FROM STUD AND STABLE Eiffel Tower From Famous Family

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31135, 11 August 1966, Page 4

FROM STUD AND STABLE Eiffel Tower From Famous Family

Unlike most of the horses bred by Mr W. E. Hazlett, the Grand I National Hurdles win- ! ner, Eiffel Tower, does ; rot descend from one i of the Chelandry Stud j foundation mares. Btu he is a member of a ! family that has made some notable contributions to recI ords of important staying ; races in New Zealand. Eiffel Tower is closely related to that grand stayer Jamell. They have something else in common—they were problem horses at the start of their careers. By Kurdistan, Eiffel Tower is out of the Columcille mare Bell Tower, whose dam. Peel Tower, was by Irish Lancer from Palantua. by Paladin from Mantua, by Eix Solferino. Cup’s Specialists Mantua was a grand race mare and she started a marked family association with the Invercargill Cup when she won that race in 1924. Jamell won that race under 10.2 in 1953, and Eiffel Tower, whose grand-dam, Peel Tower, was a half-sister to Jamell, also won the Invercargill Cup in 1965. This family has also had a I distinguished record in the

i New Zealand Cup. Palantua won in 1933, Jamell won in 11951, and Eiffel Tower fin[ished second to Fieldmaster last year. Jamell, which did not race outside the South Island, was a grand stayer under weight, but was not easy to handle and much of his early racing was confined to high-weights because light boys found him hard to ride. It was much the same story with Eiffel Tower. Two of his four wins at three years were in highweights. His trainer, W. J. Hillis, showed much perseverance with the Kurdistan gelding in developing him into one of the best stayers in New Zealand. Eiffel Tower has now won 12 races and has been placed in 15 others for £17,321 5s in stakes. He had a reputation as a hurdler long before he first appeared in that role. After Eiffel Tower’s Wellington Cup victory someone asked Hillis if he thought Mr Hazlett would be interested in sellin gthe horse. “Sell him! Not likely. We want him for a jumper,” Hillis replied. Spectacular While Eiffel Tower has most of the glamour on him, his younger brother, Mosque, has also made a spectacular start in hurdling, and five starts in that role have produced three wins and two minor placings. Another feature of the steeplechasing at Riccarton has been the success of

horses with a Chelandry Stud background. The Grand National Steeples winner, Game Call, and Alaine, winner of the Enfield and Hunt Cup Steeplechases, trace back to Chelandry Stud mares.

Game Call is by Trovato from Ptarmigan, by Man’s Pal from Lucky Light, a Paper Money mare from Simper. Earlier Grand National winners tracing to the English mare Simper have been John O’Groats and Astral Flame, while Sir Simper (son of Simper) sired the Grand National winners Anglo-French and Capet. Sir Simper was also the sire of Bonnie Simper, grand-dam of the 1965 Grand National winner, Koral. John O’Groats was one of the most impressive of the National winners for the Hazlett stable, but he died before the start of his second ’chasing season. His halfbrother, Macdonald, has, however, made the grade as a hurdler in the meantime, and won the last Great Northern Hurdles.

Game Call belongs to one of the strongest staying branches of the Simper family. His grand-dam, Bronze Light, was a three-quarter sister to Taramoa, which won the Australian Cup (2Jm). Another member of this branch was Innesfell, a V.R.C. Oaks winner. Alaine was bred at Chelandry to a mating of Astrally with the Foxlaw horse, Columcille. Astrally was by Nightly from Astral Flash, and was another descendant of Simper.