FnO:\I THE ' TUfiN OF THE TIDE ' TO THE ' DKCHEANCE ' 175 



whether higlily respectable prejudices or other causes) 

 no winner of the English Derby (Kingcraft), or of the 

 English Oaks (Gamos), or of the Two Thousand (Mac- 

 gregor, broken down), or of the One Thousand (Hester), 

 to oppose them, yet out of a field of twelve thei'e were 

 four English horses — Coutts (son of the French sire 

 Dollar by the way), Nobleman (winner of the New- 

 market Stakes), Prince of Wales (a better favourite than 

 Kingcraft for the English Derby), and The Eecorder 

 (half-bred) — and both Sornette andBigarreau were better 

 favourites than any one of them. Moreover Mr. C. 

 Pratt, trainer and rider of Sornette, knowing her peculiar 

 temper and seeing that the pace set was not likely to 

 suit her, adopted the bold and even dangerous but 

 completely justified tactics of making all the running, 

 six or seven lengths ahead of her field, and she won in 

 a canter ; the field, no doubt, being ' no great shakes.' 



And now a few words about Bif:^arreau and Sornette, 

 who were both ' children of Light.' It will be remem- 

 bered, perhaps, that when the ' Big Stable,' the con- 

 federacy of Niviere -Lagrange, split . asunder. Baron 

 Niviere took to himself as partner M. Charles Laffitte 

 (who raced as 'Major Fridolin'). This latter gentleman 

 became, in course of time, sole owner of the racing 

 stable and the Villebon ' haras,' near Palaiseau, and 

 consequently of Bigarreau and Sornette (the latter by 

 Light and Surprise, and the former by Light and Bat- 

 taglia), both foaled at Villebon. With these two 

 ' cracks ' the ' Major' won, in the same year (1870) the 

 French Derby and Oaks, the Grand Prix de Paris, the 

 Prix de Longchanips, the Prix de I'Empereur (Grande 

 Poule des Produits), and other races, whether in England 

 or France ; a feat almost equal to that of M. Delamarre in 

 1864 with Yermout and Bois-Roussel ; almost equal, 



