RISKED HIS LIFE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3842, 1 November 1927, Page 55

RISKED HIS LIFE.

It is astonishing the number of thoughtless people • there are. A man rushed across the street, just missing a motoi' coming one way to dash in front of another coming the other way. He reached the other side in safety, and all but knocked two pedestrians over as he hastened into a tobacconist’s, on the point of closing. He was just in time to get a supply of Bears’ Smoking Tobacco, his favourite smoke. He knew that it is really first-class Virginia Tobacco, and doesn’t burn the tongue. Sold everywhere, 8d per oz loose. Also in handy packets—loz 9d, 2oz Is 6d. —Advt.' ‘

Taporley. Raasay ranks as a half-brother to Runnymede, who was a-really good three-year-old, although he failed to train on when taken to Australia. Royal Duke is a colt that will add to his success, as he puts plenty of courage into his work, and won the Taita Handicap by staying on. He belongs to the same family as Prime Warden and others claiming Miss Kate as their ancestress. Silver Rule has a good turn of -speed, and should stay better with a little more experience. Staghunter will show further improvement. He has at present a lumbering style of galloping, but should do a lot better when strengthened up. Tea Miss is fairly smart, and Full Feather requires time rendered necessary by the fact that a cold did anything but help his preparation for the Wellington meeting. Concentrate is a nice colt got by Kilbroney from Oratress, who was a good performer and one that should do well at the stud. Chit has trained far too light to show anything like her real racing merit, and some of the others seen out at the meeting also require to be patiently handled in order to build up strength to carry their speed. THE DERBY FIELD. On two-year-old form Paleta reads the best of those engaged in this year’s Derby. That is assuming that Agrion will not go to the post. The Leighton gelding was much superior to Laughing Prince in their first season, and has given an indication i that he will retain his superiority this year. Paleta should stay, as he was got by Leighton from Catalina, by Catmint from Symbolism, by Symington. Laughing Prince's pedigree also suggests stamina, as he is out of a Martian mare wh.ose dam, Two Step, was got by Stepniak from Faraway, by Bill o’ Portland—Happy Land, by Musket—Atlantis, by Thormanby. Still, an impression was gathered by Laughing Prince’s display in the Champion Plate that he is not such a good three-year-old as Ark Royal, and this brings the latter in line as a Derby possibility. Ark Royal shapes like a stayer, and inherits plenty of stamina. He was got by Kilbroney from Lady Violet, by Boniform —Vicereine, by Birkenhead—Roie, by St. Leger or Captivator from Hipjxma, by Robinson Crusoe —Lamoina. by F -eworks. Hippona is the dam of St. Hippo, who won both the New Zealand Cup and Auckland Cup as a three-year-old. Teri i s another possibility, as he comes from a Derbyproducing family in the shape of Multiform and Uniform. Teri was got by Romeo from Piraeas, by Demosthenes from Formula, sister to Multiform and Uniform, and hence it would not be surprising to find him displaying classic form. Satrap and Martarma were handicapped by bad going when they met Ark Royal in the Dunedin Guineas, but it looks as if the last named should btJat them again. Gascony has some creditable form, but some of the others will have to show a lot of improvement before one can afford them a chance. Eulalie will, no doubt, be reserved for the Oak Stakes, and the form on the first day of the Cup meeting may throw further light on the problem. At the present time it appears as if Ark Royal, Paleta, and Laughing Prince may be the order of favouritism when the betting is concluded on the classic to be rim at Riccarton.

THE NEW ZEALAND CUP MEETING. In a few more days we will be in the thick of another New Zealand Cup meeting, and once again it bears every indication of .supplying the high-class sport which has made the Canterbury ’Carnival Week one of the most popular racing fixtures on the calendar. The principal events on the programme have all filled very well, and should supply some good fields and unusually interesting racing on each day <>f the fixture. The New Zealand Cu r field does not run to any great numerical strength, but it has attracted..a fairly good class of horse. Some of the Best handicap performers in the Dominion figure in the field, and the best of them will have an opportunity to upset the idea held in some quarters that 9.0 or over is too formidable load to successfully carry in the race. Count Cavour won last year with 8.13, but will be up against a stronger field in this week’s race. He will have to shoulder an extra 71b and be up against two solid stayers in Star Stranger and Te Monanui. Footfall won the Dunedin Cup with 8.11, and ran a fine race in the Great Autumn with 9.5. Ho should be' able to account for Piuthair on 51b better terms than she beat him by a narrow margin m the recent Autumn Handicap. Rumour was busy with Beacon Light’s name at rhe Wellington spring meeting, where Hie Boniform gelding had friends saying he would beat Limerick in the Champion Plate and then win the New Zealand Cup. Beacon Light failed to run up to the expectations and hopes of his supporters, but he should not be discarded on that account, as tho going may have been agaiint him. In the Champion Plate he''turned into the straight with Star Stranger and Te Monanui. but the last-named displayed the st stamina, and it looks as if he may prove the most dangerous of the top-weights. After seeing Rapier in the Champion P' lie the writer formed an opinion that the son of Greyspeai- would beat all the Cup candidates he met at Trentham at the weights they will be under at Riccarton. Rapier will have a good pull in the weights, and is not likely to lose anything by having C. Emerson in the saddle. It will be remembered that Rapier beat Te Monanui and Footfall in the Wellington Cup, and he will do so again. Count Cavour 9.13 and Stir Stranger 9.3, Piuthair 7.7, and Clarinda 7.4 were also amongst those who finished behind Rapier in the Wellington Cup. Battlement has disappointed so often that one cannot enthuse about his chance, but he might grow in favour if track work points that way. Yonia ran a solid race at Wellington, and is fancied in some quarters. Pink Note has come through a good solid pi uparation, and he strode home pleasingly enough when he won at Gore. Lady Desmond has quite a lot of admirers in the north, and is said to be a very solid stayer. She has, however, nothing great to enthuse

