RACING Precipitation, Famous Sire, Dies In Britain

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28251, 12 April 1957, Page 4

RACING Precipitation, Famous Sire, Dies In Britain

The death took place recently at the Someries Stud, Newmarket, at the age of 24, of the famous sire, Precipitation. By Hurry On from Double Life, by Bachelor’s Double, he was bred by Major P. McCalmont in Ireland and won the Ascot Gold Cup in 1937 for Lady Zia Wernher. Precipitation did not race until he was three years old, when his wins included the King Edward Stakes and the Jockey Club Stakes, in which he beat Boswell, the winner of the St. Leger. Precipitation could not run in the St. Leger because of an attack' of heel bug. He was trained by Captain Boyd Rochfort, who also trained Boswell.

Precipitation lost his first race at four years, but was afterwards unbeaten, his wins, in addition to the Gold Cup, being the Victor Wild Stakes and the Queen’s Plate. Altogether he won £18,419 in stakes.

Precipitation’s dam, the famous mare, Double Life, was the foundation of Lady Wernher’s stud. Premonition’s Record

Precipitation’s biggest moneyearner was Premonition, which won £27.497 in stakes, including the St. Leger, the Blue Riband Trial Stakes, the Voltigeur Stakes, and the Yorkshire Cup. He also finished first in the Irish Derby but "was disqualified for boring. Precipitation is also the accepted sire of Supreme Court (which is registered as being by Persian Gulf or Precipitation), winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and of £36,949 in stakes.

Among other winners by Precipitation were Airborne (Derby), Chamossaire (St. Leger), and Preceptic: and up to the end of the 1956 flat racing season he had sired the winners of 4081 races worth £260.226. He has also been a notable brood-mare sire, and last year he was the sire of the dams of 35 winners of 501 races.

Admiral’s Luck, sire of the champion Mainbrace, has been a successful son of Precipitation at the stud in New Zealand.

Precipitation did a good deal to restore the prospects of a sound survival of the Matchem male line which, following the partial revival by his sire, Hurry On. seemed to be on the downgrade. Coming to Riccarton Bow Tie will be brought to Riccarton from Wingatui next week, and will be in K. J. Thomson’s stable until after the Canterbury Jockey Club’s autumn meeting.

Bow Tie’s Wingatui trainer, J. W. Pankhurst, will take other members of his team to the Riverton meeting.

Bow Tie ranks as one of the best South Island two-year-olds this season. He has raced five times, and has won his last three races—the Champagne Stakes at Wingatui, the Salmagundi Stakes at Invercargill, and the Wyndham Two-year-old Handicap.

Litmus Injured Litmus will have to miss Easter racing at Riccarton because of a leg injury. It was thought he wrenched a hock when leading on the home turn in the Amberley Cup on March 30. The Blue Flame gelding was the Amberley Cup favourite, but went back through the field quickly, and finished near the tail.

Five days earlier, he made a successful fresh start against the sprinters at Oamaru, and but for his latest setback he would have been a strong .contender for Great Easter Handicap honours at Riccarton.

Litmus is trained at Orari by P. H. C. Stock, who brought four members of his team to Riccarton for the apprentice trials on Wednesday. Massive credited the stable with a win in a division of the hack race, and Marcoette was a close second to Miss Fire in the event for two-year-old fillies. Caherciveen showed good speed

in the race for two-year-old colts and geldings, finishing fifth after a slow start. He is by Defaulter from Paper Line, a Paper Slipper mare, and a descendant of the imported Hebrew Maid. High Ambition The New Zealand-bred Summalu, Victoria’s best staying three-year-old, will attempt to win three St. Legers in Australia this season. He has already won the V.R.C. classic; he is now in Sydney for the A.J.C. St. Leger, and in May he will be taken to Adelaide for the S.A.J.C. St. Leger. Summalu will find difficulty in beating Mr Ken Austin’s three-year-old. Monte Carlo, at Randwick, but the Adelaide St. Leger is not expected to be a tough test for him. Summalu is to run in the Warwick Farm Autumn Handicap over a mile and a half tomorrow to finish his St. Leger preparation. He will be ridden in all his future Sydney races by A. Ward. Summalu is a stablemate of Ray Ribbon, which is still owned by Messrs C. Pateman and C. R. Newman, both New Zealanders, but is raced on lease by Mr Rupert Steele, of Melbourne. Both horses are in the stable of Basil Conaghan, who is preparing Ray Ribbon for the Doncaster Handicap.