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CHAPTER VII. 



THE 'BIG STABLE.' 



Towards the close of the year 1857 there had occurred 

 an event of very great importance in the history of 

 French horse-racing : the confederacy of which Prince 

 Marc de Beau van had been the head (with Prince 

 Etienne de Beauvau, Count Wladimir de Komar, Count 

 Manuel de Xoailles, and Viscount Onesime Aguado as 

 his chief associates) had broken up, and Baron Niviere 

 had become the purchaser of the whole stable (La Mor- 

 laye). In 1860 Baron Niviere and Count F. de La- 

 grange joined their forces and formed the redoubtable 

 association known as the ' Big Stable ' (la Grande 

 Ecurie). The Baron had retained the services of Mr, 

 Henry Jennings (at La Morlaye), just as the Count had 

 retained the services of Mr. Tom Jennings (M. Alexandre 

 Aumont's trainer), and the two brothers had the direc- 

 tion of tlie ' Big Stable,' Henry being in cliarge of the 

 French branch and Tom of the English, with an esta- 

 blishment (which became famous as ' Phantom Cottage ') 

 at Newmarket. 



But this is makinj? the running; a little too fast. We 

 will return to the year 1859, the year after the retire- 

 ment of Monarque. 



In 1859 the most notable French horses were, among 

 the older, Tippler (^who developed from a nonentity at 

 three years of age into a ' crack ' — a French ' crack,' 

 that is — at four), Martel-en-Tete, Zouave, Gouvieux 



