GREAT MARES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20334, 5 September 1931, Page 18

GREAT MARES.

VALUABLE TROTTING FAMILIES. i THELMA AND NORICE. ; (By Miles.; i (Concluded.) I The flvet instalment of this artitla was published in TBe Pbbss last, Saturday.] Even more interesting than the breeding of Bertha Bell is the pedigree and the performances of Thelma, a mare that can be claimed as a true New Zealander, bred by Mr J. Todd, of Lincoln, and raced by Mr W. Kerr, for whom she took a two miles record of 4min £sssec, very fast going some thirty years ago. Not only did Thelma prove a good race mare, but her sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters have left some very fine horses. For regularity in breeding, her record takes a lot of beating, for from 1902 till 1914 inclusive she bred a foal each year, although three subsedied, and she also foaled again in 1916 and 1917. Thelma was by Kentucky (a son of imported Berlin) from Pride of Lincoln by*the noted thoroughbred sire Touchstone from the imported mare Bally. Foaled in 1894 and bred to at the age of seven years, Thelma's progeny have had a royal chance to show their worth, and a pleasing feature is the great producing quality of the younger generation. This is the true test of a breed. Thelma's first foal was by Wildwocd, but it died at birth. Mated to the same horse she produced in successive years Willowwood, 2min 24sec, Wildwood Junr., 4min 33scc (a dual New Zealand Cup .winner), Marie Oorelli, 2min 17sec, and Authoress, to Wil&Wood, Adonis, 2min 14sec, by Harold Dillon. Lady Sybil, Drain 18 2-sscc, by Bothschild, Cameos, 2rain ISsec, by Gnlindo. bay colt (dead), by Calm, Waverlcy, 4min 38- 2-osec, by Galindo, Ariatds, by Drift' •Wood, chestnut colt (dead) by Eibbonwood, -Noil Denis by Gatyndo, The Fointor, by Logan Pointer, and Azelzion by Logan Pointer. few of those proved failures, either on the racecourse or at the stud, and several have proved remarkably successful. Willowwood was a good racehorse •with a 2inin 24sCc mile record, and after leaving a unmbcr of useful performers in New Zealand he vta.4 sent to Atistralia, where he was most successful, several of nis progeny proving good stake-winners at Perth. Wildwood, Jjurt. was .the best performer of his day and his dual win in the New Zealand Cup is a record equalled only by Beta Peter and Peter Blngen, and his 4min 33see stood as a fecordt for the race for a number of years. He was an outstanding sire. and in the season 1921-22 he tied witfc Logan Pointer for the sires' premiership of New Zealand. Perhaps the best horse he left was Admiral Wood, 4min 23 2-sßeo, one of the greatest horses 6f his day and winner of the Auckland Cup, New Zealand Derby, and the Free-for-All. Admiral Wood in turn Was seht to Australia and proved amongst the best sire's ever sent from New Zoaland. Marie Corelll, after taking a mile record of 2min 17sec, produced Guiding Star, who left First Flight, & more than useful performer in Auckland. Dais of Author Billon. Authoress" 1 was the next to arrive, and her name will go down in history as the dam of New Zealand's idol, Author Dillon 4mln 21 4-Gsec, while another of the only three she left, in Mem, is the dam of Meree Blngen, while Glade, a daughter of Meree, produced Final McKinney 2min 10 3-ssec. Adonis 2min l4sec was & brilliant sprinter and later proved a good site in Southland, after which he carried pit the good work in Australia, Lady Sybil 2min 18 2-ssee could sprint, and she produced Bigamist amongst others, while Cameos kept tip the reputation of the breed when she left the world's record-holder Onyx, 3min 13sec, Berenice, Fetronins, and ■ Intaglio, who in turn left Free Advice 2min 44-1-Ssec and Windshield. Waverley 4min 38 3-osec subsequently went to Southland, where he proved very successful, while Aristos is one j of the few that has not added to the record; Nell Denis was a fair horse with a lot of speed, and he left a few that have raced with varying successes, while Azelzion and The Pointer both have winners to their credit.

Mare* of the type and with the vitality of did Thelina are unfdrtti' nately rate, and though hey star performers Wero to One horse, Wild* wood, she left good stock When mated with several other stallions. It appears that' Thclnia is the greatest of them &\L. :. n ■ ■. Norice 2mln 20sec. The third of the select trio of brood mares is bred in California in 1898, imported'to New Zealand: in 1908 by Mr James Pettie, and Subsequently sold to Mrs' M. Duncan, of Coldstream Lodge, .Fesdalton. Norice before being put to the stud showed her on the racecourse, and her record of 2inin 20see was an excellent one.at the time it was made., Norice was bred for stamina, for her sire, Charles Derby (grandsire 'of Tris Pointer) inherited strains of Election' eer and Hahibletonlan, tracing back to tfMny; Wiekbam, a thoroughbred and a famous twenty mile trotter. through her dam Naulahka she gets a dash 6f Geo.Wilkes blood, another strain of Hambletonian through her grandam Lucy iJ., still another through her great-grandam Ethel, and thoroughbred blood again through her fourth dam, -Betsy Trotwood. No wonder Norico showed speed and no wonder she has transmitted to her stock a

