TALK OF THE DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3901, 18 December 1928, Page 56

TALK OF THE DAY.

By

Sentinel.

SIZE a N"' STAMINA. The writer is not in the smallest degree inclined to subscribe to the opinion expressed in a northern contemporary that an alleged dearth of stayers is due to inbreeding and an increased size of horse. Far from it. Horses were just as big 25 years or 30 years ago as they are to-day if the chronicles of racing a quarter of a century ago are worthy of credence. If one turns to the records of the St. Leger it will be found that the majority of winners were big horses, and by big horses the writer means those standing 16 hands or more. A 15.3 horse is big, and so can a 15.2 horse be described as big because he may have a 17-hand body on a 15-hand set of legs, and hence we get the term “ a big-little horse.” Nearly all the best stayers the world has ever known were big horses, but most fallacious ideas are held in some quarters about staying and stamina. The records of racing show a vast improvement in the time recorded in races a quarter of a century ago and what has been the case in more recent years. A horse can show more stamina to-day in winning a mile and a-half race than what would be the case in winning over twice that distance 30 years ago. Some people seem to overlook the fact that there are so few opportunities* for stayers that they naturally become rare from mere lack of opportunity to win over a distance which does not constitute a real . test of stamina, because it is very seldom indeed that they are true-run races. The split-second watch has on more than one occasion proved that the New Zealand Cup has been practically a mile and a-half race only. There are just as many stayers about to-day as there were in any other period during which the thoroughbred carried a saddle. If there is any apparent deficiency in stamina it rests with incompetent training and a continued toleration of a style of riding which prevents a horse from staying. Quite a number of trainers never went to “ school ” in the sense that they were taught by competent trainers. Quite a number ofztrainers prove their ignorance by not adopting a simple method of helping a horse to stay. Quite a number of people would allow that the winner of the Grand National Hurdles or Grand National Steeples were stayers, although the fact remains that some of them could never win on the flat beyond a mile or a mile and a-quarter, and some of them could not win in hack company in a seven-

furlong race. Such people are misled by the mere “ sound ” of distance. Beau Cavalier, the champion ’chaser of recent years, could not be classed as a stayer on the flat, but because he has won the Great Northern Steeplechase, the Wellington Steeplechase, and the Grand National,. Steeplechase he has frequently been described as a stayer. The best stayers on this side of the world include Carbine, ; the greatest Roman of them all,” and he was a big horse. Achilles, Wairiki, kelson, Euroclydon, Warstep. Limerick, Ballymena, Amythas, Snub, Gold Light, Count Cavour, Zimmerman, All Red, Rose.Po?Hall, Star Stranger, Vagabond, Multiform, Loughrea, Masterpiece, Seahorse, Advance, Bobrikoff, Pilliewinkie, Royal Star, Sunart, and other notable performers over a distance that come to memory were all big horses, and in fact only a very small percentage of winners Aver a distance in recent years could be described as small horses. Martian was small in height, but in fact a pocket Hercules and a giant on short legs. Inbreeding has become more pronounced and more noticeable during recent j-ears, and yet the fact remains that some of the best, horses seen out have been inbred to St. Simon. Mon Talisman, Apelle, and Fiterari, three of the best stayers seen out in France last season, are inbred to St. Simon. Book Law and Fairway, the two latest to win the St. Leger, are both inbred to St. Simon, and the" Derby winner Felstead is inbred to Musket. Coming nearer home, it> is found that Strephon and Gothic (the record holder f°r a mile and a-half) are inbred horses to St. Simon, a high-strung horse, whose strain could not be calculated to show successful duplication. Trivalve is inbred to Carbine, and many other instances of inbreeding could be cited, and that great theorist Bruce Lowe laid it down as a fundamental principle that in order to breed a great racehorse it was necessary to return to the sire the best blood in the dam. About two seasons ago the writer examined the pedigrees of all the best winners of that season in England, and found that about 80 per cent, of them were inbred to St. Simon or to Galopin, his sire. If inbreeding can achieve such wonderful results the method seems more of praise than condemnation. Finally it may be said that the alleged deterioration of stamina may be traced back to the time when trainers, in their shallow knowledge, set horses to go a long journey on a short-distance preparation.

