ENGLISH AND FOREIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 181, 6 August 1886, Page 24

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN.

In the early days of steeplechasing men ventured large sums on the ability of their horses to cross a country. Thus, about 1824 or 1825, there was a steeplechase match between Captain Horatio Ross and Lord Kennedy for £4000, over a course already named, from Barkby Holt to the Coplow. Captain Douglas rode for Lord Kennedy, Captain Ross rode his own horse, and won. The match was probably made over the dinner-table, as was the first steeplechase ou Burton Flat, since then the scene of so many encounters. The match in question was arranged at a dinner at the Old Club, Melton. Captain Ross expressed his willingness to back a really good mare he then had, called Polecat, against any animal in England at fourteen stone for £2000, he himself riding. Mr Gilmore, who was no gambler — indeed, hardly ever betted — offered to take up the challenge and run for the more moderate sum of £100. The match was accordingly made, Mr Gilmour naming Plunder, a horse he had already ridden in a match against Captain Ross, which had been described, though not quite accurately by Dick Christian in " Silk and Scarlet." On this occasion Messrs Maxse and Maher, who then lived at the Old Club, were asked to choose the line. The start was on the south side of the river Wreake, i.e. the opposite side to Melton, about half a mile short of Burbidge's covert; the finish was in a field close to Adcock's lodge, five miles on the Oakham Road. Field Nicholson, a steeplechasing farmer, rode for Mr Gilmonr — who was not able to get down to the weight — and won very easily.

An experienced writer in a Home paper has the following in the course of an article on breeding :— I have never been a believer in a good deal that has been brought forward about roaring being hereditary. Old well-tried stallions or mares that have been able to win races over three and four miles have been, in my opinion, quite exempt from such imputations, no matter what the reports have been about them after they have gone to the stud ; and whenever I have known that a two year old has been sound until strangles left him with a roaring propensity, I have not believed that the cause of the infirmity was hereditary. My opinion is that we cannot afford to damage our thoroughbred stock by even uncertain imputations. To nick this one out for being unsound in one particular, aud another ior that supposed complaint, there would be tremendous chances of leaving out tho best horses and whole strains of the most telling blood to be found in the " Stud Book " I can quite believe that this was Lord Falniouth's opinion when he bought the confirmed roarer Cantiniere, for over 3000 soys ; aud if he had not done so such animals as Bal Gal and Dutch Oven might have been lost to the world. It it is quite true that Bal Gal became a roarer, but 1 still maintain that tho high breeding that induced the due qualities she possessed had as much to do >vith it as any hereditary taint. Much more would have been lost if the owner of Pocahontas had dreaded to breed from her through being aware of her roaring infirmity ,as from that moderate Turf performer, full of thefinest blood that strained^ rom Sultan, Tramp, and Orville, we owe almost everything that h&s any merit in these days as a racehorse. The best horse of the hour, Ormonde, comes straight down from the famous daughter of Glencoe and Marpessa, and it would be no difficult task to fasten another roaring strain on the unbeaten Derby favourite, as the Agnes family, good as it is, comes under that terrible bau when Tibthorpe and others of the strain are spoken of. The Agnes tribe is just the one to take as an example of this sort, as I believe it to be the most valuable in the " Stud Book." It clings to any other strain to which it is attached, and where stoutness is seen to an excessive degree it can in these days be mostly traced to the Osbornes' Agnes. Yet for all this a good many roarers havo been found all along the line, and some will call it an hereditary taint. I do not, but would rather suggest that an excessive goodness belongs to the family, aud that its high and sensitive breeding may be a reason why it may be more subject than others to such a complaint as roaring. To put roaring on one side, however; what losses to the racing world there would havo been if breeders had strictly avoided diseases in all stages. Blindness is said to be hereditary, and yet Sweetmeat was blind for years ; bnfc there has never been any thought about the descendants of Sweetmeat being deficient in eyesight, and the only thingto deplore at the present moment is, that we may be without a Sweetmeat giro in direct male line before we are many years older. Poor old Newminster was so bad on his feet at last from fever as to be scarcely able to move from his box, though he got Lord Clifden after he was so stricken ; and Blair Athol was a similar victim for at least four years before he died, as was, also John Davis, aud good many others \

