CHAMPION SIRES

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 27, 31 July 1940, Page 11

CHAMPION SIRES

COMPARISON OF RECORDS

The record of the recently-deceased sire Hunting Song was chiefly notable for the large proportion of winners he sired throughout his 15 years at the stud. When he began his six years' unbroken premiership in the 1932-33 season, he had the largest number of winners, 93, yet credited to a leading sire in the Dominion. The previous best figure, 79, was gained by Paper Money in 1928-20. For the next five years, Hunting Song had over 100 winners each season, his top total being 123 in 1935-36. The consistency of this performance may be illustrated by comparison with the six years' period when Martian reigned as champion sire in the years 1913 to 1919. These are the only two stallions to have had an uninterrupted leadership of six years during the present century, but Martian gained that honour seven times in all. Soult was the top sire for five successive years immediately preceding Martian's term. Absurd was also leading sire for five terms, but over a series of years.

In the six years referred to, Martian was represented by 213 winners, and the total earnings of his progeny were £111,288. Beginning 13 years later, Hunting Song was represented over the same period by 658 winners, and the aggregate stakes won by his gets wer,e £84,988. That is to say, Hunting Song had more than three times) as many winners as Martian, but the average earnings were very much smaller. In this connection, the achievement of Multiform in the, 1905-6 season is worthy of recalling. ■■ With the exception of Nightfall, a four-year-old who won one race, he was represented by three-year-olds, of whom seven were winners, and three of these unbeaten.

Those in the latter category were the colts Noctuiform and Cuneiform and the filly Isolt. Between them the three, carrying the colours of their breeder, Mr. G. G. Stead, won 12 races. Noctuiform took the New Zealand Cup, Derby, -and Canterbury Cup; Cuneiform, the Hawke's Bay Guineas, C.J.C. Electric Plate, A.R.C. Royal Stakes, and Wellington Stakes; Isolt, the New Zealand and Great Northern Oaks, C.J.C. Jubilee Cup. Middle Park Plate, and New Zealand St. Leger. The other Multiform winners in that season were Highland Fling, Multifid, Petticoat, and Porcelain. Altogether, the contingent won 26 races and stakes totalling £11,634 10s, which was a record sum up to that period. In contrast, Stepniak, who was runner-up to Multiform, was represented by 56 stake-earners, their captures totalling £9388.