VIU PREFACE 



clown upon French (and even Irish) horses the thunder- 

 bolt of exclusion from English handicaps, unless certain 

 curious conditions should happen to be fulfilled. 



It occurred to me, then, a few years ago, on a night 

 when my sleep went from me, that I would undertake 

 to supply, to the best of my poor ability, what ex- 

 perience and observation had led me to believe was 

 a want. 



It may be presumptuous for an Englishman to write 

 a history of horse-racing in France ; but, in extenuation 

 of his presumption, let the Englishman plead that no- 

 body else seemed to be inclined to do it ; that the French 

 Turf is really but an ofishoot of the Enghsh ; and that 

 the success of French race horses in England or (in the 

 Grand Prix de Paris) against horses taken over to 

 France from England is the only satisfactory measure 

 of the advance made by the French in their horse-racing 

 and horse-breeding. From that point of view this 

 history has been written. 



The history, I think, will convince any unprejudiced 

 reader that the French — notwithstanding many brilliant 

 campaigns in England, and notwithstanding the fact 

 that many countries (including England herself) have 

 shown a disposition to purcliase or hire French-bred 

 stud horses from time to time — cannot yet 'go alone,' 

 are not yet so much to be dreaded as the ' great citizen ' 

 of the Latin Grammar was ' dreaded by Otho.' There 

 are signs, however, that our energetic neighbours inte]]d 

 to be perfectly independent some day, that a time will 