could name. Yet at the present tune what a iuss there is made about a country stallion if he is seen to have oddish feet, caused by exactly the sa Se complaint. Some of the best mares ever Shave been so deficient in the formation of fore leW as to have shortened their brilliant careers" Crucifix could only just complete her three-year-old engagements, as her fore legs we^e always doubtful; and the mare that I have thought the modern Cmci&x namely, Busybody did not look like having a long term nn the Turf when she was ruuning as a two-year-old, as her fore legs looked, to say the very Sof them, awkward. For all th.s, I should choose Bnsybooy before anything else in the •'Stud Book to become a second Beeswmgas an occupant of the paddock. I could frighten some people if I mentioned everything I know about certain brood mares, now justly considered th° most valuable of their time. Their owners have acted a wise parb in getting them into their possession, even if they did turn a;deat ear to all the reports about unsoundness, and the lurt would have lost a lot of its best winners if such mares had been discarded or overlooked. _ Breeders have to take a great many things into consideration when thinking of unsoundness In the first place of all, they cannot aftord to let the high qualities of great performers pass by upon any such doubts. The chances of any hereditary taints are very uncertain ami like will beget like is again no established fact. Thpv may avoid unsounduess as much as possible, but it is unwise to be too crotchetty on the point The degrees of unsoundness maybe looked upon from various points of view. The age when an animal develops it has to be noted It cannot be any sign of hereditary complaint when old animals go either m wind, eyes, or their feet, and proof could be given that both m stallions and mares some of the best of runners, and subseqtfent future winner producers have Some from &eh invalid veterans. Of course where a decided weakness may be expected from Tsire or mare the policy must be good to counteract it if possible by power and goodness in that particular quarter ; but there is no getting away from the fact that the best qualities of tea exist where infirmity may lurk, and to avoid a lesser Tvil one might lose prizes indeed. The remarks I have made in this paper are such as buyers and breeders of bloodstock may deeply consider, as, look where we may, it is difficult to find absolute perfection. Absolute soundness, perfect formation, aud the best of turf merits are se dom combined together, and the wise man will set each failing and each belonging before him and see as to all he can do without and all he must retain, even if he has to put up with a certain amount of unsoundness. I have known the greatest mistakes made by those who have discarded certain animals because they would not pass a veterinary surgeoA's examination, and if I was given my choice of six mares out of the whole " Stud Book " to take a chance of breeding a Derby winner from, I should not expect more than three of them to pass the ordeal of a V.S. scrutiny. About thirty years ago, a clean-shaved man in a white hat used to walk up and down Cannon street, and take the humble dollars and half-sovereigns of the punters. That man was Charley Bush, whose death is now announced (says the Sporting Times). After an experience of Cannon street he took offices over a furniture shop in Bell Yard Gracechurch street, and there did one of the finest list businesses ever known ; and we should say that twenty years ago he must have betsn clearing ten thousand pounds a year, or more. His office, every morning, was crowded with people, and the money was poured in on him m sacks full He was one of the fairest men in business we ever met with, and when he paid you it was always with a good grace, and a polite 1 thank you 'sir "as he handed over the notes. In the long ruu he got nearly the whole of the Stock Exchange trade, and if he had contented himself with the old furniture shop and the list business he would have made an enormous fortune He embarked heavily in boat-racing, and brought out some of the best men of the time. This was costly, but not nearly so much so as a racing stud that he allowed a friend to farm for him. Many yearlings were bought at a very high price, and, being tried morning, noon, and night, they seldom did anything. This sink, we fear, absorbed nearly all poor Charley's money. Personally, he took little interest in his horses, and scarcely ever went to see them run, it being a rarity, in fact, for him to make his appearance on a racecourse. The nearest; he was to winning a big race was with Chingachgook, when that horse ran second for the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood. He made another attempt at the same race with Belfry, who clearly ought to have won. With a miserable half-mile selling plater he once bowled over the great Isonoray, when the money was well down on the latter, and he was fortunate enough to wiu the Broeklesby Stakes, at Lincoln, with Bishop Burton. His pocket was always open, and he never knew how to refuse a sponger asking for a loan, nor had any man of his means ever so many pensioners living upon him. They ate up his substance, and we may fairly say that a better or more kind-hearted man was never known in connection with the betting-ring. A few months ago at Mr Pallin's paddocks, at the Curragh, the thoroughbred mare Conceit, the property of Mr Pratt, of Gawsworth, County Cork, foaled a bay filly without eyes. This filly is by Kiugcraft, is of full size, with good bone, and is perfect in every other way. The orbits and sockets of the eyes are perfect but no eyeballs are there. The mare is well, she foaled easy, has a great show of milk, and the eyeless little creature is sucking well. Mr Pratt wrote to say the mare improved since he saw her, and now looks the very picture of what a thoroughbred brood-mare should be. Can this filly race ? How will Nature provide for the want of her eyes? Can she be educated and brought out well? How far will the touch, of smell, and of hearing improve and thus compensate for the want of eyes?— are all questions that Mr Pratt has promised to try and solve by rearing the filly if he can. Last year at the Marden Deer Park stud a foal was born with one eye absent, but this appears to be the first case recorded of a foal being born with both eyes absent. A glance at the pedigree of this filly will show that she is inbred to Bay Middleton and Harkaway. Can imbreeding have anything to do with these extraordinary productions ? This is a question that it would be at once instructive aud interesting to consider and to determine upon, and one that ought profitably to occupy the attention of breeders of live stock, as the thoroughbred horse is a very much inbred animal. . Although nothing but gate money was at stake, quite a crowd gathered on the grounds of the Driving Club of New York on a recent Saturday afternoon, to witness the twenty -five mile race under saddle between John Murphy and C. M. Anderson. Each man had eight horses at his command, and he was required to change at the end of every mile. The frequent changes added to the element of uncertainty and fanned the excitement. It was thought that Murphy would be the better mounted, but this did not prove to be the "case. Anderson jnade an arrangement jwith Mr Jlarris, who for

