The American Thoroughbred 



race in England save Monarque, who, at odds of 100 to 12, annexed the Goodwood Cup 

 with 121 pounds, Riseber second with 100, and Fisherman, four years, 127 pounds, a 

 poor third. Gunboat, by Sir Hercules, was the favorite, but the field was a big one 

 and a collision occurred shortly after the start, in which Gunboat, Florin and Gemma 

 di Vergy were all knocked down, or the result might have been different for both 

 Florin and Gunboat were in great form just then. To show how untrue was that 

 winning it may be mentioned that on the 30th of September, Fisherman, Commotion 

 (by Alarm) and Saunterer (by Birdcatcher) went over to France to run for the Prix 

 de 1'Empereur at Chantilly against Monarque (122 pounds), Ronzi (108), and Made- 

 moiselle de Chantilly. Old Fisherman carried 129 pounds and so did Saunterer, while 

 Commotion had up 126 ; and the English horses finished in that order, not a single 

 French horse coming "inside the money." 



The season of 1858 was destined to be the last on the turf of this equine hero, for 

 whom. in the stud, awaited greater triumphs than he had ever known on the turf, bril- 

 liant as had been his long career of five seasons. He opened the ball by winning the 

 Newmarket Handicap on April i6th, worth 845 ; and on the igth his stable companion, 

 Mademoiselle de Chantilly, won the City and Suburban at Eosom worth 1030 in a field 

 of twenty-six. Two days after that came the sad story of the Great Metropolitan, two 

 miles, in which the game and gallant Monarque broke down while running well to the 

 fore. While it is hardly fair to call him a first-class race horse, yet it is evident that 



he "took a d 1 of a lot of beating." This is made more palpable by the fact that 



Saunterer (never quite first-class) went over again to Chantilly to dispute for the 

 Emperor's prize, where he was met by Miss Cath, Ventre Saint Gris (French Derby 

 winner of that year) Le Zouave and Gouvieux. To the first named he gave ten pounds, 

 she being five, and to each of three-year-olds twenty pounds, he being four years old. 

 Yet he won with consummate ease. 



Monarque's career in the stud was a brilliant one and yet he died at the age of 

 twenty-two from sheer neglect, his hoofs grown out as long as Mexican oysters and his 

 feet badly diseased. I can only attribute this to the fact that Comte de Lagrange was 

 merely a turf gambler and not a breeder. Nevertheless, Monarque achieved what no 

 other French stallions have ever done, before or since. His chief winners were Gladi- 

 ateur, Henry, Hospodar, Le Marechal, Infante, Villafranca, Gideon, Beatrix, Young 

 Monarque. Brigadier (imported to America) Auguste, Longchamps, Boulogne, Le Sar- 

 razin, Patricien, Trocadero, Consul, Don Carlos, Le Mandarin and last, but not least. 

 Reirie, winner of the One Thousand Guineas and the Oaks, both in France and Eng- 

 land. Trocadero won the Alexandra Plate at Ascot (three miles) with 149 pounds 

 in the saddle, and Henry carried off the Ascot Gold Cup at 4 years old with 126. 



Fille de 1'Air, a brown filly by Faugh-a-Ballagh (St. Leger winner of 1844 and 

 sold to France at 10 years) was the great three-year-old of 1864, winning both the 

 French and English Oaks with ease, being afterwards the dam of Reine, above referred 

 to. In the spring of 1865 she was reported to be "going great guns" in her preparation 

 for the Chester Cup, the second of the great early handicaps. A bushel of French 

 money, as well as English, was thrown in on her and burnt up, the winner turning up 

 in Sir Joseph Hawley's colt Asteroid by Stockwell out of Teetotum. It subsequently 

 transpired that the wily French Count had put his money on Asteroid, the mare hav- 

 ing been stuffed with hay and water on the morning of the race. An ' investigation 

 was had, but dismissed as "not proven." 



We now come to Gladiateur, the greatest horse ever foaled on the soil of France 

 and the second one of nine colts that have won "the triple crown" of the Engilish 

 Turf. He was about as ragged looking a specimen as was ever saddled for a race 

 but a perfect galloping machine. Nothing could stand against his long and friction- 

 less stride. He was foaled in the Royal Stud at Dangu in 1862, his dam being Miss 



