THE HORSI-: 



147 



Flying Fox 



happens that those who have bet on a horse 

 employ all means to render a dangerous rival 

 harmless. Here is an illustration. 



The Duke of Queensberry, 

 an excellent horseman him- 

 self, received notice from his 

 jockey, who was to ride for 

 him the next day, that he had 

 been offered a considerable 

 sum of money from persons 

 who had backed another 

 horse, if he would restrain the 

 duke's horse and let himself 

 be beaten. "Accept the 

 money," said the duke, "and 

 come upon the course to- 

 morrow with the horse as if 

 nothing had happened." The 

 jockey did so, but just before 

 the start was made the duke 

 said suddenly, " The weather 

 is so fine I think I will ride 

 my own horse." So saying, 

 he threw off his cloak and ap- 

 peared in jockey dress. He 

 won the race and caused the 

 loss of many bets that were 

 dependent upon the bribe, so 

 that the swindlers themselves 



wei-e the victims of their own 

 clicating. 



luiormous sums are often 

 ])ai(l lor good race liorses, 

 which is not surprising inas- 

 much as enormous sums may 

 be won with Ihem. fn March, 

 1900, at a pLiblic sale of the 

 horses of the Duke of West- 

 minster, the celebrated racer 

 Inlying Fox, which had won 

 the Dei'by the preceding )'ear, 

 was bought for $200,000, \'>\ 

 the celebrated French breeder 

 of Thoroughbreds, M. Edmond 

 Blanc. Up to that time this 

 was the highest sum ever 

 given for a horse. At two 

 years of age this stallion had 

 raced three times and carried off two prizes ; at 

 three years he raced six times and was victfir 

 in all. By eleven races, won by him before he 

 was four years old, he 

 e a r n e d for his m a s t e r 

 11200,441. F^or his half- 

 brother Frontier the 

 French government paid 

 150,000 francs ($30,000). 

 When Flying F'ox reached 

 France he was put at the 

 service of breeders for two 

 thousand dollars per mare. 

 The Duke of Westmin- 

 ster had sold in 1889, at the 

 reduced and trifling price 



yA'-^'m 



y'Mp^^'i^^^'§:h»^:I:' 



A SuPERP, Ju^u 



Digitized by IVIicrosoft® 



