Stock by battling stallion take out Levin features

Press, 27 July 1989, Page 37

Stock by battling stallion take out Levin features

By

DAVID McCARTHY

Silver Blaze, sire of the winners of both the Ashford Park Ryder Stakes and the Levin Cup yesterday, had to travel the Canterbury countryside to be bred with eight mares last spring. Bob Moriarty, who stands Silver Blaze at his Manorshire Stud in MidCanterbury, was happy to give his patrons the option of having their mare bred with at home but is at a loss to understand the lack of appeal Silver Blaze has with breeders.

The Hoist The Flag stallion has had a memorable month with Silver Mask, Finnegan Fox, Dad’s Gift, Just James and Gold Flute all winners.

Dad’s Gift won the Levin Cup yesterday while Finnegan Fox, a winner at Trentham earlier this month (as was Gold Flute, Silver Mask and Just James) won the $40,000 Ryder Stakes, a traditional feature for two-year-olds. Mr Moriarty, who has Silver Blaze on lease from Peter McKenzie, with a right of purchase, is down but not out over Silver Blaze’s lack of appeal. “There has been little interest in him for the coming season but perhaps now breeders will realise what good value he is,” he said last evening.

He will travel Silver Blaze again, where neces-

sary, as he will with his associate sire, Sir Fleet, which has a high winners-to-starters percentage also.

Travelling stallions during the breeding season was a popular aspect of breeding in the days of less available transport.

“I don’t know what more ‘Blaze’ has to do. He deserves better than he’s getting,” Mr Moriarty said.

Silver Blaze is rising thirteen years. He raced eight times in America and won twice at Belmont Park up to 1600 metres in allowance (handicap) company. It is with handicappers, especially on softer tracks, that he has made his mark, his best

known offspring being the fine stayer, Twelve Gauge, which was held in high regard by no less a trainer than Walter McEwan before going amiss during a Melbourne Cup preparation in 1987.

Silver Blaze left thirteen individual winners last season and has left fifteen this term. His largest crop of foals was 37 in 1985. Should Dad’s Gift take advantage of a free trip to Christchurch he earned by winning the Levin Cup Silver Blaze will have two runners in the Winter Cup at Riccarton on August 12, Silver Mask having won the Manawatu Hunt Winter Cup Trial at Awapuni on Saturday.