THE FRANCOLIN FAMILY

Southland Times, Issue 25641, 7 April 1945, Page 7

THE FRANCOLIN FAMILY

Winners Of £10,997 In Stakes

ROYAL FLIGHT HEADS LIST

HAMPTON

By

The Paper Money mare, Francolin, dam of Royal Flight, who dead-heated with Signal Officer in the Riverton Cup, has been one of the most proliiic producers at the stud in Southland m recent years. Her progeny have won almost £ll,OOO in stakes, a total which is certain to be considerably increased. Royal Flight is the second of Francolin’s produce to win over middle distances —Night Wings being the other. It has been as sprinters that they b ave raced with such distinction. Dark Flight, Ortyx, Royal Flight, Gold Flight and Winning Flight were all winners as two-year-olds. Francolin is a ra ? m_ ber of the same family as Cerne Abbas, a New Zealand Cup winner, so it is not surprising that she has left winners over middle distances as well as champion sprinters. The Francolin family is likely to be represented for some years to come. The only colts she has produced have been Dark Flight (by Nigger Minstrel), Victory Flight (by Man’s Pal) and a colt which she has at foot by Nizami. On the three occasions that Francolin was mated with Salmagundi she produced fillies—Royal Flight, Bonny Flight and a yearling which has been named Special Flight. The last-named is a particularly fine type of filly and she has been recently handled at R l )’ - erton. Ortyx has been retiredr to the stud. A two-year-old by Defaulter from Nightwings (owned by Mr J. A. Smaill, of Dunedin), has been named Arctotes. FRANCOLIN’S RECORD Francolin was carrying Ortyx when she was purchased by Mr D. M. Tweedie, of Riverton, 10 years ago. At that time she was being bred from by Mr R. M. Greenslade, of Dunedin. As a two-year-old she contested 18 races, winning three of these and being eight times placed. She was placed in her first three starts. Her successes at this age were at Invercargill, when she carried 9.3 and beat Stealth and Night Lad; on the same course when she beat The Graphic and Blue Metal and at Riccarton, when with 9.2 she won the Russley Plate over five furlongs in l.Of. Francolin failed to win a race as a three-year-old, but she won three times the next season. Francolin did not race after her fifth year.. The heavy two-year-old racing she did, did. not impair her stamina at the stud ana her progeny have all been gifted with the early racing brilliance that she possessed. Since she was secured by Mr Tweedie in 1935 Francolin has produced a foal every year. Francolin is one of a host of Paper Money mares to gain distinction as an outstanding producer in recent years. Her dam Philomela, a Benzonian mare, also produced Monoxide, Bon Avis, Dioxide, Tea Chat, Traymela, Invoice, Cyllaros and others. Monoxide was the dam of a New Zealand Cup winner in Cerne Abbas, as well as Custodian, Ma Cheri, Red Royal, Monoxsol, Carbon and Stainless. Philomela was out of Philomel, by Birkenhead from Arethusa, by Dreadnought from Dryad, a St. Leger mare from Wood Nymph, by Musket. NIGHT WINGS WON £2212 The first of Francolin’s progeny was the Nightmarch mare Night Wings, who won 11 races and was 13 times placed for £2212 in stakes. As a five-year-old she won the Autumn Champion Plate at Riccarton and the following season her principal success was the Otago Handicap over 10£ furlongs at Wingatui. She dead-heated with Passaform over a mile and two and a-half furlongs at Wingatui and won the Birthday Handicap over the same distance. Dark Flight was an outstanding three-year-old, but unfortunately his career was cut short because of bleeding. At this age he finished third in the Stewards’ Handicap at Riccarton and on the final two days of the Cup meeting he beat the open sprinters over six furlongs in 1.9 2-5 and 1.9 4-5 —being the only horse in New Zealand to better 1.10 for six furlongs twice. With Silver Scorn he is the six furlong record holder for New Zealand. He won six races in a brief, but brilliant, career. Ortyx, by Lord Warden, was one of the best two-year-olds of the year —the same season as the first of the Beau Peres appeared. She won only once, but she was six times placed in 13 starts. This was her most successful season as her strenuous two-year-old effort seemed to tell on her in her later racing. She won £625 in stakes, more than half of it as the two-year-old. Gold Flight (by Nigger Minstrel) was another outstanding two-year-old. She won the Hopeful Stakes with 9.3 at Wingatui in the record time of 1.1 1-5 for the five furlong journey. She won seven races and was 10 times placed for £1540. Winning Flight won the McLean Stakes as a two-year-old and her only other success was as a three-year-old at Riverton. Her winnings have so far amounted to £620. Gay Flight has appeared only once, as also has the two-year-old Victory Flight. ROYAL FLIGHT’S PLACE To date Royal Flight has been the most successful of the family, her winnings amounting to £3llO. In five starts as a two-year-old she won once and /was four times placed. At three years she won the John Grigg Stakes, the Dunedin Guineas, the Whyte Handicap at Trentham and finished the season by winning six races and being three times placed for £lB3O in stakes. Her Riverton Cup dead-heat was her first attempt over 10 furlongs and there seems little doubt that she will make a name for herself over middle distances. Bonny Flight has proved one of the best sprinters in the country as a three-year-old this season, and in a short time she has won her way from hack company to the best sprint company in the land. She has won six races and been four times placed, including a third in the New Zealand Oaks and the Dunedin Guineas. Her winnings to date amount to £l6BO.

Francolin is now in her nineteenth year, and the value of the young stock Mr Tweedie has from her, Victory Flight (by Man’s Pal), Special Flight (by Salmagundi), a colt foal by Nizami —and she is in foal again to Nizami—would probably approach the aggregate winnings of the whole family to date. Francolin carries her age well. She has been well done by and she looks certain to breed further. FAMILY’S EARNINGS

, The stake earnings of her family are as follows:

Royal Flight (by Salmagundi) 3110 Night Wings (by Nightmarch) 2212 Bonny Flight (by Salmagundi) 1680 Gold Flight (by Nigger Minstrel) 1530 Dark Flight (by Nigger Minstrel) 1190 Winning Flight (by Winning Hit) 630 Ortyx (by Lord Warden) 625 Total £10,977

INVERCARGILL LADIES’ GOLF CLUB An L.G.U. match was played by members of the Invercargill Ladies’ Golf Club at Otatara on Thursday. The best card was returned by Mrs O. H. Paton, 103-29-74. She reduced her handicap by one stroke.