Breeding industry at crossroads

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32998, 18 August 1972, Page 7

Breeding industry at crossroads

(By

R. C. R. Morton,

Keeper of the Stud Book)

Is this not the time for standardbred breeders in New Zealand to ask themselves whether their industry has reached the crossroad*?

Brood-mare statistics for the 1971-72 season show that Light Brigade and U. Scott still dominate the scene, the last-named having topped the list on seven occasions since 1957-58. During that period Dillon Hall finished first five times. Light Brigade twice, and Gratton Loyal once. Last season Light Brigade and U. Scott both topped $200,000, and then there was a drop to Dillon Hall’s $58,000.

Of the stallions imported since 1956, Hal Tryax is the leader with $57,000, while Meadow Chief has $51,000, Captain Adios $46,000, Garrison Hanover $45,000 and Flying Song $43,000. Although prominent on the list, none of them are as yet threatening to emulate the deeds of the horses near the top of the list. It is appreciated that the stallions more recently imported have not had the number of mares available to them for record-creating purposes, but it must be remembered that Light Brigade, as is shown in Volume 19 of the Stud Book, had only 197 mares producing winners, while U. Scott had winners from 273 mares. However, a large percentage of the progeny from U. Scott and Light Brigade mares are racing in the United States, and proof of their ability is shown in their high ranking on the American broodmare sires' list.

For many years New Zealand horses have been sold to Australia as yearlings, but systematically astute Australian breeders have come to this country and purchased many mares from top-producing families. The benefits of this to the Australian breeding industry are now clear. One only has to look at the Grand Final field at the 1972 InterDominion series in Brisbane to find that New Zealand bloodlines were predominant in every runner.

The predominance prevails not only in the InterDominion fields, but in

almost every major classic race and open handicap event in that country. Surely New Zealand breeders must start to worry about the effect of a saturation point if it were ever reached in Australian demand for our stock. Now that Australia has such a strong concentration of New Zealand bloodlines, both male and female, breeders there are starting

to produce an everincreasing number of top performers. With the money available in Australia to Khase high-class stal- , the threat to New Zealand markets is becoming very real. If New Zealand cannot in some way compete in the purchase of well-bred stallions which will be suitable to the bloodlines of the more recently imported horses we must surely start to fall further behind.

Breeders must now look more closely at breeding patterns in the United States. For instance, we have heavy concentration of Billy Direct blood through Garrison Hanover and sons of Tar Heel. But are we thinking of bringing the most suitable stallions from America to get the full benefits of this blood? Similarly there has been a great influx of Adios blood, which must surely give thought to the importation of stallions with bloodlines of those that are similar to those used so successfully today in the United States.

The syndication of stallions and the importation of mares seems essential if New Zealand is to maintain its place in the world’s breeding scene. Syndication of stallions in the thoroughbred industry has enabled their breeders to obtain the services of many horses which are beyond the reach of individual studmasters.

This surely has played an important part in keeping the New Zealand thoroughbred to the fore, as can be seen in the results of the national thoroughbred sales each year at Trentham, where Australian. South African, American, Japanese, and South American buyers are paying prices far higher than those dreamed of by their counterparts in the standardbred industry. The formation of the New Zealand Standardbred Breeders’ Association is, it is hoped, a stepping stone to syndication, and it must surely be one of the association’s prime objectives to ensure that New Zealand obtains what is best for its future development.