Of sixteen races,
the English have gained but five, [Since this article was written the
Grand Prix has again been won (June, 1880) by an English horse, Robert
the Devil.] while they have been three times second and four times
third, and in 1875 their three representatives came in last. The winner
of the Epsom Derby has been beaten several times, as in the case,
amongst others, of Blair Athol by Vermont and Doncaster by Boiard. The
winners of the two chief prizes of last year were a French, an English
and an Hungarian horse--Gladiateur, Cremorne and Kisber. It may be
remarked also that the winner of the French Derby, as it is called,
which is run at Chantilly a fortnight earlier, is almost never the
gainer of the Grand Prix, the only exceptions having been Boiard and
Salvator. This result is no doubt the consequence of the system of
training too long in vogue in France, and upheld by Tom Jennings and
the Carters, which consists in bringing a horse to the post in the
maximum of his condition upon a given day and for a given event. The
animal can never be in better state, and if he does not win the race
for which he has been specially prepared, it is because he is not good
enough: he cannot be made to do any better than he has done.
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