LINES OF BLOOD 315 



and after a desperate race The Flying Dutchman reversed 

 the Doncaster verdict, though only by a length "all out." 

 This match was run in deep going, and Voltigeur made 

 strong play while his opponent waited ; nevertheless it is 

 pretty certain that Voltigeur was going off his form at the 

 time, and on his return to Aske it was found that he was 

 collaterally nearly a stone below his Doncaster form of the 

 previous autumn. 



At the stud Voltigeur's successes were in no wise con- 

 sistent with his racecourse merit, and in many respects he 

 was a failure. From the Birdcatcher mare, Mrs. Ridgway 

 (whose grandam was by Blacklock), he sired Vedette, and 

 this horse in time gave us Galopin. Vedette, like so many 

 of his ancestors, was bred in the vicinity of Durham, his 

 breeder being the late Mr. Chilton, of Billingham, who often 

 had a useful plater with old John Osborne, father of the 

 present trainer of that name. Vedette began life as West 

 Hartlepool — Billingham is not many miles from the port of 

 that name — and he is described as having been a very ugly 

 yearling, with a great coarse head, a huge barrel, and his 

 hocks a long way behind him. In due course he went to 

 Aske at ;^25o, and when rheumatism did not trouble him 

 he went like a steam-engine and could stay for ever. 

 Amongst other races Vedette won the Two Thousand. At 

 the stud he was a questionable success. His son, Galopin, 

 was bred by Mr. Taylor Sharpe at Baumber, in Leicester- 

 shire, in 1872, and it is proper to here refer to the doubt that 

 at one time was cast on Galopin's parentage, it having been 

 alleged that the colt was got by Delight and not by Vedette. 

 The mind of Mr. Taylor Sharpe, who should be heard before 

 anybody, is, however, clear enough on the point, and I have 

 already stated that a peculiarity in the conformation of 

 Voltigeur has been much reproduced in the stock of Galopin 

 and St. Simon. 



Galopin, in his running days, was a dark brown, and 

 measured a fraction under sixteen hands. He was well knit 

 together, round-barrelled, and rather heavy in his crest. His 

 quarters were very powerful, slightly sloping, and his tail set 

 on somewhat low. He was a combination of power with 



