THE MUSKET BLOOD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 54

THE MUSKET BLOOD.

I It is known that as a yearling Musket, j who was afterwards to attain such gi*>at ; celebrity, lookod-so weedy and t nprotru-nng ; that his owner, a nobleman, gave orders 1 that the youngster, as well as several i others in the stad at the same time, vas ito be destroyed. Somebody with a. vcice | in the management of affairs in conneci lion with the stud begged that Mus>k<3t, m- ! slead of being shot there and then, should be given a trial, and fortunately— especi- | • ally for the turf in Australasia — this s< und j j advice was acted upon. It would be im- j i possible to over-estimate the value of the ; service? rendered to the turf in this cf.un- , ' try by Musket. The old horse id d«*ad , I long fince himself, but the family ho . founded first in New Zealand is still I • rtiuch in evidence, and it will be a groat ; .nr-sf oil une for this country if eve»" the 1 blood Imnded down from him is L.'.vwed i to die out. Other valuable strains have 1 through neglect been fairly crushed out, of existence, but profiting by thf> 'fusons ! of the past it ' is to be hoped that we I will not fall into the same, error ajruin. | If Musket had but his mighty son Cnr- ! bine alone as a foundation for his r 'pata- ' tion he would surely then have not Icen i spared for nothing. But Musket v.is no mere '"one-horse" sire. Carbine was, of course, his greatest success. None will dispute this. But how many other gyc-at performers sprang from his loins it would be difficult to say off-hand. It is ceri tain, at all events, that no sirp that ever ! came to this part of the gJobe made a j greater hit at the stud than he. And J he not only left racehorses behind him. I He also gave us sons capable in their ] turn of begetting great gallopers, and I also daughters who, after their racing days were over, nearly one and all li'wed ; themselves at the stud. And tho^bisst oC ■ i it is that there is so much leal life and . ; \itaiity in the blood that it is cimied j ' thiough from generation to generation ; j without losing any of its strength. Thus | it is that this great equine tribe Is si ill , ! prominent to-day, not only in Australasia, ■ I but in many other parts of the world as '■ | well. And, as we have said, it vill be [ 1 something like a calamity if the claims of j this stout, hard-fighting, docile strain of blood is ever, oven for a season, over--1 looked.