Plaisanterie
Plaisanterie (foaled 1882 in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

) was a Champion Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

. Bred by the Comte de Dauger, she was sold in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 for FF

French franc

The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...

825 at the Tattersalls

Tattersalls

Tattersalls is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall , who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. The first premises occupied were near Hyde Park Corner, in what was then the outskirts of London...

 September yearling sale. She was purchased by trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

 Thomas Carter, Jr., a member of the renowned English Racing Colony at Chantilly http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Trainers/Fr/Anglais3.html, in equal partnership with French scientist

Scientist

A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...

, Mr. H. Bouy of Senlis, Oise

Senlis, Oise

Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...

.

Tom Carter, Jr. would become synonymous with Plaisanterie who was beaten only twice in her eighteen career races and both times by colt

Colt (horse)

A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....

s when she finished second by very narrow margins. Her first loss came at age two against colts in the Grand Criterium

Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère

The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October.It is the oldest and most prestigious race in France...

 at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 when she ran second by a short head to The Condor. She would later avenge her loss, defeating The Condor four times. At age three, Plaisanterie's second career loss came against older male horses at Longchamp in the Prix du Prince de Galles when she again was second by a short head.

A favorite of French racing fans, Plaisanterie achieved the rare feat of winning the "Autumn Double" in the same season when she won the 1885 Cambridgeshire Handicap

Cambridgeshire Handicap

The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event...

 and the Cesarewitch Handicap

Cesarewitch Handicap

The Cesarewitch Handicap is a flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs , and the latter part is on the Rowley Mile. It is scheduled to take place each year in October.The event was...

 back-to-back against males at England's Newmarket Racecourse

Newmarket Racecourse

The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...

. Sent to Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, she again defeated her male counterparts in that country's most prestigious race, the Grosser Preis von Baden

Grosser Preis von Baden

The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early September.-History:The event was established in 1858, and it...

.

Plaisanterie is viewed in retrospective as the 1885 French Champion Three-Year-Old Filly over Barberine, winner of both French Classic Races

French Classic Races

In France, the Classics of horse racing are a series of Group One Thoroughbred horse races run annually on the flat. The four races are organized by France Galop.The Prix de Diane is restricted to filles....

 for fillies. In three head-to-head confrontations, Plaisanterie beat Barberine every time while winning the Prix de Dieppe, the Prix Seymour, and the Cambridgeshire Handicap.

Co-owner H. Bouy died unexpectedly on May 7, 1886 at age thirty-nine. At a subsequent dispersal auction, half-owner Tom Carter, Jr. paid FF150,000 for Plaisanterie. Retired to broodmare duty, Plaisanterie was bred five times to the Champion sire

Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland

The list below shows the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1751. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...

 St. Simon

St. Simon (horse)

St. Simon was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and one of the most successful sires in the history of the Thoroughbred. In May 1886 The Sporting Times carried out a poll of one hundred experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th Century. St...

 and twice to another Champion sire, Orme. Her important foals include Childwick, Raconteur and Topiary.