153 - [HORSE RACING]. Handwritten and illustrated register of French breeding stallions and racehorses.

[HORSE RACING]. Handwritten and illustrated register of French breeding stallions and racehorses. An impressive handwritten breeding register from the Belle Époque, illustrated with a collection of postcards. n.p. [Bordeaux?], undated [circa 1912]. Large quarto, oblong, black half-basane, fir-green percaline covers, square spine. On the inside front cover, a commercial label from the “Fabrique de Registres Perfectionnés Amédée Oliveau & Fils” of Bordeaux. 111 numbered handwritten pages containing a total of 333 photographs (postcard size) mounted on the left and annotated on the right, followed by 10 unnumbered pages of an alphabetical index; all on sturdy sheets mounted on tabs. Binding is scuffed; there is a tear in the percaline on the lower cover; minor foxing. An impressive Belle Époque breeding register that exhaustively compiles the genealogy and iconography of the great champions of the French Trotter and half-blood breeds. The volume brings together 333 collectible cards from the supplements of the magazine *La France Chevaline* from 1909 to 1912, depicting the leading stallions and mares of the era. Each portrait is accompanied by a methodical handwritten entry detailing timed kilometer times, rigorously established pedigrees spanning three generations, and, for some, the official purchase price set by the Administration des Haras Nationaux This register lies at the heart of the history of the French Trotter, which was then in the midst of being formally established following the official creation of its Stud Book by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1906. Breeders were then required to declare and provide written proof of their horses’ pedigrees in order to have them registered in this brand-new official registry. It is precisely to meet this absolute requirement—essential for legal recognition in the world of horse racing—that this book contains such detailed pedigrees spanning three generations. A valuable document and a treasure trove of information for any horse racing enthusiast.