FRANC PICARD AND HIS TIMES 91 



Flying Buck (not by Venison, but by Economist, the 

 ' Irishman '), a Ufe-long rival of Franc Picard's, went to 

 the front and was winning easily when he blundered 

 and fell at the last jump, and the 12,700 francs, or 508/. 

 (the value of the ' chase '), fell to a very ancient 

 customer, one British Yeoman, After this, when 

 Franc Picard was recovered of his lameness, came a 

 long duel between him and the competitors from 

 M. Henri Delamarre's stable. On April 1 Franc 

 Picard ran a dead heat with Lady Arthur (English 

 thoroughbred) at La Marche, and ' divided ' with her, 

 taking, however, the lion's share (7,175 francs out of 

 12,350). On May 17 he was beaten by Flying Buck 

 at La Marche, and after that again at Spa. He then 

 went to Dieppe, and there, on ' his own ' ground, 

 he triumphed over Jean Duquesne (recently imported 

 from England), Peter (a noted English steeple-chaser, 

 sent over expressly). Lady Arthur, and others ; and on 

 the same day he turned the tables on his ' frequent 

 pardner,' or rather 'frequent opponent,' Flying Buck. 

 This year he brought his owner some 23,000 francs, or 

 920/., in specie, and 3,000 francs' worth, or 120/. worth, 

 of ' crockery.' The aforesaid Peter may or may not 

 have been a different animal from the celebrated half- 

 bred Peter Simple and a so called Simple Peter, against 

 both of whom (according to the French Calendar) Franc 

 Picard also ran. 



In 1856, during the Spring, Franc Picard crossed the 

 Channel to try conclusions on the enemy's own ground 

 in the Liverpool Grand National ; and such respect had 

 he acquired by his defeat of Peter ( ? Simple) that he had 

 to carry the top weight, which he did unsuccessfully in- 

 deed but not dishonourably, as he carried 12 lbs. more 

 than the three placed horses. At Coventry he was not 