about in the way of public form, and perhaps her best recommendation is her pedigree and possibility of training on since she ran last season. Ark Royal and Vaward may prove the best of those at the tail of the. handicap, and the former would not create surprise if he won. He has always been a good stayer, and the manner in which he gathered Eulalie in the Dunedin Guineas entitles him to a. chance. At the present time Rapier seems sure to start favourite. Footfall may be regarded as next best, whilst those in search of a good lightweight may go for Yonia, Pink Note, or Ark Royal. THE GREY COLOUR. The' query “ From whence came the grey colour in our thoroughbreds? ” is a hardy annual, but, like that of nomenclature, the subject of colour, or the lack of it, is of perpetual interest, and I make no excuse for referring to it (says the Special Commissioner of Sporting Life) in answer to a question from a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons who wishes himself known as *‘G.W.S.” As a start, it must be realised that every grey horse that has ever been known has had at least one grey parent. Naturally, it may be asked, “ Where did the: first grey horse come from?” and the question is as difficult to answer as would be, “Who was the first white man? ” Possibly, or, more correctly, presumably the absence of the coat colour, or the lack of- pigment in the hairs of the horse and the “ whiteness ” in man were due originally to some mutation or sport that, being adventitious', has been retained by Nature. No matter, all the grey horses —that is, thoroughbreds —that we have at the present time are descended from three roots. These were Alcock’s Arabian, a horse that “ though he covered very few mares, produced some of the stoutest racers that ever went a four-mile course;” the Brownlow Turk,' and a line which is formed by the junction of the descendants of the two. The single line from the Brownlow Turk is now almost, if not quite, extinct, but the other two are existent, and the most important is the combined one. Let us take this one first. From the BrownlowTurk, who was a grey, came the horse Grey Grantham,jwho sired a mare of the same colour that was. known as Miss Belvoir, and was admitted to be “ the best mare of her time that ran at Newmarket.” From her came a grey mare by Childers that was mated to Crab, a grey son of Alcock’s Arabian. This was the first junction of the two lines, and from the combination there arose a grey mare called Blossom, who was dam of Cygnet, who sired a grey mare —unnamed—who was dam of Bordeaux. Now we must go bafck to Crab on the other line. Besides siring Blossom, he produced a grey sister to Othello, who, to Regulus, gave rise to Virago, the grey dam of Speranza, who was mated with the grey Bordeaux, and in 1787 foaled Bab (grey), a mare whose arrival signalled the second junction of the two lines. From Bab came a mare of the same colour, by Sir Peter, who in turn produced Spinster (grey). Unlike her .granddam, who had ten foals, all of ■whom were greys, Spinster only foaled one of this-colour—her first foal —-a colt that was called Master Robert, and from whom the line comes on to the present day. Actually there are two trees of descent ■ from him, one of which brings us down to Grey Leg, and the other to Le Sancy. The last is the more important, so can

be dealt with first. Master Robert was mated with a mare by Sir Walter Raleigh (granddam of Harkaway)and the mating resulted in a grey horse called Drone, who sired Whim (grey), who, to Irish Birdcatcher, foaled the famous “ whitish grey ” I Chanticleer, who won the Northumberland Plate, the Goodwood Stakes, and the Doncaster Cup as a five-year-old in 1848; ran up to Van Tromp for what is now the

Ascot Gold Cup in 1849, and then at stud sired the grey mare, Souvenir, who became dam of Strathconan, a grey horse who was sire of Le Sancy’s dam, the grey mare Gem of Gems, who was foaled in 1873. Here we must retrace our steps to Master Robert, as, besides Drone, he sired a grey horse called Rust, who passed his colour on through three generations of mares—Colleen Dhas. Irish Belle, and Oxford Mixture—to Pepper and Salt, who sired Grey Leg. from whom came, amongst others, Lord Durham’s mare Barrier. This branch is still existent, but is not so prolific as the one from Le Sancy. which descends in three ways; first’ through Tagale to Tagalie and Poltava.

