THK CAMPAIGNS OF 187?-73-74 207 



a match for tlie former, in their own country es- 

 pecially) at home, and with M. Lefevre picking up 

 English gold and silver abroad. France had beaten 

 England in the Grand Prix, in the Goodwood Cup, and 

 in the Cambridgeshire, and might reasonably claim to 

 have the best horse (three-year-old) of the year, as well 

 as two or three French horses (with Feu d'Amour 

 ' coming on ') as good as any two or three English. 

 Among these, however, cannot be numbered Combat, 

 though he is said to have been the best colt (at any 

 rate up to his date) ever begotten by the great Gladia- 

 teur ; he certainly ran third to Kaiser and Gang For- 

 ward for the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot, but it 

 was a bad third, and they both carried 9 st. 1 lb. to his 

 8 St. 4 lbs. 



The year 1874 was a notable period in the history 

 of French horse-racing, though it was not very glorious 

 for French horse-breeding at home or abroad as re- 

 garded the three-year-olds (the specially remarked ao-e 

 in each year), or for French owners in England, whether 

 with the French or English horses owned by France's 

 indomitable representative M. Lefevre. He was 

 tlioroughly unfortunate ; Feu dAmour went the wny 

 of General, and Ecossais and Miss Toto did not ' come 

 off.' 



But let us commence, as usual, with a list of the 

 French ' cracks ' at home. 



They were M. Edouard Fould's Saltarelle (three 

 years, winner of the French Derby), M. P. Aumont's 

 Destinee (three years, winner of the French Oaks after 

 a dead heat with M. A. Lupin's Perla), M. C. J. Lefevre's 

 Novateur (three years, winner of the Poule d'Essai), 

 Major Fridolin's (M. Cliarles Laffite's) Sabre (three 

 years, winner of the Grande Poule des Produits), M. 



