FRENCH-BRED DERBY WINNER

DESCENT FROM FULL-SISTER TO POLYMELUS

(By "Rangatira.")

Though he was bred in France, Pont I'Eveque is -a product of England in jell his main lines past the first remove, j !He descends from a full-sister to Polyanelus. and he is a member of the, same branch of the Bruce Lowe No. 3 family as Beau Pere, Gay Shield, and! Mr. Standfast,- notable . Dominion Sires. A bay colt, Pont rEveque is by the JGrand Prix de Paris winner Barneveldt out of the Belfonds—Poet's Star mare Ponteba, and that is as far as the pedigree is French. Ponteba was bred toy and from by M. M. H. Corbiere, who also bred Belfonds, but apparently the mare was sold to the late Mr. H. E. Morriss carrying the Derby; iwinner-toybe, as the colt was foaled at Mr. Morriss's property in England. A GRAND PRIX WINNER. Barneveldt was one of the best three-year-olds in France in 1931, sharing the honour with Tourbillon, who toeat him into third place in the Prix dv Jockey Club (French Derby) and into fourth place. in the Prix. Royal Oak (French St. Leger). That season lie also won the Prix dv President. Barneveldt1 was of almost whollyEnglish antecedents, as his sire was The Winter King, a good winner on the flat and over hurdles, and his dam ■was Black Domino, who was by Black Jester, a half-brother by Polymelus to the great New Zealand sire Absurd and to the dam of another great New Zealand sire in Chief Ruler. The "Winter King was by Son-in-Law out of the Derby and Oaks winner Signorinetta, a French-bred mare by Chaleupreux whose surprise Derby win remains one of the most romantic epiisodes in the history of the classics. Belfonds, the sire of Pont TEveque's dam, Ponteba, also descended from English blood, as he was by Isard 111 out of La Buire, who was by Perth (a son of Bridge of Earn) out of Lark, by Enthusiast (a son of Sterling). Beljfonds was exported to Argentina after

Three colts who won the substitute Derby decided at Newmarket instead of at Epsom during the last war were destined to play an important part in subsequent breeding annals. They were Pommern (1915), Gay Crusader (1917), and Gainsborough j 1918), the 1916 winner having been a filly, Fifinella. Now the winner of the first substitute Derby during the present war is a French-bred colt, Pont I'Eveque, and he also has the blood to impress his mark on English thoroughbred breeding in years to come.

j a few seasons in France Imd he has done well there as a sire.

FROM LA FLECHE'S FAMILY.

The family lines of Ponteba have much to interest Dominion breeders. She was out of Poet's Star, by Chaucer (a son of St. Simon) out of Lady Cynosure (a full-sister to Polymelus, sire of Black Jester, Pommern, Polyphontes, Humorist, Phalaris, Paladin, etc.. and premier sire of England on five occasions), by Cyllene out of Maid Marian, by Hampton out of the famous Quiver. Maid Marian, besides leaving Polymelus, got that other notable sire Grafton to Galopin. And Quiver was dam of the phenomenal La Fleche, from whom have descended Beau Pere, Gay Shield, and Mr. Standfast, also Spearhead (sire of the Melbourne Cup winner and highly successful sire Spearfelt). Good performers in recent years in England descending from Maid Marian have been the Oaks winner Udaipur and the Cesarewitch winner Ut Majeur, two horses owned by the Aga Khan.

So much for the breeding of Pont I'Eveque, who is thus qualified to take his place among Itie best-pedigreed Derby winners in recent years. He was slow in reaching his best, but his form this-season has been one of continued improvement and his Derby win by three lengths was apparently so clear cut as to leave no room for doubt about his superiority over his opponents in England's premier classic.

It is a coincidence that the two latest Derby winners produced by the Beckharnpton wizard, Fred Darling, have been French-bred colts, as Bois Roussel two years ago also hailed from across the Channel. Somewhat similarly Bois Roussel, who is now at the stud in England, was French only in his immediate lines. In tail female he descended from the same family as that great racing mare Sceptre. Pont l'Eveque's antecedents take him to that other great racing mare La Fleche. These families are two of the most notable in the English Stud Book.