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UGLY RUMOR ABOUT THE PANTHER Theory That He Was Unsettled for Racing Derby Day by a Crafty Device The running of The Panther in the Epsom Derby was in such remarkable contrast with all of his previous racing as to almost amount to a scandal In fact it is a scandal to the extent that there Js a well defined suspicion that the colt was got to in a singularly ingenious way It Is averred that the parade to the post was led by a policeman mounted on a mare which was in season The Panther being No 1 was directly behind her and tho resultant appeal to sexual instinct so un ¬ settled the colt that he simply would not run a little bit From the beginning of antepost betting lie had been steadily the favorite and so heavily backed that the layers stood to pay out millions of dollars in the event of his success successIt It is worth consideration that such a levelheaded and experienced observer as W Allison is inclined to believe there was something rotten about The Panthers inglorious exhibition as witness the following from his pen in London Sportsmani SportsmaniTho Tho worst feature of it all was what I alluded to some weeks ago that when horses have been backed to win a big stake for these races they have in the past failed to win I thought then and I think now that those evil days are past but there will always remain an uneasy feeling about what was the matter with The Panther I wrote for yesterdays issue what Tallon told me about the policemans mare in front of hinu as he led the parade That alone my have sufficed to produce the debacle and though of course the policeman was quite unconscious of wrong it might be well to inquire liow that particular animal would be chosen to lead that parade in which it was wellknown The Panther would be number one oneThe The allusion mentioned above was printed some forty hours after The Panthers defeat and was as follows followsI I hoard today by the way a reason which may possibly account for The Panthers extraor ¬ dinary derangement yesterday It appears that the policeman who led the parade in which The Panther came first was riding a mare In a condi ¬ tion to upset any stallion This I am assured by a trainer of great experience who had his glasses on the animal and he is strptigiy o opinion that The Panthers trouble was caused by this unfortu ¬ nate incident It may well be so for it is a well known rule never to let a horse follow a marc in a string of horses in training The Panther people must just possess their souls in patience and await the day when their champion will again vindicate his position The old maxim Nemo repcnte fuit Turpissimus no one becomes a thorough paced vil ¬ lain all of a sudden may be trusted to apply in his case and the Epsom disgrace will probably be atoned for next time he runs 4I wish said Mr do Pledge today that The Panther were mine I would match him against Grand Parade for anything they like and give them a bit of weight too
