The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-14
AT A FRENCH RACE COURSE.
A Queer steep1echase, Queerer Ladies,
and Much Betting.
Gondon Mail.)

The seven horses came almost in
line for the first water jump opposite
the stand. They looked like taking it
together till a couple of lengths away.
Then two suddenly swerved, whipped
round and ran out. Two more blunder
ed on the further side and went down.
One landed among the fallen, SHE'D,
and then trotted through, and went
after the leaders. The two that had
got clean over were already out OF
sight round the. corner of the stand.
Two horses left in it, with four-ffths
of the course still to run-and this was
the Prix Montgomery one Of the big
gest steeplechases in France. The horse
which 1 had backed was the third
which had got over without damage
and if either of the leaders went down
which on present experience was
ten to one chance should make
money. E1
The two leaders appeared on the
further side of the course, locked to-
gether, but where was mine? 1 looked
and 1 looked-and presently, through
glasses, discerned her refusing a simple
hurdle, all by herself, in a corner Of
the course Presently one Of the horses
that had ran out reappeared, took the
water jump and sailed off, a resPecta-
BILE fourth, half a mile or so behind.
Just as the two leaders were coming
round the second time one of the jock
eys who had fallen, remounted and
cantered off uncomfortable fifth.
The first two took the fence and
water again without a fault, and
looked out again for my third. She had
gone over the hurdle and a, fence and
an in-and-out, and was now-say 8,
thousand yards behind-conscientious
refusing another hurdle. After q. while
the jockey sat still to wait on the
chance that something might have got
up and come along to give him lead.
Presently the fourth horse arrived and
gave the required lead, but my beast
refused it with contempt. For her part,
she generously waited till the fifth
horse arrived, and then went amicably
on together, amile or so behind.
She survived until the second water
jump, and then refused definitely, and
the jockey, perceiving the leaders just
arriving for the third time, sat down
in the saddle to watch the finish. 1t
was not doubtful Half mile behind,
the third horse rolled in comfortably,
and as l threw my pari mutuel ticket
over the rails and went down stairs l
was aware of the unhurried advent Of
the fourth.
l own 1 thought the race a ttif1e dis
ed? Not they AS the horses were
coming to the stand, after the first five
furlongs or SO, they were made aware
by tinkle that the race was started.
They gave a groan of joy when they
saw the horses and jockeys come down
at the water jump, and then turned
with energy to conversation again: AT
the finish they turned, a dozen of them
languidly applauded the winner, and
of fO al
pari mutuel.
Why should they bother about the
racing? 1t was delicious day. clear,
soft and clean after rain; it is divine
ly beautiful course, and they had on
their best clothes.
The Auteuil race-course is at the
southern end of the Bois de Boulogne.
The turf was green velvet; the last
leaves, just clinging to the trees with
one drop or two of sap remaining, made
hangings Of red and brown and yellow
round the long green oval. Rising
above them were the upper stories of a
few gray mansions. the Eiffel Tower,
the Great Wheel; above these again, of
| a. more toneless gray, the foreshortened
slopes of hills Goodwood has a ruder
| fuller blooded beauty; Autueil has ex-
actly the civilized, small-compassed
| symmetrical beauty of Paris. Good
wood lends itself to many pictures;
Auteuil is one complete and whole pic
ture. AS for Newmarket-the town
that smells of stable, the leafless sweep
of downs, the razor-edged wind-you
| had only to look about you to see
| that there could be no such thing in
France.
You had only to look at the people.
The insular verdict, at the first sight
of them, would be that you did not
think there were so many gentlemen
in Paris-nor so many cocottes in the
world Next moment candor pulled
your sleeve to remind you that an ul.-
English habit may yet contain a gem
tleman, and all that rouges is not CO.
cote. But to the English mind the
appearance of racing Paris was Won
| derful indeed.
| At first sight the men looked all Eng
| ish. Many of them were; yet you saw
plenty of TALL straight backed, broad
| shouldered figures, clear brown skins,
with blood beneath them, clean shaver
| chins and untortured moustaches, from
under which issued the purest French
They caught the eye at first, but they
| were not the majority. For a more
typical picture take this: Tubby fig
4 ure, yellow, puffy cheeks, bright, vi