BREEDING NOTES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22010, 17 January 1935, Page 7

BREEDING NOTES

NOTABLE CUP WINNERS MELBOURNE AND NEW ZEALAND RECORD OF AFTER CAREERS BY SPEARMINT What is the future of the winners of our big two-miles handicaps? Do they go on from strength to strength, adding further laurels to their crown ? Docs the effort take so much out of them that they retire from the turf after another, race or two? Do they continue to win good races occasionally, though never again showing quite as good form as in the past? Or do they go on racing for years, gradually sinking into mediocrity and ending in obscurity?

The answer to these questions is bound up in another one: What is the peculiar Quality of constitution with which some horses are endowed, variously known as stamina or staying power, which enables them to run long distances at a fast pace with heavy weights, which other horses, equally brilliant and equally good weightcarriers. so notoriously lack?. The question is one which has puzzled experts fpr generations, and it is not my purpose to attempt to answer it here. One point must, however, be borne in mind. In tho old days long-distance races were run at u pace which is now comfortably accomplished by our hurdlers, and were merely a test of endurance; but to-day, in order to win a long-distance handicap of any importance, a horse must be able to both sty and go fast, with the result that a new type has been evolved. Trivalve and Mollison

Instances of really great horses being ruined by being ruced beyond their best distance are comparatively \commou, and in recent years the cases of Trivalve and Mollison most readily come to mind. The former brilliantly won the A.J.C. Derby, V.K.C. Derby and Melbourne* Cup. He then beat a weak field in the V.R.C. St. Leger,- and, going on to Randwick, finished last, half a furious behind Winalot and Jocelyn, in the A.J.C. St. Leger, and was beaten into second place by the moderate stayer Valainita in the two-miles Cumberland Plate. He then went on to Adelaide and was beaten into third place behind Burnaby and Some Quality in the Adelaide St. Leger, This was his last race.

Trivalve was bred to stay on his sire's side, but it is probable that after his Melbourne Cup victory The Welkin blood in him itself, with the result that he found the effort he had made too much for him. In the case of Mollison there is no doubt that, this horse wao one of the greatest milsra ever seen in Australia until he was trained for and failed to win the A.J.C. Derby (won by Prince Humphrey). Mollison, after a rest, won the Caulfield Futurity in brilliant style, beating Gothic, and a few days later he dead-heated with Gothic at weight-for-age over one mile. He then beat Limerick in Sydney at a mile, but next season he was easily beaten by Limerick in his opening race over a mile at Warwick Farm. After this he had only one win, the Chelmsford Slakes, but was never the same horse again and died at the end of the follo'viag season, Melbourne Cup Winners It is universally recognised thnt the Melbourne Cup is the greatest test of real stenvna in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is inteiesting to look at the subsequent records of horses that have won this great race. During the last 29 years tho only Melbourne Clip winners who won five or more races after being successful in that event were: Phar Lap, 15 out of 17 starts; Susanof, 13; Niglitmarch, ]1 out of o7 starts; Peter Pan. 10; Artilleryman, 6; and Patrobas, Windbag and Hall Mark, 5 each. The others fared variously, from indifferent success to ifliik and unmitigated failures. Nightwatch 'won three races and then went to India; Trival'je won three. King Ingoda and Spearfelt two each; Posinntus did a Jot of racing, but only won once; Westcourt and White Nose won once eacn: Poitrel ran twice for a dead-heat for first; Bitalli ran a third ar.d died shortly afterwards; Sister Olive started 24 times without another win: while Backwood and Statesman also failed to win another race. The reasons for these failures may be various. No doubt many of these horses were not .iiiite up to weight-for-age form and got so much weight in handicaps that they had passed their best bpfore they got down in the scale of weights; but there can be little doubt that many of them were riot true stayers and the effort cf (he preparation for the race and the race itself exhausted (heir vitality to such an extent 'h.at they never recovered. . , Lesson of Auckland Cup The record of the winners of the Auckland Cup since 1920 is equally interesting. Briefly it is as follows: < 19'20.—Starland: Won Takapuna Cup. two steeplechases and llir<>e hurdle races. 1921. —Malaga: Started twice; no wins. 1922.—Scion: Thirty starts for one win. Admiral's Cup at W.lt.C.. Complimentary Meeting, five starters, receiving 16lb. from topweight, Merry Day. 1923. —Muraahi (dead-heat with To Kara): Won Egmont Cup, Wanganui Earle Stakes, A.R.C. Handicap, Wanganui Cup and Waikafo Hamilton Handicap.

