WINDSOR LAD

Evening Post, Issue 47, 23 August 1935, Page 6

WINDSOR LAD

HIS "ECLIPSE" TRIUMPH

RETIREMENT TO ' STUD

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON,'JuIy 20.

Mr. M. H. Benson's four-year-old colt, Windsor Lad, trained by Marsh and ridden by C. Smirke, won the valuable Eclipse Stakes at Saridown yesterday, as he was expected to do. lhe field had cut up badly, for at the start there were only five runners This brilliant Blandford—Resplendent, by By George, colt, was natiu-ally favourite, and there was a vast concourse present, including the King and Queen, to see him before his retirement to the stud.

Windsor Lad retires with the following record:—Three-year-old: Won the Chester Vase, Newmarket Stakes, Derby, Epsom, Great Yorkshire Stakes at York, St. Leger at Doncaster. Four-year-old: Won the Burwell Stakes at Newmarket, Coronation Cup at Epsom, Rous Memorial Stakes at Ascot, and now the Eclipse. He has shown thai he can act on any going, hard or soft. He has also shown that he can win over any distance and on any course. The field for the Eclipse Stakes, one of the most important events of the season, over a mile and a quarter, was Windsor Lad, Adept (Lord Astor), Bondsman (Mr. W. Woodward), Theft Clhe.Aga Khan), and Fair Trial .(Mr. J. A. Dewar). The first three were four-year-olds and the last two three-year-olds. Windsor Lad looked rather lighter than he had done when he won at Epsom and at Ascot, but still "he looked remarkably well. Theft also looked well and moved down to the siart admirably. Fair Trial, who was apparently expected to give Windsor Lad a great race even if he did not beat him, moved to the start very scratchily.

Fair Trial was. not run as a two-year-old, and as a three-year-old he had been out twice and won each time. It was not known how good he might be and it was expected that he would give Windsor Lad a good race. The only fear that could be entertained was that the race might be badly run and that a speedy colt like Theft might steal it.

THE RACE DESCRIBED. * One who was present describes the race as follows:—

"It was a badly-run race, and still Windsor Lad won. ■ When the gate went up Smirke had to make his own running. This laz" colt is always the better for having a pacemaker. He did not go along at his best pace. Windsor Lad led the field into the straight, and still the pace was poor. About .three furlongs from the winning post Gordon Richards elected to take a feeler at him on Fair TriaL It was such a strong feeler that Fair Trial was soon half a length in front of the favourite.. Then there was a gasp from admirers of Windsor Lad, for he was still running lazily,, but they' had reckoned .without the strong combative quality that As one of the colt's greatest, assets. When he saw the other in front of him he began to rouse himself, and put, his latent fire into his work. He ran on, and entering the last furlong had the pretensions of Fair Trial well settled.

"Incidentally, in making his run, Windsor Lad came away a little from the rails and perilously close to Fair Trial. It was Theft that made the last demonstration, for he came on the outside, and when he found the ground fir.mer there than he had found it before, he was flying, and was a good second. It was a performance on the part of Theft well up to his best, for here he was meeting a colt of quite exceptional merit, and it can be said again that Theft is not the mere brilliant miler that some people think, even though the race was run to suit him. "The crowd hardly wjiled for Windsor Lad to pass the post before the torrent of cheering broke'out, for lie had decisively asserted his superiority when he had come again and beaten Thefl. In a big-field?of all the best m England, with" something talcing them along at' a ■ tearaway pace, ■ he would have'won far more easily." A GOOD DEAL. In the light of events,' it is realised that Mr. Benson transacted a fine business deal in giving £50,000 for Windsor Lad when the Maharajah of Rajpipla decided to sell the colt after his Sandown defeat in the Eclipse a year ago. For his present owner, the son of Blandford has won six races carrying over £22,000 in stake-money, and the horse is full for the next two stud seasons at a fee of 400 guineas. The death of his sire, Blandford, has enhanced the 'stud value of Windsor Lad, and, with ordinary fortune, Mr. Benson will recover his outlay many times lover.

A notable yearling was offered at Newmarket this week and realised 5200 guineas. This was Mr. Dan Sullivan's filly half-sister, by Beresford, to Windsor Lad, and Mr.: M. H. Benson defied all competition: and secured her with an eye not only to her racing possibilities but her future value for the stud. She is a handsome brown filly. The first bid for her was 2000 guineas, from which she advanced in a few seconds to 5000 guineas. During The war Mr. Sullivan bought her dam, Sunbridge, for a small sum in' Co. Limerick, and after,she had won him Iwo races he sent her to his stud in Co. Meath. The value of her descendants today is more than £100,000.