FRANC PICARD AND HIS TIMES 89 



1850 he was ' added to the Hst,' and was offered for 

 sale at the price of a cavalry ' remount,' but could not 

 obtain a purchaser, although, oddly enough, he was 

 within an ace of being purchased by the famous 

 ' gentleman jockey ' Viscount A. Talon (well known in 

 England), owner and rider of the celebrated steeple- 

 chaser (half-bred) Emilius, who in course of time had 

 to play second fiddle to the 'cast-off' thoroughbred. 

 In 1851 Babouino at last found a buyer. This was 

 M. de la Mo the, a celebrated ' gentleman jockey,' a 

 patron of steeple-chasing, and at one time inspector to 

 the Administration des Haras. He gave 5,000 francs 

 (about 200/.) for the despised gelding, changed the 

 horse's name to Franc Picard, and handed him over to 

 the trainership and jockeyship of a well-known English- 

 man, Lamplugh by name, who speedily justified the 

 saying of the Arabs, ' Sire and dam make the foal ; 

 trainer and rider make the horse.' Franc Picard was 

 a small, insignificant-looking bay, and, it is said, a 

 ' roarer ' withal ; but, under the care of Mr. Lamplugh, 

 he is stated to have got cured of his very ' roaring,' a 

 cure which has been known to be effected by exporta- 

 tion to the Cape or elsewhere, but seldom, if ever, by 

 any treatment in Europe. At any rate his ' roaring ' 

 did not prevent him from doing ample justice to the 

 pains bestowed upon him by Mr. Lamplugh, who 

 learned to thoroughly understand the horse, his clever- 

 ness, his honesty, his docility, and to husband and 

 make the most of his resources to the last puff of wind. 

 In 1852 Franc Picard revealed his precious quali- 

 ties as a steeple-chaser of great address, making fewer 

 ' blunders ' than any of his contemporaries. He was 

 successful at La Marclie, Le Pin, Craon, and Saumur, 

 twice beatino; Emilius and Viscount Artus Talon, the 



