Two top cup contenders for Canterbury studs

Press, 12 November 1985, Page 49

Two top cup contenders for Canterbury studs

While the great majority of the hundreds of thousands expected to watch television coverage of the event or attend Addington Raceway today will be vitally interested in the result, the outcome will be even more important to the connections of the two chief contenders. Arrangements have been completed for Preux Chevalier to embark on his stud career at Sam Ballantyne’s Eastwood Lodge, Prebbleton, in the spring of 1986, while Roydon Glen, too, will go into service, probably at the same time, at one of the country’s leading light har-

ness nurseries, Roydon Lodge Stud, just a few kilometres away at Weedons. The stud fees have not been disclosed for either stallion and they will no doubt be influenced greatly by the placings of the two outstanding performers in the big staying test. Already both horses are greatly in demand with broodmare owners and they are assured of full books. Both horses descend from Bessie 8., a mare bred in Canterbury in 1897 and founder of a highly-success-ful family, one yet to be credited with victory in a New Zealand Cup. Preux Chevalier is by Lumber Dream, a stallion to which he has thrown with deep and extremely powerful shoulders. He is out of Heather Frost, by the Adios horse, Thurber Frost, from Heather Mary, by U. Scott, one of the greatest sires ever anywhere, from Mary Wootton, by Springfield Globe.

Roydon Scott is by Smooth Fella, the leading sire in 1984-85, from Roydon Dream, by Lumber Dream from Roydon Mary, by Thurber Frost from Mary Wootton.

The family has some 206 winner-producing mares, with about 490 individual winners, including 36 in 2min.

While it has never produced a New Zealand Cup winner, there have been six Auckland Cup winners, starting with Soangetaha in 1951 and 1952 and followed by Prince Polka, Garcon Roux, Roydon Roux and Scottish Command, which also recorded a third in a New Zealand Cup. Parisienne, Mary Isabel, Bad Luck, Golden Hero, La Mignon, Rocket Glenfem, Roydon Scott, Highland Don, Mel’s Boy, Golden Sands, Highland Flight, and Garcon d’Or are just a few of the other top-line winners from the family. As has been the case with so many top families in the New Zealand Trotting Stud Book, few male members have been given a great deal of support at the stud, but they have been most successful taking everything into account.

Soangetaha languished for support, but he left a number of good winners, including Soanfra, an InterDominion heat winner in Dunedin in 1965.

Blue Venture, Roydon Jay, Thurber Scott, Alcoran and Trio’s Choice all had restricted stud careers, with Roydon Jay being quite successful in Australia.

By far the most successful stallion from the family was Scottish Command, which topped the sires’ list

in New Zealand in 1977-78. Scottish Command was in the twilight of his stud career before breeders recognised his true value. Between 1960 and 1976 he left only 327 live foals, two of them, Sole Command (1977) and Trusty Scot (1978) winning the New Zealand Cup. Mr Roy McKenzie, of Wellington, the principal of Roydon Lodge Stud, is bringing Meadow Roydon, another member of the Bessie B. family, back to New Zealand this month and he will stand his first season at Murray Hamilton’s stud at Lauder. He is the fastest stallion to come to this country, with a time trial record of Imin 53.45. Another member of the family, Meadow Fella (by Smooth Fella) is at stud in Western Australia, where reports say that he is fully booked this season.

Preux Chevalier and Roydon Glen are confidently expected to bring further laurels to the siring side of the Bessie B. family. Not only have they pedigrees studded with bloodlines which have had such a profound influence on the breeding industries in both Australia and New Zealand, but they also have race performances which in the eyes of most are superior to those of so many stallions standing in both countries.