148 HORSE-RACING IN FRANCE 



Hospodar in 1862) against a field of poor quality ; he 

 then ran a dead heat (with the very moderate Long- 

 down) for the third place in the Prendergast Stakes 

 (behind nothing better than Bedminster and Siberia) ; 

 and, finally, he was unplaced (9 st. 2 lbs.) for the Cri- 

 terion Stakes (whicii Hospodar had won in 1862) 

 behind Chattanooga (8 st. 10 lbs.), &c. Consequently 

 he retired into winter quarters without much of a re- 

 putation and certainly with less prestige than had been 

 acquired by Hospodar. Indeed, Le Mandarin (also by 

 Monarque), a stable companion of Gladiateur's and 

 Gontran (a son of FitzGladiator, belonging to the 

 Niviere-Fridolin confederacy), to say nothing of Ar- 

 gences (by Moustique), would probably at this time 

 have been put very nearly upon a level with him by 

 good judges. 



In 1865 Gladiateur first appeared as a candidate for 

 the Two Thousand. He was not saddled in tlie ' bird- 

 cage,' but apart, ' behind tlie ditch ; ' there were few to 

 watch his ' toilet,' and of those present the majority 

 voted him an ' ugly great coach-horse.' The next time 

 he appeared in public there would be a goodly crowd 

 to attend upon him, in a few wrecks he would be the 

 observed of all observers, and in due time it would 

 be discovered that, instead of being an ' ugly great 

 coach-horse,' he was (for all his Roman nose) one of 

 the finest specimens of the thoroughbred ever seen. 



Well, he came out for the Two Thousand, and he 

 was not at all ' fancied.' Bedminster, for some inex- 

 plicable reason, was favourite ; Breadalbane (own bro- 

 ther to Blair Athol) and Liddington (the best horse of 

 the year, perliaps, but for his 'roaring') were equal 

 second favourites ; and then Gladiateur and a wretched 

 ' impostor ' called Kangaroo (for whom the unfortunate 



