It was in 1890 that His Majesty put his racers under John Porter, but his total winnings were only £624. The next year, however, the King won £4148; in 1892, £190; in 1893, £372; in 1894, £3499; and in 1895, £8281; and in the last-named year His Majesty’s name stood tenth in the list of winning owners. This satisfactory result was undoubtedly greatly owing to Lord Marcus Beresford, who was entrusted with the management of the King’s racing stable in 1890. The King’s horses were removed from Kingsclere to Egerton House, Newmarket, in 1892, and since then they have been under Marsh’s care. Persimmon was sent there as a yearling from Sandringham in 1894. The King’s most memorable triumph was his first Derby in 1896, when Persimmon won. This fine horse is a bay by St. Simon, and own brother to Florizel II., who was, by the way, the first really good horse that ever carried the Royal colours, and is the sire of several very promising animals. Persimmon was never beaten by any horse except his own half-brother, St. Frusquin, who twice defeated him, and Omladina, who finished in front of him in the Middle Park Plate. He was bred by the King and trained by Marsh at Newmarket. He made his first appearance in the Coventry Stakes at Ascot as a two-year-old, and, starting favourite, won the race. On the occasion of his next appearance, in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood, he was again favourite, and again won by a length. In the Middle Park Plate, though favourite, he was beaten by St. Frusquin, but in the Derby of 1896 he beat his half-brother by a neck. At the Newmarket First July Meeting he gave 3 lb. to St. Frusquin, and was beaten in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes. He won the St. Leger by a length and a half; and in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket on the 1st October he won by two lengths from Sir Visto, the Derby winner of 1897. [Illustration: THE KING’S DERBY, 1896 _Reproduced by permission from the copyright Painting by G. D. Giles_] Persimmon was ridden to victory in the Derby of 1896 by John Watts. The race was witnessed by an extraordinarily large concourse of all classes, including a considerable number of distinguished foreigners. Never was there a more popular victory, and the enthusiasm all over the country was almost as great as at Epsom. It was the fourth time in the history of the Turf that the race had been won by a Royal owner. In 1788, eight years after its foundation, the Prince Regent won with Sir Thomas; and the Duke of York won with Prince Leopold in 1816, and with Moses in 1822. Altogether, in 1896, nearly £27,000 in stake money was won by horses from the Royal stables at Newmarket. Among the King’s notable successes in that year may be mentioned the One Thousand Guineas, won by Thais, by St. Serf out of Poetry, which also ran second to Canterbury Pilgrim in the Oaks.