AMERICA'S LUCK

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 113, 8 November 1940, Page 12

AMERICA'S LUCK

THREE DERBY WINNERS

With the purchase recently of Mah moud, America has secured three of the Aga Khan's Derby winners within the last four years, all of the preciqus Blandford blood. The other two, of course, are Blenheim and Bahram. There is an interesting connection between these three horses, apart from the fact that Mahmoud is a son of Blenheim. In 1923 those who had the care of the brilliant spotted grey filly Mumtaz Mahal were looking round for a likely trial horse with which to test the merit of their 9000 guineas purchase, the grandam of Mahmoud. Choice was made of Friar's Daughter, dam of Bahram, bought at the same sales as Mumtaz Mahal. No one quite knew the merit of Mumtaz Mahal as the two fillies lined up for their private "race," but Dick Dawson, the trainer, must have had a pretty shrewd idea. He set Mumtaz to give two stone to her rival, already a winner that season. The grey wonder is reported to have shown such speed that she finished half a furlong in front. Dawson said afterwards: "I was so astounded that I nearly fell off my Writes "Sentinel" in the "Otago Daily Times"—"The Invercargill trainer F. W. Ellis has seven of Nigger Minstrel's stock in his stable —six of them being novices. It sounds like a nigger choir, and reminds one of 'Ten Little Nigger Boys' and 'The Minstrel Boy to the Turf has gone, in the ranks of racers you will find him,' sung by Pope and Sayles, Wallace King, the Fisks, and other ebony-hued vocalists famous in their day."