Norice was only seven years old when retired from the race track, and in 1906 to the cover of Rothschild she produced Lady Derby and the following year a full-brother in Lord Derby. Then followed Derby Bells and Derby Chimes to Abbey Bells, Queen Cole and Cole Queen to King Cole, Native King, Nelson Derby, Nelson Fame and Bingeh Boy to Nelson Bingen. Accord* ing to Volume '.'X. of the New Zealand Trotting Stud Book Norice was not such a regular breeder as either Bertha Bell or Thelma, for no foals were bred in 1908-11-14-18-19, and the last of her progeny is evidently Bingen Boy, who was foaled in 1921. Lady Derby did little if any racing, but on being put to the stud she proved her worth. In 1914 she left Frances Derby, dam of Bingen Boy, fend a speedy pacer in Don Derby 3min 30 2-ssec. The 1915 filly died, and in 1916 there arrived Lady Pointer, and in 1917 Her Ladyship. Then came that brilliant trotter, Sister Beatrice 4min 28 4-osec, followed by Sister Maud, who, never raced, is already the dam of a very promising filly in Sister Rose. Olatrice, who was dropped in 1925, has a record of 3mitt 30 3-ssec. Following Lady Derby came Lord Derby, who left a number of good performers, mostly trotters. Derby Bells' and Derby Chimes Were Subsequently sent to Australia, where they proved outstanding successes, leaving many of the best horses of recent yeafs. Kingcrafts' Qrattdam. Queen Cole, who was foaled in 1912, was put to the stud when very young, and in her first season left King Sandy, Who showed a lot of speed when raced by J. Grice. The next Was Colene Pointer, who, before she was raced, Injured herself so badly that she was deemed useless for racing purposes. So serious was the injury that COlenc Pointer could not be taken. to any of ! the fashionable stallions, and she was mated with the Vancleve horse Quincey, who was in the district at the time. The resultant foal was Kingcraft, 4min 25 l-ssec. With a good spell Colene Pointer became sound again', and she won a number of races, including the Timaru Cup, in 4mln 35 l-ssec. The records of Cole Queen are not given, but Theda Bara, who followed, left, amongst others, General Bingen, 2min 11 3-sseC. Native King, by Nelson Bingen, was foaled in 1916, and he proved to be one of the most stylish and speediest trotters raced in New Zealand, his victories including the Dominion Trotting Handicap at Addington in 1923< On being put to the Stud for a short season he was an immediate success, his foals including Native Prince 4mm 24 4-ssec, .Native Stair (trotter) 4min 28 3-ssec and Native Queen 2min 10 2-Csec, Next on the list comes Nelson Derby, with a mile recortf of 2min 9sec and a two mile record of 4min 20 2-ssCc, winner of many good races, including the Great Northern Derby and the> Auckland Cup. He was one of the greatest horses, a rare* stayer and a brilliant sprinter, and in the few opportunities he has had at the stud he has left good material in Willie Derby, Derby Lynn and others, and he looks like taking a high place amongst the sires of the Dominion. . , Nelson Fame was more noted for sprinting than staying, and when he ' made an attempt on the mile record in Auckland he was credited with going half a mile in better ,than a minute. A fall robbed him of any Chance of registering new figures for the Dominion. Over a mile and a quarter he went 2miii 4lsec, and his early death left the turf Without one of the speediest sprinters that Jiad graced a New Zealand trotting track. Bingen Boy 2mln 59 2-ssec is the last of the progeny registered in the New Zealand Trotting Stud Book, and .ven if he does not improve upon his present record it will not dim the lustre of Norice's fame as one of the greatest breed marcS a New Zealand' stud has known. BANKS PENINSULA RACING CLUB. MEETING OF COMMITTEE. The committee of the Banks Peninsula Racing Club met on Wednesday. Messrs W. F. Parkinson, Nutt, Anderson, Withell, lieniiie, L. Coop, and R. M. Morten being present; Apologies were made on benalf of Messrs J. Parkinson, J. O. Coop,/ C. Gi'ny, and J. H. Watson. The secretary called for nominations for the chairmanship. 1 Mr W. F. Parkinson proposed Mi It. M. Morton, and eulogised the : capable innnrtcr in which he managed the meetings and the deep interest he took in the affairs of the club.. Mr H. A. Nutt, in seconding the! nomination, endorsed the opinion of tho president. No other nominations being forthcoming, Mr Morten was unanimously elected and took the chair. Mr J. Kerrigan resigned as honorary veterinary \sttrgeon, Owing to instructions from the- Department, and, Mr Alan Leslie Was appointed to the posi- s tion. Two resignations were accepted, i Messrs Burke and Company asked i for a reduction of the amount paid for ( Privileged, Tho matter was left in the i hands of the president and chairman. The Banks Peninsula Agricultural j and Pastoral Show applied for the ttMial donation which was granted. ; The president reported on his visit ta Wellington to interview the Dates , Committee relative to the North Can- J terbury Racing Club's objection to October 31st. Fortunately be did not have to appear in support of the date, its tho North Canterbury Club withdrew it* objection. The following programme committee was appointed .—Messrs W. F. Varkinson. It. ,M Morten. H. A. Nutt. J. Parkinson, and j. H. Watson. The question of reducing the fees of the officials, recommended at the annual meeting l , was discussed, and the sncretary was directed to write and place the matter before them. It was resolved, that the Domain Board be approached for the loan of ihe dressing-room.

> 1 Woodford Mambrino Mambrino Ciilef Woodbine e H Sue Dudley "" Edwin ■ 9 Forrest Mdme. , Dudley «j .2 '3 Tom Sliirp Abdalloh Queen Dido 3 dam by Bourbofi Chief c c - y tff 3 9 ) Molton Doctor's Maid 0 ——--