ENGLISH RACING

FOUR CHAMPIONS RETIRE GREAT WINNING RECORDS THE UNBEATEN TAI-YANG S BY SPEARMINT The announcement that the Eclipse Stakes on July 19 was Windsor Lad's last race before going to the stud means that within the last two months p lour of the most prominent racehorses in England have gone into permanent retirement. To readers in the colonies, ' where our champions, even when entire, like Peter Pan, generally race > until they are six years or even more, this early retirement may seem strange, 13 hub in England the potential value of e a successful racehorse at the stud is e so enormous, and the possible depreciation in such value owing to an un--1 felicitous defeat is so great, that most r champions retire during or at the end y of their four-year-old career. If they y succed in winning the major classics, a comparatively safe programme is generally mapped out for them among the more important weight-for-age events the following season, and then the racecourse sees them no more. Tho four horses* whose retirement lias been announced are Windsor Lad, r felicitation, Easton and Tai-Yang, and, as each has been in his own way > an exceptional performer, and as pres sumably a few years hence the first of - their respective progeny will be appear--9 ing on the racecourse during the same s season, a short sketch of their careers may not be without interest at the r present time. Record ol Windsor Lad Windsor Lad is a bay horse, foaled s "i 1931, by Blandford from Besplondent, by By George! from Sunbridge, by Bridge of Earn. Bred by Mr. D. Sullivan, ho was bought as a yearling by . the Maharajah of lLajpipla for 1300 guineas. After the Eclipse Stakes last year lie was sold to his presont owner, ' Mr. Martin H. Benson, for £50,000. Windsor Lad's performances are as • follows: — At Two Yearn 1 Unplaced Newmarket T.Y.O. Sale ! Stakes . . .. . . . Fourth Richmond Stakes, Goodwood Won Criterion Stakes. Newmarket, 6 £655 At Three Years 1 Won Chester Vnse. 1J miles . . .. 1,005 • i Won Newmarket Slakes, 1} miles .. IJ9O j Won Derby Stakes. 1J miles .. !),352 Third Eclipse Stakes, 1} miles .. Won Great Yorkshire Stakes, li 1 „ r miles 1,75-1 ' Hon St. Leser, 1 mile <i fur 172jds 10,-102 At Four Years 1 Won Burwell Stakes, Newmarket, 1} mi lea 520 Won Coronatiou Cup, Epsom, li lilies 1,560 Won Ron 9 Memorial Stakes, Ascot, 1 fur. • 1,040 Won Eclipse Stakes, 1J miles .. £38.000 The value of tho Eclipse Stakes is not yet available, but tho cabled account states that it brought Windsor Lad's total to tho above amount, it will be noticed that Windsor Lad has been beaten only once since his two-year-old days, when he was somewhat unlucky to lose the 1934 Eclipse Stakes to King Salmon and IJmidwar. A Staying Champion In contrast to Windsor Lad, the Aga Khan's bay horse Felicitation was bred by his owner and has done all his racing in his colours. Foaled in 1930, he is by Colorado from Felicita, by Cantilever from Best Wishes, by Neil ' Gow. His record is as follows: At Two Years ! Second Lavant Stakes, Goodwood. . Won Newbury Autumn Foal Plate.. £BIO | Won Middle Park Stakes . . .. 3,C00 j Three times unplaced .. .. At Three Years I Third Royal Plate, Newbury . , Second St. Lienor (to Hyperion) .. Second Jockey Club Stakes .. .. I Five times unplaced .. .. .. At Four Years £hird Mnrch Stakes, Newmarket .. Won ' Churchill Stakes. Ascot, 2 miles . . . . . . .. 1,355 Won Gold Cup. Ascot, 2J miles . . 4,823 Won Eglinton Plate, Ayr, 11 miles 642 Won John Porter Stakes. 1 mile 5 fur . . 1,578 Third Prix de l'Arc de Trioniphe Won Jockey Club Cup, 2} miles .. 655 At Five Years Third Chippenham Stakes, lj miles Won Yorkshire Cup, 2 miles .. 1,580 £14,675 While Felicitation's record docs not read as well as that of Windsor Lad. he gained his best successes in longdistance events, in which true stamina I was essential. He injured himself after ! the Yorkshire Cup and could not take his place in the field for the Ascot Gold Cup. Two Brilliant Performers Lord Woolavington's Easton is a bay horse, bred in France in 1931 by Mr. R. B. Strassburger, who sold him to his present owner after his second to Colombo in the Two Thousand Guineas. He is by Dark Legend from Pliaona, ! by Phalaris from Destination, by Desj mond. Sprinting and staying blood is well combined in his pedigree and ho shines at a middle distance. His pcrj formances in Franco as a two-year-old I were moderate. He opened his threeI vear-old career with an easy win in the Prix Ladas, and later in the season finished third to Admiral Drake and Foulaubin in the Grand Prix do Paris, and won the Grand International d'Ostende. His English performances are as follows: — At Thrso Years Second Two Thousand Guineas .. Second Derby Stakes, Epsom .. Won Select Stakes, Newmarket, 1 mile . . . . . • • • • • £365 At Four Years Won Linjjtteld Spring Slakes. 1 mile 531 Won Newmarket March Stakes, li miles . . • ■ • • • • 'SO Secorirl Coronation Cup. 14 milen. . Won Ribbleadale Stakes, Ascot, 1 mile • • • • • l,"'-0 Easton's stake winnings arc more or less negligible compared with those of Windsor Lad and Felicitation, but he has been a most consistent horse, and his three placings in important classics were high-class performances. His form this year has been brilliant, and the only occasion on which ho has been beaten was by Windsor Lad in the Coronation Stakes. Tai-Yang is a chestnut horse, bred in 1930 by Mr. H. E. Morriss, of Manna fame, who purchased his dam at, Sir Edward Hulton's sale for 12,500 ( guineas. Mr. Morriss still owns TaiYang and has raced him throughout his career. He is by Solario from Soubri- i quet, by Ijomberg from Silver Fowl, by i Wildfowler. Unfortunately he has i proved hard to train and has been able to make only two appearances on a 1 racecourse, in each of which he was 1 brilliantly successful. At three years ' he won the Jockey Club Stakes, one ! mile and three-quarters, at Newmarket, ( beating Felicitation and live others, and this season he Avon the Chippen- , ham Stakes, one mile and a-half, at ■ Newmarket, beating Tiberius, Felicita- , tion and two others. He retires with an unbeaten certificate and a full list. ■, It is difficult to say how good he might i have been had he been'sound. i