88 KINGSCLERE 



before his journey across the Channel, or as ready for 

 his corn. The French horses engaged in the Grand 

 Prix have their English rivals at a disadvantage to 

 begin with. They are 'native, and to the manner 

 born.' All they have to do is to walk from their 

 training quarters on to the course — a course with 

 which they are familiar (another point in their favour) 

 — and do their best, perfectly conditioned for the task. 

 It was rather too bad to bring St. Blaise back to 

 Ascot to run him over one of the severest courses 

 (the Swinley) in England. Under the circum- 

 stances he was asked to perform an impossibility, 

 and the effort settled him. He never recovered 

 from the effects of his race with Ladislas (the Leger 

 winner, Ossian, second), to whom he was conceding 

 10 lb. He severely sprained the muscles of his fore- 

 arm and permanently impaired his action. To dismiss 

 St. Blaise as a moderate horse, as many have done, 

 is sheer nonsense. Without going the length of 

 calling him great, on his best form and day it would 

 have taken a very great horse indeed to stretch his 

 neck. 



Whipper In was very useful in 1883. He won 

 the Great Cheshire Handicap, the Kempton Park 

 July Handicap, and the Manchester July Handicap. 

 Neither was Geheimniss idle, as she picked up 

 stakes to the amount of 1,837/. The two-year-olds 

 were Sandiway (by Doncaster out of Cl^mence), 

 Duke of Richmond (originally Bushey, by Hampton 

 out of Preference), and Reprieve (by Queen's 

 Messenger out of Prowess), the last named of which 



