AZUCAR'S PEDIGREE

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 104, 4 May 1935, Page 31

AZUCAR'S PEDIGREE

MANY LINES OF HEROD

The pedigree of the Irish-bred^ex-steeple-chaser Azucar, who won the Santa-AmU Handicap m California early in the yea:-, furnishes an interesting study, especially to those Stud Book students to whom inbreeding is not anathema, says a correspondent of "Sporting Life." When the late Mr. E. Kennedy acquired Roi Herode to stand at his Straff an Station Stud he made no secret of the fact that it was his ambition and determination to bring back to Britain the lost line of Herod. Roi Herode, a tail-male descendant of Herod through Thormanby, carried three lines of the desired blooX two through Thormanby and one through Lady Hawthorn, own sister to Thormanby. In due course Mr. Kennedy mated Roi Herode with Vahren, who carried a line each of Thormanby and of Lady Hawthorn. The result of this mating was the "spotted wonder," The Tetrarch, who was, unbeaten.

(( Air. Kennedy, in an article in the Bloodstock Breeders' Review," claimed that the peculiar markings of The Tetrnmh furnished concrete evidence that the famous grey was a true Herod. This he deduced from the fact that Pantaloon (1524), a tail-male descendant of Herod (through Castrel, Buzzard, and Wood pecKer), was a magnificent chestnut horse 'covered with black spots." Pantaloon sired Windhound, and Windhound sired rhormanby. The^Tetrarch, when foaled, was a ehes'mit with big black blotches. When this foal-coit was shed the blotches became light-coloured on an iron-grey coat. Vahren was subsequently bred to gym lTigton, who carried one line only o: riiormnnby through Feronia. The resuil was Nicola, a particularly smart two-year-old, and who in due course was bred to Roi Hcrode and produced Milesiiis, sire of Azucar.

Slilesius in turn was bred to Clarice (a daughter of Picton), who, through her paternal erandsire Orvieto, carried two lines of Thormanby through his famous daughters Rouge Rose and Sunshine. Thi* mating resulted in Azncar, wbo therefore carried six lines of Thormanby, two of Lady Hawthorn, and six of Vedette, through Speculum and .Galopin respectively.

This Inbreeding and intensive piling up of the blood of Thormanby and Vedette in the case of Azucar did not prevent him from winning as a two-year-old, takir^r champion rank as a steeplechaser, ami reaching the crowning success of his career in the 100,000-dollar Santa Anipi Handicap. Any horse, whatever his blood lines, who after five years of strenuous mixed racing can carry Bst 51b to victory in a representative field, in record time, is surely ' a vindication of his breeder's theories. One can imagine how clater] Mr. Kennedy would have been had he been spared to see Azucar'g triumph.