FROM STUD AND STABLE Sonax Is Half-sister To Big Cup Winner

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31378, 25 May 1967, Page 4

FROM STUD AND STABLE Sonax Is Half-sister To Big Cup Winner

Anyone trying to sift through the likely winning prospects for the Foxton Cup last Saturday could have been easily excused for by-passing Sonax. The High Rank mare had a bleak background of form in recent months.

Only those chancing their luck on the longest of long-shots or, perhaps, those genuinely interested in breeding could have possibly envisaged that a winning run by Sonax was close at hand.

Sonax is undeniably wellbred. She is a daughter of Sonorous, a prolific mare whose progeny which have raced—up to and including Sonax, which was foaled in 1961—have all compiled winning records. Undoubtedly, the most distinguished member of the family was Tesla, a halfbrother, by Bulandshar, to Sonax. Altogether Tesla won 10 races and £19,210 in stakes. His most important victory was his last—the, Auckland Cup in 1955. When he won that £12,500 race, Tesla was a six-year-old. Two years earlier many Canterbury race-goers had seen this good galloper in action. His four-year-old campaign included two trips to Riccarton. Here he won the August and Jockey Club Handicaps at the Grand National and New Zea-

land Cup meetings. Another major win on Tesla’s record that season was the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie. Third Foal Tesla was Sonorous’ third foal. His predecessors—both fillies by Bulandshar—did not race but were successful as matrons. Sonorous’ first foal, Canto, produced two winners and her second, Surah, became the dam of five winners. Sonorous was not bred from the year after Tesla was foaled but in 1951 she produced a colt by Someo. This was Reconvey, a hardy horse which raced for six seasons and failed to win in only two of them.

Reconvey was at his best when the ground was at its worst. His nine wins included three at Wellington winter meetings. His most important success at Trentham was the Whyte Handicap in 1958. The result of Sonorous’ 1951 mating with Wedgewood was Toselli. As a racing proposition he lasted only one season but as a two-year-old he won two races. Broadwood, also by Wedgwood, was her next foal. From a financial point of view he was not a good racing prospect - Although he won two races and gained a handful of minor platings that was the best he managed in more than 40 starts. Improved Record Sonorous* 1954 foal was Sonella, a filly by Knight’s Romance, a sire of speedsters. Sonella improved the good reputation of the family on her dam’s side and inherited the characteristics of his sire as well. She won three of her six races as a two-year-old and five more before she was retired to the stud when she was

four. Sonella's first foal was Cantus, which also showed much early speed and has won open-class middle distance races.

The year that Sonella was foaled, Sonorous was sent back to Wedgewood and the progeny of that mating was Sonnita, the winner of two races but only a moderate performer all-round.

In 1957 Sonorous produced a filly by Knight’s Romance. This youngster was named Euterpe but, like Canto and Surah, she did not race and was retired to the stud in 1960. Sonorous was not bred from again until 1960. That year she was mated with High Rank and the following spring produced Sonax. Won At Foxton Sonax, which is trained at Manakau, near Otaki, by her owner, Mr D. W. Haigh, did not start racing until last season. She won a division of the Trial Stakes at Foxton and a hack sprint at Awapuni. During the spring of last year she gained two further successes—in middle distance hack events at Wanganui and Otaki—before being rested after an unsuccessful campaign in intermediate class at Trentham in October.

The closest that Sonax had finished in eight starts—five of tb?m since she resumed at Feilding in March—before Saturday’s shock victory was eighth of 13 in the Ta Timi Kara Handicap at Otaki the previous week. It was probably just a coincidence that almost a year to the day Sonax should gain her first open-class win on the same course she won her first race. Nevertheless, she is unlikely'to be at odds of 117/1 if she lines up at Foxton again next year.