THE SAWYER'S BAY STUD.

Press, Volume XXXV, Issue 4898, 19 April 1881, Page 3

THE SAWYER'S BAY STUD.

[era ZAtnroßzoc nr xhh "ttsskix peesb,"]] Being on a holiday ramble in Dnnedin recently, and having a spare day at disposal, X gladly availed myself of the invitation of Mr George Dodton to have a look at his stud farm, which is situated at Sawyer's Bay, near Fort Chalmers. Leaving Dunedin for the Port by the morning train, I at onoa interviewed Mr Dodeon on arrival, and placed myself under the pilotage of his son, Mr Tom Dodson, with whom, after a pleasant drive of half an hour, I reached the farm, which ctiihsists of 100 acres of good land, mostly, however, of a hilly nature; but nevertheless, from the eharaoter of the soil and situation'of the property, admirably adapted for breeding young stock. The first animal led forth for my inspection was the lord ot the harem, Oassivellaunus. This horse (who was bred in England in 1869 and imported to Western Australia and thence to New Zealand in 1874) is by Oaractacus—Campanile by Stockwell— Florence by Velocipede. Oaraotacus was by Kingston, out of Defenceless by Defence, and won the English Derby of 1862. Cassivellaunus himself is a bright bay horse, with black points, standing 16 2. He has a nice sensible head and a good neck. He is well let down behind and has good quarters, though, owing to an accident he met with, one of his hocks is slightly capped. He is a trifle hollow backed, but is otherwise an ezoellent horse to follow. He only raced twice, and that was as a two-year-old, when he won two stakes at Newmarket, beating good fields. So far at the ttud hie chances have been limited, but when Mr Bedwood leased him, for the season before hat, he proved himself an excellent foal* getter, every one of Mr Bed wood's mares that lie served producing foals to him. The only ones of his stock who have raced so far have bees two three-year-old fiUiee out of Remnant and Caetanette, a two-year-old filly out of Envy, and a ooit of the same age out of Mies Sing, and the best of these is certainly the Envy filly, who ran a capital second to Somnus in the Dunedin Champagne Stakes. She has since been purchased by Mr John Lunn, in whose hands she is now undergoing her preparation at Christchuroh. The other stallion of the Sawyer's Bay stud is Satirist, a ek-year-old son of "Traducer and Miss King. He is a brown horse, standing 15.3, and was bred by Captain Hutohinsori, an old Dunedin I sportsman, who will be remembered as owning Earl of Lynne, Mabel, &o. Owing to the absenoe of Oaasivellaunui, Mr Dodeon used Satirist for all. his mares the season before last, and the results, judging from the foals I saw on the occasion of my visit, and -which I shall notice presently, must be very satisfactory to his owner, apart from the fact that the Traducer blood is now so much sought after. Satirist was (so his present owner informs mc) highly tried as a three-year old, but, going amiss during his preparation for the Canterbury Derby, was put to the stud. I was next introduced to one of the handsomest yearling fillies I have 'seen in New Zealand in the shape of a chestnut daughter of Oassivellaunus and Miss King. She has a nice narrow chest, a straight back, good knee* and hooks, long arms and short cannon bones, and is exceptionally well let down j in short, if anything will ever make * name for C&Bsivellaunus it is this filly, who looks like racing, and of whom her owner is justly very proud. The two-year-old, oolt by Cassivellaunus out of Sweetiips, though a fine upstanding youngster,' has not the best of forelegs, while the oolt of the same age, by the same sire out of Amnri, is a flat-sided young gentleman, though otherwise there is little fault to be found with him. In an adjoining box was a strapping two-year-old son ofCaseivellaunue and Bemnant, who-hae only jnst been handled, and, passing on, we ascended the slope of the hill, and ebon stood among the brood mares of the establishment. The first we came to was Sweetlips ■ (imported from Australia), by Tepeail outof Queen of Hearts by Guetavus—Alice Hawthorn by Little John (imp.). This mare, who was not covered the season before last, a in ■ foal to OasriTeUaunus. Close betjde her was Amnri, who waa bred in 1861, and is by Skeleton out ot Itady, lap* Grey by St. Aabjr% * j&he has not been jm&m this season, ana in f«?|j » not H&ely to breed , again, mm hay advanced age, mi Dodeon has dseided to pension herofi. HTeju? her wee

