STUD NEWS AND NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2671, 24 May 1905, Page 50

STUD NEWS AND NOTES.

— Pilgrim's Progress had some winners recently in Australia to keep his name from wandering off into oblivion. Demas, a sou of the Isonomy horse out of Thebes, by Robinson Crusoe out of Hatason, by King 1 Cole (imp.) — Frou Frou, won the South Australian St. Leger on May .6. Lieutenant Bill scored in the principal event at -the May Caulfield meeting, and another of Pilgrim's Progress's stock named Roller won a minor event at the S.A.J.C. meeting.

— Interesting news from the Dnke of West■minster's stud is that on Friday, March 24, Vampire foaled a very fine colt by Orme, bay or brown in colour, and, of course, own brother to Flying Fox. It will also be interesting to note whether the new arrival, takes after his 37,500gs relative Flying Fox or his other brother Flying Lemur, whose chief recommendation, is his close relationship to M. E. Blanc' 8 world-famous stallion.

— Much surprise was caused by the result of the Pretty Polly competition. Last year the committee accepted the theory of strong — almost incestuous — inbreeding by nominating Flying Fox as the best mate to Sceptre, while this year quite » different theory was accepted — that of complete outcross — by nominating Flying Fox again as best mate to PrettyPolly. "The two decisions are quite inconsequential," says the Allgemeine Sporfc Zeitung, the leading sporting paper m Austria, and a Hungarian paper says: "The committee has made a retrogade steo, arriving at a conclusion that would have beea correct 20 years before, when scientific breeding and Bruce Lowe were quite unknown. In electing Flying Fox to Pretty Polly, it was simply' the mating of the best with the best, and we shall not be surprised to hear next year the mating according to coloursbrown with brown, chestnut with chestnut, etc. Scientific breeding cannot tolerate fickleness."

— While the powers that bs-»-like those that have gone before — in Australia placidly alloy all who have an inclination to do so to exploit our horee markets for the best mares, and allow breeders to use any sort of sire, other countries are fnlly alive to the importance of keeping the best fillies, and comipelling the use of only sound and properlyshaped stallions. They regard the horse as an important commercial asset and a strongweapon of defence. Despite tho stronglyworded remonstrances from buyers and the Indian Government, as well as the opinions of so many experienced Australians that have been voiced through the press during the past eisht years, neither the State nor the Commonwealth authorities have made the slightest move towards bettering present conditions. The French, German, and Russian Governments jealously keep the best fillies in the country, and (says an excharge) by a, simple* but effective system of inspection and grading allow only i&e use of sound, well-formed stallions. Russia owns over 22 million horses, and could go on mounting cavalry if she were at war for 50 years. The Government maintains five Imperial and seven military studs, 27 provincial depots, and zio fewer than 23 000 stations. In addition to these there are 886 private studs, with 3100 stallions and 101 000 brood mares. Austria-Hungary spends *370 000 a year m the promotion Vf horse-breeding for military purposes. There are 5000 staflions, of which 3000 are kept at various studs and stations in Hungary, and 2000 in Austria. All but a small percentage of the horses in the country are bred by the peasantry, who are enabled to get the use of the Government stallaons for various small fees ranging tra to the equivalent of 16s 8d per service* Germany has 2600 stallions in its Government studs, and makes them available to small breeders at charges of from 5s to £1 Tna btate expenditure on the maintenance of the studs amounts to £190,000 a. year