GLADIATEUR 



great horse closed up that gap wlien he was at last 

 allowed to stride along was simply incredible, and 

 such a sight may never be witnessed again. People 

 could scarcely believe their eyes when he strode 

 past the post forty lengths in front of Regalia, 

 whose tongue was hanging out of one side of her 

 mouth like that of a beaten dog, whilst Breadalbane 

 had scarcely reached the bend into the new course, 

 and never finished at all. Nearly thirty-five years 

 have passed since that day, yet every incident of 

 the race is as fresh in my mind as though it had 

 taken place last season, and my friend James ' 

 Waugh, who cannot be suspected of any partiality 

 or bias in the matter, and whose wide experience 

 renders his opinion of special value on such a 

 subject, considers this to be absolutely the finest 

 performance ever accomplished. Indeed, were 

 a general vote taken to try to decide the much- 

 vexed question as to which was really "the horse 

 of the century," Gladiateur would receive a 

 "plumper" from the worthy master of Meynell 

 House. 



Nine people out of every ten are probably under 

 the impression that the Ascot Cup of 1866 

 witnessed Gladiateur's last appearance on a 

 race-course, and I certainly had that idea myself 

 until I consulted the Calendar. As a matter of 

 fact, however, he ran once more, in the Grand Prix 

 de I'Empereur on October 7. In this race he was 

 ridden by G. Pratt, the distance is described as 

 " nearly four miles," and the result is given as " won 

 easily by three lengths." The warmest admirer of 

 Gladiateur could not describe him as being good- 

 looking ; indeed, had the match for "points" between 

 him and Blair Athol, which was talked about some 

 time after each had been relegated to the stud, ever 

 been brought off, it would have been any imaginable 



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