HERMIA DIES OF OLD AGE.

Otaki Mail, 5 July 1933, Page 2

HERMIA DIES OF OLD AGE.

AN OLD FAVOURITE IN PRE-WAR RACING. Ouo of tlie best known raecliorses in her day, Hernia, diod on the McDonald estate at Kawiu Road last Friday. Her racing career will be remembered by many for its consistency. She won sixteen races in all and wae rarely unplaced.

She was bred by Mr J. D. Ormond, being by Birkenhead from Nixie, a mare that ran Conqueror tc a head when he broke the Australasian 4-fur-long record. Nixie died when Hermia was only six weeks old and she was left to fend for herself. As a result she bore a very ragged appearance when submitted to auction at the yearling sales and she eventually passed into the hands of the late Mr Rod McDonald for 30 guineas. She was a great favourite with Mr McDonald, who trained her himself right throughout her racing career, eventually retiring with quite a creditable record. She met many brilliant performers of the earlier days and she beat such good ones as Lord Soult, Penates, Gladiole, Boanerges, Culprit, Bliss, Naumai, Gipsy Bell, Sun Burnt, Sun Bonnet and others. As a stud matron Hermia was not a great success, though what was considered her two best foals died through accidents. She did not have many foals and of those that raced Iloromea was perhaps the best, winning several good flat races and proved successful as a hurdler. Ziraieet, another of her progeny, was smart and won several pony events in Australia. Hermia was in her 29th year when she died.