EXIT METEOR. BROTHERS UNLIKE EACH OTHER

Otago Witness, Issue 2355, 13 April 1899, Page 36

EXIT METEOR.

BROTHERS UNLIKE EACH OTHER

The cause of the death of the thoroughbred sire Meteor on March 24- was internal inflammation. The losb is a serious one, not alone to Mr Talbot, who owned the horse, but to Tasmania in general, as he was a sire, says " Coronach," of which good things were expected. Meteor, who was by St Albans from Deception, was bred by Mr John Field, of Calstock, in 1880, and, m common with mosl of the far-famed St. Albans breed owned by that gentleman, was sold dirt cheap as a yearling, Messrs Reibey and Symmons securing him for something like £4-0. As a. two-ypar-old Meteor won the first three two-year-old stakes he started for. but was defeated in the fourth by his relative, Prodigal. But perhaps the bo3t race Meteor won during a lengthy and fairly successful career on the turf wa a the Hjuvkesbury Handicap of IP°6. And Mr Talbot once told me that the trial gallop Meteor gave his party at Eallarat, before being sent up to Sydney for this race, stamped him a horse of high excellence. A few weeks subsequent to Jiis winning the Hawkesbury Handicap Meteor ran a great race with Industry, dam of Gaulus and The Grafter, in a welter handicap at Randwick, but suffered defeat by a head. Meteor has, been at the Btud in Tasmania since I£9l, but until recently few of hie progeny were trained. However, these few can all gallop, and Electric Light, who claims Meteor as his sire, is one of our best hurdle racers.

It is really wonderful, remarks Mr Allison, that Perdita 31 should have bred four such colts aB are hers by St. Simon.- They are all very different from one another in general style, except Jbhat they, have ample bone and very strong, straight and clean hocks. Florizel, the eldest of the four, has all the power of Porsimmon, though .pat quite the same commanding scope an<U«ize. He was a rare stayer beyond all question, and it is quite on the cards that he will make as good a stud horse as his magnificent brother. Anyhow, I think he is one of the cheapest horses at the stud at 100 guineas, as fees go nowadays, and there is no wonder that his list filled as far back as last June. "With Persimmon and Florizel II the Prince of Wales has the equivalent of £16.000 a year. Sandringham, the third brother, so far as looks go, is not one whit beliind even Persimmon. In Bhort, he is the finest three-year-old colt of the season, be his racing ability what it may.