From Stud And Stable STEEPLES WOULD BE OF GREATER INTEREST

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31123, 28 July 1966, Page 4

From Stud And Stable STEEPLES WOULD BE OF GREATER INTEREST

The Christchurch Hunt Club would have probably found it profitable to make the Homeby Steeplechase one of the legs of its T.A.B. double on Saturday.

It is doubtful if the Camla Hack Handicap will attract very much North Island interest as a first leg. The North Island has one runner in the Camla but five “name” and in-form horses in the Homeby.

The club that can offer races for doubles holding New Zealand-wide appeal usually gets a flood of off-course support.

When Macdonald ran in the Great Northern Hurdles, the first leg of the Auckland Racing Club’s T.A.B. double in June, he carried the support of hundreds of southerners who would have probably passed the race by if the race had been contested only by North Island horses. North Island support counts much towards the success of major meetings at Riccarton. North Island horses carry a great weight of northern betting, but much of it is channelled into doubles betting, not win-and-place betting. Top Youngster Milesian, whose son, Mystery, is at the Riccarton Stud, has sired the top-rank-ing juvenile of the year in England. Falcon remained unbeaten in three races in winning the National Stakes, worth nearly £7OOO to the winner, at Sandown Park last week. Falcon was a 7400gns purchase at the Ballsbridge sales. His sire stands at lOOOgns

with a full book for next season. Missing-Missed For the first time since 1959 the Takanini horseman B. L. Hillis will not be at Riccarton for the Grand National meeting. Hillis’s Riccarton record is hard to match, but he saw no prospect of improving it this year, and has decided to remain in Auckland, where he has a team in training. A nephew of W. J. Hillis, the leading trainer and skilled jumping rider, Brian Hillis won two Grand National Steeplechases on Dusky Prince, the Grand National Hurdles on Armed and Smoke Ring and a number of minor jumping events. Before increasing weight ended his career as a flat jockey he won a New Zealand Cup on Great Scot. One For Hawa

Hawa, now at the Chelandry Stud in Southland, was represented by an impressive winner at Moonee Valley last Saturday. This was Manchu Prince, a two-year-old from the powerful Colin Hayes team. Manchu Prince led most of the way in the First Olinda Handicap, six furlongs less 20 yards, and won by two lengths and a half.

Manchu Prince is a wellbred two-year-old, being a half-brother to Prince Ming and Cheong Sam. Cheong Sam was third in the 1962 Caulfield Cup, won by Even Stevens. Terrific, Ilumquh, and

Straight Draw belong to this distinguished family. Two other winners in Australia on Saturday have strong Canterbury links. Shahwan (Pherozshah—Excellency), a good winner for Mr H. D. Greenwood, is the sire of Excellent Queen, winner of the Mosman Novice Handicap at Randwick. Sarcelle, winner of a Great Easter Handicap, and other races from the Riccarton stable of F. A. Roberts, is the dam of Strollalong (by Macquarie), a winner over nine furlongs in Adelaide. Out Of Hospital W. D. Skelton was discharged from hospital in Timaru on Tuesday and returned to his home in Levin yesterday. Skelton suffered slight concussion in his second of two falls at the South Canterbury Hunt Club’s meeting on Monday. The former Oamaru jockey has had no luck on flying visits to ride at winter meetings In the South Island this winter, but he will be back for the Grand National meeting, and will ride Wester in the Winter Cup. This was a successful combination at Riccarton at Easter. Another “refugee” from the South Island, N. Eastwood, has been engaged to ride Jester Jinks in the Winter Cup. Jester Jinks carried an army of doubles backers through when he won the Claremont Handicap No. 2 at Washdyke on Monday. life is an acceptor for the

Brabazon Handicap on Satur-I day, but his trainer, P. H. 1 Jones, is not yet certain of a start. A win for Jester Jinks in the Brabazon Handicap following that victory at Washdyke would make the Red Jester gelding liable for a rehandicap in the Winter Cup. Wrong Identity Recent warnings to thoroughbred breeders by Mr G. L. Tucker, Keeper of the Stud Book, to take greater care with identification of foals, is given strength by a recent case of mistaken equine identity in the United States. A horse racing under the name of Little Solomon ran in three races at Gulfstream Park in Florida, winning once, but he was not the real Little Solomon. Little Solomon’s markings were a star and a white coronet on the near hind leg. The “pretender” had the star but the coronet marking was on the off-side leg. Nevertheless, the horse was given Little Solomon’s tattoo number, SlBB7, by the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau and the error was carried on by the Gulfstream Park identifiers. The Gulfstream Park stewards said no fraud had been perpetrated. The horse's owner had bought him assuming he had been properly identified on the foaling certificate.

But that did not stop the stewards from ordering all stakes refunded and declaring the horse ineligible to race again until his identity had been properly established. Two New Records The record stallion syndication price of 2 million dollars for the champion racehorse and sire, Swaps, went by the board twice recently when the two top American three-year-olds finished their racing careers. First Graustark, which was retired when he broke a bone in the foot just before the Kentucky Derby, was syndicated for 2,400,000, made up of '4O shares of 60,000 dollars. John W. Galbreath, who raced the son of Ribot— Flower Bowl, retained a half interest of 20 shares. Only a week later the record was broken when Kauai King, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, was syndicated for 2,520,000—36 shares of 70,000 each. The horse’s former owner, Michael J. Ford, also kept a large interest in the horse. Graustark was being hailed as perhaps the best American colt since Man O’War when he lost his last race—his only defeat in eight starts —with a broken coffin bone. The son of Ribot was a hot pre-post favourite for the Kentucky Derby, which was easily won in his absence by Kauai King. Kauai King’s racing record does not read as impressively as Graustark’s, although he did win two of three major races for three-year-olds. In all, the Native Dancer—Sweep In dolt won nine of his 15 races, ran three placings and was unplaced three times.

If pedigrees were any criterion, Graustark would certainly be a stud success. His sire Ribot was unbeaten on the race track and has proved himself one of the most influential sires in the world at present. His dam, Flower Bowl, is closely related to Your Host, the sire of Kelso, being by Alibhai from Flower Bed, which was by Beau Pere from Boudoir 11. Your Host was by Alibhai from Boudoir 11. ..