71 



CHAPTER V 



MONARQUE AND HIS SATELLITES. 



The coming of Monarque, the sire of sires of the 

 French native produce, marks a new era in tlie liistory 

 of French horse-racing. The dam of Monarque was the 

 celebrated Poetess (by Poyal Oak), Hervine's dam ; for 

 sire he required three single horses rolled into one — to 

 wit. The Baron, Sting, and The Emperor. There are 

 reasons, however, for allotting the chief honours of so 

 distinguished a sireship to tlie short-lived Emperor 

 (short-lived in France, indeed, and only ten years old 

 altogether ; foaled in 1841, imported into France in 

 1850, dead in 1851) ; and in the very name of Mo- 

 narque one can trace an intention of expressing convic- 

 tion as to the true paternity. 



Monarque was a ' bay 'oss,' foaled in 1852 at M. 

 Alexandre Aumont's famous Victot stud, near Caen ; 

 and M. Aumont's property he remained until 1857, 

 when the great Anglo-French or Franco-English devotee 

 of the Turf, Count Frederic de Lagrange, of the Dangu 

 stud, purchased the whole of M. Aumont's racing 

 stable. 



Monarque did not ' come out ' till he was three 

 years of age ; but he ran at two, three, four, five, and 

 six years. At two years of age he was beaten, it is 



