LUCK IN RACING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19792, 12 November 1927, Page 16

LUCK IN RACING.

SOME REMARKABLE CASES

However costly, even ruinous, the owning of racehorses may be, there is something very impressive in the sums that are to be won in these days of colossal stakes, when a horse may win in a couple of races almost half its weight in gold and con siderably more than Crucifix, the historic daughter of old Priam, won during the whole of her dazzling career The possibilities (says Sporting Life) were splendidly illustrated by the record of Persimmon, I who won for his Royal master the enormous | sum of £34,706 in seven races. Even this amazing achievement has been eclipsed in amount, if not in brilliance, by many another horse, from Isinglass (son of Deadlock, who had been bought for £18), whose aggregate winnings in stakes reached the gigantic sum of £57,455, arrd Donovan, who put £55.000 into his owner's pocket, to Flying E'ox, winner of £40,000, and nine others, including Ayrshire. La Fleche, Orme, and Gladiateur, each of whom won more than £30,000. These figures become more impressive when we consider the enormous sums won by the progeny of some of these fortune-winners. In seven year's Isonomy's descendants accumulated £155,000, Hampton's £120,000, and Galopin's £121,000 In a single year Stockwell's progeny enriched their owners to the extent of £OI,OOO, in days when huge stakes were unknown; and Hermit's scions had passed the £350,000 mark many years ago. As for St Simon, the great stud success of modern times, who shall estimate the full winnings of his posterity? Splendid was St. Simon's career as a racer, it was completely eclipsed by his career at the stud. The first of his offspring made their appearance on the turf in 1889, when nine of them won stakes worth £24,286 The next year he became champion sire, an honour which was, his lor seven consecutive seasons, and again in 1900 and in 1901 In England alone St Simon's offspring have won £552,391, and he' and his sons have sired the winners of more than 40 classic events. Among the fortunate owners of the gold-winners of the turf the Duke of Portland is entitled to a foremost place Since he began racing in lj}Bl his grace's horses have won stakes worth, roughly, £400,000, a sum which eclipsoß Lorft Falmouth's record But Lord Fahnouth had no such experience of the capriciousness of fortune as the duke, whose winnings of £197 in 1897 contrast strangely with the £73,858, which was his astonishing aggregate eight years earlier thanks largely to Donovan, the Derby winner of that year. This figure, it is interesting to note, was a world's record until 1907, when Mr. Iteene put it into the shade with aggregate winnings of £79.468 in America How fluctuating and tantalising turf fortune can bo no one knows bettei than Mr. A. W. Cox. in 1888 owners with a very modest £l2O to Ins credit, a sum which, after two blank years, had grown to £8822 in 1894. From this respectable eminence he dropped to £l2O in 1901 and to £l4O in 1904. Then came a dramatic change in his fortunes, for in 1909 and 1910 we find hira at the very summit of the list of winning owners with totals of £37,719 and £35,352 respectively.