ROYAL LIMOND'S SIRE

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 132, 6 June 1935, Page 6

ROYAL LIMOND'S SIRE

MANTLE IN ALL SPHERES

Probably there was never anything further from the mind of Mr. G. M. Currie when he imported the Desmond horse Limond that,this stallion might become leading sire of jumpers > m thdDominion, but so the,result of this year's Great Northern Hurdles and Steeplechase has made the horse. In the spring Limond's offspring were establishing him as greatest sire at present in Australia so far as flat' racing is concerned, ,but now Stanchion and Royal Limond have gone a great way to earning him premier recognition also as a sire of jumpers. It is a phenomenal record for any sire to hold in the one season, and it is probably without precedent in any part of the world.

\\ A few years ago it looked as if it was going to be Hunting Song whose offspring-were to take over the jumping ascendancy, but.in quick time Limond has displaced the Hurry On .tiorse and accepted the mantle. ' 1 The first of the Limonds to show that, the stock possessed the attributes for champion - jumpers was Royal Lineage, .who, by the way, headed the | list of weights for this year's Great I Northern Hurdles, but did not accept. Then came Ruanui, Royal Limond, Stanchion, Chile, and some others, and the' group is still not very large, as the horses are usually such good peiS formers on the flat. After the suci cesses of Stanchion and Royal Limond during the past few days, however, we can 'expect to «e'e many more of the older LimondS .turning to jumping in the near future.. , . ) ' The' Limond jumpers are not usually 'of the dashing type, though Royal Lineage at his best is, but they are safe fencers and great stickers, and their class carries them right above their opposition wMen the tests become really severe... It has.. undoubtedly been a combination of class and staying; ability that has stood to Stanchion and Royal Limond this week, with the capacity, of being able to'negotiate any fences or country safely, even though

dourly at times.- < • . Royal LL'.tond has strictly not been a great racing success, or at least was not fill yesterday.' He is an eight-year-old son of the King Rufus—Commerce mare Royal Exchange, a winner herself on the flat over' hurdles, and a half-sister to another jumper in Slump, who recently met ■ his end. Royal Lineage is a two-year-older full-brother to Royal Limond. Commerce, their grandam, is half-sister to Snowstell, dam of Rebekah (grandam of Rabbi, etc.). Cold Steel, etc,, so it is high-class breeding on the distaff side as well as 'on the .paternal, combined with proved jumping ability in the most proximate, relatives. . . , As a yearling. Royal Limond, who was bred by Mr. Currie, was bought at 400 guineas by Mr. J. M. Samson, but no win came till he was four years old, in a highweight at BivertOn,, and then two more wins were obtained in similar events at Dunedin the next year.' As a six-year-old he had only a single unsuccessful start, and he was thereupon disposed of by Mr. Samson to his present owner, Mr. A. Syme, for 33 guineas. A Great Northern winner-to-be sold for a paltry 33 guineas! ; Still Mr. Syme had him nearly a year before he won his first race with him, the June Hurdles' at Dunedin twelve months ago. He was then trained by E. Scoullar, but on his.resumption -this winter he was taken over byD. O'Connor, who had been riding him. He returned to the winners' list in the second day's steeples at Riverton at Easter, and after a third to Umtali and Graball at the Special Dunedin Meeting he was transferred1 north to complete his Great Northern preparation at Wanganui and Te Kuiti, at each of which meetings, as well as on the first day at Ellerslie, he filled minor places. He is a sluggard in his races, perhaps, but how often it v bee. n ._tnat sucn norses succeed when the big test comes! ROYAL GALLANT'S FORM '«?*s*} star performer on Jne flat at the Dunedin Jockey Club s Winter Meeting, revealed both ability to handle heavy going and versatility in winning at a middle distance and over a sprint course; He has always been wefl reputed for bad tracks, and he had all in his favour in this respect last Without his two wins and a second the Riccarton contingent would have had a poor innings at the meeting. ■ - Royal Gallant started off by finishing second to Amy Johnson in the main handicap on the opening day, and his order of favouritism (fifth) indicated thai he was thought to be In' need of that race, even though he had had a fair amount of recent racing, with three wins and four minor placings on the West Coast Easter circuit, over various distances from' 6i furlongs to 1J- miles. On. the second day he was made favourite for the Birthday Handicap, 1-i miles, and he duly won from Giggleswick and Amy Johnson;', and then on the final day, stepped out in the Empire Handicap, 8 furlongs, he was again first choice as the result of some late money, and again he won, beating the West Coaster Arrow Rose. This improved performer is an Aus-tralian-bred five-year-old brown gelding by Top Gallant from the imported Troutbeck—Princess Mary mare Princess Ilona, and he is closely related to the English Oaks winner La Sagesse, who was a half-sister to Princess Mary, and to the Two Thousand Guineas winner Flamingo, who was beaten in the Derby only by Felstead. One of Princess Ilona's gets in England was Hobbs, by Son-in-Law, who was a useful winner in India. Royal Gallant was bought for 140gs as a yearling by Messrs. C. and W. Howard, 6t Auckland, who won two races with him at the Great Northern Meeting three years ago, but during the subsequent two seasons he failed to return to-the winners' list and he was disposed of to Mr. W. Hoskings, who transferred him some months ago to J. S. Shaw's care at Riccarton.

Haakon^ winner of the Hunt Club Cup at Ellerslie yesterday, was successful, in the same race last year and third three years ago. He jt still owned, fey.-Da, A* M, £fraiit» _. ._„,...