FROM THE ' TURN OF THE TIDE ' TO THE ' DECHEANCE ' 165 



whose father as well as himself had been racinii; from 

 the earliest days of the French Jockey Club, wlio had 

 imported into France The Nabob (one of tlie happiest 

 importations ever made), and had thus supplied M. II. 

 Delamarre with Vermont and Bois-Eoussel (to win the 

 Grand Prix de Paris and the French Derby in 1864), 

 had hitherto been unable to win either Grand Prix or 

 Derby for himself, and even now had no joy of Suzerain, 

 because the horse never could be made lit to run again 

 after the Grand Prix ; and for the complete collapse of 

 the promising Le Sarrazin, as well as for the cloud 

 which still obscured the splendid qualities of Mortemer, 

 to whom (in England) Blue Gown (of the same age) 

 presented two stone and any amount of beating. This 

 also is among the wonders of horse-racing. 



To the ' cracks ' already mentioned should perhaps 

 be added the name of Ouragan II. (three years, winner 

 of the Poule des Produit;s, son of Monarque and Sun- 

 rise, and therefore own brother to Hospodar and Y. 

 Monarque). He was imported into England in 1867 

 (at two years of age), was running there at eight years 

 of age (like Fervacques) in 1873, and settled there as a 

 stud horse. 



Of the said French ' cracks ' several ran in England 

 in 1868 with rather less than more success. Let us 

 begin with Ouragan II., because his career was so 

 singular. He commenced (in 1867) by running second 

 to The Earl for the Gimcrack Stakes, and then, after 

 running a dead heat with the same celebrated horse 

 (winner of the Grand Prix, be it remembered, and 

 thought to be superior to Blue Gown in 1868) for the 

 Bedford Stakes at Newmarket Second October, defeated 

 him fairly and squarely in the ' decider,' after which 

 lie seems to have gone off colour, and in 1868 he did 



