ST. BLAISE 215 



the real reason was a desire, owing to advancing 

 age, for relief from the anxieties that accompany 

 the maintenance of a breeding-stud and racing- 

 stable. Those who persist in believing that 

 Archer deliberately refrained from doing his 

 best with Galliard allege that it was financially 

 to his interest that Highland Chief should win. 

 Whether or not there is any truth in this sugges- 

 tion I cannot say. All I know is that it would 

 have required a good horse to beat St. Blaise in 

 that Derby. The trial he won was good enough 

 for most Derbys. 



St. Blaise then went to Paris for the Grand 

 Prix. Archer rode him at Longchamps, but 

 he was beaten " half a neck " by Frontin, who 

 had won the French Derby. Our horse was 

 considerably hampered in the race, the French 

 jockeys having, apparently, entered into a con- 

 spiracy to obstruct Archer as much as possible. 

 After the race, I received orders to hurry St. 

 Blaise back to England so that he might run at 

 Ascot the same week. If I had had my way he 

 most certainly would not have been treated in 

 that fashion. However, I obeyed instructions. 

 In the Ascot Derby St. Blaise ran a " dog horse,'' 

 and finished a bad third to Ladislas and Ossian. 

 This wretched exhibition was, of course, due to 

 his not having had time to recover from the big 

 effort in the Grand Prix three days previously. 

 He was not engaged in the St. Leger, and his 



