CONCLUSION 363 



This cruel race came soon after and may have been 

 suggested by a different and much more humane match 

 which had lately taken place (June 10, 1879) between 

 M. Khan's Tambour-Battant (half-bred trotting pony) 

 and Triboulet (a thoroughbred steeple-chaser, belonging 

 to Baron Eaymond de Seillere and backed by him and 

 by Baron Finot), and which will give an opportunity 

 of referring further to the difference of opinion already 

 alluded to. 



The ' trotter ' was driven in a ' spider ' by M. Plaizel ; 

 the ' chaser ' was ridden by the jockey Gardener. 

 The former was allowed to adopt the ' go as you please ' 

 style ; the latter was bound to gallop all the way. 

 The distance was 40 kilometres (about 25 miles) on the 

 macadamised road round the Longchamps racecourse ; 

 the stakes were 10,000 francs (about 400/.). The 

 ' chaser,' galloping so regularly that he finished each of 

 the ' rounds ' (of which there were eleven) in some- 

 thing under eight minutes, won the match easily in 

 1 hour 20 minutes 3 seconds ; whilst the ' trotter,' 

 notwithstanding the application of the whip, was still 

 seven kilometres (about four miles) behind. ' Who will 

 say now,' was the remark in one of the newspapers, 

 ' that the thoroughbred has more speed but less bottom 

 than tlie half-bred,' especially as Triboulet had not 

 ' turned a hair,' or at any rate seemed ' less fatigued 

 tlian his rider ' ? 



But then, some one may say, Tambour-Battant was 

 only a ' pony.' However that may be, the match is a 

 convenient peg whereon to hang a few remarks about 

 the aforesaid ' difference of opinion,' to which horse- 

 racing in France lias given rise, and which is not even 

 yet quite settled. In England horse-racing has given 

 rise to a difference of opinion about the respective 



