Bunker Hunt stallions for Riccarton Stud

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34138, 27 April 1976, Page 8

Bunker Hunt stallions for Riccarton Stud

The Riccarton studmaster, Mr G. 11. Murfitt, jun., has completed one of the most interesting thoroughbred deals of the year in Canter hmy.

In terms of an arrangement with the Texa- millionaire. Mr Nelson Bunker Hunt, the American-bred stallion. Double Speed, will come to Canterbury soon and will stand at Riccarton Stud next season.

And next year Double! Sneed will be either joined I or replaced at the stud bv 1 Gunter, a son of the great Vaguely Noble now at the I famous Gaineswav Farm in Kentucky. Double Speed was placed | at service at Mr Hunt's Wai-| kato Stud at Matamata in] 1974. was mated with several; of the stud's own richly-bred and performed mares, and; will be represented at the I Trentham sales next January, i Double Speed is bv the

I champion United Stat es I sprinter. Intentionally, the ’winner of 18 races and $652,259. and sire of winners lof approximately $7,750,000 to the end of 1975. This is the tail male line of the great II Man o’ War. Intentionally, whose victories I included the Belmont Futurity Stakes and Pimlico Futurity Stakes, -ired In Reality, i; winner of 14 races including ithe Jersey and Florida Derbys, and a notable stud - success.

Miss Olympia, the dam of Double Speed, won at two vears. The next dam, Valdine Marl, won six races at two and three., and was a daughter of Lady Marlboro, ihe winner of 16 before leaving eight winners. This is also the family of Crozier, winner of 10 races and $641,733. including the Santa Anita Handicap and the Washington Park Futurity. Double Speed was injured when in training as a two-year-old and did not race. Gunter, the young son of Dahlia’s sire. Vaguely Noble, will come to Riccarton Stud next season after another covering season in the United States and a term of quarantine in England. He was retired after his four-year-old programme with a record of six placed runs. One of them was a third in the great French race, the Prix du Jockey Club, won by Roi Lear from Tennyson. Gunter entered stud in Kentucky in 1975. As a son of the champion three-year-old 'French colt of 1968 and Horse of the Year in Europe :and sire of Mr Hunt’s cham-

pion mar? Dahlia, Gunter engaged much attention, and was visited by some of Mr Hunt’s own richly-bred mares last year. Gunter’s dam is Ventura, bv the Derbv winner Tulyar from Best Risk, bv Blenheim H from Risk, by Sir Gallahad 11.

Ventura won 13 races and Best Risk won four.