MR BRUCE LOWE'S FIGURE SYSTEMEXPLAINED.

Otago Witness, Volume 25, Issue 2321, 25 August 1898, Page 38

MR BRUCE LOWE'S FIGURE SYSTEMEXPLAINED.

BItE HIDING THOROUGHBRED RACING STOCK.

(By the Australian Sporting Scribe " Warrior.',)

No. VII.

No. 20.— DAUGHTER OF GASCOIGNE'S

FOREIGN HORSE.

Traducer (No. 3), Gemma di Vergy, and Gozo (N.S.W. 1 ) may be said to be the leading representatives of this line in the Australian colonies. Mr Lowe declares No. 20 line to be an effeminate but improving one, and more largely represented to-day in the last volume of the Stud Book than Nos. 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Traducor, imported to New Zealand, proved to be a high-class sire. Winslow, Straus, and Citadel were about the most prominent males in England of this family of late years until we came to Heaume, Hawkeye, and Ohitabox. ' The No. 20 family have scored four Oaks aiid Lessor winners. No. 21.— THE MOONAH BARB MARE OF

QUEEN ANNE.

This family, through the services of the stallions "William Tell and Boiardo, played a conspicuous part in our early clays of racing. Boiardo sired Banker, Barwon, Oriflamme, Florence winner of Melbourne Cup, Derbys, and Legers. " A family well known to pedigree students through that excellent horse Sweetmeat," continues this valuable scientific work. " Like the 20 line, it has not produced a Derby winner yet, and runs mostly to good fillies. The members of this family are not early beginners or sprinters, as none of the shorter classic races have fallen to their share. In America the line is well and favourably known through the imported Tranby (by Blacklock No. 2), whose name occurs in so many pedigrees across the water, where he undoubtedly helped to lay the foundation of Levity's greatness." "William Tell, by Touchstone (14) from Miss Bowe, by Catton from Tranby's dam, was imported to Australia, and sired Archer, a double winner of a Melbourne Cup (186162) under very big weights." Archer carried 9.7 and 10.2, and with the latter weight beat a field of 19 horses by 10 lengths.

Boiardo, by Orlando from "William Toll's dam (Miss Bdwe), was imported to Victoria by Mr James Purves, father of our present Queen's Counsel, in 1858, and sent t-o New South Wales in 1871, where he died the same year. "Boiardo," quotes Mr Lowe, " pired Florence, one of the best mares ever raocd out there. She won the A.J.O. Derby, Y.R.C. Derby, and Oaks."

"It is worth noiing that the triumphs of this family have been mainly owing to its association with the No. 2 lino. Tranby, a racehorse, was by Blacklock (2), by VVhitelock (2). William Tell and Boiardo wero from Miss Bowe by Cat ton (2), from Tranby's clam, by Orville (8). Sweetmeat's cam is intensely inbred to Blaeklock. and Lonely is from Anonynm i grand-dam of The Australian Peer, winner of the Victorian Derby of 1887 and Sydney Cup of 1888 — " Warrior. "'l by Stockwell (3) (inbred to No. 2 and Blacklock), from Miss Sarah, by Don John (2), by Waverley (2). From this I would infer that the fillies of this family should be put to sires closely inbred to Blaoklock through the 2 and '6 lines to £?ive their progeny the necessary racing qualities." '' The crossing of males in (or inbred closely to) the best running lines on to females coming from the outside lines cannot be too strongly impressed upon the student. To inbreed 21 to itself, or to 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and &o on, is only excusable where there is some intense inbreeding to Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 on both sides, and in the first two or thiee removes. Where these conditions do not exist it is clearly a step backward in breeding, and yet for lack of some clearlydefined guide these mistakes are being unknowingly perpetrated and perpetuated for all lime by stud masters. The facE of a mare being in an outside line is not an objection by any means, if such a course as I have sketched above has been pursued in her back bleeding." These remarks of Mr Lowe are fully borne out by numbers of illustrations in his work, which would occupy too much space in the Witness to set forth.

" We have seen, in the case of the Agnes family," argues the author, "that the hitherto unfruitful parent stem (16) readily accepted the numerous grafts of choice blood (2), and finally ended in producing not only the greatest racehorse of modern days, but also the most commanding and symmetrical individual it has ever been my lot to see."

Fitz-Donovan, by Donovan (7) from Alone, by Hermit (5) from Half-sister to Lonely, by Young Melbourne (25) from Anouyma, by Stockwell (3), who is one of the sires of Kirkham stud, which is to be broken up and disposed of shortly, belongs to the 21 family. No. 22.— BELGRADE TURK MARE.—

DAM OF BAY BOLTON MARE.

" Gladiator has made this family famous for all time, and evidence is forthcoming that the family is by no meons dead (despite the poor figure it has cut in the Derby and Leger), as St. Blaise and Merry Hampton testify. Up to the time of St. Blaise's win in 1883 the line had not been fortunate to win a Derby. Its classic winners are: St. Blaise (Derby), Merry Hampton* (Derby), Catherine Hayes (Oaks), Tarantella (lOOOgs), Barcarolle (lOOOgs), and Rhoda (lOOOgs). It is no exception to the rest of the outside families in requiring the aid of the running lires, as I have shown through Gladiator in Queen Mary's case. It is decidedly feminine in its character, ,is shown by a goodly role of females— Fuzee, Venus (by Sir Hercules), Mrs Quickly (by Long-bow). Fuzee was a high-class mare ; her dam Ve&uvienne was a daughtei of Gladiator, from Ycnus by Sir Hercules (2) by Whabbone (1)." In concluding my extracts from Mr Bruce Lowe's book this week, I feel called upon to give my readers the tabulated pedigree of Knight Templar, one of the siren of the Silver Pines harem, N.S.W., who, like Traducer, Gozo, a,nd Gemma di Vergy, belongs to the No. 20 line.

By Gemma di Veray (20) - son of Sir Hercules (2)— from M-*iu-0 ,ils, ils stay, by Peppermint (l 7)— ™ n{' a- double cross, of BUcklock (2)w Gemma di from Mail)bracc( , am o f FU,er- « Verey man), by Sheet Anchor (12)ft Omp.) from a dau# of Bay Middleton 1 (I)— from Nitocris, by Whisker H (1) Hi By Oxford (12)-son of Bird's (20) catcher (10 -I'voin Valetta, by W Maltese Cross Stockwell (<?)— gr. son of Bird(dam of Gozo) catcher (11)— hum Meeanee, by Touchstone (1U) (To be continued.)