THE LATE SIR EDWARD STAFFORD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 47

THE LATE SIR EDWARD STAFFORD.

The Field, in tlie course of an interesting onituaiy notice of Sll iv.ward ibisi'ord, who at ono time held the position of Premier of tins colony. «ays : A typical Iri-h sportsman, one of Chailes LeicTs ideals, pa«secl away on Thursday last in London, m his eighty-second yeai, m the person of Sir Ecvard William Stafford, G.C.M.G. Hei was a fon of Mr Berkeley Buckingham Staffoul, of Maine Ca^tle^ County Louth, and. w:'- educated at Tnnity College, Dublin. In his c. rly days — ai a boy of U, he won a feteeple-clvi-e — Sir Edward played a very prominent par I 111 sport of all kmels in his native country; indeed, with his brothers Hugh and' Patrick — the former as the rider of four con-vH-ucue Bellev. ttown Cup winners, and tli9 hitter the subsequent winner of many races in Indi? — he vr.i? one of the half dozen of the Louth Kunt pitted against a like nuirber of the Wcstmeaih. His sporting procliv - tie=, in fact, were of an all-round character, teeing that whilst at the university he coulct hole' his own in athletic- pastimes of every kind. On leaving Trinity the brilliant young Milesian hunted the Louth hounds for a season as tho locum tenens of h:s father. This, it may be said, closed Sir Edward's career as a sportsman in Ireland', as he en.igrated to Australia, where he at once became a fa\oiinto in that horse-loving country, then, so far as population and importance is concerned, in us infancy. His sojourn, on the great continent lasted, bo." s^" ever, for a few months only, during which, time ho- is recorded to have bought, trainee], and ncl'lfn the winner of a steeplechase, whilst he was one of the three experts chosen to lay oat the now world-wide known racecourse, at Flemington, near Melbourne, belonging to the Victorian Racing Cub. Tho next Ecene of Sir Edward Stafford's prowess and enterprise w-ap in New Zealand, where he very soon became one of that colony's leading citizens, as well as a statesman of high rank ; indeed, ho may fairly be classed as one ot Hie founders of that important part of the British dominions. He was Prime Minister from 1656 to lE6I, from 1L65 to 1869, and again in 1872, whilst for the long period of 29 years, he was a member of the House of Representative?^ In 1579 Sir Edward was made a K.C.M.G., and eight years later G.C.M.G. But it is rather with Sir Edward Stafford's doings as a racing man that we are novy concerned. From the day of his landing in the colony, in which for so many years he v, as a leading public man, he entered u'to racing with "all the ardour of an Irishman. Steoplechasmg, as was natural, was his great forte, as he rode his own horses in very jvany winning journeys. On the flat, also, he was well-nigh invincible, and in these varlv day-, of colonial racing Queen Beo 1= "often spoken of at thi= remote period ps viniung no less than 16 races off tho reel. But Sir Eelward Stafford's name will long be remembered in connection wth the breeding of the famous gelding Strop, on v.-horn he won the Nelson Derby, carrying a stoiie and a-half overweight. From this time Strep had a remarkable career in Australia ana in Tasmania, as the ton cv I'jruc wo-i the three-mile w eight-f oi--ago Champion Stakes, fir-t as a four-year-old, and secondly fouv venr, after. When 12 years old the stout-heaited a ..id wonderful old gelding won the jufiunceston Cup. and two years later he carried off the same race, as v, ell as the Fnhan (hin, under cornr-aram c foa horweights, v f-'-.ould be explained, than' -• o t'le consider mon of the i.imhca'H.i" '1 io Cdntprbnu Dei'ny wa- another >t .-1. Fdward's :i-Miy and notable euccPo'^s. \h» .ir 1.rer being Opera, though 01. ihi-> occa-'(-" \o did not rid". But in the lAinterl'ury <J v> he achieved a marvellous pei lovr..ar.(_o » lh a iv-mo tailed Ultima, owned by 1 :•> broihcr lluc,h. The mare va<- one cf two rqva.l ftuouiitei. and po'-ses-c-l a t< twLle 1. -apcr ond a bad mout'i. rl!ier l!ie que^'.i' ll v a.-, .< ;,( ckey to ude; but Sir Kdvynrcl l>:i\ c^ i.c to the rescue, and, in spite of tl-c f"ft tl.at he va- at the time 46 years of a<>\ v, • ils-fr owing 10 his Parliamentary duhci be had not been on a raechorso for tour ypais. ho cleverly succeeded in bringing tl.o tnare hor.ie by a \eiy t-l'jso shave — "a uo-e" only, < s l>a- met- t' 1.1 01.1 c K-e ' r^v.'.- :• ' hy p e-\iitiif- c = -

S:i i'''i"r.<'' c: ,aford had icr -„.: jl ;-c.rs pa-t bepn l' 1 i-'e-r i' l K'gtaiu i> v,jl3 Ivk ii"in c' rr.-t.r r.-t. in 1846. to Diml / CLarlotu, fU'ir,t. 1 oi Colonel Wakcncid, and cfl-i'v.TM 1 -.' 1 in 1X59. to Mai-y. daughter of Mi j l o.na H-K-gblon Eartl"y.