A ROYAL DERBY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 6

A ROYAL DERBY.

VICTORY FOR THE KING'S HORSE. UNPRECEDENTED SCENES. HIS MAJESTY JOSTLED BY A CHEERING crowd; For the first time in its long history tho Derby was won by a reigning' monarch on May. 26. ; For tho first time sinoo his accession to the; throno, King Edward , VII. has led a Derby winner' to tho uneaddlihg enclosure, while a great multitudo of pcoplo, in a frenzy of sudden joy, buret into the deafening chorus 'of "God Savo tho King." -When his Majesty's colt Minora. flaahod past

t!he winning-post-half a head-in; f rent, ofthe next horse- t'ho .whole human panorama - on the Downs completely changed. ; Thousands upon thousands of people made a rush for. the grandstand. '■.. KriclosurcG . ware broken into and barriers smashed, 1 while "policeinen ;sttod helpless before the' oncoming- sea .of 'men and women • like mere /posts in . a - raging- torrent. ■ The King himsdf, if-,not ex: axrtly. mobbed, foiind; himself, on leaving,,the Royal box,'in the oentro.of a hustling, throng •, of; people, both distinguished and : undistinguished.' Such exuberance, springing' , from the heart of popular' enthusiasm, has' never before been witnessed ■on an English. racecourse)' and -ftie episo'de will be remembered as one of the mo&t; remarkable .in' King Edward's, life. . , ' . The'following account, taken from -the London' "Daily, News," tells why, the, King's iWby as a spectacle will' never bo' forgot-. ' ton—ho.w tho. King and Queen,;.the- Prince' and Princess of Wales, and the, rest i.o'f .• the. Royal family who were present, watched the colt dash round •',. tho famous iioourso, and how.it all. ended greatest popular victory ever known. ■ A few; minutes -Wore three io'ckick tho,;King, wearing':- a. doop red rose, in. his', black frock-coat, en-, tered the Royal : box (and took Ithe. centre seat. With him came the Queen, m-a light, fawn cloak, and the Princess; of Wales,' in a blue dress and a hat trimmed with salmoncoloured flowers. 1 Both woro' a bunch of, pink carnations.' /Behind them/ stood . the. Prince of * Wales, .Princcss,- Victoria, and Princo Christian. v.';. /:' > : ' Royal xExcltenient. 'Through his field glasses the King watched the horses getting • ready for the start.. Suddenly the- sun went behind a cloud, and down came a torrential rainV blowing right in tho faces of the Royal-party, who stepped back | a few pacc-s. \. . • ■ . i • ','They're off I" Thero was a note of 'expectancy more intense than usual in the old, famdiar cry as it escaped tho lips of the people'. . The King and Queen, the Prince anaiPrincess of Walesyand the Mother, members of the-Royal party instantly irose to. their feet and- stood in .a line right infrontof. the-Royal box. His .Majesty 'at' 'once focussed hiß . 'glasses on his colt,' and followed:.the horses :round Tattenham Corner and down the. straight milo. ...He did .not/move- except once, - and . then only-to lean; on/the edge 'of the box to get a better .view of . the raco. . • -As the• horses came 'down the straight some one'eried: "It's.the King's' race 1"

■ All was excitement in the Royal box. : The King, -however, never took 'his glasses' from his eyes until the animals - galloped near tho grandstand. . ''It's - the King's race—the - King's race I"The cry grow more confident.' • The Princess of Wales beat both her whitegloved' hands on'tho edge of'the Royal box, as! thbugh'fimpatiently 'urging- on the 'King's/ coltyto/victory,.' aii'd .sh'ercdntinued'.'to - show her excitement in . this way till the horses were- qlmps't' at the winning-post,-' '; "It's the King's race-rthe King has won I" And tlien began a demonstration unparalleled -on- any , racecourse in: this country, A Mad Rush. There is always.a rush of people down tho' courso. after. a big race,. but ion: occasion thoy came from .all directions, thousands and thousands :of , them, like-a people/ mad with enthusiasm'. . It was like the bursting of -a. groat reservoir over the Downs. Right aoross the course, on either side of ithe grandstand, , a rope was drawn, 'and in 'front of it police- | men stood, ■ waiting .for- the. oncoming <sea of people, -'. For. a. moment,, ajid- only for, a moment, they succeeded m checking thi;! rush;, v Tho ■ next..'instant: the 'empty.' 'enclosure in ■front'of the grandstand was transformed into a broiling,. restless mass of: excited / people; cheering/ King and colt, recklessly throwing their/hats in _the air, without'attempting to find 'them again/- and. singing ' !God Save the King.-' • • ''.'-.-' c '. On tho.raceconrso enthusiasm spread/faster than wildfire, and a storm of cheering, swept through the rich miui's enclosure', in front of the Itoyiil'.box,- where all the sporting.celebrities .were ;blustored..' Without '.'waiting' for a /leader- they-.all-whisked on-their shiny top hats, raising them' above' thoir heads, ' 'an(l . fixing / 'their ;- eyes on' the who'- . 1 , stood radiant/ with ' victory: in . the'' /'Royal . - box. Mounted' police.moved helplessly.barrier's snappedi'^hd"the poor.man -and the rich man were' 'mixed: up divided the entrance to' the grandstand "and the blaiaourag - thousands except ,the- : jvhite railings, which creaked ufider the / weight. 'Whaftwas going to happen-next? ■ The King left the Royal box, followed by the Prince of Wales, and appeared on tho balcony below in, the. rich, man's .enclosure, where lie was speedily surrounded. And as his. Majesty passed. through the. crowd, s-vt no little 'personal discomfort, | he shook hands with, mainy oldvsporting friends. Tlie congratulations' came in a spontaneous outburst, and the King smilingly ; acknowledged them with raised hat'and courtly bow.: . . ■ . But a more exciting moment was yet to come. His Majesty stepped" from tho balcony and appearccl pn the edge of the course, as ido, other owners of Derby winners, when, in accordauco with historic custom, tho victor has .. to be led into the unsaddling enOnly by a tremendous'effort on the the mounted jjolioo- waa a way. oloarod

