80 HORSE-EACING IX FRANCE 



a place. Howbeit Mademoiselle de Chantilly ran Com- 

 motion to a head. It must have been a rare sieht, 

 with the best of the French horses of various ages con- 

 tending against some very good English, also of different 

 ages ; and it is a pity that the French have no longer 

 so attractive an international race, at Paris or Chantilly 

 — the Grand Prix, as everybody knows, being for three- 

 year-olds only. 



Nevertheless our neighbours were pretty well 

 pleased with their progress, as appears from an 

 official report, dated February 27, 1858, wherein it is 

 written — 



We are a long way ahead since the days when EngHsh 

 horses of very moderate qnahty, selhng-platers (to be sold for 

 10,000 francs, or 4*001., and no doubt not worth so much, as 

 they could not find purchasers at that price), would win the 

 Prix d'Orleans, though they conceded weight to our horses. The 

 French horses sent to England acquit themselves nowadays after 

 a hio'hly significant fashion. Twelve or fifteen years ago 

 Nautilus, Drummer, and FitzEmilius, with a great advantage in 

 the weights, could not get a place at the end of the 4 kilo- 

 metres (2i miles) at Goodwood ; but within the last five years 

 Jouvence, Baroncino, and Monarque have won the Cup, even 

 with some diminution of the former advantages ; Hervine has 

 come in second ; Ronzi, Ohevrette, and Remus have won prizes 

 of less importance ; Trust and Mademoiselle de Chantilly have 

 distinguished themselves. 



As if to em])hasise these remarks, Monarque began 

 the French invasion of England in 1858 so auspiciously 

 that he won (six years, 8st. 9 lbs.) the Newmarket Handi- 

 cap of 845/. on April 6 ; and just ten days afterwards his 

 stable companion Mademoiselle de Chantilly followed 

 suit by winning the City and Suburban of 1,030/. in a 

 field of 26. This was a pretty brilliant beginning of 

 the season, full of promise for Count F. de Lagrange 



