NOTES BY SENEX.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7442, 16 October 1889, Page 2

NOTES BY SENEX.

I WuUy Press. ; I was in Auckland a month or so ago, ' and took an early opportunity of visiting the Stud Company's farm, where I was , most kindly received by Mr and Mrs Cutta, ; who seemed really glad to see a Canterbury face again. Situated some seven or eight miles south of Auckland, Sylvia Park, with its well-grassed undulating paddocks, is a pleasant spot for the southern eye to rest on, and with its dry volcanic soil it is difficult to imagine a place better adapted for the raising of thoroughbred stock. The farm comprises 700 acres, with I do not. know how many horses of one sort and mother, being satisfied myself with a look round the home paddocks, where the cream of the thoroughbred stock are located. The management of such a place as this Iβ no sinecure for a man who does his work in the conscientious way that Cutts always does his, for besides the mares, yearlings, and foals, there are no Jess than seven stallions attached to the farm which have to be seen to, and I take it that Cutte has found it no light matter alone to become acquainted with all the mares and yearlings so as to reeognis'e them at sight without reference to his catalogue. Of the stallions, the first that oame under my notice was Nordenfeldt, a dark brown horse standing about 15 hands 2ftn, a real model of symmetry, and with an amount of bone and muscle that proclaims him as useful as he is ornamental. He does not stand so high as his sire by some two or three inches, but he Is the more level built horse of the two. The first impression one got of Musket was that his immense top and middle piece were a bit too much for his legs to carry, the more so as his forearm was wanting muscle and inclined to be mean, and he wa» long in the cannon, whereas Nordenfeldt has lengthy muscular forearms and is short below the knee, and he is plenty big enough all over to render him as valuable a sire as old Musket himself. Moreover, he is bleat with the beat of tempers, and suffers himself to be handledMtar any stranger who enters his stable. In the next box was the eight-year-old St.Xeger, got in England by Doncaster, and brought out with his dam, Atlantic He Is a nice rich chestnut and shows plenty of quality, but is a lightly built horse throughout, and with nfs high croup and want of muscular development, is not a taking horse to the eye. He is, however, a very highly bred animal with the Thormanby << blood on the dam's side, and Cutts says he : likes the look of his stock. We o'ight this season co know how they will turn : out, for there are several of his two-year-olds well engaged, and the progeny of a ' good class of mares. I Ingomar, most of our readers have seen, i and I need only say that he looks wonder- { fully handsome and. well, and when I met ! him subsequently, led out for trotting * exercise, he moved magnificently and 1 threw his legs out with infinite freedom. Up to this season Mr Fat. Campbell has . owned a share in him, but he is now the sole property of the Stud Company. Capfcivator is unknown toNewZealanders, * except those who have visited Sylvia Park, t for he was imported from Australia direct c toAuckland and has remained there ever t eince. He is not a fashionably bred horse, 1 and his sire. Caractacus, although a Derby \ winner, was not a success at the stud. L Capfcivator was, however, the best per* t Former of his get and judging from his t general outline I should think that in h Qls youth he was a powerful, good-looking E horse, but he is utterly crippled now, h standing as much on his fetlocks as on his ti tioafs, and I wonder how he can take el JwoW to keep hlmaelf in health ai 3e is 20 years old. In the next box to him ti vas Fusilade, than whom a more three- m iornered, leggy, clothes'-horee sort of a nag hi . have not seen as a stud-horse tor some al ;ime past. By Musket, from the Traducer tl nare Wai-itf, he carries good enough ol weeding credentials, but that is all he has 0 recommend him. He won the New w Zealand Cup with a feather-weight, from 21 in indifferent field,, but was not within a re itone or more of the best horse of his year, Ci md herseetoed to mc quite out of place in a] he Sylvia Park stable. Cap-a-pie ia an d< •Id favourite of mine, ahorselcouldnever tt telp admiring, and although he has not w nade a name for himself as a sire of race 60 torses, I cannot help thinking that some a lay when happily mated he will beget ti omething of. real merit. Although living al .mongat so many high-class mores, he has, gi believe, had but few chances of die- w inguishing himself, the pick of the harem tt teing reserved for other sires. Leolinua el tad Just left for the Waikato, where he oi rill pass the season. After taking another ai ook at Nordenfeldt, and convincing my- tt elf that I admired him none the less, but O ather more in comparison with the other lo tallions, we adjourned to a most enjoy- ai ble dinner, and chatted Christchurch and w ticcarton as Canterbury sports mostly do B rhen meeting in foreign climes. Taenwe Iβ rent to-mm the yearlings that will be lii ffered for sale next January, and I found el hat, after tJutta had pointed out to mc a ouple of Nordenfeldtfe, that I was fairly th ble to pick the others of his get. There w lan evenness about them which is un- „<, aistakeable, and ifcis evident that, whether be or good or bad, he puts his distinctive of lark on his progeny. Then, again, «c lthough not an extra big horse 7X imsell, his yearlings appear to be re dmewhat bigger, than those thrown mj y Musket from the same mares. The fir lersey filly, a sweet-looking red chestnut tr, ill of quality is an exception, for she is » uite. on the small side, but alongside of ,„ er was a grand upstanding filly by „ Fordenfeldt from Tres Deuce, a dark {& rindled chestnut, bound to command a V? mg pride on her own account, apart from th er relationship to Manfcon. There was jga Iso a Very attractive looking bay filly "Sα ■om Crinoline by the same sire. I did not , >unt how many yearlings there were in Iβ paddocks, but probably a dozen of each ? B jx, and they were without exception a tOl ealthy looking lot, that had done justice ye > the good feed provided for them. Of "H ie colts I most admlred.three by Norden- ? n ildt, a bay yearling from Pulchra, who f£ romisee togrow Into a bigger horee than re aything yet thrown by fchat mare, v ad & whole coloured black colt from en elly Moore, who, in his turn, pro- ??' dees to grow into a more upstanding ? n arse than Corunna, and my other £?,! ck was a peculiar marked colt from ,• • lytemnestra, a jet bhick withsome white t?. ( >out his heels and a perfectly bald white £7 «c. He is a bit angular, bat well grown « lj i* throws his rather long legs about with fO, ctraordinary freedom. And I should not ye : irget to mention that there was a very g0 edlum bay yearling by Nordenfeldt, from ** x Stead's Marion, a» well grown as any- j"? ling in the paddocks. Feeling the pleasant go fects of a good dinner I did not care to 2I € ander far among the brood marea, but lw Steppe and Nelly Moore, both with *? rang looking brown foals at foot by Nor- ?L a infeldt, 'and a number of matrons all oking well and likely soon to add to the co < luine strength of, the colony. wl After taking leave of Sylvia Park and or< s hospitable manager, the horses' head as turned for the Kohimarama train- 5 01 f establishment presided over by our friend Jimmy Kean. Hβ was not at qu >mc, but his head lad very obligingly Jv 1 towed mc through and spared > trouble In making ine acquainted with ? , i inmates.' It was Corunna and lirassier that I principally wanted to see, J* id I found the former had developed |* x to a perfect little plum. Hβ stood, I was " os Id, just 15 hands 1 Inch, but having a we irly developed wither he could not have & J* en more than 14a. 3J over his back. But en what a back it was. The billiard dls We simile was- never more applicable bro an in his case, for his hips are unusually foa idely spread, m& perfectly level across. **ci id standing behind him he is quite tne uare down to faU lower thighs tel] d lifting his tail there is solid oscular developement right through as 1 w as the gatkine. The only horse Ore have seen of such 'muscular develope- the snt was Maxim when Mason turned him wh t in such trim as a three-year-old, goli ruona woaid not suffer in comparison wb< en with that warrior, and for his inches wid the handsomer horee of the two. He son d a capital set of legs under him a d< ras I could see without a blemish on the: •m, It In jk tOUwaand p!ties he has sooe { not

