ON THE TURF AND OFF

Southland Times, Issue 23674, 24 November 1938, Page 10

ON THE TURF AND OFF

IMPORTED SONS OF BLANDFORD NEW ZEALAND COLTS IN VICTORIA By SIR MODRED Bred in New Zealand two colts, Aranui and Wilson, won races at Caulfield (Melbourne) over the week-end. Hampered by a gale, outside running, and a slippery track Ardchoille won his second Southland Cup in the good time of 2min 10 2-ssec. Jonathan, winner of the Waikato Cup, of £650 (Im. 3fur.) last week, is a veteran gelding by Thespian, one of Absurd’s most brilliant descendants. Imported sires by Blandford promising to make good in New Zealand include Bulandshar, Solicitor General and Mr Standfast. The Southland Cup winner last week, Ardchoille, stripped better and ran more solidly than ever before in the public gaze. Riding waiting races out m front of his fields this season, the Queensland horseman, F. Shean (originally pilot to the retired crack Lough Neagh) has established a remarkable spring season record in Melbourne. His success in leaving his opponents early or a long way from home include wins in the Caulfield Cup (Buzalong), Melbourne Cup (Catalogue), Williamstown Cup (Manolive), and V.A.T.C. Eclipse Stakes, of £2500 (lm 3fur) on Manolive. Shean’s race-riding methods are more than likely to attract widespread attention in Australia, causing extensive controversy, and leading to his rivals of the pigskin to do some deep thinking. Shean has evidently taken a leaf out of the book of his American cousins when mounted on staying performers. The five-year-old gelding Inquisitor, who was returned a winner at the recent Avondale Jockey Club meeting may be claimed as a galloper of aristocratic lineage. His sire, Lysander, is a member of a very successful family as he is a son of Absurd (imp., a noted sire, and a horse whose daughters art making good at the stud) from Pennon, by Coriander (son of Spearmint, by Carbine) from Eulogy (imp., and one of New Zealand’s select band of famous brood mares), by Cicero. Inquisitor, who, like his sire and dam, was bred by Mr G. M. Currie, of Wanganui, was purchased by his present owner Mr C. Dawsbn, of Auckland, at the New Zealand National Yearling Sales of 1935 for 130 guineas. The dam of Inquisitor was the English-bred mare Inlaid, by Invincible (son of Polymelus) from Lade, by Ladas (Derby winner and notably successful sire) : from Blairfettie, by Barcaldine from Palmiet, a mare tracing back to the great Blair Athol line. Inquisitor won the Kia Ora Handicap (one mile) at Avondale, but he ’might favour a longer course when seasoned,, as. there are stout trains to this end in his pedigree. NEW ZEALAND SUCCESS Very highly spoken of by experts who attended the leading meetings of the Melbourne spring carnival a colt bred in New Zealand .gained place money in two-year-old company at Flemington and accomplished a striking performance when he won the Stanmore Two-Year-Old Handicap of £6OO (sfur.) at the V.A.T.C. fixture at Caulfield on Saturday. He was left at the post, but gathered his field and got up to win by half a neck in the smart time of lmin OJsec. The youngster under discussion is a brown colt owned by Mr J. Wren, of Melbourne, well known as an owner, and in bygone years the principal promoter of pony racing, cycling, and pedestrian meetings in Victoria, while he was not unconnected with noted boxing bouts. He will be remembered as the promotor of a celebrated lilliputian. galloping event known as the “Wren Thousand,” a race which was on one occasion won by a brilliant New Zealand pony called Balgownie, who was taken across to Melbourne specially to compete and won a fortune for her connections. The young thoroughbred who won in Mr Wren’s colours last week was a colt called Wilson, named after a clever Victorian trainer James Wilson, a lifelong friend of the owner. Wilson was a costly purchase at the New Zealand National Yearling Sales of the present season, as he realized 1050 guineas. Bred by Mr R. W. Holden, of the Mana Stud, Hawke’s Bay, the colt is of staying lineage each way and claims close relationship to the stout performers Wotan (Melbourne Cup), Peter Jackson (Moonee Valley Cup), Gaine Carrington (Caulfield Cup), Menelaus (New Zealand Cup), and Motere (Auckland Cup). Recent performances point to Wilson staying on when seasoned with the best gallopers in the land. Wilson is by Siegfried (imp.), by Son-in-Law (a great stayer and sire of a family noted for endurance) from Fire Mist, by Sunstar from Lorgnette, by Isinglass from Galinne by Galopin (sire of St. Simon). On the turf in England Siegfried was a winner who demonstrated that he could stay well. The dam of Wilson was Lilock, by Limond (imp.) from Lovelock, by Martian (imp.) from Lovelorn, by Melton (Derby) from Hebrew Maid (imp.). His grand dam, Lovelock, was sister to Menelaus and Left (dam of Wotan, Peter Jackson, and Gaine Carrington). Mr Wren’s colt should stay, as this has been a marked characteristic of the members of the male and female branches of his family for many generations. VALUABLE BLOOD An Invercargill breeder, who has for many years past judged in the show ring and otherwise taken a deep interest in jumpers and light harness horses, is anxious to know something of the sire lines of a Tractor mare in his possession. The mare’s grandsire was the horse in question. The stallion whose sire credentials are sought was an upstanding Australian-bred horse imported to the North Otago district and known as Dirk Hammerhand, by Carlyon (winner of the Australian Cup, 2Jm.), by Chester (a famous Australian sire and son of Yattendon) from Moonstone (imp.), by Blair Athol (a great English son of the mighty Stockwell) from Amethyst, by Touchstone. As Chester’s dam, Lady Chester, was by Stockwell, and Carlyon’s dam, Moonstone, was by Blair Athol, son of Stockwell, there is a doubling up of famous blood that is very valuable. Carlyon was a good racehorse bred by the Hon. J. White (N.S.W.), the leading Australian owner of a bygone generation. A son of Chester in Dreadnought (V.R.C. Derby) has left his mark in the studs in Hawke’s Bay and elsewhere in the Dominion. The dam of Dirk Hammerhand was a mare by Neckersgat, a horse who sired many winners in Australia,' including Dunlop, winner of the Melbourne Cup of 1887. Poi’tsea, winner of the Australian Cup of 1893, was a great stayer by Neckersgat. When the celebrated Elderslie Stud (Oamaru) is dispersed in January the stallions, mares, foals and fillies will be disposed of at auction on the property, but the yearling colts will be offered at the New Zealand National Sales at Trentham a few days later. The colts will include sons of Iliad and Solicitor

