BREEDING ITEMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21757, 23 March 1934, Page 7

BREEDING ITEMS

AUSTRALIAN PERFORMERS RECENT CLASSIC WINNERS SIR JOHN'S STAYING LINES BY SPEARMINT The Flemington autumn racing carnival has come and gone, and while New Zealand-bred horses have not been responsible for quite the xisual number of successes, they have had their fair share of classic honours, and in at least .two instances, have come away with their reputations ■ enhanced. During the last month tho Dominion can boast of its usual sprinkling of winners of minor events, and not a few of the Australianbred brigade possess a strain of New Zealand blood. Among the three-year-olds the honours still rest with Hall Mark, the chestnut son of Heroio and Horowinkic, although the reputation he gained in the spring hns been somewhat tarnished by tho fact that he succeeded only in dead-heating with Limarch in the St. Leger instead of winning outright. Mr. Kellow, his owner, who idolises the colt, is said to have been bitterly disappointed with the result, which seems to bo confirmed by the fact that on the second day he was ridden in the King's Plate by Dempsey instead of Pike, who, by many, is considered to have thrown tho race away, but himself declares that Hall Mark died in Ilia hands on the post. Be this as it may, in the King's Plate, Hall M,rk defeated Limarch by a neck and seems to have'definitely reasserted his superiority at a mile and a-half.

After the St. Leger, leading Australian writers expressed the opinion that Hall Mark had "slipped," and recalled the experience of his close relative, Trivalve, who, after winning tho two Derbies, Melbourne Cup and V.R.C. St. Leger, went to pieces and finished last of three in the A.J.C. St. Leger, in t, liich lie started at 2 to 1 on. Poseidon ard Prince Foote won tho five races mentioned, tho former taking the Caulfield Cup aa well. Hall Mark has now won £18,839. Clever Fox's Pedigree A week or two ago the chief danger to Hall Mark in the A.J.C. St. Leger appeared to be Clever Fox, but the latter has unfortunately broken down badly and will not start. He showed considerable promise in winning tho A.J.C. Anniversary Handicap, 1£ miles, in January, with 4lb. over weightfor age, in record time for the 'Randwick course. He is a brown colt by Dark Fox from Orula, by The Nut from Orlet, by Orzil from Infanta, by Gibraltar from Fascination, by Captivator from Syren, by Yattendon, tracing back to the imported mare Quadroon, of the No. • 8 family, by Mulatto. The Nut will be ' remembered in New Zealand as the sire of the costly but calamitous Spanner. Dark Fox is a young sire by Son-in-Law from. Radegonde. by Radium from Pietra, by Pietermaritzburg, winner of the ,Jockey Club Stakes, 1J miles, and a highly successful sire' in the Argentine. Gibraltar was by Grandmaster, and won the V.R.C. St. Leger and A.J.C. Derby. Captivator (imp.) was by Caractficus iiom Miss. Hawthorn, by King Tom, and sired Morion, winner, of the Great Northern Derby, and Freedom, winner of the bury Cup and Dunedin Cup. It is a pedigree full of old-fashioned Btaying blood, and it is to be hoped that Clever Fos may yet have a chance to show his true worth.

Apart from Blixten and Limarch, , whose form is pretty well disclosed, the- chief danger to Hall Mark in tho A.J.C. St. Leger. appears to be Danilo, who unexpectedly defeated him in the St. George's Stakes over 1 mile 1 fur. •at weight-for-age, with penalties and allowances. Hall Mark carried 8.13. and Danilo 7.7, and the margin was half a neck. Danilo did not start in the V.R.C. St. Leger, but finished eighth in the Australian Cup with 7.7, which is 71b. under weight-for-age. This is not to bo compared .with Hall Mark's form in the spring, but Danilo has tho pedigree of a stayer, and may yet do better over a distance. He is by Chivalrous from Operetta, by. Devizes from Folly Queen, by Comedy King from Cross Battery, by Stemiiak from Firecross,' tracing to the Blinkhoolie mare Powder,, of the No. 7 family. Noted Performers in Family , Cross Battery was the dam of Artilleryman, winner of the Melbourne Cup, in a canter, and the V.R.C. St. Leger, and Foily Queen was dam of Shrapnel, Cross Battery was also sister to Cross Step, second dam of Valicare, Avant Courier and Soft Step, winner of the last Queensland Cup, and third dam of Care Free, one of tlie favourites for the Newmarket. Powder was dam of Arsenal, winner. of the Melbourne Cup, and granddam of Alawa, winner of the V.R.C. Derby, and ope of the best of his time. Jeu d'Esprit. dam of Powder, is also ancestress of Stand By (narrowly beaten in the Melbourne Cup). Amalfi (sire of Induna, nnd Pultewirra), and Autopay, .likewise of Eleusis, ancestress in New Zealand of Winning Hit, Cricket Bat, Counterfeit and Surveyor. , ■ . Another representative is Heroic Prince, winner of the Australian Cup, who is by Heroic frorf Cooghal, by Maltster from Warfare, by Grand Flaneur from Ordnance, by Splendor from Crossfire, I by Goldsbrough from Powder. This is ft pedigree cramnied so full of staying blood as to be of lit'tle use in assessing the influence of Heroic as a sire of stayers. In fact, both Heroic's undoubted stayers are from stoutly-bred mares, as Hall Mark's dam is a sister in blood to Trivalve, a genuine stayer. This iB not written in deprecation of Heroic, who is going on from strength to strength, and bids fair to rival Wallace. Trenton, Grand Flaneur and tho other great colonialbred sires of tho past. • Chivalrous, aire of Danilo. is now sixteen years old and has not so far been very successful. He is by Amadis and represents the tail-male line of Blinkhoolie, which appears to be decadent; It had great success in Australia a generation ago through Sir Foote and his son Prince Foote, and is still a potent force on tho female side through the descendants of Wisdom. Amalfi, another son of Amadis, is enjoying considerable success in South Australia. Amadis was one of the best stayers of his day, and won 'the Ascot Gold Vnse, Doncaster Cup and Jockey Club Cup, 21 miles. The Leading Two-Year-Old

