A RAMBLE THROUGH WELLINGTON PARK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8842, 2 April 1892, Page 6

A RAMBLE THROUGH WELLINGTON PARK.

[BV phaeton.] A beautiful day, an eight-mile drive, and the certainty of a cordial greeting, were the inducements which prompted a visit to Wellington Park on Saturday last, and with so genial a companion as Mr. J. Marshall, the journey to Paumure was, I need scarcely say, undertaken under the most pleasant circumstances. A visit to Mr. Morrin's celebrated establishment is always invested with a great degree of pleasure, and more especially at this season, for to a lover of tho thoroughbred, as lie looks at the youngsters at this time of the year, there is a peculiar fascination in realising the growth which they have made in the first months of their foalhood. As I undertake this ramble amongst the foals, my mind goes back to the days of the Sylvia Park stud, and I cannot help remembering that but few of us who journeyed thence iu the interval between the foaling and the sale of the Musket—Mersey colt considered that iu the mean-looking, washy bay foal, there was concealed the embryo king of the turf (Carbine), who in after years was to win his way to the top of the tree, and to make a name for himself, admitting of no dispute, as the greatest racehorse that was ever produced in Australasia. Yet, on the other hand, who amongst us, when looking over Strathmore and Zalinski as foals was of any other opinion than that Mr. Morrin had bred two great racehorses ? But even here, perhaps, some will object that the one which was thought to be the better of the twain has had to play second fiddle, to which objection I am inclined to reply in the language of the dusky Maori —"1 aihoa !" Though many instances might bo cited to prove that sometimes the judging of foals and yearlings has ill a sense, resulted disastrously for critics, there is nevertheless great pleasure to be derived from an early acquaintance with the young thoroughbreds —an acquaintance which in after years may not fail to have excellent results ; and, as one of the first English judges has said, there are no means of obtaining a more reliable guide in the selection of yearlings than to see uncontrolled iu the paddock, a view'■* which 1 (.limit n.Ckny -i]] hp J t,' acquiesce. Mr. Morrin is evidently a firm believer in early weaning, for at the time of my visit I found that the great majority of last season's fouls had been separated from their dams for a week or two previous. It is only natural that the youngsters should fret a little over the separation ; but they all show the most healthy condition, and, though the long spell of dry weather must also nave told somewhat against them, they promise to be quite as well grown a lot as those already sent into the ring by the Wellington Park studmaster. After lunch, Mr. Morrin led the way to the I boxes where the weaned foals were located. The first to come under review was a neat chestnut filly bv Castor, from the Musket mare Necklace. Like her dam, she is adorned with a blazed face, and her off hind leg is white up to the hock. She shows plenty of bone, and has every appearance of coining to hand as early as did her speedy mother. The brown filly by Nordetifeldt from Maid of At hoi gives every promise of being as attractive as her sister, for which the Hon. Mr. Orinond paid 33U guineas at the last sale. A brown filly by the* Musket horse Hotchkiss from Radiant, full of promise, bears indelibly the stamp of the Musket family ; but the occupant oi the next box —a brown daughter of Nordenfeldt and Pungawerewere—is even more pronounced in this respect, so that the sister to Crackshot will, I fancv, furnish into a very tine yearling. The Nordenfeldt— Hi; nca filly has thriven very well for, when I saw her last December, she was the smallest foal at the Park. A neat bay filly by Nordunfeldt is Vattacy's progeny; but more to my likiirjis the brown daughter of Nordenfeldt and Furmo, who shows every promise of being much bigger iu stature than her game little dam. Tasman is represented by a colt from Rose and Black and a filly from Moon ray. The colt is the one. that takes the eye most, and as his dam is hal -sister to that good horse Vanguard, he ha?, in addition to the gameness of his sire, another high credential to recommend him to notice. The colt by Nordenfeldt from Patch is in colour a brown his two hind legs and his oil'fore, in addition to his face, being heavily adorned with white, which does not add to his beauty. Still lie is by no means deficient in good louks. A chestnut filly by Castor from Brown Bess, a brown filly by Castor from Welcome Katie, and a brown filly by Castor from Veneration, all of which show much promise, complete the list in ths new stables, and our steps are then directed to the old apartments. Our first interview is with the sou of Castor and the Musket mare Vivandiere. He is in colour a roan, showing a good deal of power and much quality, while lie is equipped with a set of lejrs that should stand a lot of galloping. His colour may be against him, but he is so extremely well grown and compact that there will, I fancy, be some spirited competition for his possession in January next when lie is led to the sale ring. The Hotchkiss—Onyx colt is one. of the low set, lengthy sort, showing plenty tii power, and if he furnishes as he should do during the next few months, he will no doubt be a very fine yearling. When the full sister to the Vnighty Strathmore came to be interviewed I need scarcely say that we lingered long and lovingly gazing at the daughter of Nordenfeldt and Ouida A rich brown, in colour she takes greatly after her sister, submitted to auction at the last sale, and shows every promise of being quite as powerful. Altogether she is a very beautiful (illy, and I shall watch her growth with great interest.

