318 HORSE-RACING IN FRANCE 



Summer Meeting ; the Jubilee Prize (2,050/. and a 

 gold ' Pokal,' beating The Condor), at Baden ; the 

 Prix de Chantilly ^466/.), the Prix de Villebon 

 (420/., beating The Condor and Eeluisant), the Prix 

 d'Octobre (884/.), and the Prix du Prince d'Orange 

 (497/.), all at Paris Autumn Meeting; and was only- 

 beaten once, and that by a short head, by Martin 

 Pecheur II, for the Prix du Prince de Galles at 

 Paris Spring Meeting. Of course she was not in the 

 ' classic ' races, but she defeated opponents that were. 

 No doubt such a career is astounding, beating English 

 Crucifix's and Hungarian Kincsem's in some respects. 

 But there does not seem to be in it anything that 

 should have revived the old feeling as to ' reciprocity.' 

 However the prowess of Plaisanterie in the Cesare- 

 witch and Cambridgeshire was evidently at the bottom 

 of a motion that was brought before the Jockey Club 

 by Mr, W. G. Craven, a most experienced gentleman 

 and sportsman, at the beginning of the season 1886, to 

 the effect that foreign horses (such as Plaisanterie) 

 should not be allowed to run in handicaps on English 

 racecourses until they had been in training in England 

 or had run races in England sufficiently long or suffi- 

 ciently often to let their qualities be shown to the 

 English handicapper ; and Plaisanterie did not fulfil 

 these conditions. Yet it is absurd to pretend even — in 

 the face of the close connection established between the 

 English and the French 'Turf — to suppose that any 

 French horse's performances and capabilities could 

 escape the knowledge of any moderately observant 

 handicapper if, as was the case with Plaisanterie, no 

 dust had been thrown into French eyes, and the animal 

 had run, as was the case with Plaisanterie, frequently 

 in public, at Baden as well as in France. Nor is it easy 



