16 The Horse- Breeders' Guide and Hand Book. 



BILLET (Imp.) 



{WINNER OF THE ZETLAND STAKES AT YORK, EGHAM STAKES AT 

 EGHAM, THE MARCHAM PARK STAKES AT ABINGDON, AND 

 SELLING STAKES AT WORCESTER IN 1867,) 



Stands at the head of the Runnymede Stud, Bourbon Co., near Paris, 

 Jy., by private contract only, the property of Messrs. Gco. W. Bowcn 

 & Co., Post Office, Paris, Ky. Annaul Sales of Yearlings in May. 



BILLET, by Voltigeiir, bred by Mr. James Smith, foaled in 1805, dam Calcutta, dam 

 of Bivouac, Watchfire, Eastmmster, Gen. Lee, &c., by Flatcatcher, winner of the 

 :2,000 guineas, and son of Touchstone. Voltigeur, the sire of imp. B llet, was a su- 

 perior race-horse, won the Derby, Doncaster St. Leger, and the Doncaster Cup, all in 

 1850,and was the only horse which ever vanquished the Flying Dutchman ; his stock were 

 all remarkable for their fine, improving, and staying qualities ; imp. Billet was him- 

 self a fine race-horse. Started seventeen times as a two-year old ; won five races and 

 lost twelve; won the Zetland Stakes, five furlongs 44 yards, beating Eau de Vie, 

 Stella, and others ; won the Egham Stakes, three-quarters of a mile, beating La Sor- 

 rentina, Rally, &c , won the Marcham Park Stakes at Abingdon, three-quarters of a 

 mile, beating Magna and Irwell. Newmarket First October Meeting, won sweep- 

 stakes for two year old, last half ot the Abingdon mile, beating a field of six. At 

 Worcester won selling sweepstakes for two year olds, five furlongs, beating Frenzy, 

 Phantom Sail and four others. At Durham ran second to Stella for the Elsmere 

 .Stakes (he afterwards beat her) ; ran second to Bismarck in the Eglinton Stakes ; ran 

 .second to Traviata in sweepstake at Newmarket Second October Meeting, and ran 

 third in the Enville Plate, beating six others. As a three-year old, ran only once, un- 

 placed. He usually ran in good company, and the severe ordeal of seventeen r ces as 

 a two-year old destroyed his usefulness on the turf and caused his early retirement. 

 He stood, for several years after his importation, in Illinois, where he served but few 

 really good mares, but suvd some remarkable race-horses, and from Sprightly, the 

 sister of Monarchist, two excellent race-horses, Volturno, a first-class horse, and Elias 

 Lawrence, a real good one. Volturno won in his two-year-old form four out of five 

 race?, at three years old he won six out of ten races, including the United States Hotel 

 "Stakes at Saratoga, l miles in 2:41, beating Harold and others ; a handicap sweep- 

 stake, li miles in 2:10 ; the Atlantic Handicap, 1| miles, at Long Branch, in 2:43, 

 beating Bonnie Carrie, Monitor, &c. ; at Brighton Beach won two handicaps, each If 

 miles in 3 :08 each ; won the Bi-eckenridgo Stakes at Baltimore, two miles in 3 :35, beat- 

 ing Harold, Aureolus, and Monitor, the latter carried 1 12 Ibs. , a penalty of 5 Ibs. ; as a 

 four-year old won four out of six races, including the Louisville Cup. Elias Law- 

 rence's performances in the Baden Badei Handicap when three years old was a won- 

 derful race. With 98 Ibs. he ran the distance in 5:28. Other winners by Billet are 

 Kate Claxton, Mollie Lee, Billet Lee, Headlight, Frenchie Shy, Baybee, Pa'ti, Zeta, 

 Bedouin, Ballard, Belle of Runnymede, Bengal, Blenheim, Runnymede, winner 

 of Clarke Stakes at Louisville, the Tidal Stakes, one mile in 1 :43f, 118 Ibs., the Coney 

 Island Derby, 1| miles in 2:37, beating Forester and Oarley B. both at Sheepshead 

 JSay, and the Lorillard Stakes at Monmou'h Park, 1 miles in 2:40 ; Barnes, one of 

 the best two-year old colts of the year, Miss Woodford, winner of six out of nine stakes 

 in which she started this year, including the Ladies' Stake at Chicago, three-quarters of 

 a mile, the Spinaway Stake at Saratoga, five furlongs in 1:03, the Misses Stake, three- 

 quarters of a mile in 1:16, the Filly Stakes, three-quarters of a mile in 1:1 7f, and the 

 Colt and Filly Stake, one mile, in 1:44; both at Lexington, Ky. Voltigeur, the sire 

 of Billet, sired Vedette, winner of the 2,000 guineas, and Vedette sired Galopin, win- 

 ner of the Derby. The stock are remarkable for their fine, improving, and staying 

 qualities. Billet is inbred to Waxy, the sire of Whalebone and Whisker, and traces 

 through his collateral branches many times to Herod and Eclipse, tben< e to th,e best 

 Oriental sources. He has also three crosses of imp, Diomed, the winner of the first 

 Derby in 1780, His stock must be valuable. 