THE DUNEDIN SUMMER MEETING. The Dunedin Jockey Club has never achieved the popularity and success that should be possible for a fixture held on such excellent racing dates as Boxing Day and .he following date. At such a time all the world and uis wife are in holiday mood, but unfortunately seem more inclined to bask at the seaside rather than indulge in the pleasures of sport. This year the club will be able to present what promises to be a sufficiently attractive card to lure more people to Wingatui than what has sometimes been the case in the past. The programme attracted liberal patronage from owners, and a glance at the list of handicaps for the first day will show that good fields are likely to be seen out during the day The fields engaged in the Otago Handicap and Federal Handicap contain plenty of material to supply the basis of a-most popumedium of betting, and the fact should arouse extra interest in the meeting. The consistent Set Sail is at the top of the list in the Otago Handicap with 9.8, and has none the best of the deal in being asked to meet Battle Colours on. 31b worse terms than when the latter finished in. front of her in the Metropolitan Handicap. Set Sail gave Battle Colours 51b and a beating in the Jockey Club Handicap and also beat a weak field at Oamaru, but the most reliable line to merit was that furnished by the Metropolitan. Hence she might have been ■treated with a little more leniency at the scale of weights. Pink Note meetp Battle Colours on 31b better terms than when they finished third and fourth in t Metropolitan, and it is doubtful if. the margir is sufficient to bring them together. Booster has won up to a mile, an' 3 in beinr rated at 141 b less than in the Federal Handicap has not been harshly treated. Queen Balboa is well treated at 8.2, as she meets Lucy Locket on 21b better terms than when she beat her at Winton over a mile. Lucy Lockpt failed to give Queen Balboa 21b in the Winton Cup, and taking that line shows her to have a chance on 71b better terms. Royal Saxon has been asked to meet Set Sail on only' 11b better terms than when s - e won the President’s Handicap rather easily at Oamaru. and he might have been * e away a little more, but he is well treated through Rotor, who comes in on 31b worse terms for getting beat in the Oamaru Cup. Rotor has been harshly treated, particularly as his winning form u uT” amounts to nil, and hence he should be allowed compensation instead of being penalised for defeat. King Balboa was a good winner last season. He )e Sight over a mile and a-quarter at Wingatui when in receipt of 51b; he gave Lucy Locket 131 b and a beating *at Gore; and won the North Otago Cup run at , Wingatui, with 7st, whilst Lucy Locket, 7.10 J, was unplaced. Then came

another win in the Buckley Memorial with 0.4; and he gave Lucy Locket 41b and a neck beating over a mile at Invercargill. King Balboa ran second with 9.0 in the tradesmens Handicap, and with 8.10 in the King George Handicap. He has shown winning form this season, and at 7.13 reads one of the picks of the handif a P-« cce Ptances are due on Friday next, the 21st inst.

