NOTES BY PHAETON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21966, 24 November 1934, Page 11

NOTES BY PHAETON

THE KING'S HORSES STABLE STILL OUT OF LUCK NOTABLE PAST SUCCESSES Another flat-racing season in England is drawing to a close and or.ee again without a single notable triuraph being recorded for a horse carrying the colours of His Majesty the King. The Royal stud is probably not as strong now as at previous periods, but that will not stand in the way of a widespread wish that it niay. yet produce another horse up to the standard of Persimmon.

In 18% Persimmon won the Derby and St. Leger in the nomination of the Prince of Wales, and four . years later Diamond Jubilee, also rr.-ed by him, won " tho triple crown," Two Thousand Guineas. Derby and St. Leger. Then in 1909 Minoru scored for King Edward VII. in the Two :Thousand Guineas and Derby. In 1928 Scuttle won for King George the One Thousund Guineas, which is confined to three-year-old fillies. FRANCE'S CHAMPION COLT • RIVAL FOR WINDSOR LAD The prowess of the French-bred and owned colt Brantome is so warmly acclaimed as to' invest his career at four years* old. with special interest, for he ir even voted superior to the.-English-owned colt WindsorLad, winner of this year's Derby and St. Legon The Ascot Gold Cup. which is run at weight-for-age over two miles and and which is regarded as the supreme test, of staying capacity, is likely to bring about a meeting between Brantome and Windsor Lad next year. Both colts are the progeny of the English-bred sire Blahdford. THE WILLIAMSTOWN CUP GOTHIC GEM'S -VICTORY • Leading off "with a braca of successes at four years old this season. Gothic Gem was' considered likely to perform prominently in later important events! He failed to gain" a' place in r the Caulfield Cup with the handy -impost of 7.2, but last Saturday won the Williamstown Cup in decisive style. As !the winner's portion of the stake was £2200 ;apd a trophy of tho value of £IOO. Gothic Gem has made a handsome return for the 600 guineas expended in his purchase as a yearling in the autumn of 1932. ''' Gothic Gem's victory revives recollections of his eire, Gotjiic, who proved a gold mine for the Melbourne sportsman Mr. Sol Green. In the autumn of 1924 Mr. Green -gave a commission to Mr. Clarence Hailev to buy four yearling colts on his account 'at the bloodstock sales in England. Tho collection cost 6000 guineas.' The bay colt by Tracery—Sundrilla, known subseijuentlv under, thenname of Gothic, proved a firstrater up fo a. mile and a-quarter,, and he captured prize-money to the amount of £20,427. Gothic had a comparatively brief career at • the stud, but. as he was insured for £7OOO .when he died. Mr. Green did not suffer a.totijl loss. ; \ -= , i . STUD ITEMS PROGENY OF GREAT MARES The age at which brood .mares produce their most noteworthy offspring forms a subject that always interests't}io»e who pay homage to the Stiid Book, Alwiha, dam of Peter" Pan, and HwrowiAkie,' dam of Hall Mark, recent winnM# of thd Melbourne Cup. ,were foaled at an interval of a year, and leach was six years old when ehe produced 'the colt that brought her fame. [' The following table; compiled from official data, shows the sear oL _ birth of some noted mares and also, the year in which they produced the foal that won most prominence:— Mare ' Progeny Mersey .. 1874 Carbine ' lSaS* First Lady .. 1865 Grand Flaneur 1877 Idalia .. 1870 Sir Modred . . ,1877* Frailty .. 1877 Trenton .. 1881* - My Idea ~ 1872 Nelson .. 1880 Nelly M00re.1872 Lochiei .. 1882* Sylvia .. 1864 Geldsbrough.. 1870 Insomnia 1889 Wakeful • ■ 1896 Aurarius •• 1905 Desert' Gold.. 1912 Otterden .. 1896 Martian . . 1891* Laurel .. 1879 Advance .. 1896* Forme .. 1891 Cruciform .. 1898* Simper .. 1912 Gold Light.. 1919" Melodious .. 1882 Wallace . - 13a'2 Stepdancer .. 1899 Warstep • . 1913* Couronne . . 1906 Carlita . • 1911 Tragedy Queen 1900 Comedy King 1907 Bob Cherry.. 1910 Eurythmic .. 1916 Poinard .. 1906 Poitrel .. 1914 Light . . 1907 Gloaming .. 1915 Medley . . 1911 Limerick .. 19'<23* Pineta .. 1914 Rapine .. 1919* Charleville .. 1911 Windbag . .. 1923 Lady Champion 1910 Spearfelt .. 1921 Chersonese .. 1915 Heroic .. 1921 ! Loved One .. 1911 Amounis .. 1922 Marsa .. 1911 Nightmarch. . 1925* Myeotis .. 1919 Chatham . . 1928 Entreaty .'. 1920 Phar Lop .. 1926* Alwina .. 1923 Peter Pan .. 1929 Herowinkie .. 1924 B a H Mark 1930 Speargilla . . 1917 Rogilla ~. 1927, *Bred in New Zealand. AMERICAN BLOODSTOCK In spite of the deeds of 'twenty Grand. Equipose, Cavalcade and several other notable performers, " Salvator, a leading writer on bloodstock in America, sounds a somewhat doleful note in regard to the standard of racehorses in the United States. Writing in Thoroughbred Record, he says A well-known writer aome years ago. with a vein for sarcasm, delivered himself of the ipse dixit that more money and less brains have gone to the breeding of thoroughbred* in America in the twentieth century than anywhere else in the world. That may or may not be true. A colossal amount of money has been spent in the laudable ambition of tho improvement of the breed of horses, in spite of which the said breed has not been improving. Indeed, if the verdicts of some of the best critics and judges we liave are worth notice, it has been going back. Never in my time have the rank and f?le of American thoroughbreds been such low-class animals, horße for horse, as at present. The presence, here and there, among the - liorues in commission, of some lonely and splendid performer does not invalidate that assertion. On tho other hand, it emphasises its implications. And it .& difficult to eee, with the aid of the microscope, a telescope, or a Diogenes lantern, any great hope for betterment in the near future, or ever. ; ; HIGHLY-BRED FILLY .Alinura, who has the record of winning the Adelaide Guineas, Port Adelaide Guineas, South Australian Derby and the V.R.C. Oaks, can boast a high-class pedigree, and,* with double strains respectively of St. Simon and Musket through very notable channels, it is in every wuy appropriate that she should display the racinc duality to a high degree. The leading lines in her pedigree are as follows: Sire: King of Mirth, by Comedy King, son of ,'P«rsimmOn and grandson of St. '! Simon, from Little Joan, by Pistol, son of. Carbine, from Auraria, by Trenton, j son of Musket. ' ' ' ' Dam: Mcnura, byLanius, son of Llangibby and grandson of ' W ilcl * ow ' er '. ' froTrl i Clarissa, by Cicero, son of Cyllenf. from Loveite, by St. Frusciuin, si?n f of 3t. Bitnon. - PROGENY OF TRACERY Three horses "by the American-bred sire Tracery, namely, Pantheon. Gothic and El Cacique, have been represented by notanlo „winners in Australia thia season. Pantheon is responsible for Peter Pan, Gothic for Gem and El Cacique for Silver King.