We next walked to the beautifully-sheltered paddock oil the west, side* of the residence. As we near the grandly-built dark brown mare with lop ears, I have 110 difficulty in at once distintruishim; her as Balista, the full sister to Hilda. The daughter of Musket and Oaida is unquestionably a very beautiful mitre, and as we lcok at her foal. a shapely bay colt by the imported Castor, Mr. Morrill remarks, with not a little pride, " If there is another Strathmore in the paddock, there he is." Another very evenly-shaped youngster is the bay colt by Castor from Necklace's sister Bangle. Indeed, her foal is so much like Balista's that it is rather difficult to fix their identity when they stray from the sides of their dams. In the same paddock were also a bay colt by Castor from Aerolina, a bay colt by Castor from Queen Cole, a brown colt by Hotchkiss from Ada (the dam of Impulse), and a brown colt by Hotchkiss from lvitipo (half-sister to Crackshot), all thriving well. At the stone stables, the stallions St. Leger, Tasman, Castor, and Hotchkiss were each in turn led out for inspection, every one of them looking ill most blooming health. _ Cantor appears to have improved every time I see him. It is quite evident that Mr. Morrin entertains very little doubt that the Zealot horse will make a great name for himself at the. stud, for all the best mares have this season been mated with him. It rarely falls to the lot of a young stallion to receive such a chance of building up a great name at the opening of his career as has been accorded to Castor ; but, judging from his first crop of foals, Mr. Morrin is fully warranted in the step he lias taken. in a recent number of that excellent publication, Horse and Hound, an article is, I notice, devoted to sounding the ](raises of Zealot, tlus sire of Castor, which concludes thus:—"Zealot has all the finest strains of blood in his veins, and it may be mentioned that he is much the best animal his dam ever threw, although Zucchero by Lacydes was a useful horse, that ran well in Silvio's St. Leger, and Incognita, by VViuslow, a speedv two-year-old. In his first season (IS.SJ) Zealot got three colts and two fillies, and three of these succeeded in earning winning brackets as two-year-olds, they being Castor, a really smart eolt, out of Lady V'ardley by Sterling (who won six out of the e : .ght races he contested in 188 a), Martinet out of Quick March by Rataplan, and the bay filly out of Rosebud by Ellerton. _ Subsequent to this he has begotten such winners as Ardour, Glad Tidings, Livingston, Swoet Alice (a very speedy mare). Assassin, Forest, Palm Bloom, Zelotes, St. Dominic (once quite at the top of the hurdle race form), Zest, Pantaloon, Psalm Singer, My Lena, Catacol, Guardian, Lady Evelin, Depot, Ranter, Lux, The Deacon, Too Much, Mock Orange, etc. As will be found by the return lists, he got these without a great number of chances, tor last year he only had seven living foals, and of these three were sold at auction this summer."

As we take our way back to the homestead, a trio of beauties are met with iu Frailty, her daughter Cissy, and Hilda. Methinks it would take a few thousands to induce the Wellington Park breeder to part with that aristocratic trio, if money could buy them. All three mares have been this season mated with Castor, and there seems to be very little doubt as to the two former being in foal, but Mr. Morrin is not quite certain about Hilda. In another enclosure I saw old Sylvia, who is believed to be in foal to Hotchkiss. The game old daughter of Fisherman is in a rather pitiable plight owing to her forelegs giving way, a ud I am very much afraid it will not be long before I snail have to pen her obituary notice. It is fittingly enough with the historic recollections which the sight of this distinguished figure of the colonial stud book calls up in the mind that we conclude our ramble. The day was far spent when the faithful " Andy " was summoned to harness lip our horse before we started 011 our homeward journey, and after experiencing the usual warm-hearted send off from the genial proprietor, we leave with only the most pleasant recollections in our minds of " a ramble through Wellington I'ark."