1023-24. —Te Kara: Won seven races, including A.R.C. Autumn Handicap, W.R.C. Champion Plate, Avondale Cup and Brisbane Cup (9.10). 1925.—Rapine: Won Trentham Gold Cup, Awapuni Gold Cup, Canterbury Cup. G. G. Stead Cup. A.R.C. Summer Cup. Hawke's Bay Cup, Wanganui Cup and N.S.W. Canterbury Cup. 192G—Tanadees: No wins. 1927—Rapier: Won A.R.C. ClifTord Plate. W.R.C. Hnrcourt Cup, Trentham Gold Cup. Awapuni Gold Cup. . 1928. —Corinax: Won four races, including A.R.C. Grandstand Handicap. 1929. —Concentrate: Won four races, including Wellington Cup and C-J-C----po'.itan Handicap; wag second m tne A J.C. Metropolitan and third in Melbourne Cup (broke down). -n i. 1930. —Motere: Did not win a race, iiest performance eecond in a high-weight at Hamilton. 1931. —Admiral Drake: r-o wins in 10 starts; second to Johnnie Jason in Sidney —Fast Passaec: Never raced. 1933.—Minerval: No wins. 1934—G01d Trail: One start, pnplaced. New Zealand Cup Winners

This is reputed to be a harder race to win than the Auckland Cup, and if so, should bo won by horses of a better class, but their subsequent performances are hardly as good. Here they are:— . . 1320. —Oratiess: No wins in five starts 1921. —Royal Star: Started 41 times for one win, tho Second Hurdle Handicap at Ashburton. • 1922.—Scion: Auckland Cup and see above. 1923—Rouen: No wins; one start, Canterbury Cup, unplaced. . 1924—Sunart: No wins m 10 starts. 1925—Th0 Banker: Won Canterbury Cup; then went to Australia and won Balaclava Stakes, V.A.T.C. Herbert Power Stakes an<l VR C Handicap, and was second to Manfred'in the Caulfield Cup. third to Manfred and Royal Charter in the Caulfield Stakes. t'«nd third to Manfred and Pantheon in the Melbourne Stakes. 1926. —Count Cavour: Won Clifford Plate. Trentham Gold Cup and A-R-C. Handicap. 1927.— Rapier: Auckland Cup and see Oratrix: One*win. Canterbury Park Handicap. „ „ n 1309 Chide: Won Canterbury Cup. I*. b. Stead Cup, A.J.C. Chipping Norton Stakes, Roscbili Dundas Handicap. Rosenill Handicap, Rosehill Club Handicap and A.J.C. Dangar Handicap. His loss of form in Austraiia seems to be a typical example or Ino deleterious effects produced by over-exertion in his brilliant soring campaign of 192). When he won the G. G. Stead Cup Chide was practically finished with as a raee°l93o. Nightmarch: Won Canterbury Cup, Clifford Plate. Trentham Gold Cup. Awapuni Gold Cup. A.J.C. Autumn Stakes r.nd Cumberland Stakes. His record after ■winning the Melbourne Cup of 1929 is noted Spcnrful: Two wins, Mnnawalu President's Handicap and Mnnawatu Cup. 1932.—Fast Passage: Won Auckland Cup. ]933 —Palantua: No wins, second in Canterbury Cup, three times unplaced and retired to tbe stud. _ 1934 —Slceton : No wins bo far. General Conclusions

It is obvious that these races can bo won bv all sorts of horses, good, bad and indifferent, but in the great majority of canes i' tulfs a horse of fairly good clan? to win. Where such ft horse is n genuine stayer, i.e., where 110 has inherited, preferably from bo-h aides of his pedigree, together with bis sliced a sufficient amount of etamina to enable him to run out- the full distance in fast time, and to pull out a, little hit of extra pace at the end, the chances are that the effort will leave no after-affects and he will go on winning good races as long us lie remains sound. , . 'Unsoundness, training troubles, or other complications may intervene and cut short his career. No greater stayer than Poitrel over raced in Australia, but he succeeded in making only one dead-heat after his sensational win in the Melbourne Cup with lOst. However, it- is, I think, fair to assume, when a horse, nfter winning one of the great handicaps of the year, fades into oh«urity, that he was mediocre and was lucky to win. or that lie was a good horse racing beyond his best distance and that the consequent effort sapped his vitality to eueh an extent as to leave him no reserves for the future. It is rash to assume that every winner of a two-miles handicap is a true stayer.