Azncena, a big roomy black mare (bred ia 1859) by Towton out of Meg MerrQies by St. George out of Gipsy, and who is well known to New Zealand turfites as the dam of Envy, Castanette, and $|_is.<aia. To this capital speoitaen of the brood mare can only be applied the old quotation—" Age cannot wither, &..," and she is certainly one of the finest mares Mr Dodson has in his paddocks. She unfortunately slipped twins, last season, and has not since been covered. I was very much pleased with Sapphire, a fine upstanding chestnut by Traducer out of Miss Mettle, au Australian mare by Touohjt out of Magic by Buffalo. Sapphire, who-X remember as showing a great deal of quality as a three-year-old, won the Jjaitangata Handicap at the Dunedin Summer Meeting in 1879, and the Timaru Consolation Handicap shortly afterwards, and was undoubtedly a very fast mare over a sprint course. She, too, is in foal to the son of Caractacus. Hard Times is a chestnut mare, bred in 1868 and imported from Victoria,gotby Hew Warrior out of Bivulet by Cossack. She is a nice mare, but was net in the beat of condition, and I much preferred Oaetanetto, by Traducer out of Asuoena, This mare's three-year-old daughter by Cassiyellaunus will be remembered as having run third in the Maiden Plate at the recent Wellington meetinf*. She, on that occasion and at the subsequent Dunedin meeting, showed a big turn of foot, and was purchased by Mr John Lunn, her present owner. Castanette is again in foal to Cassivellaunus, A very taking mare, and one wpecislly well made behind, is Remnant (by Oaledon >out of Calumny's dam Gitana), whose daughter, La Bohemienne, has won several big events at the various up-country , meetings in Otego during the last and present seasons. She too is in foal to Cassivellaunus,' as also is Tangi, a bay mare with good points but a very plain bead, bred by Mr Beowood in 1871, got by Eayensworth out of Phcebe (Sinking Fund's dam). Close by her was an I old acquaintance in the shape of Flat Iron (by Peter Flat out of Emma by Gil BiasEmily by Operator), dam of Mangle and I Mufti, she, too, is in foal to tho son of Caractacus, and I can only hope, for Mr Dodson's sake, that the result may be as, good an animal as Mufti, who, had bis trainers ever been able to get bim fit, would, from the form he displayed on several occasions in private, have made his mark on tbe turf. Little Nell (bred by Mr Chirnside of Victoria, got by the Touchstone hoTse Peeping Tom out Of Porab, is another big raking black mare, but the last of the stud matrons I saw was an old friend, and is decidedly the gem of the harem. This was Envy (by Traducer out of AEncena), who will be remembered by several of my readers as having been, when in Mr Hoswbrtby's possessioi., perhaps the fastest mare in New Zealand over a short course, she having placed several of the most valuable sprint races in this colony to the credit of the present proprietor of Enfield. Her best' credentials as a brood mare are the two-year-old 'filly alluded to above and her last foal which I shall presently notice, and, seeing how valuable the Traducer blood now is, Mr; Dodson is to be congratulated on the possession of Envy, who not only sprang' from the loins of the old Libel horse, but who herself was a first-rate performer on the turf. We now returned to the stables, where we found all the foals, which have recently been weaned, enjoying their midday repast.- They are eight in number and are as follows:-—Bay filly by Cassivellamms —Tangi, brawn colt by ' Satirist—Castanette, bay colt by Flying Dutchman—Miss King, brown filly by Satirist — Envy, hay colt by Satirist—Sapphire, bay colt by Satirist—-Bemcant, bay filly by Satirist)— Flat Iron, and brown filly by Satirist; — Amuri. They are a very nice lot of youngsters indeed, the pick of the basket being the - Envy and Flat Iron fillies, the latter, however, being a bit on the small ride. The colt by Flying Dutchman out of Miss Zing is not at alia bad 'us, and his sire, who is by Peter; Wnkins (imp;) out of Jteristance by Boiardo (imp.), and is now in the possession of Mr Coombs of Tokomairiro, should, from his bwedine, rj-rtainly be able to get racehorse*. Miss King, I may mention, was sent to Mr Coombs* horse, as, ia the absanee of Oaieivel* lausns at Spring Greek, it was of course out of the question to put her to Satirist, who is her sou. This concluded my inspection, and I returned to Port Chalmers agreeably surprised at what I had seen, for I had no idea that the Sawyer's Bay stud, which has so far bjsna.forra iaeognita to Hew Zealand posting writers, ctmiszned so many and suoh

good animale. Truly it is only yet in its infancy, and its proprietor has had many dif& oulties to contend against, bet if he does not command success, bis plook and energy at •least deserve it, and I can only hope that, should fee race any of his stock, the blue jacket and black cap of the veteran starter of the Donedin Jockey Club may frequently be the first to catch the judge's eye.