EXIT CASTOR

Otago Witness, Issue 2504, 19 March 1902, Page 45

EXIT CASTOR

With the death of CasJor another valuable stallion whose stock have figured prominently on our racecourses of late years: has departed to the happy hunting grounds.' Castor was a good performer on the turf :nf England, aud as a two-year-old he had sis wins out of eight starts. His first win .was the Manchester Tyro Stakes, of 400sov=, carrying 8.11 ; he followed this up by annexing the Parkr Hill Stakes a,t Pontefract of lOOsovs, with 9.1 up ; also the Gimcracb Stakes at York of 200sova, carrying top weight — 9.5 ; also the Londesborough Stake's at Scarborough, of 'iOOsovs, carrying tho thumping impost of 9.13. At Manchester he won the Autumn Plate, of lOOsovs, carrying 7.12, and at the same meeting won) the Saturday Plate, of lOOsovs, carrying 8.9. He also ran second in the Redbank Stakes at Ripon, aud third in the Broadgate Stakes at Doncaster. As a thiee-year-old he had 10 wins out of 13 start?, four of them in succession. Ho commenced by winning the Honiton Stakes at Lincoln, of 200sovs, carrying 7.4-; ran second for Her, Majesty's Plate at Liverpool, carrying tho same weight. At Tliirsk won Falcon Stakes,' of lOOsovs, 3.13, beating five others; at. Pontefract won the Castle Stakes, o£ lOOsovs, 8.13; at Cattericlo Bridge won the Craven Plate, of 1003ovs, 3.10 ; and at BatJi won Her Majesty's Plate, of 300sovs, with 7.7 up ; at Newton he ran second for the» N'pivton Cup. carrying 7.8. and then in succession won the Heavy-weight Plato at Mai - f hector, of 200sovs, and the Watt Mcmcrial Stakes at Beveiley, of 116sovf, with 8.10; at Edinburgh won the Royal Caledonian Cup, of 200sovs, cariying 8.0. and at tho E.une meeting Pier Majesty's Plate, of 1003o\s, with 8.1 up; at Newcastle wot the Meldon Plate, of lOOsovs, carrying 9.1, and ran unplaced in Liverpool Cup, having met with an accident. As a four-year-old; he won tho Liverpool Cup, of 2000sovsv carrying 7.8; ran second at Newcastle in' the Northumberland Plat©, and at Epsom/ ran third in the City and Suburban. Castor displayed good staying powers during his racing career, and many of his get display the same trait. Ho was imported to- Victoria by the late Mr "W. R. Wilson, and shortly afterwards was scild by that gentleman to Mr Thomas Morrin, of the Wellington Park stud. This latter gentleman gave Cahtor a fair share of the high-class matrons at his btud when it is considered that Nordenfeldt, St. Legcr, and Hotchkiss had also claims to that breeder's patronage, and thoso horses' yearlings were good saleable stock at that time. The first that Cas.tor sirect which won him fame as getter of winners was Three Star, who wad the result of the hor->i v 'b mating with Vivandiere. In the. '■nine sca-on that Three Star won the Great Northern Foal Stakes and A.R.C. Champagne Stakes Castor had two other winners, and these were — Ivy, from Veneration, and Booby, from Gannet. This trio earned £736 5s in the season that first saw the name of Castor figure in the list of winning 3tallion.=. Tho following season! Castor had £2083 3s opposite his name and was seventh horse on the list, those abov«»> him being St. Leger, Maxim, Gorton, Nordenfpldt, Vanguard, and Sou-wester. The principal winners that Castor had that seabo-. wore Armilla and Leda, who won close on a thousand between them. For the season of '97 98 Castor had 20 winners of pace»p ace» money, with a total ->t £4694 12s, and ho gair.ed f«««rth position in the list of winning jlaihcns Antares was one of his principal wiiniprs that season, but this horst* had only one win during the season, and that was in the Auckland Cup. Altair was another who was a good ad. for the merits of Castor as a fcire during the season. Fou the teahon of '98-99 Castor had 18 winners of place money, with a total of £6928 3s^ and this placed the Zealot hor c © at the top of the winning list of stallions for tha,l 'pa<-on Castor's bett winners of ,ioncy duriuu this season were Castaehore, Jjtaisv

Goronet, and Tauhei. This was the only season that Castor occupied the pride of place in the list of winning sires, although he is alway6 to be found well up with the leaders. Castor always endowed his stock With plenty of good looks in addition to feood feet and legs, and since 1894 (in which year the first of Castor's stock raced) up to the beginning of the present seasoi his «tock> won £29,984 in prize money. (T Tho make and shape of Castor's stock 'Always commanded attention when placed joinder the hammer as yearlings, and some "of them realised fairly large prices, as .figures go in New Zealand. Castor was .Wice mated with Frailty, the dam of Trenkon, and the first of that mare's produce Jto him was a colt (afterwards named AstroViomer), who was purchased by Mr S. HorJdern, of New South Wales, at 1575g5. The jfilly from Frailty by Castor was named ipEdith Cureton, and sold at 450gs as a yearfling. At the sale that Mr Hordern purchased the Castor — Frailty colt he also pur.chased the Castor — Necklace colt at 1050gs. /This colt was named Cravat. Mr Hordern, at the yearling sale in the previous years, ',gave 700gs for a Castor— Necklace filly, /which he afterwards named Collarette. The Cattor yearlings topped the market at the Park yearling sales of 1894-95-95, and this year a Hotchkiss colt from Janet, fby Castor, had the honour of realising the Biighe3t figure given at the Wellington Park's ' sa l e — 560gs. Amongst the winning horses 'sired by Castor may be named Ivy, Three Star (won A.RC. Great Northern Foal and Great Northern Champagne 'Stakes and many other races,), Booby, Abel, Orion, Orion's Belt, Casket (won Dunedin ,Cup and C.J.C Great Easter, and other iraces),' Lcda (a good performer), Heavenly Twins, Adam, Antares (won Auckland and .Talapur.a Cups a.nd many other gocd races on the flat and over fences). Daystar (won Hawke's Bay Guineas, Hawke's Bay Cup, and other good races), Mitiora, Porangi Potae, St. Elmo, Cravat (a good performer in (Australia), Arniilla (wen C.J.C. Oaks and anany good handicaps). Coronet (won jTakapuna Clip, A.R.C. Summer Cup, Eganont Cup, TaranaLi Cup, and othe*- good xuec=), Cibtashore (a good winner in handicap laers). TauheL Altair (avcui C.-T.C. Champagne, C..T.C. Derby, Wellington St. Leger. •;incl besides other good wins, when taken' to England he won two valuable stakes), .Elcn. Aptronomer (a good winner in Australia), Daynti-ee. Fulmen, Canteen, Record . 'Beigii, and many other good horses. Record Reign won the C.J.C. Grand National, two miles, in 3min 46 3-ssec, carrying 12.12 — one cf the best performances in the world over fences Castor mares are likely to be •valuable aa brood mares, and there is no 'doubt, tho Castor strain of blood is not 'the least important one that has found its ■way to New Zealand. At the time of his death Castor was insured for £1000 with the International Horse Agency.