qualities in .a remarkable degree. Descendants of his followed in his footsteps n the Ascot Cup, and his name., appears in . some of . the quarterings of tlie pedigrees qJ our most famous, thoroughbreds. Touchstone had. been, preceded In his "double" by Bizarre in 1824 and 1825, but reference to his .doings would be digging up almost ancient history, and .more interest attaches to what took place at a. later period.. The Emperor won in 1844 and 1845 in this year the title, was changed to the Emperors Plate, the original title being reverted to , in 1S54 , and The Hero, . a good horse which accounted for tlie Doncaster Cup as a three-year-old, in 1847 and 1848. A decade afterwards Fisherman, a winner of twenty-six Queens Plates, whose stock have made such a mark at the Antipodes, 0tppk-,3p honors, and repeated the feat the following year. Tim "double" was not accomplished again till 1879 and 1880, when the race fell to Isonomy. AAhat sort of horse he was all who are fairly well acquainted witli turf history know perfectly, an,d his remarkable performances haye been so often referred to in other articles appearing in. our columns that it seems unnecessary to repeat them.. But : it. may be mentioned, as showing his sterling, qualities, that in 1879 he added the . Goodwood , and Doncaster Cups to his Ascot trophy. The White Knight and- Prince Palatine Doubles. The other horses to win the Cun twice are The AVhite Knight 1907 and 190S and Prince Palatine 1912 and 1913. Though their doings are of comparatively recent date, and do hot need livery detail in their enumeration, a brief glance at them may not be "without interest. The. White Knight, by Desmond Iella, won the Ciirragli Grand Prize as a two-year-old, aiid early the next year indicated that he was partial to a good journey by readily accounting for the Threc-Year-Old Handicap over a mile and a quarter at Newmarket, First Spring, and at Ascot won the Gold Aase over a couple of miles, while at Newbury he was first for the Autumn Cup over a furlong further. The next year saw him take the March Stakes one and .a quarter, miles at Newmarket, the Epsom Coronation Cup about one mile and a half, and then came his, victory in the Gold Cup at Ascot, for which he ran a dead heat with the French horse. Eider. His, jockey objected to the latter on the. grounds of boring and bumping, and that Stern who ride Eider caught hold of his leg and tried to push him off. The stewards investigation acquitted Stern of .the latter tharge, but found the other proved! giving the race to The AAhite Knight. In the Goodwood Cup two and one-half miles he made an example of his opponents, and the race has seldom or never been won iu easier fashion, a verdict of eight lengths going in his favour from Madame dq Soubise. Aeloelty and Bridge of Canny, beat hint for the Doncaster Cup, and he then put in an astonishing feat in the Cesarewitch, for which the handicapper allotted him 138- pounds. He was- backed to win, nevertheless, and only failed to do so by three-quarters of a length, giving the winner, Demure, of his own age, no less than forty-five pounds. This will rank with anything done in a handicap, great as have, been tlie performances of other liorses at various" times. As a five-year-old he again, won the Coronation Cup at Epsom from the evor-green Dean Swift and others, and then scored his second success in the Ascot Cup. This time he won without the least difficulty, with odds on him, Radium and Torpoint running second and third respectively. The pair, opposed him for the Goodwood Cup, and he- would doubtless have beaten them again at even weights, but the Goodwood conditions gave them a. pull in the poundage, and they finished in front of him, though he was only a neck and two lengths away. For the Doncaster Cup, won by Radium, he was beaten out of a place at level weights, and finislied his career on the course in the Cesarewitch, for- .which thanks, doubtless, to his achievement the previous year he had the great impost of 140. pounds to carry. He was ridden by Halseyvho understood tluLhorse and was fond of him, and, though beaten, hegot sixth. He has sirdd a number of useful winners, even if not up t6 his own .class; and it is only fair to anticipate that in course of time he will show us something worthy of a horse which has done such great things. Regarded as a Super-Thoroughbred. . AAhen on the turf Prince Palatine could rank with racers of the, highest character, and at one time his performances aroused such enthusiasm that he was regarded by some as a kind of super-thoroughbroU, or; at .any rate,- eligible to be bracketed witli those" "horses of the century" con- corning which much interesting discussion has frequently taken place without, however, deciding which could claim . absolutely first position. By Persimmon Lady Lightfoot, lie won three races as a juvenile, one of which was the valuable Imperial Produce Plate at Kempton Park, but was beaten out of a place for the Dewhurst . Plate, though it must be recorded that lie was giving considerable weight to all his opponents. Two successes as a three-year-old included the St. Leger. which he won by a half dozen lengths, beating King AAilliam which had had the best of him in the Dewhurst Plate into third place, and afterwards, with seven pounds against him, he ran Stcdfast to a half length for the Kingsclere Stakes at Newbury. The next season, at Epsom, Stedfast again beat him at level weights for the Coronation Cup, though the result might have been the other way had he not lost ground at tlie start, and then, with no Stedfast to meet, he was an easy winner of the Ascot Cup. An unexpected reverse awaited the "Prince" in the .Princess of AVales Stakes at Newmarket, for with 5 to 2 bet on him he was disposed of by the outsider, Lance Chest, then three years old and In receipt of twenty-four pounds. He in his turn upset tlie odds bet on his old opponent, Stedfast, for the Eclipse Stakes; the pair met on even terms, and after beating a commoner for the Doncaster Cup won his second ten-thousand-pounder tlie Jockey Club Stakes, again beating Stedfast, to which he gave no less than thirteen pounds and a half-length beating. The Prince Beaten at 1 to 20. For the Jockey Club Cup subsequently his only opponent was Beppo, and bookmakers asked for the prohibitive odds of 1 to 20. Prince Palatine was not himself on that day, and Mr. T. Pilkington, his owner, would, perhaps, have been well advised not to run him, but he was not a man to keep his horses in lavender, and the son of Persimmon took his chance, only to be beaten by a half dozen lengths. He came out well enough as a five-year-Old for the Coronation Cup-at Epsom, which this time he won in a canter from Long Set and two others, and then followed the Ascot Cup. His old opponent. Stedfast, was again in the field, and tlie result of a battle between the pair was the victory of Prince Palatine by a length and a half. He may have been helped to success by a mishap to Tracery, which came down through collision with a spectator who ran out in front of the field, but the performance was a brilliant one, and it was no mean thing to dispose of Lord Derbys horse, his meetings with which were so often interesting features to those who went racing. Mr. Pilking-tons representative attempted to add the Goodwood to his other cup laurels, but, with good odds laid on him, failed to get into the first three. This was his last appearance in public, but prior to his running at goodwood negotiations bad been entered into for his sale to Mr. J. B. Joel, who arranged to give 45,000 pounds for him., with the contingency that 5,000 pounds should be returned if he proved unsuccessful in the Cup. As he failed the deal stood at 40,000 pounds n record deal in connection with a race horse. He is standing at the Childwickbury Stud, aiid the" advent of his progeny on tlie race course will be looked forward to with much interest. -London Sportsman. To be continued.
