Amid the Thoroughbreds

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 126, 22 December 1892, Page 8

Amid the Thoroughbreds

[By

“Sir Launcelot.”]

PAPAKURA.

What a wealth of recollections cluster round this home of the thoroughbred 1 How many illustrious winners have been born and reared within its portals 1 Yes, the late Mr. William Walters did good service to the New Zealand Turf in his day, and there are few men who would have been as plucky as he was in acquiring Fanny Fisher as a yearling at the dispersal of the Maribyrnong stud and buying Yatterina and her dam Kohinoor in Sydney. Kohinoor unfortunately died on the voyage oyer here, or we should in all probability have had a long line of winners from her, but her daughter Yatterina lived to become one of the corner-stones of the New Zealand Stucl Book, and so did Fanny Fisher, who still roams the pastures of Papakura though in her 27th year. .. , p Papakura was quite new ground to me, for I had never set. foot within its *

Sates till Saturday last; therefore I need ardly say with what anticipations of a pleasant outing I took nay seat in the 9.35 a.m. train on the morning named. Arriving at Papakura I found Mr. Walters'*waiting in his buggy for me, and on arriving at the homestead we were not long in getting to business. The yearlings had been brought into two paddocks* close and as in addition I had the satisfaction of handling, them. in ; their 4 b9?es Ipter onl was ablei/toi thoroughly -scan .them;-over. ... As announced in the advertising columns of the Sporting Review these half-dozen youngsters are to be submitted to auction ; afrWellington Park on Wednesday week, January 4, after the sale of Mr. Morrin’s yearlings. The first to cross our path was a bay colt by Nelson out of Muskerina. A fine cross this for a breeder to study — Nelson on Musket — and as Muskerina is by Musket of Yatterina by Yattendon and Nelson’s dam My Idea, is also by Yattendon, the youngster has- I a double strain of the blood of the king of Australian stallions. He is not as tall as some of the Nelson’s —in fact he is closer to the Sound all round than most of them, e shows quality all over, has a barrel like a cask, great quarters to drive him along, and plenty of bone. If he have a fault it is that he stands a bit straight in front, but his legs look like wearing and the quality of his bone is tip top. His sire has already proved his ability to get racehorses, and the nick of Nelson on Musket, with the cross of Yattendon thrown in as exemplified in this colt should produce a racehorse if ver a pedigree did. He is the only colt of Mr. Walters’ batch this year. The first of the fillies I was introduced to was a chestnut daughter of St. Leger and Ophelia, Ophelia being by Musket out of Madcap, and therefore full sister to the Great Northern Derby winner Morion. This young lady was a gooddealpulled down by the strangles a short time back, and therefore is somewhat lacking in size. However, there is no deficiency in quality about her, fur she is exquisitely neat and has plenty of power for her size. St. Leger as a winner producer has made his mark thoroughly, and, as I have before said, this filly’s dam Ophelia is sister to Morion. St. Leger on Musket should Produce something super - excellent. Joncaster at the top of the filly’s pedigree and Touchstone and Melbourne at the bottom go to make up a lovely genealogical table, and even should she never race a yard, her blood should make her a valuable brood mare. The filly by Nordenfeldt out of Hipporina is brown in colour with a white face and two white heels. She is, to my mind, the pick of the lot. She is beautifully lengthy on top ; is good both to stand in front of and to follow ; has powerful quarters to help her along, and stands on good legs and 'feet. The old Fisherman blood is well in evidence in her pedigree, for we have it in ’Nordenfeldt, and Hipporina was by Hippocampus (grandson of Fisherman) out of Yatterina. Here’s a combination for you!— Nordenfeldt, Dainty Ariel, Fisherman, and Yattendon—what more could be desired ? Take my word for it she will be a gallopper; and intending buyers should not fail to note that she is one of the last of the Nordenfeldts that will be offered for sale, and that her dam’s half-sister, Rosarina, has already produced to Nordenfeldt a very speedy filly in Carronade. There is every reason why the present combination of blood should produce a filly quite as good, if not better.. Cressina, who is by Leolinus out of Rosarina (dam of Rosebud and Carronade), shows her second yearling in the shape of a filly by Hippocampus, who is bay in colour with near hind foot white. She is of good size, and has plenty of power right through, being exceptionally well ribbed up and standing on good legs and feet. Here, again, we have an exceptionally fine pedigree, showing, as it does, Emilius and Fisherman at the top of the genealogical table, and Leolinus, Traducer and Yattendon at the bottom. It is easy to see that the Nordenfeldt — Rosarina chestnut filly that next comes up to us is the apple of Mr. Walters eye’, and there cap be no denying that she is a very handsome filly. Some good judges who were present at last year’s sale of the Papakura youngsters had told me about this filly’s sister Rose and White (whom I saw on Saturday, as I will presently describe) and were Joud in their praises of her. There can be no denying she is an extremely handsome filly, and the deeds of her sister Carronade and her halfsisters Rosebud, Vieux Rose and Glenora should suffice to sell her well even if she had Hot her ownbeauty to recommend her.)'

