HIGH PRICES PAID

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22792, 28 July 1937, Page 11

HIGH PRICES PAID

COLT SOLI) FOR £45,000 ANOTHER HORSE FOR FRANCE SOME OTf-fa NOTABLE SALES BY PIIAETON The purchase of the Italian colt Donatello 11. for £-15,000, announced by cable from Paris, places another colt on the list of high-priced horses. He was sired by Blenheim (son of Blandford), who won the Derby in 1930, and the fact of Blenheim having sired a Derby winner, Mahmoud, in his first season and that lie was sold last year to an American syndicate for a sum in the region of £50,000, add interest to the situation.

Jn the decision of the Grand Prix de Paris Donatello 11. ran the wio.ncj, Clairvoyant, to" half a length. Mr. F.dmond Esmond, who bought Donatello 11., is a resident of France, in which country, he has a large breeding establishment. In 1925 he came into prominence in England when he outstayed his rivals in competition lor possession of the 1 brood maro Straightlace by making the final bid 17,000 guineas. Four years ago his colours were carried to victory in the Ascot Gold Cup by Foxliuuter, and he is a well-known figure on the English side of the Channel:' The . sale of a racehorse at- high figures is always invested with wide interest, no matter in which quarter of the globe it is recorded, and an opportunity is thus presented of relating facts bearing on some previous transactions. Sensation ol 70 Years Ago The Marquis of Hastings' purchase of the three-year-old Kangaroo for £12,000 created a big sensation in the sixties and the horse, .who proved a disappointment, formed the subject of much writing, based on a supposition that tho Marquis had been victimised. In the early years of the present century Sceptre, by Persimmon —Ornament, and Duke of Westminster, by Orme —Gantlet, who bad raced successfully at two years old, were on offer each at £21,000. Acting on the advice of his trainer, John Porter, a loader in his profession, Mr. Faber bought Duke of Westminster at the figure named, and Sceptre was left on Mr. R. S. Sievier's hands. Duke of Westminster managed to win only ono race at three years old. Sceptre scored victories in the One Thousand Guineas, Two Thousand Guineas, Oaks and St. Leger. Her winnings in prize-money at that stage amounted to £23,195, which she increased to £38.280, to be sold at - four years for £25,000. After Prince Palatine won the Ascot Gold Cup in 1913 he was bought by Mr. J. B. .Joel for £45,000, with a proviso that if he suffered defeat before delivery the sum to be paid would lie £40,000. Prince Palatine was defeated in the Goodwood Cup and. the proviso attached to the sale note operated. A Pronounced Failure

At the dispersal sale of Sir Edward lJniton's horses in l'J22 Oojah, a three-year-old son of Bachelor's Double, nave rise to very spirited bidding. The brothers S. B. and J. B. Joel, who were among the keenest; men engaged in racing, were principally responsible lor shaping the bidding .for Oojah, and with the concluding bid, 13,500 guineas, they secured the colt. Oojah failed pronouncedly to race up to his high breeding and lie was subsequently retold for 310 guineas Call Boy, .who won the Derby in 1927, was. iu the following month placed in the market for sale owing to s the death" of tl(e owner, Mr. F. CurzOn. At t,hat stage the riile in force in England rendered nominations void on the death of the owner. Call 13oy was relegated to the stud in the year following his victory in the Derby. The year 1 ( J.'34 saw two colts, Easton and Windsor Lad, purchased at high figures. Easton, who had run second to Colombo in the Two Thousand Guineas and who was considered to have good prospects for the Derby, was bought by Lord Woolavington for 10,000 guineas. Ho'ran well, but had to surrender to Windsor Lad! - ! Purchase of Windsor Lad A few' weeks after the running of the Derby Windsor' Lad, who had carried the colours of the Maharajah of Rajpipla to victory, was bought by Mr: M. H. Benson for £50,000. He won the St. Leger and several other valuable races for his new owner, the prize-money attached to which was estimated at £25,252, and when sent to the stud at five years old the fee - fixed was • 400 guineas. .In two cases it" : is stated that £IOO,OOO has been offered, and .refused, for colts in England.'A Russian sports-' man made overtures" at the sum named for the piirfchase of The TeCrarchi, who •had an unbeaten record, at two years oldj. but. Mr. H- 'MeCalmont. declined to sell the grev colt. As. The Tetrarch d*d ; not, race 1 after ;tw6 years bid, the Russian had every 'reason to rejoice that his offer whs not accepted. The Aga Khan tentatively offered Sir John Rutherford £IOO,OOO .for Solario, : but without success." }•; , , '

STUD NOTES STALLIQN DEPUTY RULER •r The New liorse" DeprVt.V Ruler, by Chief " Ruler —Duchess Eudorus, who wiis sold for 2000 guineas "a short time -after • running second to Hall-Mark in the A.J.C. Derby of 1935 and who was quitted at a Sydney miction iii March.■ 19.'5G, for tho small sum of 170 guineas, was relegated to the stud last, season -in New South Wales. At tlio Royal Show held in Sydney la«fc autumn he was awarded the champion ribbon. Back on the racetrack, the chestnut horse managed to win a Welter Handicap at Rosebcry Park last Saturday. He is again entered on the list, of sires for the coming season. A photograph which recently appeared in a Sydney publication showed Deputy Ruler to liiue furnished into a liorse of very attractive physique. DOMINION-BRED COLT The two-vear-old'Chandra, who recently won a eovcn-furlong race at Adelaide in attractive style, has a dash of Carbine blood, his grand-dam, Piuela. being a daughter of Spearmint. STOCK OF SON-IN-LAW Prize-money at the Royal Ascot meeting aggregated £81,645 for the four days, a record figure, the previous peak total being £79,850 in 1931. Added money this veiir amounted to £16,700. Owners of winners received £69,273, second horses divided £8245 and thirds, £4177. The. most valuable race, the Gold Cup, was worth £7700 to Lady Zia Wernher, owner of Precipitation. . That grand horse, Son-in-law, took tho honours .at Ascot as the sire and grandsire of winners. His sons, Valerian and Suzerain netted £5400, his grandsons Ramtapa and Azam Pasha, sons_ of Rnstom Pasha, added £5050 and the two sons.'of Fox law, namely Cold Scent and Fearless Fox, contributed £4740, the total credited to Son-in-law thus being £15,190. Including place-money, the amount was £17,890. Immediately after the Ascot meeting, it was anounced that the Aga Khan had sold Rustom Pasha, who had been at the stud in France, to go. to Argentina,