Rostriever Hanover latest star in long line of winners for Munro family

Press, 16 September 1987, Page 33

Rostriever Hanover latest star in long line of winners for Munro family

By

JEFF SCOTT

Last Friday’s $40,000 DB Superstar Four-Year-Old Championship winner, Rostriever Hanover, is a grandson of a sister to the former top racehorse and successful sire, Waitaki Hanover. Rostriever Hanover is the sixth foal of the unraced Rostriever Lady, by Mark Lobell from Waitaki Lady, by Garrison Hanover from Kid Dale.

The Stanley’s Child family to which Rostriever Hanover belongs has been raced from the turn of the century by the Munro family of North Otago. Waitaki Hanover, the star performer in the family which won 16 races including the 1961 Great Northern Derby, the 1963 M.G. Pearce Pace, the 1966 Ashburton Flying Stakes, the New Zealand Free-For-All and Auckland Cup, was bred by the late Mr Cliff Munro, whose wife Lexie, and son lan, race Rostriever Hanover. Waitaki Hanover, which also finished third in the 1966 New Zealand Cup and recorded five Australian wins, including the Lord Mayor’s Cup, an

Inter-Dominion heat and Consolation, and a third in an Inter-Dominion Final, was initially leased to Mr Fred Smith of Timaru as a two-year and latterly sold to him for a record price. Mr Munro died the year Waitaki Lady (the granddam of Rostriever Hanover and sister to Waitaki Hanover) was foaled in 1963. Two years later, Waitaki Elect, also by Garrison Hanover from Kid Dale, was born and after being leased won seven races in his first season of competition including the Orari Challenge Stakes and New Zealand Metropolitan Three-Year-Old Championship. Subsequently injured, Waitaki Elect won four further races in Australia before going to stud in Western Australia. Others

from Kid Dale included Waitaki Child (seven wins), and Waitaki Dale (unraced), the dam of the 1983 Victorian Oaks winner, Tiger Dale. Kid Dale’s dam, Kid Logan, the fourth dam of Rostriever Hanover, broke a record for a mile in saddle at Addington Raceway on April 24, 1930, pacing 2:8.4 and winning by five lengths. The Logan Pointer mare won five races.

With Waitaki Hanover’s impending stud career, the Munro family decided to change the prefix for the names of their horses from Waitaki (named after the river) to Rostriever, the name of their farm at Otematata, Rostriever Run.

The property was named Rostriever by ancestors of the Munros, being called after a pro-

perty in Ireland back in the 1800 s.

However since the prefix change in the 1960 s the family has been scarce of anything but minor winners, including the likes of Gilnockie Tower, Waihemo Lass, Margaret Dale, Adieu Girl, Rostriever Child, Rostriever Star, the latter two being half-brothers to Rostriever Lady. This seems likely to change now that Rostriever Hanover is sweeping all before him, while part-owner lan Munro is busy developing several other youngsters from the breed.

Chocolate Over, another descendant from this family, has been in fine form in North America in recent months, taking a 1:56 record on the five furlong Sportsman’s Park track.