some years past has senl a winning combination through tho trotting circuit ; and the Californiau thus had the use of nob only swift but welltrained hor&es. He lost very little time in pulling his horses up at the end of each mile, and his changes were rapidly made. Murphy was the lighter man of the two — quite an advantage in a long race— but two of his horses broke down and ho was compelled to put a heavier tax than was anticipated upon the others. He was not seasoned for tbe severe saddle, contest, lost time in pulling his horses up and dismounting, and became groggy on the thirteenth mile. Still he stuck bravely to his work, and made a very close race of it. Anderson won by about twenty yards, and the judges gave his time as 53.08. Several waiehes on the club house stoop made the time 52.40. The judges stopped and started their watches on every mile, which accounts for the difference, and which by the way, is not the correcb method of timing an extended race. Murphy used a racing saddle with light iron stirrups. Anderson rode an army or Mexican saddle, and the heavy wooden stirrups quickly fell into position and gave him very little trouble in finding a brace for his fe.ee. Anderson rode sitting straight as an arrow in his saddle, while Murphy leaned far forward, easing his horse as much as possible. It was conceded by nearly everybody that Murphy was the superior rider, aud that he out-generaled his rival in the management of his horses, but that on the other baud, Anderson was the quicker to make his changes, aud that his horses were placed before him better than Murphy's were.

Writing of the first Australian Cup Race, a correspondent of the Sydney Town and Country gives the following interesting particulars : — On the occasion of visiting the small southern town of Braidwood, I had the pleasure of being a guest of Mr Thomas Roberbs, of Exeter Farm. This old holding is attractive in many ways. It was one of the earliest settled outlying districts of the colony. Originally taken up by James Badgery about sixty years ago, it came into the possession of the present proprietors in the course of nature, having been handed down from one generation to another since its first occupancy. " We were always," says our host, " a racehorse breeding family. We did not run the horses in our own name ; bub they were run by our old friend, De Mestre. I'll show you something that may interest you ; it's the first prize ever run for on the Australian continent. I've heard people doubt this. Well, there's the cup ; if anyone holds another won at an earlier time, I'll give in ; but let them produce it." So saying, Mr Roberts handed us the cup. It is of solid silver, simple and elegant in design, bearing the following inscription : —

Portitudine et Celeritas (sic.) Pledge from the Cup this first Australian prize, May each revolving year the ra-es bring ; That training ll'.RSbs'from these sport-, may rise. Health to the patron, and long live the King. Sydney, May 31, 1819. Given by the Inhabitants lb the Proprietor of the Winning Horse.

On this occasion the winning horse was Rob Roy, and was in the possession of the late James Badgery, our host's grandfather. The race came off at the well-known Sydney racecourse, now known as Hyde Park. The races were promoted by the officers of the garrison. Besides possessing this valuable relic, Mr T. Roberts is the winner of the three Melbourne Cups, and the possessor of almost the only piece of plate ever given. He also holds five Queen's Plates, one Metropolitan, one Leger, and with Moss Rose won the Triennial Stakes, the mare succeeding in winning each of the three races as a two, three, aud four-year-old. The three Melbourne Cups were won by Archer and Tim Whiffier. All the prizes enumerated above, and a list of others unmentioned, were won by horses owned by the Roberts family, and bred by them on the Exeter Farm estate, Braidwood.