THE OAMARU MEETING. The Oamaru Jockey Club’s summer meeting attracted a somewhat meagre attendance on the opening day, but the crowd was more pleasing in numbers when the concluding card came up for decision. It was thought that the initial meeting on the new course would arouse interest and attract if not a record at least a satisfactory attendance; but such did not P ro y e the case. It is a common opinion that the meeting is too near the Christmas and New Year meetings, where stakes are much larger than those hung up last week, and as commercialism is the dominating factor of racing it is hardly likely that owners will expose the form of their wises for a shadow when success may tlle A loss ° f a far more substantial r ,* . walk round the new course found it to be quZ.e satisfactory The turns are said to be a bit sharp, and regret was heard expressed that the almZnt’nf Th th « s t and , s meant the abandonI he ° ld U ’ ack ’ Durin S the racing turn L,^° rSeS SWUng Wide at the home turn, but in some cases this was due to Wonlf rld 3 ns ‘ A Vhen a liliputian in L. Woolford could steer a big horse like Singer around the home turn without leaving the rails others should be at’e J® . d ° tbe Ba ™ e - me were carried out, SJ h,B f m attributed to the ®! lap ? f i t le tra - ck - The onl y fault about the track was in the fact that its size necessitated the start of the nffie-furlong race too near a turn. The stablin" is too-far away from the birdcage convenience of trainers who have a team of horses to saddle up during a dav’s racing, and is the only serious drawback to the new course. There is ample stand accommodation, and the very commodious space in front of the totalisator tends to thT’old 1 l the 81Ze °m fc ’, le crowd which > on the old lawn, would be deemed quite a good muster. The club is now it OI ; s °L a i Ve ? r weh-equinned course, and J ? be >° Ped that 1116 change will also bring about an alteration in the dnV« UneS ° f tl>e e ub ’ Tile rae ing on both Mr A ra D 'mJ lnte ™ atin g’ and although nir A. D Mlvor did not have the tsfield- lCe ° f % Startiug machine he got his fields away from a satisfactory line In £ be Only fault that could be found with his work was the undue leniency extended to Star Stranger II who e held up a field on the first day. The various officials of the club worked hard wns t ke th ? oieeting a success, and it was very pleaisng to note the nonular President (Mr W. Gardiner) taking an ?i art lntbe management. Represented the various trophies that Were won during the meeting, and had the pleasure one of ng thl S CO ?° Urs first P ast the post in e ™”‘“ »“ P>»-

A STUD VISIT. On the morning of the second div of the Oamaru meeting the writer was onj a rf\ na r part ; v whlch Paid a flying visit to hldershe with the object of bavin- a glance at the yearlings going under the hammer in January next. Leaving at 6 . a -m- a ? early arrival found that the their 1 Ons bad ,. alrea dy been turned out in their commodious exercise paddocks, and nilh? e yearhl }S s > which were boxed overTh g o fiir ere als ° t . u J rned out for the day. ni t ar > e P a ddocked in any number up to half a dozen, and the colts have each a separate yard. The fillies were seen careering around and kicking up their of e thcm the gr F a „ est - enjoyment. Some +i ale so °f exuberant vitality roof wanted to kick the roof off the sky. There w’as only tine for a brief glance at the fillies, and a smart nippy lot they are when seen careering round the paddock. A sister to Ti free skims over the ground with low action, and a Weathervane— Gardenia filly looks just the sort to develop early speed. The others are: Shambles—Skydream, Kilbroney—Cotilljon, Paper Monev —bantahna, Paper Money—Taupo, and a Paper Money—Edgeworthy. These youn~ iathes keep themselves in the best or health by the natural inclination ot the thoroughbred to gallop, ana they look fit to handle at once. The writer has been a fairly frequent visitor to JLiderslie for over a-quarter of a century, and never saw such a beautiful lot of colts as those that are booked to H? der tlle hammer in January at the Wellington sales. They are brimful of quality, well grown, and stand on the best ot legs and feet. In fact if thev 'do not gallop and gallop fast, breeding thoroughbreds must be a fluke and not a matter of study and knowledge allied to all the care and cost, that can be bestowed on them. . Elderslie has always been regarded as an ideal place for a stud farm, and the present crop of yearlings is the first real reflection of the vast improvements made since it'went under the present management.

