VISIT TO WELLINGTON PARK.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 10, 4 October 1890, Page 1

VISIT TO WELLINGTON PARK.

|_BY OLD TURFITE.]

Last Thursday I received an invitation from Mr. Thomas Morrin to visit the Wellington Park Stud, which I gladly availed myself of, as I had never seen either the place or the mares, and I had been asked to write an unprejudiced report. Wellington Park, as the name would indicate, is situated under Mount Wellington. It consists of 175 acres, and in my opinion is one of the most compact stud farms in New Zealand. The paddocks are all on volcanic soil, and covered with the most luxuriant herbage, amongst which is noticeable the wild barley —a favourite grass with horses—but it does not grow everywhere with the abundance it does here. The formation of the ground shelters the paddocks from every wind. Water is laid on by the means of pipes all over the property. The stables and boxes are built on the latest principles. The doors, instead of being hung on hinges, are fixed in slides, and are 4ft. 6in. wide, thus reducing the chances of a youngster knocking down his round bones to a minimum. You can also feed the youngsters through slides instead of having to enter the boxes. In fact the whole place is the most complete I have seen in the Australasian colonies. I did not go out to inspect the place but to look at the stock, and I must confess, as a breeder in the old country, that I was perfectly astonished, at what I saw. From what I had heard I expected to see a very different lot of mares and yearlings. In fact, the stud as a whole is far beyond Sylvia Park —about which such a fuss is made —and the locality is far preferable. However, it is my business to review the horses, and I will commence with the newly imported sire Castor. Castor, by Zealot (son of the famed Hermit, winner of the Derby, 1867) out of Lady Yardley, by Sterling (sire of Isonomy) out of Leda, by Weatherbit, out of Wish, by Touchstone (winner of the St. Leger, 1854) out of Hope, by Muley Moloch out of a daughter of Peter Lely. Castor is a bay horse with black points standing about i6h. He is a thoroughbred all over, good shoulders, back, and loins, quarters well let down, good in both his first and second thighs, clean hocks, and measures well below the knee. He has a beautiful head and neck, which reminds me greatly of Ely, one of the handsomest horses that ever raced in England. If there is one fault to find with Castor, it is that he is not quite as big round the girth as I should like to see in a horse of his size, but as he has not yet thickened out and grown into stallion form, this may be deceptive, owing to his deep back ribbs. Mr. Morrin informed me that when he got him only a short time ago he was as poor as a rake, having only just

arrived from England, He is, however, now in very good condition, and Mr. Morrin has wiselv limited him to twenty mares, ten of his own and ten public ones. Castor, as a racehorse, was above the average, and won several important races. His performances as given in the Herald are not correct, as only the added money is quoted. As a two-year-old he won six times, the most important being the Gimcrack Stakes at York, a race which for many years has been looked upon as one of great interest, the added money being given by the Gimcrack Club. It is always a race that Northern owners are anxious to win. As a three-year-old he won ten times, his best performance being the Hainton Stakes at Lincoln, two Queen’s Plates, and the Caledonian Cup. As a four-year-old he was second to Exmoor for the Northumberland Plate, a race that takes a great deal of winning, and at that time Exmoor was in great form. He wound up his turf record by winning the Liverpool Cup. Castor’s list is now full, and mated with the fine roomy mares that Mr. Morrin has put to him, he should get racehorses of no mean order. I had heard the horse greatly run down and I was equally surprised when I saw him. I am just coming to the conclusion that there are very few persons in Auckland that know a racehorse when they see him.