Secondly through Nabot to La Sauterelle and others, and lastly through Le Samaritain to Roi Herode and The Tetrarch, from whom we get the great majority of present day greys. This brings us right up to date, and, for the purpose of this article, the single lines from the Brownlow Turk and Alcock’s Arabian need only be mentioned. From what I have written some extraordinary facts emerge. Since the time of the Brownlow Turk a period of some 225 years has elapsed, during which some hundreds of thousands of matings have been made in the thoroughbred breeding world, yet through this maze of time and matings the colour for which The Tetrarch is famous came through a line composed of 21 units. Some years back a writer in the Bloodstock Breeders’ Review applied a method of numbering, suggested by Sir Francis Galton.' to pedigrees. The subject of the pedigree he numbered 1, the sire 2, and the dam 3. numbering each column or generation of ancestors from the top down in the same way, so that the grand-parents of the subject were 4. 5, 6. and 7. and the greatgrandparents 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, and so on, ad infinitum. He applied this to Tagalie, and found that though at the eighteenth generation she had 539,486 ancestral crosses, her colour had descended to her through 17 individuals. >» ROMANCE OF THE TETRARCH. Not everyone who has written of the rpmance of The Tetrarch may have been aware of the peculiar luck which led to the transfer of his sire, Roi Herode. from one ownership to another. Roi Hpro.de Eame to this country from France '(says the Sporting Life) I bent on pulling off a coup, and there were two chances open

to him. The services of Maher were secured, and all arrangements were in order except for one important detail—that of securing a race run to suit the horse. The' first was for the Doncaster Cup, which, when the distance, as in those days, was two miles and a furlong. was invariably a muddling affair until long after the runners had got into the St. Leger course. Thus it. happened that Velocity won, and The White Knight was beaten in successive years. The latter was forced to make his own running, a business he cordially disliked. In a wellrun Cesarewitch he would have given Velocity a stone. The pace did not suit Roi Herode in the Doncaster Cup, and so his people turned to the Newbury Autumn Cup for an opportunity of retrieving, and Maher this time decided to make running under top -weight, but failure again attended the venture, and the horse was left on this side, and as bought by the late Mr E. Kennedy, and went to the Straffan Stud. The race which would have far better suited Roi Herode was the Cesarewitch, for he was essentially a Newmarket type. He would have had to give weight to Yentoi, who won that year, but Glacis, who was nothing out of the ordinary, was conceding over a stone to Yentoi, and was a respectable third, and there would have been a sounder winning chance for the grey than came his way in either of the two other races he was saddled for. The winning of the Cesarewitch would have meant Roi Herode returning to his French home instead of going to Ireland. The brood mare, Vahren, the clam of The Tetrach, might have visited him, for Mr Kennedy had great notions as to the value of the Le Sancy blood. Anyhow. M. Caillault’s ill-luck in those two racing ventures over here with Roi Herode proved to be the Irish breeder’s good fortune.

FIRST START. An old stager who I know never wagers more than a couple of sovereigns expressed to me the pleasure it gave him, apart from having had his maximum on a winner, to think- that this season’s notable classic winners had either won or shown a very good best on the day they first carried silk as two-year-olds. “ None of them coming out for a ‘ public airing,’ such as I have known of some,” said lie. “Nothing like telling ■people from the start you think you’ve got a good horse. Luck goes nearly all the time with an owner who does that.” The sentiment thus expressed is excellent in its way. It is true also (says an English writer) that many classic winners “ struck oil,” as one might say, at the first time of asking. They came out comparatively fit on the occasion of such introduction to racing life, and at once created a very favourable impression. So did their respective owners. Yet I think it will be appreciated, on reflection, that while the spirit in the case of the owner has been willing the flesh, as represented by the horse, has sometimes been weaker on the occasion of a first attempt than was anticipated. I.t may be. that the onetime practice of training even a good horse in public still obtains, yet I imagine that “ the man in the street ” nowadays is sufficiently educated to realise that horses are different in characteristics just as human beings are not all alike, and that the good horse may be physically incapable of showing its best at the first time of asking, be the owner ever so desirous that it. should do so. A Donovan or an Isinglass appears only at intervals. It is a fact, however, that four of this season’s classic winners caught the public eye most favourably when they were two-year-olds running for the first time.