Late start due to legal dispute

Press, 13 September 1988, Page 35

Late start due to legal dispute

By

DAVID McCARTHY

The often dramatic careers of the broodmare, Shiseido, and her offspring took another turn when a Palatable mare owned by Karen McStay won a trial at Rangiora on Sunday.

Unlike most unnamed trialists, which are frequently two or three-year-olds, the mare is five and was making her first trials appearance. That is because a dispute over ownership has prevented the mare from being trained for nearly three years after Mrs McStay gave $2OOO for her as a youngster. Legal and official action over Shiseido and her daughters, of which the Palatable mare is one, seemed to have been the norm rather than the • exception. Shiseido commenced her breeding career in the ownership of Peter Binnie, of Kaiapoi, who offered her at the 1981 South Island Sale, served by Avaray but apparently not in foal to that horse. The ■ well known sportsman, lan Ballinger, bought her for $4500 and was among those surprised when the mare, being difficult to bring into season when sent to Riccarton Stud, proved to be in foal after all, an occurrence which sparked off legal action between the parties to her breeding contract.

The resulting filly foal, Miss Shavary, was

leased to four Christchurch enthusiasts and trained by Karen McStay. Among the filly’s wins was the 1985 Show Gate Stakes at Timaru just after Mrs McStay had bought her half-sister. However, Miss Shavary’s race career was interrupted by the Racing Conference because of controversy over her parentage. While those closely connected with the mare were sure Miss Shavary was by Avaray, tests conducted at Lincoln College called this into question and the filly was banned from racing. Legal representation to Conference by the filly's connections resulted in the ban being relaxed while further tests were conducted at Queensland University. These proved that Miss Shavary was definitely by Avaray and played a major role in the introduction of a more sophisticated blood typing sytem for thoroughbreds now operated at Massey University. Miss Shavary had, meanwhile, won her three-year-old debut at Orari.

The Palatable mare (Mrs McStay has been advised verbally by Conference that the name of Miss Zen has been granted for her) was broken in by John Parsons but could not be trained while litigation was in prospect. The breeders of the mare (Mr Ballinger had sold Shiseido at the 1983 South Island Sale served

by Palatable) and Mrs McStay’s legal representatives have only come to agreement, under > the original terms, in recent months. “Considering what she has done in lead-up work, - her trial win is encouraging but she’s started later than most,” Mrs McStay said. By coincidence another mare once at the centre of a bloodtyping controversy, Hypatia, was also a trials winner at Rangiora on Sunday. It was the Hypatia case which first brought the identification system then in use at Lincoln College into question. Hypatia was sold as a youngster as being by Imperial March. Suspicions that she, in fact, may have been by Sound Reason were discounted by Lincoln College tests. However, the Racing Conference acceded to a request through a Christchurch veterinary surgeon, Bob Mackay, that further tests be conducted in Queensland and these confirmed that Hypatia was by Sound Reason.

While Hypatia is nearing racing trim again, Mrs McStay has no immediate plans for Miss Zen which has a way to go before being in that condition. One wonders, however, what further drama might be in store for a family which seems to have had more than its share of it in recent years.