We were first introduced to a beautifully turned bay colt by Paper Money from Sunbird, by Martian, Sunbird is an own sister to two good stayers in Mascot and Ardenohor and her colt to Paper Money favours the Martian tide of bis pedigree. A colt by Shambles from Blather by Desmond, is a bit up in the air, and, although he fills the eye very pleasingly, a colt by Paper Money from Graceful is preferred. Weathervane is I c p resented by a colt from Snowshell (one of the Mermaid tribe), and it must be said that his stock will improve on acquaintance, and the son of Lemberg and >ane Air looks sure to make good at the stud. His second dam is an own sister to Flying Fox, by Ayrshire, a Derby rw21 ei r» an i d S °” of Hampton, who sired three Derby winners. The writer would not swop the Paper Money—Bonnie Maid colt for anything on the place. He is a very racy-looking youngster, and coming flora the Sappho taproot is sure to command a lot of notice. There is a bay with black points that looks a really an , d ffot by Pa P er Money iioni Afterglow, by Demosthenes from Sunglow a sister to Boniform and half-sister to Martian The next box contained a lephca of Gold Tinge in the shape of a colt by Piyier Money from Fulsome, a sister to Humbug, Epitaph, Eulalie. Homage, and half-sister to Commendation, lea iray has stamped his real merit as a sire oil a raking big bay colt from La Paix. Tea Tray s stock foaled at Elderslie bear every indication of a return to the remarkable success he achieved m his first season at the stud. Philomela has a big chestnut by the same sire, and altogether they rank as the best lot the writer has ever seen at the stud, and it is to be sincerely hoped that they will go into the hands of capable trainers in order to get a proper chance to show the racing merit they should develop on their conformation and pedigree. AUSTRALIAN SIRES.

In referring to the lack of patronage bestowed on Australian-bred sires, “ Warrawee ” recently said: “ The position is so bad now that owners of fine Aus-tralian-bred sires might conceivably feel disposed to conceal the place of birth of their horses as they would a secret vice. If a horse were a brand of soap, or a razor, this would be easy. The article in question could be manufactured and packed in Woolloomooloo, or Footscray, stamped, ‘ Made in England,’ or ‘ Made in Australia,’ and all would be well. The average Australian dearly loves an imported article. It does not matter much where it comes from, so long as it is imported. Some traders cater for this prejudice and see to it that manufactures which have their origin in the suburbs of Sydney are sold as imported goods.

Fortunately the position of the horsebreeder is on a different footing. The Stud Book sees to that. If he owns a good Australian sire an Australian sire he must remain until the end of the chapter, since he cannot put a tag on the animal to pretend that he was imported from England. It may be possible to do this sort of thing in trade, but the benignant autocracy of the Stud Book—the most powerful and far-reachiiv authority in the world—will not permit the owner of Australian sires to do anything of the kind. Probably no Australian breeder would think of doing such a thing, even if it were possible, despite the tact that prejudice certainly does put a premium on this .species of imposture. An owner may have a great Austmlian sire these days, and yet prejudice will be found constantly reminding him that he is in possession of a compa«'^i?ve y .unsaleable commodity. The position has, in this respect, been discouraging for many years, but it has been more recently intensified enormously by the phenomenal success of such imported sires as Valais, Rossendale, Limond Absurd, and others. The temporary gieat success of Woorak (one of the most perfect types . of stallion in Australia to-day) served to steady the landslide for a while, but, as the son of Traquair and Madam, with his limited opportunities, has gone down on the winning list, so the prejudice against Aus-tralian-bred sires has gained greater vdiehnTn * s P rae ti ca ßy over-' Prejudice and fashion constitute a force that is irresistible anywhere. In the thoroughbred horse industry it is a combination so powerful as to' threaten to ultimately submerge that section of the equine patrician family which bears Australia SUUSter ’ of bein 8 Produced in t Of course, as Josh Billings remarked - It aint no use arguin’ agin’ a success? and there is no gainsaying, the great sucsires ” ** large P ercenta ge of the imported HICH-PRICED STOCK. n^ h-S w war! ear ! th f ? 92 L total of yearlings sold m England for 4000gns or over was beaten by one, this year’s highest-priced yearlings up to October 20 being as under:— Chestnut flllv by Gay Crusader cut of . Love-oil by Amadis; Bloodstock Registry .. .. 13.0G0