I next inspected the yearlings which are to be offered for sale in December, and the first to come under notice was the colt by Nordenfeldt out of Frailty (dam of Trenton, Niagara, Cissy, Cuirasseur, Mary, and Zalinski), by Goldsborough out of Flora M’lvor, by imp. New Warrior out of 10, by Sir Hercules out of Flora M’lvor, by imp. Rous Emigrant. He is a beautiful brown colt with a white off hind foot, and is without exception one of the best yearlings I have seen for a long time. He has plenty of power without any lumber, good legs and great strong quarters, and from what could be seen of him, he has one of the best of tempers. He is also a splendid mover in the paddock. If all goes well with him I should not be surprised to see him run into four figures on the sale-day. Running about with him was the colt by Leolinus out of Maid of Athol (dam of Krupp, Kotuku, Scots Grey, and Queen of Trumps), by Maribyrong, her dam Parguay, by Little John (son of imp. St. John) out of Sapplo, by Marquis out of Zohrab mare. He is a bright bay, and own brother to Queen of Trumps, a mare much fancied for the New Zealand Cup. I do not like this colt, as he is three-cornered, but he may greatly alter, and the old saying is that they go in all shapes, and he may turn out a good poor man’s horse. Up in a corner of the same paddock by himhimself was the colt by Nordenfeldt out of Albatross (dam of Teksum and Loch Ness), got by Malta out of Auk, by imp. The Marquis out of Sea-gull, by imp. Fisherman out of imp. Omen, by Melbourne. He is a dark brown or black easily distinguished by four white feet and a white blaze on his face. This is a great upstanding colt rather high on the leg, and he is slightly loaded at the point of the shoulders, which are rather short. Still if he grows down instead of up he will be a nice colt and will take the fancy of a good many, though in my opinion he is a long way behind the Frailty colt. Another colt, by Woolbroker out of The Jilt, by imp. Traducer out of imp. Fleurange, by Consul, has had a severe cold and was not visited. I next proceeded to visit the yearling fillies, six in number, who were running in an adjoining paddock. The first to come under notice was a grey filly by Captivator out of Vivandiere (dam of Son-of-a-gun and The Dancer) by imp. Musket out of Gorgi, by imp. Bishop of Osnaburgh out of Althoea, by imp. Mceonides. This filly if she falls into good hands will make her mark on the turf, as she has plenty of size and substance combined with good looks. She will never make a good two-year-old, as she will require a lot of time, but she is just the class of filly I should like to own, as, if she does not make a flat racer she will a jumper. ' Alongside of her was a handsome filly by Nordenfeldt out of Yattacy, by Yattendon out of Extacy, by imp. The Marquis out of Lady Exeter, by imp. New Warrior. This young lady is a smart looking chestnut with three white stockings and a white star on her fore-

head, and looks like coming quick to hand and making a smart two-year-old. To my idea she is slightly deficient in bone, I was then introduced to the filly by Nordenfeldt out of Onida (dam of Artillery, Balista, Hilda, and Hazel), by Yattendon out of Gulnare, by Little John out of Gulnare, by Gohanna. This filly is brown m colour, with no white markings, and I consider her the second best of the lot, as she is long and low, with enormous quarters well let down, standing over a lot of ground, and with splendid legs and feet. Mr. Morrin assures me that she is the smartest filly in the paddock, whether up or down hill or on the flat. . T A handsome youngster is the filly by Nordenfeldt out of Victoria, by Feve out of Memento, by Dainty Ariel out of Marchioness, by imp. Herald out of Blink Bonny, by Porus. This youngster is light chestnut in colour, with four white feet and a white streak down her face. She is a December foal, and therefore very backward, but she shows a great deal of quality, and is very level all through. She will never make a big mare, as she is deficient in bone, but gives you the idea of making a very fast sprinter. I then saw the filly by imp. St. Leger out of Necklace, by imp. Musket out of Locket, by Thunderbolt out of Keepsake, by Daniel O’Rourke. She is a bay, with a white star and one white foot. This filly is the gem of the lot, being long and low, with wonderful propelling power, good shoulders, plenty of bone, and good hocks close to the ground. It she does not make a first-class race horse I am greatly mistaken, though I think she will never be a big one. The last of this lot was the filly by Nordenfeldt out of Pungawerewere (dam of Tetford, Krupp, Brigadier, Tranter, St. James, and Crackshot), by imp. Golden Grape out of Atalanta. by imp. Towton out of Crescent, by Sir Hercules. This filly is a dark brown, with two fore feet and near hind foot white and a white streak down the face. I do not like her, though a nice topped one. She shows too much daylight underneath, and is rather straight on her legs. However, she may race and turn out as speedy a one as her dam. This completes the yearlings. Taking them as a whole they are a very good lot, and should at the sale average close on £3OO. They are all looking in the best of health, and in the condition that good trainers are so fond of, neither too big or too light. AU that is on them is good sound stuff, so that when they are put into work it does not come off them like blubber. I will now proceed to go through the mares, which number 21, and are about as nice a lot as I have ever seen in the Colony. Mr. Morrin has shown great judgment in selecting them, and has the same opinion as I have, that horses take their stamina from the dam. Therefore they are all fine roomy mares, with hard blood in their veins. The brood mares occupy some good paddocks. Welcome Katie (by imp. Musket out of Dundee’s Katie, by Dundee out of Rambling Katie, by Melbourne) was the first noticed. . This is a nice roomy mare, with a good-looking foal at her foot by St. Leger. I am not, like some of my confreres, able to predict, what a three-day-old foal will grow into, so 1 can only pass my opinion as to what they are at present. Maid of Athol, with a brown filly at foot to Nordenfeldt, is a fine grey mare with plenty of room. Her foal is too young at present to enable one to form any opinion of it. Frailty, with a colt foal at foot to Nordenfeldt, was then visited. She is as fine a brood mare as I ever saw, having plenty of size in every way, and Mr. Morrin informs me that she is a capital mother. The foal at her foot is a beauty, and, as her owner remarked, is a “ lazy bones,” for, when he was roused up, he quietly stretched himself and walked lazily awav. This mare may safely be put down as the pick of the stud, not only in good looks, but as a producer of winners. The brood mare Ouida may be put down as little inferior to Frailty,-and has also a very nice brown fit iy foal at foot to Nordenfeldt. Vivandiere, with a bay colt foal at foot to St. Leger, is another roomy grey mare. Her foal is rather a nice one, but has not quite the knees and hocks that I should like. Victoria, with a brown foal at foot to Nordenfeldt, has grown into a nice mare, and as one rem embers how game she was on the turf,

