Classic winner for N.Z.

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32767, 18 November 1971, Page 9

Classic winner for N.Z.

Decies, winner of the Irish Two Thousand Guineas last year, will be brought to New Zealand next year to stand at Mr Nelson Bunker Hunt’s stud at Matamata.

Mr Hunt has made arrangements for Decies to be sent from the United States to England, where the horse may cover several mares before coming to New Zealand in time for the 1972 season. Decies was the second-best juvenile in Ireland in 1969 and was bought by Mr Hunt for 110,000gns at the end of his tw6-year-old programme. The Irish Two Thousand Guineas was his only British or Iristi classic engagement as a three-year-old. Ridden by Lester Piggott, the bay Pardal colt won by a short head from Great Heron, a son of Sea Bird. Decies started his three-1 year-old racing with an easy i win in the Epsom Blue Rib-■ and Trial Stakes, and was ' odds-on favourite in the Curragh classic. Decies was the first winner left by Reciprocate, a win-' ning daughter of the Nasrul- i lah horse. Velerullah. The next dam, Coup de i Maitre (by Coup de Lyon), was also a winner and producedthe brothers, Maitre |

Jinks (four races) and Coup d’Eclat, a useful two-year-old in 1949 which went on to win four races in Venezuela. The next datn, War Plume (by Happy Warrior), won three races and bred six winners. Four generations earlier The White Witch became dam of the 1889 Irish Derby winner, Tragedy, from which came the St Leger winner, Wildfowler. The family was also responsible for Feu de Joie

(Oaks) and Flying Fox. Mr Hunt has also arranged to send Sir Wiggle and Derby Day Boy to New Zealand from the United States to stand with Decies at his Waikato stud next year. Sir Wiggle, winner of $BO,OOO at two years, is by Sir Dare, winner of $lBO,OOO, from the brilliant Australianbred Wiggle. Derby Day Boy, a son of My Babu, has won stakes races in the United States.