FROM STUD AND STABLE N.Z. Mare In Pedigree Of Irish Winner

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31349, 20 April 1967, Page 4

FROM STUD AND STABLE N.Z. Mare In Pedigree Of Irish Winner

Many will remember Autopay, winner of 23 races in the early 19305. Few will remember his younger sister Maypay because she never managed to win a race.

But Maypay puts New Zealand into the international pedigree of Hard Core, a recent winner in Ireland.

This youngster with an international background won the Ashtown Two-Year-Old Stakes at Phoenix Park last month for Mr Bert Kerr, who races on a big scale in Ireland. Hard Core cost only 400gns as a yearling and could become a notable sales bargain.

Hard Core is a descendant of a mare foaled in England in 1911 and brought to New Zealand five years later.

This was Trebelli, which was by Thrush, progenitor of the great sire of jumpers and stayers Jackdaw (sire of the famous Brown Jack and of the Grand National winners Grakle and Kellsborough Jack).

Trebelli was brought to New Zealand by the late Mr J. C. N. Grigg when in foal to Ampelion, and the produce of this mating was Sopra. The Unicorn’s Family

Mr Grigg sold Trebelli before she produced Autopay but from Sopra he bred High Note, and High Note’s daughter Brief Melody (by Solicitor General) was to leave The Unicom one of the most brilliant horses bred in the South Island in the last 30 years, twice conqueror of the champion, Mainbrace in a career sadly ended by injury when he was only half-way through his second season. Autopay was raced by Messrs N. E. Aitken and H. F. Wood and trained for much of his racing by C. Pritchard at Trentham. He won twice at two years, and added six more victories at three years. He won the Stewards’ at Riccarton the day Nightmarch won the New Zealand Cup with a record weight-carrying performance. Autopay's rider in the Canterbury Jockey Club’s sprint was a youthful W. J. Broughton, then able to ride at 7-2. Autopay had a comparatively poor year at four years with only one win. But it was a good one, the Great Easter at Riccarton on March 28. 1932. New Zealand was then battling through a depression, and the totalisator tum-over the day Autopay won his Great Easter was £24,150 10s. L. G. (“Snow”) Morris, now starter at Trentham, handled Autopay in many of his wins, notable among them at five years being the Telegraph and Thompson Handicaps at Trentham, and the weight-for-age Awapuni Gold Cup. But A. Jenkins, now training at Masterton, and father of two successful horsemen, teamed successfully with Autopay in the Wairarapa Cup that year. By this time Maypay was endeavouring without success in the same ownership to clear maiden ranks at North Island provincial meetings. She earned £2O with two minor placings at two years and £33 with five placings at four.

Bad Start More bad luck attended the start of her matron’s career. Her foal by Rabbi in 1935 was bom dead. Two years later she was served by Phaleron Bay to Northern Hemisphere time and was shipped to the United States by Captain J. Crawford. In the United States she produced Cornflower 111, Running Lights (three wins). Hidden Merit (two wins in England and dam of winners) and May Wine (three wins in U.S.A.).

Cornflower was a winner, was second three times, and third in good races at Don-: caster and Goodwood. From; her the late Mr Robert Ster-'

ling Clark, of Never Say Die renown, bred Love Apple (by His Slipper) and when mated with Hard Task, Love Apple left the recent Irish winner. Famous First Of course New Zealand has had an influence on more famous horses with inter national backgrounds. Carbine was the most i famous of them all in this category. For without Carbine there would have been no Spearmint, which was to sire Catnip, the grand-dam of the famous Nearco.

Although bred in Italy, Nearco had only one Italianbred progenitor, 20 coming from England, three from

(Ireland, three from France, two from the United States land one from New Zealand amongst his 30 nearest ancestors.

Through Nearco alone Carbine has had an immense influence on racing in all parts of the world. Yet it was really a fluke that Carbine ever came to this earth.

In the English spring of 1869 the eccentric Lord Glasgow was so little impressed by a colt that he bred that he ordered him to be shot. This was the Toxophilite colt later named Musket, which became the sire of Carbine. John Osborne, a veteran rider and later a famous trainer, pleaded for the colt’s life. Lord Glasgow did not alter his decision; he simply announced that he would consider the matter.

The death of Lord Glasgow decided the question and the horse passed into the possession of a Mr Payne.

Musket was a winner and started at the stud at a fee of 40gns, but he received only scanty patronage from English breeders and in six seasons got only 65 foals. In 1878 Musket was sold to the Waikato Agricultural Company of New Zealand and the horse that was to sire Carbine started his New Zealand stud life at Fencourt, near Cambridge, being used on half-bred mares.

Another of his sons, Trenton, won eight races from 13 starts in New Zealand and Australia, spent nine seasons at stud in Australia with excellent results, and was sold when 15 years old to go to England. It was too late to expect him to make any great mark as a sire of winners, but he made one great contribution to the history of the thoroughbred by siring Rosaline, the grand-dam of Gainsborough. Gainsborough sired Hyperion, and it would take a book to do justice to the influence of Hyperion throughout the racing world.