44 HORSE-EACING IX FRANCE 



there. M. de Normandie frequently acted in the 

 earhest days of the French Jockey Chib as steward, 

 judge, and starter ; and thus, though he does not 

 appear to have introduced any famous strain of blood 

 into the studs of his country, left his impress ineffaceably 

 upon the French Turf. 



Such, then, were the men who founded the Society 

 which has become, whether this were the orio-inal in- 

 tention or not, a large and fashionable Club as well as 

 an Association for the Encouragement and Improvement 

 of French Horse-breeding ; such were the men who were 

 the ' foundation members ' of the French Jockey Club 

 and formed its first Comite des Courses or Race 

 Committee. 



It will be seen at a glance that the French Jockey 

 Club, at its institution, consisted, for the most part, of 

 such members as belonged to our own Jockey Club at 

 its origin : there were Eoyal Princes (like our ' CuUoden ' 

 Duke of Cumberland), noblemen, men of rank and 

 wealth, men of property without high rank, all having 

 considerable influence, all or nearly all deej)ly interested 

 in horse-breeding and in the improvement of the breed 

 of horses by means of horse-racing (the only safe guide 

 towards a ' selection of the fittest '), and all or nearly 

 all practical horsemen, riding their own horses on occa- 

 sion. In other points, besides promising auspices, in- 

 fluential connections, and personal enthusiasm, there 

 was a resemblance (arising, no doubt, from express 

 imitation) between the new French Jockey Club and 

 the lonfT-established Eno-lish. There were the three 

 stewards of the French Jockey Club, the rules and 

 orders of the French Jockey Club, the rules of racing 

 (applicable only to laces under the Club's own 

 management), and so on. As regards election, place of 



