Breeder hopes American sire will pass on speed

Press, 23 August 1979, Page 23

Breeder hopes American sire will pass on speed

By

W. R. CARSTON

It is more than 20 years now since the Ashburton owner-trainer, Brian Mears, became involved in racing but unless something comes along 5 meantiine it could be quite a while before he has another colour-bearer to represent him.

During that 20-odd years he has had a lot of fun and fair measure of success although he never owned a champion or anything approaching one. Probably the best horse he ever raced was Quck Time. The most recent was My Marie, an honest toiler and a good “bread-and-butter” horse but like all the rest only at her best at a middle-distance and beyond.

Now Mr Mears has decided that after only one win My Marie will serve out her time in the matrons’ paddock. After a lengthy string of minor placings the St Ambrose 11 mare finally broke through for her lone victory at Oamaruin June. There are not many opportunities these days for graduated maiden stayers with limited ability so Mr Mears booked My Maire into Double Speed, one of the stallions standing at the Riccarton Stud, for the coming stud season.

He chose Double Speed as a consort for My Marie in the hope that the Americanbred son of Intentionally and Miss Olympia will infuse some sprinting ability into a family which has essentially produced only stayers for Mr Mears for some years. And the stud fee for the services of Double Speed' will be the most Mr Mears has ever paid since he entered racing as a owner. He is able to boast that ex-

cept for My Marie’s dam, Maria Mia, which he bought in foal to Dogger Bank for 100, the most he has ever paid was 25. In fact he paid even less, 20 to be exact, for Quick Time, which did. not start his racing career until he was seven and finished it as a 12-year-old and in the process won about $lO,OOO in stakes.

Quick Time, which was prepared for most of his racing by the late John Barr at Riccarton, was Mr Mears’s second venture into racing. In the late 1950 s he had bought a horse named Remus, the first of the Red Mars breed to be tried as a jumper. Although he was placed over country at Washdyke and Riccarton Remus failed to reach great heights as a racing proposition.

On the day that Mr Meats purchased Quick Time, a gelded son of Defaulter and Victory March, at the South Island Bloodstock Sales in the early 1960 s he made four other purchases for various friends but kept Quick Flight, for himself. As a two-year-old, in the 1964-65 season, Quick Flight, which Mr Mears trained himself, started nine times for one win and seven minor placings. His success came in the Juvenile Handicap at Washdyke and his placings included fourths in the C.J.C. Welcome Stakes and the Wellington Stakes at Trenhtam behind three of the top three-year-olds of that year, Rio, Sobig and Baraboo.

Since the days of - Quick Time and Quick Flight, which continued to race successfully through his three and four-year-old seasons, Mr Mears has bred all of his

own racing stock from Maria Mia, a daughter of Targui and Aethis and a sister to the useful race mare, Donna Maria. Maria Mia has been a consistent producer for Mr Mears, Her progeny include Quick Tide, Quick Magic, El Ciago, Qhick Bid and My Marie. All but Quick Bid,

which Mr Mears leased out, won races. Probably the best of them to date was Quick Tide. He won only once on the flat but showed great promise as a ‘chaser before damaging suspensory ligaments in a steeplechase at Wimate during that club’s centennial meeting.