262 HORSE-EACING IN FRANCE 



at Epsom when he was beaten by Paul's Cray (a hurdle- 

 racer) for the Eosebery Stakes, the odds having very 

 significantly varied from 6 to 4 on Phenix to 2 to 1 

 against ; whereupon two or tliree thousand ruffians, 

 belonging to what lias been called by a describer of the 

 scene ' the worst scum of the earth,' showed an unmis- 

 takable intention of tastinsf blood and of forthwith 



o 



' lynching ' Mr. T. Jennings (owner and trainer of Paul's 

 Cray and trainer of Phenix) and Mr. James Goater 

 (rider of Phenix). Howbeit Mr. Jennings (being about 

 sixty years of age or more) promptly knocked over one 

 or two of his more aggressive enemies and made good 

 his retreat into the paddock, whilst the police took 

 charge of horse and jockey, and so imminent murder 

 was prevented [v. Lord Suffolk's account in the 'Bad- 

 minton Library.') 



Li 1880 the French were altogether in a bad way. 

 Their ' cracks ' at home were M. C. J. Lefevre's (that 

 is, the Haras de Charaant's) Beauminet (three years ; 

 winner of the French Derby, of the Grande Poule des 

 Produits, and of the Prix Eoyal Oak), M. C. J. Lefevre's 

 Versigny (three years, winner of the French Oaks and of 

 the Prix de Longchamps), M. A. Lupin's Voilette (three 

 years, winner of the Prix Daru), M. A. Staub's Le 

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

 Count F. de Lagrange's Eayon d'Or (four years, winner 

 of the Prix du Cadran and of the Prix Eainbow), Count 

 F. de Lagrange's Courtois (four years, winner of the 

 Prix Gladiateur), Count F. de Lagrange's Castillon 

 (three years) and M. E. Blanc's FitzPlutus (five years), 

 who ran a dead heat for La Coupe at Paris ; and 

 among the two-year-olds Count F. de Lagrange's 

 Gourgandin and Tontine, Baron A. Schickler's (that is, 

 the Haras de Martinvast's) Perplexite, and Baron de 



