80 THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF ENGLISH HORSES. 



for by foreigners, and sent out of tlie country. Fleur-de-Lis was in 1842 

 in the possession of Monsieur Lupin, in France, who bought her at the 

 Hampton Court sale for the inadequate sum of 550 guineas. Her end 

 was disgraceful : she is said to have finished her days in a street cab in 

 Paris, where, some charitable Englislunen, shocked at seeing her in such a 

 miserable pUght, bought her for a few pounds, and had her shot. She 

 was the dam of Sovereign, an American stallion of celebrity, who is the 

 sire of Charleston, now advertised to cover at 20 guineas a mare in this 

 country as the property of Mr. Tenbrock. 



The valuable mare Wings, the dam of Caravan, was sold to the same 

 person for 600 guineas ; and Young Mouse, the dam of Rat Trap, for 3G0 

 guineas. 



Since the days of the animals we have been describing, impci'tant 

 alterations have taken place upon the turf; heats have been entirely done 

 away with, except in a few country places, and this alone, it is supposed, 

 has tended much to diminish the size and strength of the race-horse ; and 

 there are those who, if they could, would take away the 5000 guineas 

 granted by act of parliament as Queen's Plates annually, and apply the 

 money to the purchase of what they deem more likely stallions. But if 

 these more likely stallions are to be selected solely f<ir their appearance 

 and the opinions formed thereon, instead of their merits, as proved by 

 facts, who is there among us can judge, either of speed or endurance, by 

 looking to tlie size of animals, whether it be horse or greyhound ? Take, 

 for instance, the best horse that has been on the turf for the last forty 

 years — Bay Middleton, by Sultan out of Cobweb, the property of the 

 Earl of Jersey. This horse never was beaten : he won the 2000 guineas, 

 beating Elis, the same year that Elis won the St. Leger ; and then won 

 the Derby, beating Gladiator, Venison, Slane, and a field of good horses. 

 Yet, such was the shape of this horse, that the late Mr. Thornhill, who 

 was a great breeder and authority in those days, promised; if such a rail 

 as this horse was, should win the Derby, he would eat him and his shoes 

 afterwards. Yet Bay Middleton was not only a long way the best horse 

 of his year, bixt he was the best of stallions also ; he was the sii^e of the 

 Earl of Eglinton's Flying Dutchman, winner of both the Derby and 

 St. Leger, and other races of great value, who has recently been sold to 

 the French Government for 4000 guineas, which says but little for the 

 kind feeling of his o^vner, who profited so much by his performances, nor 

 for the patriotic feeling of the turf men of this country, to let such a horse 

 go out of it. 



There are more race-horses now than were kept in former years, and 

 there always Avill be, among the 1,400 mai'es and 400 stallions Avhich are 

 kept to supply the loreed, sufficient to keep up the superiority of the 

 English thoroughbred horse. Racing, like other pastimes, may have it^ 

 abuses ; still the race tells us which is the best horse, and the stud con- 

 firms or contradicts the opinion which has been formed upon shape and 

 qualifications only. 



In former days a flaw in a pedigree was a serious affair, but now thei'e 

 are numerous instances where horses with (h. b.), half bred, attached to 

 their pedigrees, are found beating fields of our best-bred horses, and the 

 definition of thoroughbred is more difficult than ever to define ; for in- 

 stance, Hotspur and Marlborough Buck, h. b., running second for the 

 Derby ; Lady Superior, h. b., second in the Oaks ; Cawrouch, Mrs. Taft, 

 and Mr. Sykes winning the Caezarewiteh ; Mongrel winning the Nursery 

 Stakes, and beating large fields of the best thoroughbred horses : so that 

 there Avill soon be a necessit}^ for placing these and their numerous 

 progeny in the stud book. 