Tho two-year-old ' honours rest with the New Zealand-bred Sir John; - who is described as a very commanding youngster, who,should make 'up into a grand three-yenr-old. He comes from one of tho best staying lines in the Stud Book, tho branch of the No. 0 family which producod "William the Third. Beppo, Hurry On, Stefan tho Great, Gothic, Trivalve, Hall Mark, Brown Jack. Sir Andrew and many others. His dam ia by Grosvenor, a son of tho peerless Sceptre, by Persimmon from Ornament, sister to Ormonde. His third dam, Gravity, is by Wisdom, ancestor of Chivalrous and Amadis. Unfortunately Sir John did not meet the flying filly Arachne, as the latter's sire, Corban, was nqt nominated for tho Sires' Produce Stakes. Arachne easily accounted for the Ascot Vale Stakes on tho third day She is by Corban from "Welkin Queen, by The Welkin from imported Wilga, by Marco. Corban is a full-brother to Tetratema, the most brilliant galloper sired by The Tetrarch, and his most successful sire. He won the Two Thousand Guineas and was leading sire in England in. 1929. Another brother is The Satrap, a brilliant two-year-old who was sold to tho United States for £20,000. Welkin Queon was a good performer . and was dam of Grecian Orator, a fast horse who fell when running prominently in tho Doncaster Handicap and had to be destroyed. She was also sister to Trillion, another good performer, and to Kanooka. the dam of'Winooka; The unlucky runner in tho Sires' Produce Stakes was Dark Sky, who gave Sir John a long start from the bottom of the straight and got to within a length of him at tho finish. Dark Sky is by Monbito from imported Limae 'Lumen, by Galloper Light from Diana Cavtmell, by Tracery. This mare is a descendant of Pampeluna, the fourth dam of Call Boy, the best horse in England in 1927, and of Foxlaw, winner of the Ascot Gold Cup and sire of Foxhunter, winner, of the same race Inst year. It is the branch of the No. 2 family which produced Sainfoin, _ Sundridge and Juggernaut, also Aurum in Australia and Desert Gold, Nigger Minstrel and Cylinder in New Zealand. Moabito is by Phalaris from Whitewash. by White Eagle, and has produced a number of good performers, but' so far no stayer of note.

Breeding of The Marno A good two-year-old performer in Sydney is The Marno, by Heroic from Kalyanni, by Treolare from .Lystrim, by Cobltrim. Hout Brion, Trenton and Grand Flaneur also figure in Tho Marne's pedigree, .which reads like that of a potential st.iyer. Others are Fashion Star (Treclare —Debonair, by Linncre), Bombus >(Baralong—Native Bee. by Tressady), Sylvnndale (Silvius —imported La Bergeronette. by Poor Boy), and the New Zealand-bred Quarto (Paper Money—imported Quadrilateral, by Square Measure). -The two-year-old form will probably crystallise after the Eandwick meeting at Easter, but at present Sir John and Arachrie seem to be pre-eminentr Foursome, the. rank outsider who won the Newmarket Handicap in a decisive manner, l is a bay gelding by Two from Ethie, by Juggler from Quoin, by Pistol from Limber, by Light Artillery from imported Tyropean, : by Vespasian from imported La Naine, by West. Australian. He has no than four strains of Musket. La Naine belonged to the almost Unknown No. 29 family, which 1 has . not produced a classio winner in England since 1829. There are two branches in Australia, those of Lady Emily and La' Naine. The latter produced Jericho (Adelaide St. Ldger.and Cup), Tyropean (Newmarket and Cetigne. the best of the family, winner of the A.J.C. Derby and victor of Woolaroi,' Estland and Desert Gold in the Craven Plate. There are a few representatives of both branches in New Zealand, recent winning descendants being Papatu, Helium and Easter Time.