Excerpt from 1889; Algeria Stud Farm: Property of W. L. Scott, Erie, Pa

Flageolet, his sire, was a superior race-horse. He won his first race in France at. Two years old, defeating a large field. Won the Hopeful Stakes, one-half mile, at Newmarket, 128 pounds; won the Rutland Stakes, three quarters of a mile, 129 pounds, beating His Grace and two others; won the Forlorn Stakes, Rowley mile, 128 pounds, beating Lord Mayo, 122 pounds won Burwell Stakes, 5 furlongs, 128 pounds, defeating Amalie Von Edelreich, 122 pounds; was unplaced in Middle Park Plate, won by Surinam. Ran second to Andred in the Prendergast Stakes, Surinam and three others behind him. Won the Criterion Stakes, three-quarters of a mile: defeating Paladin, Kaiser and four others. As a three-year-old ran second to Boiard in the Prix du Jockey Club (french Derby), and second to him in the Grand Prix de Paris in 1873. He was also second to Apollon in the Prix da Cedre, same year. Crossing the Channel, he was unplaced in the guineas, won by Gang Forward ran second to Cremorne in the Gold Cup at Ascott won the Goodwood Cup, in which he beat both Favonius and Cremorne, the Derby winners of 1871 and 1872. He ran second to Uhlan in Brighton Cup won the Grand Duke Michael Stakes at Newmar ket First October Meeting won a free handicap sweepstakes across the flat, and the Jockey Club Cup at the Newmarket Houghton Meeting. As a four-year-old he ran second to Boiard twice in France won the Claret Stakes at Newmarket, England was second to Boiard in the Gold Cup, and third to King Lud and Bolard in the Alexandra Plate, both at Ascot. This closed his turf career. Plutus, his sire, was unplaced in the Derby of 1866, but won some races and ran creditably in others.

Araucaria, Rayon d'or's dam, was the dam of Camelia, winner of the guineas, and ran a dead heat and divided the Oaks Stakes with Enguerrande. Chamant, by Mr. Lorillard's Mortemer, out of Araucaria, won the Middle Park Plate and the Dewhurst Plate in England at two years old, and at three won the guineas. The blood on the sire side is a combination of Touchstone through Orlando, a Derby winner, Bay Middleton, son of Sultan, a Derby Winner, Venison and Glencoe, through Darkness, a winner of the Ascot Stakes. On the dam's side, Touchstone, St. Leger winner, Priam, Derby winner, and Glencoe, through Pocahontas, dam of Stockwell, Rataplan, King Tom; etc. An analysis of the tabulated pedigree will show that he is richly and fashionably bred; he has a double cross of Glencoe, a triple cross of Diomed, a double cross of Touchstone, fortified by the blood of Whalebone, doubled in upon the Herod and Eclipse blood on both sides to the Byerly Mare, dam of the Two True Blues. Rayon d'or is probably the most magnificent specimen of his race ever imported. He is the highest priced horse ever shipped across the Atlantic. His cost delivered at his home is little short of In color he is a rich, true chestnut, with a large, rather faint, star in his forehead, stand ing 16 hands, 35 inches in height. He has a beautiful head, very broad between the eyes, with a fine, clean and tapering ear; neck, long but broad where it enters the head shoulders well set and broad, with great depth of girth good, round barrel, with splendid back, hip and loin. His hips will be found broad, with great length from the point of the hip to the whirlbone, and thence to stifle and hocks, the latter clean cut and well placed, and the finest, soundest and best set of legs ever seen under a horse in fact, it is one of his great excellent points, and certainly nothing is more essential to a good race-horse. Rayon d'or (ray of Gold) deserves his name.

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