Qurrat-al-Ain, b f by Buchan out of Khan SlCllOrtb Louvois ;~The Aga Day colt by Gainsborough cut of Tetrabbazia by The Tetrarch Lord Glanely . . io .-no Grey colt, by Hurry On out of Enbarr by The Tetrarch; Mr Hector Macdonald . . -in Farman Farina, br c by Phalm'is <Jut of Clear Case, by Son-in-Law ; the Aga Khan „ . . Gay Crusader out of Rabona, by Roi Herode; Lord Beaverbrook 9 000 Bay or brown filly by Phala-.is out of Santa Minna, by Santoi; Baron Edouard de Rothschild . . . . 8 109 Chestnut filly by Bachelor's Double out of Bayara, by Bayardo; Mrs Esmond Harmsworth 7,500 Bay filly by Sansovino out of Celiba, by Bachelor's Double; Lord Beaverbrook . . . . . . . . 7 200 Brown colt by Phalaris out of Herself, by Neil Gow; Sir Hugo Cun-liffe-Owen 7 Bay filly by Phalaris out of The Sphinx, by Roi Herode; Sir John Rutherford 7,000 Bay filly, by Salmon-Trout out of Meriel, by St. Amant; Lord Elles- „ 6,500 Bay filly, by Papyrus out of Nice, by Minoru ; Lord Dewar . . . 6 100 Chestnut colt, by Hurry On out of Lania, by Llangibby; Mr W. Walters 6,100 Bay colt by Manna out of Silver Queen, .by The Tetrarcn; Sir Richard Garton 6,000 Bay colt, by Friar Marcus out of Blanche, by White Eagle; Lord Beaverbrook . . 6,000 Bay filly by Gainsborough out of Needle Eye, by Polymelus; Captain Cecil Boyd-Rochefort 5,400 Devonie, b f by Phalaris out of Quail, by St. Amant; Colonel O. C. Clare 5,300 Jessie Wren, ch f by Buchan out of Jessica, by Eager ; Colonel' O. C. Clare 5,200 Bay colt by Swynford out of Sv ord Play, by Great Sport; Lord Dewar 5,000 Chestnut filly by Friar Marcus out of Bay Lady, by Bayardo ; Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen 4,800 Julia Mannering, br f by Ellaugowan . out of Harpoon, by Fowling Piece ; Captain Gerald B. Portman . . 4,400 Romance of War, b f by Gay Crusader out of Ada Merling, by Spearmint; Mr Corbella . . . . 4,100 Blenheim, br c by Blandford out of Malva, by Charles O’Malley; The Aga Khan .. 4,100 Silver Gilt, br c by Silvern out of Verdict, by Shogun ;Mr E. Esmond 4,000 Brown filly by Gainsborough cut of Cypher by Swynford ; Mr F. Darling 4,000 UNSOUNDNESS. It will be readily admitted that Solferino has sired as great a porportion of sound horses as any other sire connected with racing in this country. Quite a large percentage of his stock have trained on for several seasons, and they have won the reputation of being sound in wind and limb. Nevertheless, an apparently sound two-year-old failed to pass the veterinary surgeon a few days ago, because, it is said, the youngster had Solferino pasterns. Solferino’s stock have proved themselves thoroughly sound for racing purposes, and a peculiarity of formation, not constituting unsoundness in the light of experience, should not debar the issue of a certificate. St. Simon, the greatest sire in the world, had goat knees, but the writer never read of it being marked down as uhsoundness. Sunny Lake had very long pasterns, but the fact was never referred to as unsoundness. Long or short cannons, cow hocks, ewe necks, bad shoulders, etc., may be unsightly, but do not constitute a sign of unsoundness. It is interesting to recall the fact that Gloaming won the bulk of his record total after failing to pass the vet. when sold for 6000gns to an Indian buyer The same thing has happened in connection with many other horses, and a professional opinion of a horse’s conformation, does not bar the way to gathering a pile of money. A horse’s stock may carry a serious unsoundness not visible to the eye, and yet they would pass the “vet.” For instance, Stepniak sired a large number of bleeders, but the fact did not debar his stock from being considered sound, even though they suffered from an inherited trouble.

