“THE SPOTTED WONDER”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 305, 9 December 1931, Page 11

“THE SPOTTED WONDER”

NOBODY WANTED HIM. ROMANCE OF THE TETRARCH. (By “Hurry On’’ in the Taranaki “News”). Perhaps the most sensational two-year-old in England for a decade was The Tetrarch. The trainer, Persee, took a big fancy to him at the yearling sales and bought him, hoping t pass him on to one of his patrons, as he made it a rule never to race any horses in his own name. However much to his disappointment, no one seemed anxious to take over the spotted grey. They were all shy of him; probably the colour had a lot to with their prejudice. However, on the return of Major McCalmont to England he took his trainer’s word that the colt would be a good one. Persee is never in a hurry with his youngsters, and “The Spotted Won dor” was not tried out early in the season. His first trial was quite unpremeditated. Two fairly good horses were doing a trial, and bv misadventure rather than anything else, The Tetrareh went with them. After it was over the boy aboard told the trainers that he had to hold the two-year-old back; he could have run away from them. This of course, set Perseo thinking very hard, and he decided to give the colt a real trial. In order that he should not be shown up if he was as good as he suspected, ho put a lot of weight in the saddle bags and sent him out with two pretty good sorts, both with featherweights aboard. The result was amazing. Conceding the older horses nearly three stone, he just toyed with them all the way. Persee says that it was a wonderful sensation for him. no know then that he had a wonder horse —one that comes to a trainer once in a lifetime, if then. No doubt it must be a great sensation for a trainer, and one can easily imagine how he felt. Here was the horse that he had always dreamed about and secretly hoped would come his way. He admits becoming rather excited and going off to break the news to Major McCalmont. In due course The Tetrareh was produced in a race, and then was fully exposed. He simply could not go slow enough to keep near the opposition; the further they went the bigger the gap between him and the field. Immediately all the writers and the racinn public were agog with the talk of the new champion. He won all his four engagements as a two-year-old, though on one occasion his backers received a real thrill. The race was six furlongs and, needless to say, The Tetrareh was at many shades of odds on in the betting. Imagine their feelings when he was completely left at the post and was giving the last horse at least 50 yards’ start when Brownie Carslake got him away. Many jockeys would have given up the job as hopeless, but Carslake knew his mount; he knew that he had never been extended and was confident that if he could restrain him from trying to make up his lost ground too quickly he might still do it. He suesucceeded in his object, and at the finish brought the grey along with an amazing burst of pace and maintained his unbeaten record. Just to illustrate the pace of this son of Roi Herode, he won a six-fur-long event in a canter, all the way in Imin. 7 4-ssec. And, remember, he was never at one stage of the race doing his best. It is interesting to relate that in this race Mr. G. M. Currie’s great brood mare Eulogy, the dam of Commendation, Enitanh, Humbug and others, was third, some eight lengths behind the winner. Naturally, after his sensational two-year-old seas . The Tetrareh was probably the hottest winter favourite in the history of the Derbv but, naturally, the question as to whether he would stay the distance was hotly discussed. However, the question was never to be decided. He failed to train on and had to be retired to the stud at a huge fee. Despite the fact that he did not prove a very reliable foalgetter, his success was immediate. In his first season came Tetratema, Stephon the Great and Caligula and following these were that speedy filly Mumtaz Mahal, Salmon Trout and The Satrap. What was more, his sons also made good as sires. Out here in New Zealand we have Chief Ruler and Tea Tray, whose progeny are winning races at almost every meeting, not only in the Dominion, but also in Australia. “The Spotted Wonder” has undoubtedly founded a line, and it is beginning to appear as though his daughters are going to be just as successful as matrons as his sons have been as sires.