STUD NEWS AND NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2651, 4 January 1905, Page 50

STUD NEWS AND NOTES.

— Wolf's Craig, by L-e Lotip out of Tangi, ia standing at a fee of £2, one of which is payable at end of season and the other when the mare proves in foal. This is cheap indeed. — Lord Rosslyn and Gipsy Grand, who are a pair of stallions which have gone out of favour with breeders, had winning representatives at- Wingatui in Quagga and Alexis, and the form of their stock should win them sortie extra patronage. — Tfle Maltster, who was sold at the termination of hip turf career at 1350g5, has won. Ma first honours as- a sire in receiving high. praise for the general excellence of his first crop of foals. Sir George Clifford and Mr J". F. Reid were a couple oi our leading study masters who were amongst the many anxious to have the son of Bill o' Portland- at their studs. — Alexis was bied by the Hon. G co. Mlrean, and W3s got by Lorf Rosslyn out of Plevna, a daughter of Stepniak and Ambush, the sister to Orloff's dam. The unsexed son of Plevna is inbred to Musket, as _will be seen, from a glance at the following headlines of his pedigree: —

a*- m,.;*. Musket ,&t. Clair Pulchra Lord { ■ w (Ladyßmma( Ladyßmma My Fancy 'stenniak NordenMdt <■ btepmalc Steppe Plevna - Ambush %$gZ&

—A. valuable foal is always worfh looking after property, and it is not only in the.supply of a proper allowance of food that h« require attention. There is always a risk of acciclents befalling him, an£ if (says an American -writer), as often happens, the foals are tunning with yearlings and two-year-olds, the latter are disposed to make things hard for the youngei ones'. It is most desirable, therefore, that the meadow should be visited as often as possible in. order, that it may -be seen, how the young stcck are going on, an additional advantage gained by the. presence of strangers being the familiarising of the horses with the presence of mankind. Dcgs, unless they are absolutely stead} and under control, ought never to be allowed in the nieadowg where foals and other young stock are kept, for the memory of a horse is particularly keen, and as first impressions therefore are retained for a, long time, the feai of dogs may last a foal for life, and lead to serious accidents when ha goes to work — When, breeding racehorses was practically in its infancy and first-class racehorses were few, in-crossing was practised with, excellent results. To prove this we have only to turn to the pedigrees of several old-time fathers, and of Blacklock, the head of the Galopin line, and a. great four-miler, in pa-rticulai. Blacklock's four progenitors, in the second remove, were Hambletonian, Rosalind, Coriander, and "Wild G-oose, all oj. whom were nearly akin. Hambletonian was by King PeTgus, son of Eclipse, from s> marc by Highflyer, son of Herod; Rosalind was by Phenomenon, son of Herod, from an Eclipse mare; Coriander was by Pot-8-os — son of Eclipse — from a Herod mare , and Wild G-cose was by Highflyer, son of Herod, from a mare by Pot-8-os. A, pedigree such as this would be considered grossly incestous in oui day, but the close incrossing of Herod and Eclipse certainly -did not affect Blacklock's size oa stamina. By coming a., step lowe. we reach Voltaire, Blacklpck's best son, or, rather, the only one of Ms sons that was capable of carrying the line down to the present time. Th*. four individuals in the second quartering of Voltaire's pedigree were Walton, Julia, Oyerton, and a Walnut mare. Walton was by Sh Peter, son of Highflyer (Herod), from' a- mare by Dungannon, by T^olipse; JuHa was by a grandson of Eclipse from a granddaughter of Herod; Overton was by King Fergus (Eclipse) from a Herod mare ; and Walnut wpq by Highflyer The same rule c£ Eclipse on Herod holds good right thorough, the pedigree of Marths Lynn, the dam of Voltaire's best son, Voltigeur, who gave the line a new lease of life. One of Voltaire's best daughters was Valentine, who produced to Lanercost a sterling slayer in War Eagle, winner of the four mil* 1 Doncaster Cup; yet Valentine was by Voltaire from his own halfsister. Fisher Lass. In our time the vaf.ne of • inbreeding to individuals or families has been proved beyond dispute with many horses-, Plying Fox and Carbine in particular. An oldfashioned writer once used Knowsley as a striking illustration of close 'inbreeding. What would he think if he were now on deck of Carbine's lines? Knowsley (3) was by Stockwell (3) from a mare by Orlando, son of Touchstone, by Camel, from Brown Bess, by Camel. During his stud life Knowsley was mated with a. mare by Newminster, son of Touchstone, anc& a filly was the .result. This filly came to *Kevr Zealand and was put to Musket (3). by Toxophilite (3), from a. mare by West Australian, grandson of Touchstone, by Camel, from; Knowsley's grand-dam Brown Bess, by Camel, and the result of this close union was Carbine, one of the greatest racehorses the world has known. Flying Fox, the best racehorse of his time, and l probably the best stallion m the world at present, is by Ornie, grandson direct of Bend Oi, a-rd maternal grandson of Galopia, while the aais cl "Plying F--X 13 by G-n.llopirs. One of the best colts "Flying Eox has got is said to be Jardy, whose •dam is by Ayrshire, a maternal grandson of Galopin. When such great horses result from such close increasing as those quoted, it is wonderful that the system is not practised with greater activity rhaa is the custom, instead of breeding haphazard and depending upo-n mere luck to get a racejioaas,