BREEDING TOPICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22108, 14 May 1935, Page 7

BREEDING TOPICS

THE FIGURE SYSTEM BRUCE LOWE'S THEORY A BRIEF EXPOSITION BY SPEARMINT Forty years have passed since C. Bruce Lowe set the racing world by the ears by the publication of his epoch-making work, "Breeding Racehorses bj the Figure System." The fierce controversy that arose has almost died away, and a new generation has arisen by whom the basic principles on which the system was founded are for the most part imperfectly known, and often completely misunderstood. It may not, therefore, be considered presumptuous to provide the racing enthusiast, and in some cases, be it said, even the owner and breeder of racehorses, with a brief explanation of how the figure guide camo into existence, how it is applied, and the import of the technical references to the system so often used by sporting writers; in the hope also that those who already have a working knowledge of the system will not lose anything by a re-state-ment of a thesis which has had such a momentous influence on the breeding world. I'he question as to the practical value to breeders of Brace Lowe's theories, and the validity of many of his inferences, ia Btill the subject of a great divergency of opinion among breeding authorities. To traverse such controversial subjects would not be possible within the scope of this article. Be this as it may, no one has ever deniod its immense value as a classification, in a form which can easily be remembered, of those families which have been successful in producing great racehorses in the past, and may confidently bo expected to do so in the future If the system had done no more than this it would have justified its original promulgation and continued use. Importance o! Female Bruce Lowe's work was first published in 1895. It represented the result of upwards of thirty years of close labour and research Unfortunately he did not live to see its publication, and it was upon the late \V Allison (special commissioner of the Sporting Life) that the duty devolved of completing the work and presenting it to the public Bruce Lowe had for many years been struck by the fact that whereas the majority of English writers on pedigree placed enormous importance on the descent of the individual in tail-male, i.e., from Eclipse. Herod or Matchem, or from the various branches of these three male lines, very few writers had taken up the posi tion that it was equally necessary to trace the female lines to their "tap-roots"; and the question of female descent was left in a welter of confusion, from which certain landmarks such as Beeswing. Queen Mary, Pocohontas and Alice Hawthorn stood out as milestones to guide the groping student on his way Bruce Lowe realised that "while admitting the important part which a siro plays in the creation of a racehorse, it will be conceded generally that the dam exercises a greater influence upon his consti tution and temj.r" m other words breeders have always realised the enormous value of a winning female lino, and that the influence ot a great brood mare cannot be calculated by the mere qunrterings of a pedigree The taek which Bruce Lowe set himself was therefore, that of identifying the winning female lines, and classifying them in such a manner that they could be readily recognised without recourse to the clumsy and ineffectual expedients which had been in vogue prior to his day. Back to the Tap-Root Recognising tha' r,nj standard to be effective must be *• high one. Bruce Lowe selected as tb- Oasis foi his researches the thren principal classic three-year-old races, the Derby. Oaks and St Leger. He traced the winners of events back in female line tc the original mares in Vol I of the General Stud Book, and proceeded to classify them from the results obtained The mare whose descendants won the largest "umbe o' these races became No 1, the next in order No 2, and so on. When the Stud Book was first compiled it contained about a hundred original mares, or tap-roots, -ind of these about fifty are represented by horses running to*day Bruce Lowe found that only thirty-four of these were represented by winners of the three classir races mentioned, and numbered them accordingly. Other important winners traced tc marer in tho Stud Book that had not produce rf classic winner in Flnglnnd. and these were numbered from 35 to 43 Subsequent additions have brought the number ur t<; 50 • The impor'.-int point to be grasped by those not fam.'