THE TOTALISATOR IN ENGLAND. Sir Clement Hindley, chairman of the • Racecourse Betting Control Board, referred recently, in a statement to the English Press Association, to suggestions by the Aga Khan relating to the installation of the totalisator. In a later letter to the press, the Aga Khan wrote: “By far the most useful suggestion I < - an make is that the board should have the courage to disregard, the bad example of some other .ountries in over-weighting the system by a high rate of deduction by boldly introducing the 5 per cent. .-ate. I believe the ultimate success or failure of the system will depend on the rate adopted. It is obvious that 5 per cent, -on a very large turnover i~ far more remunerative than, say, 8 per cent, on one-third of the same amount. What can honestly be maintained is this: If the rate I recommend is adopted, betting with bookmakers will not successfully compete against the system. The prices returned

by the totalistor will be bo much more generous that rival methods will fail in the long run to be an effective challenge. I believe that if 5 per cent, is made the uniform rate, the results will be so beneficial as to far exceed even optimistic expectations. But it is only by the adoption of this moderate rate that I can see the new totalisator system making a strong and ready. appeal to the public.” Sir Clement Hindley commented: “By reason of his long experience of racing matters the Aga Khan’s views are entitled to great respect, and I feel sure that the board will give them every consideration. So far, the board has come to no decision regarding the rate of deduction to be made in totalisator calculations, but obviously this is a matter which will require very careful and early examination.”

GOOD EARNERS. Weight-for-age races are not sufficiently numerous in England to permit of a four or five-year-old putting together as much in those events in a season as is possible in Australia. Nearly all. the valuable prizes—apart from handicaps—are for two or three-year-olds, and up to the time the latest papers to- hand left England (says the Sydney Referee) eight three-year-olds and four comprised this ■ season’s principal winners. ■They were as under, and it will be noted that between them Fairway • and Toboggan returned Lord Derby a little over £51,000. Races Value. Won. £ Fairway (3yrs), b c by Phalaris a -—Scarpa Flow .. . . 4 29,707 Toboggan (3yrs), b f by Hurry On—Glacier 4 21,522 Flamingo (3yrs), b c by Flamboyant—Lady Peregrine. . 3 13,597 Tiffin (2yrs), b f by Tetratema —Dawn Wind 5 13,301 Felstead (3yrs), b c by Spion Kop— Felklngton .. . . 3 12,455 Arabella (2yrs), b f by Buchan Polly Flinders .. . . 4 10,563 Scuttle (3yrs), b f by Captain Cuttie—Stained Glass . . 2 8,853 Mr Jinks (2yrs), by Tetratema—False Piety .. . . 4 7,200 Costaki Pasha (2yrs), b c by Gainsborough—Cos .. .. 3 6,900 Royal Minstrel (3yrs), gr c by Tetratema—Harpsichord . . 2 5,375 Ox and Ass (3yrs), b c by The Vizier—Caltha .. . . 5 5,332 Plantago (3yrs), ch c by Phalaris —Scarlet Martagon 2 5,029 Tetratema. the sire of three winners in the above list, is a grey horse by The Tetrarch from Scotch Gift, whose son, Half-a-Glass, raced in Australia a few years ago.

