Fair’s Fair dead

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32805, 4 January 1972, Page 6

Fair’s Fair dead

"The Frets" speetal service WELLINGTON. Fair's Fair, on* of the most succMsful and durabl* stallion* to enrich th* N*w Zealand BrMdin* induttry, wa* humanely dc*trey*d at Kempton Park Stud, Putaruru, iatf PrMay. By English firn* h* would hove boon 29 on •*tur> Roy.

Adcordlng to hl* owner, the KemptonPark studmaster, .Mr Douglas McKenzie. Fair's Fair never had a day's illness and Broof of his remarkable conotituon lay In the fact that he covered his last mare the day before he died. At lunch time on Friday, how* ever, he began to show signs of heert trouble and at 5 p.m. he was put down. Fair’s Fair exceeded by many years the life expectancy placed on him by Mr McKenzie who bought at what would have been a reletively tat* stage in the career of an ordinary stallion some 16 years ago. But as recently as 1970 the stallion covered 23 mares, approximately 21 of which tested tn foal. Among them was Fleet Special, which this year foaled a brother to the champion mare, tanorted by two Waikato breeders, Messrs James and John Malcolm, Fair’s Fair was owned by the late C. E. Robertson, a founder of the national sales, and was. standing on lease at Alton Lodge when Mr McKenzie bought a half Interest tn him. fie transferred to Kempton Path and on the death of Mr Robert*

son, Mr McKenzie bought the other share.

Fair’s Fair was bred by the English National Stud in 1943. He was a chestnut by Fair Trial from Fairy Godmother, by Diligence from Cinderella, by the Tetrarch. He was a moderate racehorse, but at stud, was successful on a much wider scale. He was champion New Zealand alre in 1988 and 1959, champion sire of two-year-olds in 1959 and 1965, and champion sire of broodmares in 1969, 1970 and 1071. His progeny won Over 31.5 m In New Zealand and Australia. They included the MelbourneCaulfield Cups winner. Even Stevens, Somerset Fair, Falrfieet, Key, Lord Sasanof, Fair Chance, Lawful, Estimate, end Spring Fair.