PRINCE HUMPHREY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20256, 16 May 1929, Page 11

PRINCE HUMPHREY.

CHALLENGED PEDIGREE.: ; COMMENT IN SYDNEY. BRANDS AS IDENTIFICATIONSydney papers now to hand give full details bearing on the challenging of breeding of Prince Humphrey,. and ifc" is stated in one paper quite positively that the Australian Jockey Club Derby winner is not by Duke Humphrey (imp.) -from Shepherd Princess, but he is by Duke Humphrey (imp.) from Princess Hazel (imp.). The authority for the statement is Mr. R. Tate, who, as manager for the Woodlands Stud, Muswellbrook, bred two colts from the matings indicated, and declares that Prince Humphrey is Princess Hazel's colt. In a statement as to how the mistake was discovered the Sydney Morning Herald says: —"Mr. Tate's reticence on the subject until a few weeks ago is easily explained. Now residing in Toowoomba, he was not able to see the Derby run, and his account of it was received through the Sydney Mail. The photograph of the winner published in that journal was taken by him to be an error, and it was not until he was assured to the contrary that he realised that a serious blunder had been made. He has the records of the stud and was closely in touch with the two yearlings from the time they were foaled to the time they left the property after the stud had been auctioned in August, 1926, and he is positive that the Shepherd Princess colt is a bay with broken white marks on both hind coronets, and one fore coronet, with grey hairs in the forehead running down the face to light and with a small white patch on the lip. The Hazel Princess colt is a whole bay with black points. This latter description fits Prince Humphrey, and agrees with the markings given on his registration forms both here and in New Zealand. Many Explanations Possible. "There could be many explanations of the cause of the confusion. In the bustle of a sale it could occur. It might happen in the trucking yards, at the receiving yards in Sydney, but more probably in the process of shipment to the Dominion, or after the horses arrived there. Brit happen it certainly did, and in happening, it provides turf lore with one of the strangest tales told. "It is remarkable that in the catalogue of the sale the only brands of yearlings fully shown are those on the Princess Hazel colt. They are a half-diamond over B on the near shoulder and 5 over 136 on the near thigh. It is stated authoritatively that there is a number branded on the Shepherd Princess colt, but this was omitted from the catalogue. It is a coincidence that if the order in which the yearlings were catalogued is taken to be identical with the sequence of the stud's private numbers branded on tha thigh, the Shepherd Princess colt would bear the brand 5 over 144, a brand mentioned in a published description of Cragsman. Such a supposition would not appear unreasonable, since in the preparation of the list of yearlings for sale it would seem possible that the order in which I hey were branded and entered in the stud records would be the order in which they were catalogued." Stud Groom's Statement. . ■ Conclusive support to the statement by the manager of the Woodlands Stud was given by Mr. Frank Kitchener, of Lindiield, who, for the 12 months before the Woodlands Stud was dispersed, occupied the position of stud-groom. "There is no doubt that the descrip-; fcion of the two colts you publish is correct he said to a Sydney Morning Harald representative. "The Shepherd Princess colt had the blaze right down the forehead to the top lip and had the near foreleg and both hind legs broken white. He was a plain-looking yearling. The Princess Hazel (imp.) colt was a hold, masculine fellow, a whole bay with' black points. It was my job at the stud not to make mistakes. Part of my duty was to enter in the books the-markings of the foals as soon as they were born, and I was generally present at that event. These markings are checked as the foals develop. Of course, after a while it is practically impossible to give a mare another mare's foal, but, to be certain, # the marks are watched until when the foals are to be weaned another check is made, and tho full description entered. It is generally about this time that the brands are put on. Mr. Tate was the only person to handle the branding irons.There could be no doubting his word. He has been among horses all .his life, and was for 26 years with the Ormonde family in New Zealand. He is a most meticulous man."