GOOD THREE-YEAR-OLD

Evening Post, Issue 99, 24 October 1934, Page 6

GOOD THREE-YEAR-OLD

SPORTING BLOOD'S PROMISE

ANOTHER HUNTING CRY ?

One of the features ot' the concluding day of the "Wellington Kacing Club's Spring Meeting was the decisive victory 'of the three-year-old Spoiling Blood in the Harcourt Cup. and ou this showing he must be classed as one of the best prospects for the New Zealand Derby at Kiccarton on Monday week. One could have -wished that Synagogue had also been in the Harcourt Held, for then tho Derby issue might have become clearer. Tho race at present seems lo lie between these two colts. Sporting Blood was a different horse on Monday from what he had been in the open mile on the lirst day. In his earlier elfort he was always well placed on the fence but never improved. The improvement in performance was, however, well anticipated, as on Monday he was a strongly-supported third favourite ill a 'much more classy held. Riders had been changed, L. J. FUis substituting T. tircuu, who rode him also in both starts at FlIcrslie, and Kllis was able to extract the . best from him. AN INTERESTING PEDIGREE. It was suspected after his .Monday's triumph, because of his ownership, that Sporting Blood might be a. close relative .of Hunting Cry. winner of the Kailway, King's riale, and G.N. Derby at the '1929-30 Auckland Summer Meeting, and subsequently again tho winner of the way the next yeifr and the A.X.C. Faster n year later, anil so an inspection of the records discloses him (o be. He is no other than a three-quarter brother-iu-blood to Hunting Cry, being also by llimt- .. ing Song out ,of a half-sister to Hunting Cry's dam. Sporting Blood is registered as a bay colt by Hunting Song from Gazi, an unraced 1010 bay mare by Gazcley (a son of Grey Leg) from the 1002 bay mare Cheddite (dam also of Natalitc, the dam .. of Hunting Cry), by Soult (a spleudidlybrcd son of St. Simon) from the ISO! brown marc Lyddite, by Derringer (a son of Musket) from Leisure 'Hour. The pedigree stops here, for nothing delinite can be ascertained about the breeding of Leisure Hour, who is not the Stud Book 1879 grey mare by Duk. of Fdiu'burgh of that name. The Leisure Hour in the pedigree that this article is. concerned with was uudoubtedly thoroughbred, and she is believed possibly to have been brought over to New Zealand from Australia ;.n the ' eighties, but no record now exists to confirm this belief. Leisure Hour has therefore to go down in Turf history as a mare of unknown pedigree, and her descendants, as a result, can never bo eligible for inclusion in the Stud Book. In viewing the pedigree of Sporting Blood it is not of so much importance to gu back to a known taproot as to consider what has been the record of the horses in tho line that have raced. Among them in recent years have been Hunting Cry, White Fang, and Merry Cry. A colt related to such notable performers might- well succeed 'in any race on the racing calendar. In the lines of Sporting Blood there is' a choice intermingling, of the Musket and St. Simon strains, one of the most valued of crosses and one that has produced exceptional gallopers. . The crosjf.--was.more pronounced in Hunting Cry, as Natalite's sire was Multifid, a great grandson of Musket, whereas there is no Musket or St. Simon blood in Gazi's sire Gazeley, but it still exists further back in Gazi's pedigree, through Soult and Derringer, and it is superimposed on another more remote cross by the mating with Hunting Song, whose great grandson Signorina was a daughter of St. Simon, RECORD AND OWNERSHIP. Sporting Blood's racing- record to date has been quite attractive enough for a po-

rienlial classic winner. As a two-j earold hist season he hud seven stalls, and was twice a winner and three limes placed. His successes were in the Nursery Handicap at the Avondulu Spring .Meeting-, conceding 7II> to Liay islonue and beating her, by nearly v length, and in the Criterion Handicap at the Auckland Summer Meeting, ngain beating Cay JJloiuie and also Variant, this time receiving iilb from Cay Blonde. He also ran third lirst start in the Avonilale .Stakes, third iv the Koscneath .Handicap at Trentham, and second to •ljurnisu in the fSylviu Handicap at tin. Auckland Summer Meeting at Ids last start as a juvenile. it was not till the recent 'J.aunuiriimii Meeting that he reappeared to run two thirds, aud then a week later he ran another third iv the Great Northern Guineas and won the open mile on the iiuul day' of the' Auckland Spring Meeting. His next two starts were at Trentham last weekend, where he ran iii'tli in the Wainui cm "Saturday and won the Harcourt Cup on Monday. In all he has started only thirteen times to date for four wins and six minor placing*, and his stake earniugb already amount'to i'loos, to which £$>3 has been contributed in his sis starts this term. The three-year-old carries the same colours as Hunting Cry, being owned by Mr. T. Fraser, a sheep farmer of Whangara, Poverty .buy, who hied both horses. The only other "horse Mr. Fraser has is the four-vear-okl Silverado iilly Silver liner, whom he holds on lease. Sporting Blood is a full blood bay, with very dark points extendin;' well up to the knees and hocks on all four legs, dark mane and tail, and a small white star on the forehead as the only relief. In appearance he is nearly all one could wish for in a classic colt, and if he noes down to lticeartou for the Derby he "must be one of the hardest horses in the race to beat. His preparation is in charge of the Gisborne trainer A. Mcintosh, who also has another line ivype of horse in the grey Grand Sport to assist along his winning record this season.