“THE WOODEN HORSE.” “ Fear the Greeks when they bring gifts.” The racing world is thickly populated with “ the wooden horse ” type of gift, although the fact may not be particularly obvious to the casual observer. If one cons over the pages of the Turf Register “ the wooden horse ” can be found in abundance. An owner presents a horse to the turf, and his colours are sported more or less frequently, but without success. Here, then, we have the gift of “ the wooden horse ” to the racing public, which is nothing more or less than an enemy in disguise, because its existence as a racehorse proves both costly and absolutely profitless. It is also a woode horse ” to the owner because it is an enemy to his pocket and pride, and may ■ indeed ■ stop hi..., as it frequently does through lack of knowledge, from owning a real one, because its existence disheartens him. Turn over the pages of the Turf Register and it will be found that an astonishing number of horses never win a race from one end of the year to the other. Some, indeed, do not even gain a place, and so help to partially reduce the cost of ownership. In the first seven pages of the index no less than 167 horses ran without success ’last season, and some of them did not even gain a place. Possibly it was because they were in the first letters of the racing alphabet, and hence lack of success could be attributed to lack of experience, but a glance through the balance of the index will show that each page is well punctuated with much the same non-success. The record in the first seven pages of the index is held by a horse which started 32 times, without a win. It gained a place 10 times. Another started in 23 races without a win, and another in 17 without success. Two started in 14 races, each without gaining a place, -and “ another in 12, One could not quote better examples of “ the wooden horse” on the turf. Possibly some of them are really promising sorts in the making, but it would be interesting to know what explanation the trainer makes to the owner, and how the latter explains the matter to himself. Do they recognise that they have an enemy, ‘ the wooden horse,” in the stable? Does the trainer realise that he is training a “wooden horse” for the owner? Could anything be more disheartening to an owner than to find his horse never capable of emerging from th€ ruck? Many owners go from step to step up the ladder of success, and after achieving a win or two with one horse buy another, and so on, but there is a very remote temptation to do so when they cannot reach the first rung. Men of brains and consequent logic chase away “ the wooden horse ” from the door of their stable, but. others do not seem‘to recognise the enemy, and hence many a possibly good owner is lost to the turf, or, perhaps, never rises to the eminence. he might attain with a little knowledge- of ancient- history and how it might be applied to racing.

IN PANIC’S DAY. Ever since the earliest days of the Australian tnrf imported thoroughbreds have been making history there. Still another important chapter is being added to the story by Gothic, whose recent form entitles him to be considered the best horse in training in that country up to a mile and a-half at least. When a comprehensive record of the victories gained by English-bred horses in Australia is / compiled it will be a large-sized volume To go back no further (says Fernhill in the Globe) than the ’sixties, it will be found that Panic was then a force to be reckoned with, for did he not win the Champion Stakes and finish second with

10.0 in the Melbourne Cup? As Tofyboy, the winner of that Cup, received 421 b from Panic, the sturdy son of Alarm could not have suffered any loss of prestige by the defeat. Australia owes a good deal to Panic, whose service at the stud can scarcely be over-estimated. His influence is still felt, and it may never die out. In Panic’s day, and for- many years afterwards, it was not the custom to import horses from England for racing purposes, though stud stock came from overseas fairly frequently. In more recent times the English thoroughbred has been exploited to a far greater extent as a racing proposition in the Commonwealth, and the re- ' suits in many cases have been highly satisfactory. There have been failures, too, but it was hardly reasonable to expect that all such investments would turn out profitably. But the “ Britons ” have been much in evidence in the last quarter of a century or so. At one time we rather prided ourselves that not only could we meet the invaders with confidence, but could send horses abroad fit to challenge the world’s best. The triumphs of Newhaven, The Grafter, Merman, and others, in England, were heartening, but later there was a swing of the pendulum. Instead of seeking fresh worlds to conquer, we went to the Home market for material for service on the racecourse here. The British buyer, once so keen, no longer looked our way. The order had been changed, and imports in thoroughbreds soon largely exceeded exports. Perhaps in future years we will come into our own again _in the Old World. We need not despair, for it is difficult to imagine that Australia cannot produce horses equal to those of any other country. But meanwhile w-e must admit, if with some reluctance, that horses from the Homeland are putting up a formidable score in all parts of Australia. It is not so long ago that Pantheon had to be

relied on to check the victorious march of the brilliant New Zealander Limerick in the distance weight-for-age events. Now another son of Tracery in Gothic is “ cock of the walk ” in the same department. If Limerick comes this way in the autumn to challenge it probably will be Gothic in whom our chief hopes will be centred. When they last met honours went deservedly to the gallant Maorilander, but there may be a different tale to tell this time. Whatever the result of the engagement, Australia can claim only small credit, for both first saw the light beyond our shores.