ROYAL RACING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 122, 21 June 1909, Page 4

ROYAL RACING.

THE KING'S WINNINGS THIS YEAR. London, June 18. jVlinoru won another race this week, making the King's winnings £18,577 for this year. HIS MAJESTY WINS HIS FIRST CLASSIC RACE. DERBY FAVORITE. London, May 1. Tire King won the Two Thousand Guineas Stakes—the first of the great classic races —at Newmarket yesterday with his coif Minora. He is now in the happy position of owning the firs't favorite for the Derby, and having an undeniable chance of repeating at Epsom the triumphs of Persinnnoa and Diamond Jubilee. These were when the King was Prince of Wales, and the Two Thousand Guineas is the first classic race he has won since lie ascended the throne. It Was an historic occasion on Newmarket Heath yesterday. To the lasting regret of the'crowd the King was not present to see the great victory and to hear a volume of cheering such as has never gone up from what is usually an unemotional Newmarket crowd.

The next best which could happen was that the 'Prince of Wales was' spending that week at the headquarters of the turf.

Before the race yesterday cxpcits agreed that Minoru was the gentleman of the party, and several trainers who had turned out "Guineas" and Deriby winners in previous years asserted that they had never s£en a more per-fectly-trained animal.

UNBEATEN HORSES DEFEATED. The King's colt was considered the only Teal danger to the hitherto unbeaten Ravardo, who was making his first apipearance of the season after scoring a'evon consecutive victories as a two-year-old in 1008. Bavardo was hacked as if the race were all over, but there was a certain section of backers who were loyal both to Minoru and his color*'.

The favorite vas ridden by the AngloAmerican horseman. Maher, while M;noru had his usual pilot, Herbert Jones, of Diamond Jubilee fame. The field altogether numbered eleven. The King's colt was second favorite for the race at -I to 1 against, and pleased one of the largest crowds seen at Newmarket on "Guineas" day as lie ea-.itwed down to the post. Everything tended tn make the filiation a brilliant one. There was a larger attendance of members of the •locfcey Club than had been seen for many years past. There were many' house parties in Newmarkt and the vitinity. and the members' enclosure was crowded'.

Ont on the heath raimmerable horsemen galloped ciown to the post of halfway down to see the earliest stages of the race, and cantered home to sec as much of the running as possible. EXCITING INCIDENT.

During the race there was' a pulsating moment of excitement when the colors of Louviers were seen hanging towards those of tlie Duke of Portland's lMiulel'OU. Minora was keeping liis line between the two, hut in another second or so the two leaders would have dosed in, and there would have tan the necessity of going rpuTid and po time left in which to do it.

The experienced Jones—once dosl'ibed by Lord Marcus KWesfoni; as the ''jockey who makes the fewest mistakes" —grappled with the situation in a moment. The elFort could not be delayed. lie must set Minoru gohij: or fail.

He shot Minoru between the pair, and with the speed of a 120-li.p. motor car getting out of a tight fix the King's colt in a few strides had cleared the others and was a length ahead. The horste seemed as if he knew what it was all about, and, sweeping along with Fjjpej'b action l , lie won the "Guineas" for tfce Jung by two lengths. NEWS SENT TO 'fHE KING. In less than five minutes Lord Marcus Bercsford had cabled the ne-wg ' to' tfte King, and congratulations were showered on trainer and jockey, as well as on Lord Marcus Beresford, who manages the royal ftor.ves. jTfis Majesty. v/l)o made a most auspicious *tart s this season. has now won seven race? of the value p,f

are in England many collectors of old racp eyrds. and one gentleman at Brighton, who inherited the basis of hi* store from the late Mr. I'ndwick, once w) celebrated, had upwards of live thousand of these cards, dating back for quite forty years, and including everv "classic event during that period. Tii'e late Marquis of Zetland had the cards of every race lie had ever attended during a very long career as an owner of horses. In general, tjie cards that an* ;of the greatest value to the collector are thos'e which have their pencil notes iin the margin. Thin the gem of the ; Brighton collection spoken of is a J)erby | Day card marked by the young and j luckless Marquis of 4 liasting*, who came |to such fearful I nin r,„ the very day of | the date of tire card itself. This spcciI men cost its present owner thirty gui- , A few years ago at the Travellers' jjj Lfii/don a collection of cards' | marked -by 'iu.i-.ti w.ill always be remembered iu the Jji^i.v' u/' the turf. [«'«■» sold to a -Vorksh-ir.e ImiH) interested ifi racing gutter,*. ioj-' This same gentleman 'not along ago bought a collection of betting books that had belonged to celebrities, these 'including Lord (ieorge Uentinek. Admiral Rons, and Lord Falmouth. A card i j.frat relates to a classic race which some horse #!' the century won, and that is more than thirty years old, is generally worth a live-pound note it it be in good condition, even though no other interest attaches to it. It is worth that one collector of these cards sadly al■•ludcs to the fact that the specimens in his possession have, in reality, co.vt him over 140.000. that being the sum total of his losses ou races that are represented in the card collection.