.iar with the system is that the individual always takes his family numbei from his dam. and not from his sire. She like wise takes her number from her dam. and bo on in unbroken succession up to the original taproot. To take a conciete example: Phur Lap belongs to the No 2 family, heing by Night Raid of the No. 1 family from En treaty of the No 2 family. His extended pedigree would read:—Phar Lap (2). by Night Raid (1) Entreaty (2\. by Winki. (I) Prayer Wheel '2), bv Pilgrim's Pro gress (1) —Catherine Wheel (2). by Maxim (12) Misb Kate (2), by Adventurer (12i In practice, when the individual's family number is given it is omitted nfter oncn ol his female ancestors, as it must obvioiisly be the same in each case. Conversely. wh»n the family number is given at nny stage in the female descent it is unnecessary to repeat it Running and Sire Lines On analysing his results Bruce Lowe founrl that considerably more than half of th« races in question had been won by members of the first fi• families, and he therefore designated these the "tunning families." He t h°n made a careful analysis cf the breeding of the successful sires of the past, tracinu' them tc their taproot mares, and came to the conclusion that every great stallion since and including the famous Eclipse, came either direct from Nos. 3, 8. 11. 12 or 14. ot his sire or dam's sire came from one ol these families. These were therefore labelled "sire families.' He also emphasised the nil round excellence of the No 3 family, which had the dual characteristics of the runninu and sire blood The remaining families wen called "outside families." Much time has passed since Bruce Lowe t book was published, but. so fur as his main contentions were concerned, their implica tions still appear to hold good Other writer* have prepared similar tables, including th< winners of the Two Thousand and On' Thousand Guineas, ind the importnn' weight-for-age races and long-distance cups and the order of merit of tho various families has remained practically unchanged Nothing is more certain than if the figures for the five classics were brought up to dati the No 1 family would still bo weli in the lead. Nos 2 and 3 would be practically level in second place and Nos 4 and 5 would he well ahead oj the others, which would follow in substantially their original order Minot fluctuations in the outside families, such as the recent successes of Nos. 10. 19 and 22. and the decadence of Nos. 15. 17 and 18 were hound to occur but there were anticipated by Bruce Lowe in his work and provide.) for Application to New Zealand Ihe position wtth regard to the sire families, in the light of recent results, is much more complicated. It is possible thai if Bruce Lowe had been able to forsee the recent successes of sires from Nos 1, 2 and 16 families, and the decadence (as sire families) of Nob. H, II and 12. he might have modified his views on this branch ol his subject. However, the whole question ct sue families is beset with difficulties, and it is impossible to pursue it further hore. A word requires to bo added will) reference to the application of the figure system to New Zealand breeding Apart from then being a large number of colonial taproots mostly from purebred imported mares whose pedigrees were lost it must always be re membered that the remainder of our race horses trace t'i a strictly limited number ol imported mareß, and that the proportion of winners traceable to each family must therefore, depend on the number ol mareo from such family that have been avnilabli for the services of breeders. For example, comparatively few No 1 mares have b°en imported to New Zealand and the family does not, therefore, hold the dominant posi tion which it docs in England, but most ot the mares ot this family that have been imported have done extremely well, as would be expected.On the other hand, many of the outsid** families have attained a prominence in New Zealand which is in striking contrast to then entirely subordinate status in th» Old Conn try This is entirely duo to the excellence find prepotency of a number of extremely goo.l individuals, imported to the colonies in the early days, when competition from represen tatives of the best running families wue practically unknown Examples of this or< Juliet, of the N; 13 family. Mermaid (14) idalia ind Gulnare (171 and Manto and Pulchra (IB) In spite ol this, the No i family has hud far and away tho greatest number of winners in New Zealand in recent veais. and the reninrkoble recent successes -;f, the No 1 family in Australia, where it hip had fair representation, makes it clear tha';, other things being Q qual. this family ■an be relied upon to come to the lop

HORSES FROM AUSTRALIA

RETURN OF KING MARCH The racehorse Kihr March. who ha§ been in Australia since early in the year, re turned to Auckland by the Monowai vea ferday A ye>irline by Stlvius from La Chatiteuse purchased at the Sydney yearlinc Rales by Mr. A. H Long, of North Auck land, also arrived and has gone into the charse of R. 8. Baeby at Ellerelio