THE MUSKET LINE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22372, 19 March 1936, Page 9

THE MUSKET LINE

CARBINE'S BEST SON A SUPER DERBY WINNER PRESENT-DAY DESCENDANTS BY SPEARMINT Wo have now followed the fortunes of Musket from Lis great performances 011 the tuff in England, through his wonderful-stud career in New Zealand, which culminated in Carbine, the greatest of his sons. For a timo his line was worthily carried on in Australia and New Zealand by Wallace, Hotchkiss, Stepniak, Multiform and their descendants, but the best of his sons were exported and it is now necessary to follow the career of Carbine at the stud in the land from which his great parent originated.

Carbine was sold to the Duke of Portland for £13,000. His list was filled for three years at £2OO before lie arrived in England. Unfortunately he did not siro anything of note from his owner's mares, but his purchase was more than justified by his great son Spearmint, whose life history furnishes one of the most engrossing stories in the annals of the turf. Carbine's first important winner was Fowling Piece, who won the Newmarket Stakes in 1902. Many years later he sired also the Ascot Gold Cup winner Bombah. In between these came Spearmint, and the.se three represent his successes at the stud in England. However, Spearmint was one of the greatest horses of the century and it is mainly through his sons and daughters that tho line of Musket flourishes in tho world to-day. A Worthy Substituto

One bleak morning in the early spring of 1902 Sir Tatton Sykes visit#d Wei beck, and, after going the rounds, inquired if there was a good mare that could be bought. Inquiries led him round to the young mare Maid of the Mint, who was in foal to Carbine, and he finally bought her for £ISOO, which was to be increased to £2OOO if tho foal proved to be a colt. The mare was a daughter of tho famous Minting, rival of Ormonde and Bendigo, and winner of tho Grand Prix de Paris, but unaccountably a failure at the stud. In duo course the mare produced a colt foal, who came up at the Doncaster yearling sales, and was bought by Major Eustace Loder for 300 guineas. The nine Sledmere yearlings that year made an average of 1190 guineas, and the Maid of the Mint colt, who was later named Spearmint, was tho cheapest of the bunch. As a two-year-old Spearmint was attacked by a serious illness, which incapacitated him for some time, but by July ho was fit to run and won his first race, the Great F oa ' Plate, at Lingfield. Ho followed this by running second in the Champion Breeders' Foal Stakes at Derby, and was unplaced in <1 Nursery Handicap at Newmarket. There were his only performances, when, toward the end of May the next year, he suddenly became a prominent candidate for the Darby.

Seldom, if ever before in the history of tho great race, has a stable been in the fortunate position of producing a substitute capable of winning the event when sheltering a presumed certainty, who went wrong on the eve of the race. Such was the case with Gilpin's stable on this occasion. Sir Daniel Cooper's filly Flair had easily won the One Thousand Guineas and the Derby appeared to be at her mercy, when she met with an accident which brought her racing career to a premature conclusion. A substitute had to be found and the substitute was Spearmint. A Sensational Victory Spearmint was then being trained for the Grand Prix, a race which had been won by his maternal grandsire, Minting, and which no English horse had won in tho meantime. In the contretemps which arose it was decidod, on less than a fortnight's notice, to run Spearmint in the Derby. The stable then sheltered a champion, Pretty Polly, and in a trial which took place a week before the Derby Spearmint performed so well that, when tho eventful day came round, the practically unknown horse started second favourite lab 6 to 1, the favourite being Lally, who had won the Newmarket Stakes a fortnight before. However, the critics were still sceptical, for it seemed absurd to suppose that the stable sheltered a substitute capable of doing all that the favourite could do prior to her breakdown. Nevertheless, the miracle happened and Spearmint was never troubled to win tho Derby from one of the best all-round fields that has ever contested the event Ridden by the great jockey Danny Maher, who had previously won on Kock Sand and Cicero, Spearmint won by a length and a-half from Picton, with Troublieck two lengths away third. The i me Avas 2.36 1-5, which was the best for the race ever recorded up to that date. Spearmint Supreme

The Grand Piiz took place 11 days later, and so easily had Spearmint won tho Derby that it was decided to adhero to the original programme anil let him take his place in the field. Tho result was a veritable triumph and one that stamped the son of Carbine as one of the greatest horses ever seen on the turf. Shortly after the start Spearmint took the rails, and from then on tho race was one succession of sprints, with Spearmint always at the head of affaii-3, with the rest of the field challenging, ono taking it up as soon as tho other was beaten off. The best of his opponents was supposed to bo the French Derby winner, Maintenon, but Spearmint had him a helpless hulk aquarter of a mile from homo and he finished well back. Spearmint eventually won by half a length from Brisecoour, with the rest of the field hopelessly broken up. Tho son of Carbine was a super-horse on that day and his performanco lives in tho memory as equal to any of tho triumphs of his illustrious sire.

Unfortunately, tho race at Longehamp so jerred tho winner's legs that, ho was not able to run again. Ho had started only five times, for three wins and a second and had won £17,209 in stakes as a return for tho 300 guineas which ho cost as a yearling. He was retired to his owner's stud in Ireland, where he met with signal success. His brood mares have been particularly successful, among his progeny being the dams of My Dear, Comrade, Sir Gallahad 111., Hotweed, Brulette, Admiral Drake, Lancogayo and Colorado Kid. Ho also sired the St. Lcger winner Royal Lancer, but his fame as a sire will probably rest with his son Spion Kop and his grandson F els toad. Theso three constitute tfic only three consecutive generations of Derby winners with a living representative in tho world to-day. HAVERING GOES SOUTH TO JOIN JUMPERS THIS WINTER [ilY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] CIIRISTCHURCH, Wednesday Havering arrived to-day from the North Island. He is now the property of the Hons. G. W. Hunter and P. C. Webb, and will in future bo trained by A. E. Ellis, who intends to put him to hurdle racing during tho winter. During Ellis' absence in Australia, Havering will be in tho charge of A. S. Ellis, who will also look after Bun Tuck.