amiae, and moreover, mujrtbfr?^l to bi» owners. Hβ waanr* * ahhre **r i I condition, but Met Set fcfJwS 0 F the p o9 t' in r healthy enough bat did not «L U 5 ? done much work, waslacbh, %ni 3 ; I thought It would tSSJS? *«•« *J. brin K Wm fit to the 3 PI T*SA others there were the che»tn.,V foUr-year-old sonT of & tht * & Atlantis. lnae IS Derby,!. weU grown so faYafhW «•? ' oerned but notpo BaeßS ing mlftW Leopold is a better stamp» o-SjjSb I shape, but, like his youn&r light build. Hβ BeSr 0 m less sort, moving about ffi HI nerTOUsly active manner, andT''»l--style of horse a stranger wonlX p. llbertlee with in hl 8 8 stable C SA 41 that, he has performed falrlv« ?*'<»« fe probablr about the beet I stock. They tell mc he Iβ aVeX J*? 1 aa ever waa bridled, andJrtSS'Q 8 ft a fl a l 8 ? ? he ° moathoweeVSK % they had had enough. WO,l WtSi5 S It is carious how very closel» «. te nations for thaStewalrdr XI 8 i and Challenge Stakes, Veceived 1 day tally with those of last year .oW I the TO f ?T the three evenvHß I race Individually. * Oull | Stowarde , Stakes .. Ift T: Middle Park Slaked *; S•■ ? 'r Challenge Stakei ? S -vS ■• m- « i 103 ** horses, too, which everyone^iTjJ* - see. There is Chain Shot &»*! f scratched for the New Zealand r» on Saturday, figuring ta^he^* l^ - Stakes, so we may hope that *»fh i able at present to tionfor the two mUe race h? 8 nothing radically w^ng^thtS that he is sound enoutch f™T "?' *i Then there it TlraiUeuA „" Bprta % the othera so we £* **"• Aat .it U the preeSt hie owner that the hone ahiM?, « spring engagements here. &T i"™ the beat performed thrVe-yeSif *? * season, and it is a pity he K£? 1 i ot tt « In the Derby. In tnilter &SBfnSWW meets Merrle England »t aniS^V 171b. and tnail proba&BrSi! Sfr* * in tiat race, a* Wrle Bngffi SL l backed to win a lot of wise it would have aewSed be°S J ti( * have kept the blackTol?S r ?° l,c J J o; Derby, md then triedl contt tot *•! Tirailleur In the oJSiBS&FJ* good enough for the Derby^M^f 3ol * 4 on the same day. ThmA interest as at present fa th«i much te * which havejnetcloMd;buUo.i ' (October 10): is the aJBKJBRyj* 4