General, by Blandford. It is interesting to recall the fact that Riad is by Swynford, who was also the sire of Blandford, a stallion with four Epsom Derby winners to his credit. It may not be generally known that Iliad has two of the coveted Southern Hemisphere juvenile classics on his winning list, but his son Homer dead heated with Allunga in the Australian Jockey Club Derby of 1935, while in the Dominion another son called Greek Shepherd accounted for the Great Northern Derby at Ellerslie. The Balboa entire Boswell, winner of the Stewart Island Handicap (7fur.) at the Southland Racing Club meeting last week is accepted on all sides as a very handsome thoroughbred and this is not surprising when it is recalled that his English dam Celerity II was classed as one of the best looking mares in New Zealand when competing on the turf. But the aristocratic appearance of Boswell traces further back than Celerity ll—the progeny of his solid sire Balboa have invariably ranked as good but plain looking gallopers. Il is on record that Gainsborough the sire of Celerity 11, was a beautiful horse and in this respect outstripped the past representatives of many generations in England, while he was a good racehorse and very successful sire, and it is therefore through his maternal grandsire that Boswell inherits his attractive conformation. Judging from his efforts in public Mr Chisholm's horse is possessed of bulldog courage and promises to stay well, but these characteristics did not spring altogether from the, Gainsborough line, as his sire (Balboa) was a horse of exceptional courage and determination. It maj be pointed out that Gainsborough was by Bayardo (son of Bay Ronald, sire of Dark Ronald, sire of the great Son-in-Law) from Rosedrop, by St. Frusquin (son of St. Simon) from Rosaline, by Trenton from Rosalys, by Bend Or (one of the world’s greatest sires). It will thus be noted that close up in maternal line the handsome Gainsborough is a descendant of the New Zealand-bred Trenton, by Musket from Frailty, by Goldsbrough. In turn Trenton was a good-looking thoroughbred and a very fine racehorse.