312 HORSE-RACING IN FRANCE 



was, like Frontin the year before, to all intents and pur- 

 poses (so far as breeding is concerned) an English horse 

 (sire Seesaw, dam Light Drum), whose ' foundations had 

 been laid ' in England before his dam was imported into 

 France in 1880. The honours of the season, then, as 

 regards 'breeding,' clearly belonged to John Bull both 

 in England and in France, and there was no reason to 

 complain that ' foreigners ' were beating the English 

 horses or to howl for ' reciprocity.' 



Of course the great surprise of the year in France 

 was the singular collapse of M. Lefevre's Archiduc, who, 

 having become disqualified (by his late owner's death) 

 for the English Derby, and having beaten Little Duck 

 in the Poide d'Essai des Poulains, was supposed to have 

 the French Derby at his mercy; but though, in the 

 language of the ' Ring,' ' Archy Duck ' and Little Duck 

 finished first and second for the Derby at Chantilly, the 

 ^ little un bet Archy, instead of t'other way about : ' 

 the ' little un ' standing, as has been said, something 

 under seventeen hands. 



The year 1885 saw the last of M. Balensi (the well- 

 known financier) and of Baron d'Etreillis (the well- 

 known rider, writer — under the assumed name of ' Ned 

 Pearson ' sometimes — and sometime starter at the Paris 

 races). M. Balensi (who died at his country seat. 

 Chateau de Gravelles, or Gravelle) was a comparatively 

 new comer ; but he won the Prix de Honfleur at Deau- 

 ville for two-year-olds three years running, in 1882, 

 1883, and 1884, with Odette IL, Bluette, and Chama- 

 rande, and he had just founded a promising ' haras ' at 

 Gravelles when he was called away. As for Baron 

 Sainte-Aure d'Etreillis (who died rather suddenly on 

 July 22, aged sixty-five), he had been kicked by a 

 horse in the previous March, and was supposed to have 



