BREEDING NOTES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22400, 22 April 1936, Page 11

BREEDING NOTES

SILVER KING'S ANCESTRY ■ I ' DESCENDANTS OF WAIMEA PROLIFIC WINNING FAMILY BY SPEARMINT Many Australian breeders who stood by the ringside at the dispersal sale of Mr. J. J. Leahy's Ardsley Stud less than three months ago and saw the stallion Silverado passed in without eliciting a single bid must have viewed with mixed feelings tho brilliant victories of his son Silver Wing in the Cumberland Plato and A.J.C. Plate. Curiously enough, both bt'foro and after coming to New Zealand Silverado has been a stud failure in Australia and it is also noteworthy that his two great successes in this country, Silver Scorn and Silver lting, have come from the same female lino, namely, the Waimea branch of the family, founded over a century ago by Manto. The first thoroughbred mare imported to Australia was Manto, a daughter of the St. Lcger winner Soothsayer and an unnamed daughter of Herod's grandson Buzzard. She came from a branch of the No. 18 family, which is now, I believe, extinct excepting in Australia and New Zealand. Manto was foaled in 1822, and when two years old was served by Young Grasshopper, a grandson of Beningbrough. The result of this mating, the mare Cornelia, was foaled in 1825, the year of Manto's arrival in Australia. It is to Cornelia that all the descendants of Manto trace. In 1827 the famous Admiral Rons was stationed on the Australian coast and imported a beautifully-bred horse called Emigrant (generally known as Rous' Emigrant), lie was by Pioneer, a son of Whiskey and the great Prunella (1), from Ringtail, by Buzzard. When Cornelia was either two or three years old she was mated with Rous' Emigrant and produced the mare Flora Mclvor. This mare was very prolific and lived to a great age. In 1854 she was imported to New Zealand by the late Mr. Henry Redwood and here she had two filly foals, lo and Waimea, both by Mr. Redwood's stallion Sir Hercules. Many Classic Winners It is often said that the progeny of old mares are useless, but Flora Mclvor was cither 2(5 and 28, or 27 and 29 years, of age when she produced lo and Waimea respectively. lo went back to Australia and became the dam of another Flora McLvor, nvlio was in turn the dam of Frailty, the greatest brood mare ever seen in the Southern Hemisphere, and dam of Trenton, Niagara, Cuirassier, Cissy, Zalinski, Havoc and Siege Gun. Meantime tho original Flora Mclvor had founded another branch in Australia through her daughter Emily. An offshoot of this in New Zealand produced Oudeis, Disowned, The Poet, Vladimir, Euroclvdon, Sir Solo, Supremacy and Stretto. Mr. Redwood reaped a golden liarvest from the last progeny of the discarded old mare. She had 12 foals, and those included Manuka (C.J.C. Derby and Canterbury Cup), Totara (C.J.C. Welcome Stakes), Papapa (C.J.C. Derby), Puriri (C.J.C. Welcome Stakes), Ramarama (C.J.C. Welcome Stakes) and Wainui (C.J.C. Champagne Stakes). All these races were won in the colours of Mr. Redwood, and the first five, who were colts, all met with considerable success at the stud. Four daughters of Waimea were at the stud, Toitoi, llaupo, Wainui and Wai-iti. Toitoi was dam of the New Zealand Cup winner Kakapo, the Great Northern Derby winner Toi and the New Zealand Derby winner Hornby. Wai-iti was dam of the New Zealand Cup winner Fusilade and of Iris, dam of the Great Northern Foal Stakes winner Reflector, and of Bloodshot, a very fast horse, who won the Great Northern Foal Stakes, A.R.C. Royal Stakes, C.J.C. Middle Park Plate twice and Haivke's Bay Stakes. Tho progeny of Wainui were numerous, but undistinguished. A Stud Book Error When we come to consider the history 'of Raupo, the ancestress of Silver Ring, a touch of romance comes into tha story. On tho order for delivery of the filly by Diomedes from Waimea another filly by Diomedes from Phoebe was in error substituted,, and the mistake was not rectified for 40 years. Consequently, in the early volumes of tho Stud Book, tho progeny of Baupo are credited to the colonial taproot Woodstock. Fortunately tho necessary correction was ultimately made, otherwise Nightmarch, Silver Scorn, Silver Ring and all the other distinguished horses shortly to bo mentioned would havo befcn credited to a taproot which has only produced one winner of importance, Toxeuma, in tho last 50 years. The first foal of Raupo was Mata, by Dead Shot. Ho won the New Zealand Cup, was sent to Victoria, where he was disqualified, but was allowed to run in. South Australia and won tho Adelaide Birthday Cup. Most of Raupo's descendants to-day come through her daughter Martyr, by Daniel O'Rourke. One of Martyr's, daughters was St. Cecilia, tho fourth dam of Flood Tide. Another was Miss George, third dam of Marc Anthony. Tho two main branches, however, descend through Montmartre and Huguenot, both of whom were daughters of the Middle Park Stud siro Apremont. Montdread, a daughter of Dreadnought and Montmartre, was dam of tho A.R.C. Easter Handicap winner Mobility. Another daughter of Montmartre was Oriflamme, also by Dreadnought, who was tho dam of Lady Disdain. Tho latter was the dam of Bee, Snub, Reproachful and Contempt. Bee won the Wellington Cup and Snub the tho Canterbury Cup, while Reproachful became tho dam of tho Now Zealand Cup, Canterbury Cup and G. G. Stead Memorial Cup winner Chide. Contempt was tho dam of Silver Scorn, ono of the greatest race marcs of recent years and a daughter of Silverardo, the siro of Silver Ring. Good Staying Blood

Huguenot belonged to the late Mr. J. F. Reid, and, liko most of the family, was very prolific and lived to a ripe old aye. In 18 ( J6 she produced Nantes, by Stepniak. Nantes lived until sho was 2G years of ago and produced 14 foals. Of these, Prim won the C.J.C. Metropolitan Handicap, Artillerio the Now Zealand Oaks and Nanna the A.R.C. Railway Handicap. A daughter of Nantes was Marsa, by Martian, dam of the great Nightmarch, winner of the Melbourne Cup, Now Zealand Derby, New Zealand Cup, A.J.C. Epsom Handicap and over £.'J2,000 in stakes. Another daughter was Spangle, dam of tho smart sprinter Diatomous.

In 1920, when Nantes was 24 years of age, sho produced her last foal, the filly Orange Blossom, by Nassau. The latter was a son of tho great stayer William tho Third and Stolen Love, b.v Buccaneer from True Love, by Sterling. Ho was very successful at tho stud and sired Ballymena, Tarleton, Surveyor, Starland and Historic. Of these, Ballymena and Starland, at least, inherited bis stout staying blood. Orange Blossom is the dam of Silver Ring, whose third foal he is. If surprise is expressed at Silver Ring winning over a distance of two and a-quarter miles, the wonderful array of staying blood possessed by his dam must be allowed to account for it, in part at least.