the abuse she received in training, and the good looks of her December yearling, one can only come to the conclusion that she will throw good racehorses. Her foal is only four days old, but is a smart little youngster. Pungawerewere, 16 years old, is in foal to Nordenfeldt. This is the oldest mare at the stud. She is a fine big roomy mare, and has thrown some good ones. Albatross is very heavy in foal to Nordenfeldt. This is another mare of the same sort that Mr. Morrin likes so much. She is tremendously heavy and probably has twins. Yattacy is in foal to Nordenfeldt. She is another fine big roomy mare. The other mares were on the other side of the farm, in good stony paddocks. The chestnut mare Lyrelinus, 4yrs., by Leolinus out of Lyre, by Patriarch out of Lyra, by Thormanby out of Clotilde, by Touchstone, is a most promising matron. The chestput mare Rose of Wellington, 3yrs., by St. Leger out of Fleurette, by Robinson Crusoe out of Rose of Denmark, by Stockwell out of imp. Marchioness, by Melbourne, is another of the same class and is a maiden. The grey mare Victress (half sister to Vivandiere), by Vortex out of Gorgi, by imp. Bishop of Osnaburgh, by Althcea is a fine roomy mare, and has the most wonderful foal I have ever seen, by Brigadier. The little fellow, though only four hours old, was on his legs, and as lively as many are at a week old. He has tremendious hocks and knees, and is a very large foal. If Brigadier gets many more like him he will be a great success. Ada, 4 years (sister to Radames), by Leolinus out of L’Orient, by Knight of the Crescent out of Egyptian, by Touchstone out of Area, by Gladiator, is another good looking maiden, and has been put to Castor. Gannet (dam of Brigand), by Anteros out of Albratross, by Malta out of Auk, by imp. The Marquis, I do not much fancy. She, too, has been put to Castor. Balista (si"ter to Hilda and Artillery), by Musket out of Ouida, has thickened into a nice mare, and having missed to St. Leger, has been put to Castor. Necklace, by Musket out of Locket, has wonderfully improved, and is now one of the best shaped mares at the stud. Judging from her yearling filly by St. Leger she promises to be a great success at the stud. Unfortunately she missed to the same horse last year, and has now been served by Castor. Brown Bess (sister to Cartridge), by Musket out of Rosalie, by Patriarch out of Flying Doe, by The Premier, has grown into a nice mare and will be mated with Castor. I have now gone through the whole of the stud, and given my opinion of the animals, and as I have several 'times been appointed judge at some of the principal shows in England and Ireland I flatter myself that I know something of a horse. Many of my readers will know that I both speak and write what I think, and I fairly confess that when I went out I had made up my mind, if necessary, to criticize severely what'l saw, but I candidly admit that I was never more surprised than I was at seeing such a collection of mares as those which Mr. Morrin has got together. They are without exception the finest lot I have seen since I have been in the colonies, all being fine big roomy mares with good pedigrees, and, with the exception of Pungawerewere, are young mares, or those just in their prime. The yearlings are also an exceedingly good lot. All the animals are in first class condition, and show the pains Mr. Morrin has taken with them. In conclusion if “ Spectator will put down a “pony,” “monkey,” ora “gorilla,” I have no doubt that it will be covered, and I will pick fifteen mares from Wellington Park against the same number that “Spectator” can pick from the Sylvia Park Stud, and leave it to a competent judge to decide which is the better collection.

We are in receipt of the programme of the Summer Meeting of the Egmont Racing Club, which is to take place on Wednesday and Thursday, February 18th and 19th, A sum of fj 1050 will be given, away in stakes during the two days, the chief events being the Egmont Handicap of 300 sovs., two miles, and the Waimate Handicap of 15° sovs., one mile and a half.