Fair’s Fair Top Broodmare Sire

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32386, 27 August 1970, Page 4

Fair’s Fair Top Broodmare Sire

“The Press’ 1 Special Service The veteran stallion, Fair's Fair, twice leading New Zealand sire, headed the list of broodmare sires for the second successive time in the 1969-70 season. His daughters left the winners of $127,177.50. Fair’s Fair, which is 27 years old and stands at Kempton Park, Putaruru, had 36 individual winners of 65 races, according to figures compiled by the Stud Book Department of the N.Z. Racing Conference. His biggest winner was the N.Z. St Ledger victor, Not Again, which is by Gigantic from Fair Ticket. Not Again ended the season with success in a $lO,OOO event at Avondale which took his earnings for the season to $17,535.

Next best for Fair’s Fair was another three-year-old, Ahjay, whose five wins and six places included the $9OOO Taumarunui Cup at the end of the season. His total was $16,550. Following these two is Ima Kiwi ($12,630), then Baghdad Note, which won $11,320.

Fair’s Fair, by Fair Trial from Fairy Godmother, by Diligence from Cinderella, by The Tetrarch, has progressed steadily up the list since the early 1060 s. He moved into fourth, place behind Balloch, Instinct and Foxbridge in 1966-67 and was third in 1967-68 to Balloch and Summertime before topping the list for the first time in 1968-69. He had 72 winners and 194

placegetters for $98,145 that season.

Second to Fair’s Fair last term was Timanova, which rocketed up the list largely thanks to II Tempo and Game. Il Tempo, by Time and Again from Timing, had five wins but no minor placings and won $59,950, which made him easily the season’s top stakewinner. Game, by Faux Tirage from Calm, had six wins, including the Ormond Gold Cup and Stars Travel Stakes, five minor places, and won $20,465. Third on Timanova’s list was the Great Northern St Leger winner, Mediate, by Better Honey from Dispute, which earned $9160 from six wins and two places.

Summertime, three times leading sire in New Zealand and four times top of the combined New Zealand-Australia list, died last year without heading the list of broodmare sires. Second to Balloch in 1967-68 was his best performance* and last season he was third with 32 winners of 6 races and $108,485. Skint Dip was his biggest winner with seven wins and four places for $11,085. Faux Tirage, another veteran which died in the last year, was fourth in the 1969-70 standings With 21 winners of 48 races and $91,525. It was Faux Tirage’s best effort except for 1965-66. when he was third.

The consistent Awapuni galloper, Aristoc, topped the list of runners out of Faux Tirage mares with $15,690. Next was

the ill-fated New Zealand Cup winner, Middy, with $12,950.

It is interesting, and perhaps slightly disturbing, to note that of the top 32 broodmare sires —those whose daughters* progeny won more than $30,000 only three are alive and in New Zealand. They are Fair’s Fair, which is 27, and Resurgent and Avocat General, which are both 20. The other 29 either have been exported or are dead. The process of achieving prominence on the broodmare list, however, is a much longer one than that of gaining fame by siring winners. A stallion must be 10 years at stud before he has representation of much significance at all. The ageing process on this list is compounded by the fact that nearly all the prominent stallions on it are imported horses. The top performer in Europe is probably retired to stud at four, or even at the end of his three-year-old career, but the type of runner available to New Zealand re-, sources is less well-performed and often tried longer, perhaps until he is six or seven. He might then lose another season, depending on the time of year at which he is bought and shipped. It has long been accepted in New Zealand that the list of broodmare sires, while it must be maintained, does not necessarily give a true indication of a stallion’s performance. The factor here, as with the

General Sires’ List, is Australian racing. The .most exaggerated current example of the distorting effect of preoccupation with the New Zealand list is Alcimedes. He could not finish in the top 16 or more in New Zealand last year, but he hehded the combined list for sires of winners, by more than $30,000. The reason is, of course, that most of his progeny sold at auction are bought by Australians and race in Australia. The same could have been said of Summertime, many of whose daughters were exported, and of other successful sires, particularly in the last 20 years. Because of the tardy publication of some Australian statistics the combined figures are not yet available. When they are it is certain that many of those horses whose progeny have been in strong demand by Australian buyers will take on a much more glamorous appearance as broodmare sires.