DEATH OF HERMIT

Otago Witness, Issue 1899, 26 June 1890, Page 27

DEATH OF HERMIT

(The Sportsman.) Sportsmen generally will regret to learn that the famous stallion Hermit, belonging to the Right Hon. Henry Chaplin, died on Tuesday, April 29, 1890, at the Blankney Stud Farm. No horse since the days of Stockwell has filled so large a place in the history of the raising of blood stock in this country as Hermit, and it is through his celebrity as a stallion that he is best known to the later generation of those who take an interest in the turf. But followers of the national sport whose experience goes back something like a quarter of a century remember him as the winner of perhaps the most sensational Derby on record, and as the equine hero of what

tnay not inaptly be designated a turf romance. Into the particulars and surroundings of that romance it is not necessary at this late date to enter, as many of the actors in it have passed over to the great majority, but a brief summary of the doings of Hermit as a racer may not inappropriately precede a reference to his career as a sire. By Newminater out of Seclusion, he was bred by Mr Blenkiron at the Middle Park Stud in 1864, and as a yearling was knocked down to Mr Chaplin's bid of lOOOgs, at which figure, in the same salering and on the same day the late Mr James Merry secured Marksman, and the two colts were destined, curiously enough, to fight out the battle for the Turf blue ribband three years later. As a two-year-old he won four of the six races in which he took part, and of his two defeats one was administered in the Woodcote Stakes by the flying filly Achievement, who was afterwards to beat him in the Doncaster St. Leger. His performances as a juvenile had been sufficiently meritorious, and his progress after bis campaign encouraging enough to cause him to be supported for the Derby by bis owner, the stable, and a large section of the sporting public, and though he was at no time absolutely first favourite, his quotation became a short one in the price current. During the spring of 1867, however, reports to his detriment gradually spread abroad, and though some ot them were absurd enough, they were sufficient to eventually send him to the rightabout in the market. When he reached Epsom to meet his engagement he was picked to pieces by the critics, who drew the deduction from his appearance that his chance was hopeless, and at the start 66 to 1 was on offer against him. But the despised of the paddock took the honours of the afternoon, and it wr.s to the general surprise (for most of his backers had long looked upon their investments &■* lost) that at the finish he wore down Vauban, who started favourite at 6 to 4, overcame the not too gallant struggle of Marksman, and secured the judge's verdict by a neck. But if victorious on the Surrey downs, Hermit's doings subsequently did not come np to the standard of those usually exppctrd from a Derby winner of clasp, and though equal to taking a Biennial and the St. James' Palace Stake 3at Ascot, he could only run second to Achievement for the St. Leger and Doncast r Cup, and afterwards suffered defeat from Fripennier in the Grand Duke Michael Stakes at headquarters and from Longchamps in the Newmarket Derby. He failed to win a race as a four-year-old, when Julius, of the same age, gave him lib and a two-lengths' beating in a match for lOOOsots over the Two Middle Miles at Newmarket, and he also received and paid forfeit in turn in two matches with The Palmer. At five years of age he wrs an unsuccessful competitor in three handicaps, and bade adieu to the racecouise after running unplaced for the Steward's Cup at Goodwood.

His stud life began at Blaukney in 1870 at the modest fee of 20gs, but it was not long before the doings of his offspring brought him reputation as a sire. The first to do so was Holy Friar, bred by the late "Parson" King (known as an owner as Mr Launde), and this colt in 1874 won six races out of seven, his solitary defeat being sustained in the Middle Park Plate, for which he was beaten oat of place. This son of Hermit did not run afterwards, and was disqualified for the Derby — for which his performances had made him a strongly-fancied candidate—by the death of his nominator. His record, however, sufficed to bring the services of Mr Chaplin's horse into marked request, and the covering fee in 1875 was raised to lOOgs. In 1880 it was further increased to 150gs, but meanwhile the doings of others of his progeny had given him bold advertisement, and of their number may be mentioned Trappist, Clarion, Peter, Out of Bounds, Angelina, and Thebais. The latter filly was the first to win classic honours for her sira, as she was the heroine of the One Thousand Guineas and Oaks in 1881, and his laurels were added to when Shotover took the Two Thousand and Derby in 1882, St. Marguerite the One Thousand in the same year, and St. Blaise the Derby in 1883. In 1885 his daughter Lonely carried off the Oaks, and among the other thoroughbreds that had been showing to advantage during tb.9 period covered by the above dates were Nellie, Marden, Queen Adelaide, St. Helena, Philosophy, and Tristan. With such an array of high-class racers to speak to his merits, we find the substantial fee of 250gs charged, and freely paid, in 1886 for the services of the Newminster stallion ; but after so loug a reign at Blankney it was deemed advisable to husband his powers, and in 1888 and subsesequently he was restricted to five public mares. Though approaching "the sere and yellow leaf," his list was soon filled, and he received the patronage of appreciative breeders till the last. Of the horses that brought him renown during the latter portion of his time were Timothy, Seclusion, the good bull unfortunate Friar's Balsam, and, coming down to the present date, we may add the beautiful colt Heaume (who gave us a taste of his quality in the Hastings Plate at Newmarket as late as Tuesday last), and Alicante, a filly that on the other side of the English Channel has done such splendid service in the colours of M. Ephrussi. Whatever other sires may accomplish in years to oome — and great things are possible in this era of gigantic stakes — it may be doubted whether the produce of any one of them will amass such a total as that associated with the name of Hermit ; and as it is a matter of no little interest, we append a table showing the earnings of his stock in England from the time a youngster first run for him to the day of his death :—: — Year. £ Ye/ir. £ 1873 100 *1883 30,801 1874 4,690 *1884 29,236 1875 3,748 *1885 30,121 1876 9,429 1886 22,758 1877 9,060 1887 25,636 1878 14,835 1888 13,269 1879 7,577 1889 12,206 *1880 22,622 1890 1,150 *1881 27,222 *1882 44,608 Total ...315,988 * In these years Hermit headed the list of winning stallions, and in 1886 was only a few pounds behind Bend Or, whose total was £22,803. Had the winnings of Ihis stock in France been added, Hermit would have stood first. These figures reach the extraordinary amount of £315,968, and to this has to be added the money secured by Hermit's sons and daughters in France, of which the following is a record :—: — Year. £ Year. £ 1881 554 1887 8,857 1883 960 1888 2,317 1883 668 1889 2,035 188-1 1,726 1890 1,467 1885 1,952 1886 6,807 Total ... 27,343 We have thus a grand total of £343,311, aa the wianing result of the 20 years of Hermit's stud life, and the fact becomes the more imposing when it is borne in mind that the bulk of the money was earned before the inauguration of the present system of gigantic "subscription " races, the winning of one or two of which represents a very substantial sum. In the earlier years given above it was Tristan (the property of the international sportsman, M. Lefevre) that upheld Hermit's ftme in France by carrying off three seasons in succession the Grand Prix de Deauville ; but later on the doings of Gamin, Bavarde, Alicante, and others materially in-

creased the amount by their successes in races of importance.

In the celebrated Blankney sire Mr Chaplin possessed a horse whose name will occupy a most prominent place in the history of the English Turf, and who must have proved a veritable " gold mine " to his owner. It is satisfactory to know that the appreciation of so valuable a strain of blood led the Lincolnshire 3quire to secure Friar's Balsam (by Hermit out of Flower of Dorset) in the autumn of 1889, and all will hope that the career of that young horse maybe as long end brilliant as that of his Bire, and that he will still further enhance the reputation of Newminster's most famous son,