A RACEHORSE FOR A SHILLING

Hokitika Guardian, 6 April 1918, Page 4

A RACEHORSE FOR A SHILLING

RED CROSS AND NAVY LEAGUE ART UNION.

The Grand Art Union arranged in aid of the Red Cross and Navy League’s funds promises to be a most successful undertaking. At the offices of the local Red Cross depot, also in most of the local hotels, hair-dressers’, billiard saloons, and retail establishments, the tickets are now on sale. “Be a sport—a book for a pound ! ’’—this is the slogan of enthusiastic sellers of tickets. Every pound spent in tickets is another twenty shillings given to a worthy cause, and means for the buyer of the book of tickets twenty chances of winning one or more of the eleven valuable race- i horses donated to the cause by an anonymous donor. Retailers and all others who are. helping in the sale of the tickets can procure fresh supplies on application to’ Mr W. H E- Wanklyn,. 123 Oxford terrace, Christchurch. The wav this Art Union has been taken up by Red Cross workers and others interested is really commendable in the extreme. All alike seem to realise that the cause is deserving of the utmost enthusiasm. The slogan, too —“ A book for a pound !” —is'assisting to. sell the tickets in big lots, arid not a few have found it just as easy to sell a whole book to some men as it is to sell a shilling ticket to others. The commendable feature 'of the Art Union is the fact, also, that everyone alike —those interested in racehorses and those not ' interested—can buy tickets. ’ Should a person whose ambitions lie in other directions than owning a racehorse win a prize, all he or she need do is to allow the horse to be sold by auction, and the money realised will be handed to the prize-winner. Meantime each horse has been insured, and in the event of the decease of either of them the insurance money will be handed the prize-winner. There are plenty of people, of course, whose ambition is to own a racehorse, perhaps not altogether for its money-making purposes as a stakes-winner, but from the view-point of its value’on the farm or in the stud lor breeding purposes. Each of the prizes in the Art Union has something to commend as a racer or as a breeder, as all the horses are descended from successful families.

A few details concerning each will be read with interest. The first prize, the bay horse, Fabrikoff, foaled in 1911 by Meuschikoff from Fabia, proved during his racing career that he was a horse of great pace, putting up high-class performances over courses up to seven furlongs. Fabrikoffs sire Menschikoff was a racehorse of exceptional brilliance, for as a two-year-old he started in fifteen events and won eleven of them, and as a three-year old he won all the four events which he contested. At the stud Menschikoff has sired many good winners, and Fabrikoff promises to maintain the family excellence. Fabia, the dam of Fabrikoff, claims descent from Musket, and as Meuschikoff is also descended from this famous sire, Fabrikoff inherits a double strain of the blood that is much' esteemed by breeders. Soultmena, the second prize, is a bay mare foaled in 1913, by Meuschikoff from Soult Athol by Souit—St Margaretta, bv Nelson—Sister Agnes (imp.), by Rosicrucian. Soult’s record as a sire was one of exceptional success, gained by sheer merit, and a mare bred as Soultmena is, by Meuschikoff (a descendant of Musket), from a mare got by Soult (a son of St Simon) should do well at the stud after Iter racing days are over. The third prize is an unnamed chestnut filly foaled in 1914, by Meuschikoff from Ladv Chiron by Chiron from Estelle. Chiron is by Ladas (winner of the Two Thousand Guineas and Derby, and a very successful, sire) from Appcnine, sister to Velasquez (winner of over £26,000 i n stakes). The fourth prize, a bay filly foaled in 1914 by Meuschikoff from Oil Wells, comes from a very successful racing family! Oil Wells is by Ort Wells from Middy Morgan, by Exile. Ort Wells won thirteen races out of twenty-six starts, while Exile won thirty rapes out of. seventy-three starts". The fifth prize is a brown mare by Vasco from Vivoca, by Havoc from Virginia, oy Nobleman. Havoc, who was by Nordenfeldt from that famous mare Frailty, proved himself the possessor of stamina by his victory in the Australian Cup," and at the stud he got many good winners. Vasco, by Velasquez— Seabreeze, was a sire of exceptionally good breeding, who has left some high-class stock. Planudes, the sire of Lady Planudes, the sixth prize, is by the Great St Simon from Lonely, by Hermit front Anonym a; by Stockwell, a pedigree that should appeal to breeders. The seventh prize is a chestnut mare foaled in 1913 by Meuschikoff from Geralda, by St Swithin from Miss Stuart, by Clan Stuart. St Swithin was one of the best sires of his family in Australia, and Clan Stuart was by Prince Charlie, sire of Lochiel. Of the brood mares that form the balance of the prizes, Vivoca, Lady Chiron, and Theriiia have foals at foot by and have been served by him again, while Giraldakoff has been served by San Francisco. The opportunity of securing such valuable blood stock for the price of an art union ticket is oue that seldom occurs. Already there is a brisk demand for tickets, and the promoters feel confident that long before the date of the drawing (June Ist) every book will be sold.

Complete books of tickets (costing one pound each) can be obtained from Mr W. H. E. Wanklyn hon secretary, 123 Oxford Terrace’ Christchurch. Tickets are now on sale anywhere and everywhere throughout the Canterbury Military District. All Red Cross workers in the country are enthusiastically pushing the art union.