TROTTERS AND THOROUGHBREDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 55

TROTTERS AND THOROUGHBREDS.

Many students of breeding have an objection to mating thoroughbreds with trotters, but some of the best trotters ever seen in the world have possessed thoroughbred 3 blood close up to the top of their pedigree, and no doubt many readers will remember an article on the subjecfr which appeared in these columns about two years ago. A writer in an exchange recently remarked, in reference to the matter, that Mr John Corlctt, in his weekly contribution to the London Sporting Times, touches upon the breeding of some English trotters, and his comments should be of interest to breeders of trotters and admirers of the thoroughbred- The latter has ever been recognised as the only improving factor in light breeds, but the horse used as an improver is invariably selected in iis action and conformation rather than a great turf record. Therefore, the crack racing stallions are seldom used to improve the i rotter, it being an article of faith with trotting men that a good racing shape is not a good tyotting- shape. The horse Mr Corlett writes of (Common) is one of the truest galloping shapes, a winner of the '■ Triple Crown," and highly infused with the fashionable racing strains. Mr Gorlett's story runs:.— "We were first presented with a bottle of exceptionally fine liciueur. brandy of the year 1821 or thereabouts. A friend who was staying with U* found that brandy, to which he was quite welcome, but we must, confess that we felt somewhat angered when we found' he had consumed half of it with sodawater. To our remonstrance he replied, 'My dear John, the better the brandy, the better the soda and brandy.' From that moment the fight was over, as it was utterly impossible to answer an argnment of that description. This incident came to our mind when Mr Winans wrote us that he had sent a trotting mare to Common, and the result was the best animal he had ever bred. The better the siro the better the trotter. This young trotter, though he has not been more than half a dozen times in harness, can already go at a faster rate than 20 miles an hour. At the recent show at Ashford Mr Winans took first and second prizes with two youngsters both by Common. One or these was Zolotoy (which is Russian for Golden), by Common, dam Cuba, by Sherbrook, out of an Exmor pony mare. The other was Lubeznie (Russian for Beloved), by Common, dam a hunter mare. This animal won the Dewar Challenge Shield. The crack of the Surrendcn trotters is Gcsudar. by Common, dam Chequita. No wonder that Mr Winans's trotters are of such a high order, as in a general way the services of a horse like Common would not be available for trotting or halfbred mares. It must have been as a great favour that the late Sir J. B. Maple allowed Mr Winans to send mares of this character to so famous a horse."