IMPORTED SIRES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19900, 30 March 1939, Page 9

IMPORTED SIRES

ANOTHER PURCHASED NINTH DUKE EOT’ N.Z. SON OP ELANDFORD New Zealand breeders have already imported four sons of the great .stallion Blandford, the sire of four Derby winners. Still another is to be brought here, in the well-bred English horse, Ninth Duke, who has just been bought in England by Messrs. Wright, Stephenson and Company. Limited, for the Waikato breeders, Messrs. Malcolm Bros., Tc Rapa, who already have at their stud Hazrat, by Craig an Eran from Duxford, a half-sister to The Night Patrol, by Swynford and going back to Illuminata. Ninth Duke raced successfully both in France and in England, and is described as a splendid type of thoroughbred. He is bred on very attractive lines, somewhat similarly, in fact, to the great Italian horse Donatello 11, who is now standing at the stud in England at a fee of 400 guineas. Donatello II was by Blenheim, son of Blandford, while his dam is a great-granddaughter of Pretty Polly. Donatello 11, of course, was unbeaten both as a two and three-year-old m Italy, and it was on account of his exceptional merit as a racehorse and because, of course, of his purely English pedigree, that he was bought for £45,000 for stud purposes in England. Similarity of Breeding' The similarity in the breeding of the two horses is shown by the fact that Ninth Duke is by Blandford, while his dam. Goddess of Mirth, is a granddaughter_of Miranda, an own sister to Pretty Polly, that great mare which won £37,297 in stakes. Goddess ot Mirth, in addition to Ninth Duke, is also the dam of Witch Doctor li, the winner of some seven races. Goddess of Mirth is by the St. Leger winner, Black Jester, whose close relationship to Chief Ruler and Absurd makes the pedigree of Ninth Duke very attractive and should ensure that lie leaves brilliancy as well as stamina in his stock. Black Jester won £ls,Gilo in stakes, and was an excellent sire. His daughters have also done well as producers, for amongst their progeny are included Bulger, Foray. Jacopo and Paradine. all good winners, and Jacopo and Bulger arc doing well at the stud. Minerva, the granddam of Ninth Duke, did not race but produced three winners, including Cylax. She *tvas a half-sister to King John, who won the Irish Derby. Manchester November Handicap, oa\. and was the sire in New Zealand of Gascony and the New Zealand Deib) winner, Runnymede. while one ot ins daughters produced Liiai. high-class galloper, Gold Rod. Minerva was by St. Frusquin from Pretty Polly’s sister, Miranda. Family Reputation Maintained It is interesting to note that St. Frusquin is also the grandsire of Daughter-in-Law, the dam of Defoe. Pretty Polly’s family, apart from the great Donatello 11, continues to do well, as the St. George Stakes and Atlantic Cup winner. Sind, and that good two-year-old, Stafaralla, are two that may be quoted who kept up the family reputation in England last year. Sind, in fact, crossed over to Paris and was just beaten into second place in the Grand Prix de Paris. Although Ninth Duke is the fifth son of the gi eat Blandford to come to the Dominion, there should certainly be an opening for him here when he has such excellent breeding on his dam’s side as well to recommend him. Ninth Duke is being shipped from England next month along with Lang Bian, who has been secured for Mr. Frank Ormond’s Karamu stud, wheie he will join the successful son ot Blandford already standing there m Bulandshar.