AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 99 



in many ways. Himself a horse of great stamina, he 

 won the Doncaster Stakes over four miles, and the Cup 

 at York. Bred in 1814, he transmitted his excellence 

 to his sons, Velocipede, Voltaire, and Brutandorf 

 attesting to it, while the line down to the present day 

 stands out still more illustriously through such direct 

 descendants as Voltigeur, Vedette, Galopin, St. Simon, 

 and Persimmon, the mention of whose names is almost 

 strong enough evidence to raise the hot-headed Carshal- 

 ton seer from his last resting-place. 



Voltigeur was destroyed on Saturday, 21st February, 

 1874. The pride of Yorkshire and one of the most 

 popular horses on the British Turf, he was accidentally 

 kicked on the near hind thigh by a mare belonging to 

 Mr. " Sandy " Young, the previous day, but as " Volti " 

 walked a"bout as usual it w r as not considered that the 

 fracture was dangerous. On the following morning, 

 however, the groom found, on going into his box, that 

 he was still lying down, and it was discovered that 

 Voltigeur's leg was broken. Mr. John Hedley, of 

 Eichmond, pronounced the case hopeless, and the horse 

 was shot in his box at Aske, his leg and tail being taken 

 off and cured as a memento of the famous steed. Bred 

 in 1847 by Mr. Robert Stephenson, of Hart, he was a 

 dark brown or nearly black, got by Voltaire out of 

 Martha Lynn by Mulatto. A handsome colt, he soon 

 became the idol of Richmond, and Mr. Stephenson sent 

 him to Doncaster in September for sale. The reserve 

 price of 350 gs. not being reached, like a " convicted 

 prisoner " Voltigeur returned to Hart's. Shortly after- 

 wards the then Earl of Zetland was induced by his 

 brother-in-law, Mr. Williamson, to buy him. In due 

 course he came to Aske, where he became the idol of 

 Bobby Hill (the then Earl of Zetland's trainer) and of 