for tho King's' horso, riddon. by its jockoy, who Bat palo, with iinmobilo features. Wrvo after wave of chcering rolled ovor tho hoadfl of tho littlo party surrounding tho winner, which oonsifitod of tho King, tho Frinco or Wales, Lord Marcus Horcsford, Marsh, tho trainer, and soveral others, whilo. tho ceremony was watchod by tho Royal ladies in tho Royal box.

By this timo the crowd had flowod into ovory privileged oorner, and all kinds if pooplo found thomsolvcs gazing upon ,_iiu kindly faco of his Majesty at extraordinarily close quarters. • l'olico wcro uselosa to stop tho people, and they know jt. Then tho King mounted tho balcony beneath tho lloyal box, whero'ho was surrounded by a fresh circlo, of distinguished persons, and on his way up tho Btairs ho turned to look, upon tho groat sea of faces. That was tho moment whon ho seemed most moved. Leaning ovor 1 the side of tho oriclosuro, ho Btood for sovoral moments dividing his glances botween,

the splendid aniiial that had won the race and the, cheering populace. _ . It- was 1 a' close race/ for'Mmoru only beat.' liouviefs by a head. The Race Described, •Fifty , yards, to ,go in;, the Derby /and; two gallant hoYses expending their: last energies in a Titanic battle to get,there first!-(s'ays:. ,the "Daily Mail','). One: is the. King's •Minoru; the other his Two Thousand'victim_ Louvie.rs; .- both,are• spent,.-with quivering; -blood-red nostrils, but neither- flinches for a, moment.,. Minoru/ has . a slight advantage, 'and- the-' tension everywhere is .frightful as Louvicrs strives to. wrest:,it'from him;' Space weaTs: away;' so»also,- almost' imperceptibly; but none the less/surely, does Minor'u's' lead, until the few .peoplo who arc able; to collect their thoughts ask .'each.' other, whether ...tho shouting is not a little premature." A mighty ,effort' by Louviers in tho final 'strides and'' the /King 'will be .beaten. "'The'vwhip.cuts him' again and again; groggy ' from : punish''mont 'and .distress v h(j-'fights ;it out-with a bulldog-liko - resolution : that shames',, the: aspersers of .his.'courage; So' they . pass the. post', ]ocl;ed together, and though the shouting grows into .a tumult of joy over a royal; victory, thousands of eyes are; turned' anxiously to the board; for official endorsement of the impression that. Minoru has got, home first. Won'by'a short head! And a short, short head at that, a nose, as they would describe it in Australiaj just an . inch ■ tor twol-. What a world of difference these short heads- make in racing I

Minoru was swallowed up'and kind of lost in the frenzied .crowd which inundated the course from : "Tattersall's" enclosure right away down to the paddock. A lane is usually kept on the; stand, side for-: horses to return to the unsaddling placo, and all the Derby runners came back .through it,' some of them with difficulty, : for. not even mounted' constables could preseWo a clear • passage' for them. -But the crowd seemed to tako.pos-. session of Minoru. He had finished on the

far side ■of the. course ? . and when Jones pulled him up ho was instantly surrounded. His necli and; sides were patted, • and in, a delirium of enthusiasm people started pluck* ing hairs/out of his mane and tail, but he at last resented this as a liberty by showing his heels. . ... . , .. • • , . ~ ' . ' "When the', tapes went up I got nicely off fourth or fifth, - said Herbert Jones, the winning iockey. "I was in a good position and the horse went so kindly that I had no trouble to placo him. I took up the. running coming down the hill just beforo making Tattenham Corner, and. Louviers on my right was going strong. I "steadied my horse coming to the road, and Louvicrs headed me," with-Valens on my left also going well.- I did not fear Valens—l knew I had him setbut I quickly took it up again from Louviers. and,then it was a,battle. Perhaps I headed Louviers just: at the. right moment, for he came again, and, as you Know, tho, finish was very near. But I thought I had won, ■,and the choers soon, told mo it right,