DRAINING ST. SIMON.

NZ Truth, Issue 578, 15 July 1916, Page 9

DRAINING ST. SIMON.

A prominent English " writer says that it has been made apparent m the last few seasons that the high tide of St. Simon's fortunes has been reached, and that the ebb has now set m. This statement m no way derogates from St. Simon's reputation as one of the greatest stallions of all time, but it simply acknowledges the natural and Inevitable process by which nature after a while declines to ■perpetuate too much of a good thing. After- a. period, of comparative quiescence -we .may probably find St. Simon surging- up to the top again, but for the, present the Stockwell line is m the ascendant, jand mainly through Bend Or* > The position of Polymelus m England is b very strong one indeed, for during- tho past two seasons he has t>een almost . out by himself among winning stallions, and his two-year-olds look like t inaintaining his supremacy this year. Then Woorwlnder, son of Martagon, has done great things on the Continent, while Martian, another Martagon horse, is the. leading stallion m New Zealand. There ..are ■also descendants of Ormonde rapidly coming to the front, Orby, sire of Flash of Steel, being specially notable among these, and m this connection may be mentioned Adani Bede, whom breeders are apt to, neglect on account of the thoughtles/ objection that he>was bred m the United States. H& was bred there, it Is true, and so was Tracery, but neither horse has a single touch of native American blood m him. Adam Bede is by Adam <son of Flying Fox) out of Grace Gumberts, by Sainfoin, her Slam, Maid of Mentmore, by Cameliard (son of Cremorne) out of Corisande (winner of tho Cambridgeshire), by King Tom out of Maybloom, by Newminster out of lady Hawthorn. This is a splendid pedigree, and Adam Bede was a right good racehorse. He is a thoroughly typical StockweO, and should make a really great stallion. It must be remembered, however, that there are other lines of Stockwell besides that of Bend Or, Rock Sand, for Instance, being very much In evidence with such sons as Tracery, Rochester and Rock,. Flint. For the time being, however, Polymelus Is well m the lead, and he possesses the very great merit of siring stock considerably superior to himself. It is a thousand pities that his three-parts brother, Ercildoune, was exiled to Uruguay, lor m England he -would probably nave been as good a stallion as Mr. S. B. Joel's champion, Graf ton, who was not m the same street with these other two sons of Maid Marian (Polymelus and Ercildoune), and ' a roarer to boot, did wonders at thja. stud m Australia.