She is all quality from head to tail ; is a good-sized ’up, and has bone and power and good understandings to bring her through the racing campaign—altogether a “ bonnie lassie.” The last of the yearlings is a filly by Nordenfeldt out of Fishgirl. This young lady is full sister to Mr. Booth’s two-year-old filly First Love, who created such a favourable impression when stripped for the Nursery Handicap at the Auckland R.C.'s Second Spring Meeting. She is a dark bay with a white blaze, and when I say that she resembles First Love in her contour it, goes without saying that she is a model of symmetry. She does not perhaps possess the power of First Love, but she is qnite as handsome, and here once more have we a lovely nick of a double Fisherman cross mixed with Musket and Yattendon. The yearlings all have valuable engagements to fulfil, and are a particularly wellconditioned lot. albeit they have not been pampered up with a view to sale purposes. Running in the same paddock with the yearling fillies,was Rose and White, the two-year-old daughter of Nordenfeldt and Rosarina that I have already alluded to What a picture she is! A beautiful chestnut in colour, with a white face and three white heels, she is big enough for a three-year-old. She has wonderful muscular development, is beautifully ribbed up, has a back like a billiard table and stands well on legs like steel bars. She has been doing a little gentle work, and we may see her sport silk in the autumn. We now walked over the Papakura racecourse, the general surroundings and appurtenances of which qnite surprised me. The course itself is not quite the old historic one on which Yatterina and other old - timers did so many good gallops, but part of that has been incorporated with it, and Mr. Walters now possesses a splendid plough of one mile ten chains in circumference. He also has a nice grass gallop, and he tells me he purposes forming yet another grass gallop shortly. For the convenience of the patrons of the Papakura Races, which are an annual institution on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, there are a roomy grandstand, saddling paddock, stewards’ room, weighing room, totalisator house, and all the conveniences of a first-class racing club. A steeplechase course is naturally a concomitant of the P.R.C., and from what I saw it seems that a capital line of country has been laid out. Altogether the course and appurtenances would be a credit to more pretentious institutions than the Papakura Racing Club. After walking round the course, we made a cut into another paddock, where I resumed acquaintance with an old friend, Hippocampus, whom I last saw when he ran second to Fishhook in the Dunedin Cup of 1877. There is no doubt Hippocampus was a sterling good racehorse, but he was very unfortunate, and more than once just failed to land a good thing for which he had been well backed by the late Mr. Walters. He did not run as a two-year-old, but early in the following season he was brought down to Christchurch to take part in the Canterbury Derby. But he found more than his match in Songster, to whom he finished second, and at the same meeting he could only get third in the Maiden Plate won by Middleton. Returning to his home he won the Papakura Cup. His next appearance was at Dunedin, where,, with 7.1 up, he ran second to Fishhook, 7.12, in the Dunedin Cup of two miles and a distance, and he was third in the Dunedin Derby won by Puriri. At the Auckland .Autumn Meeting he took the St. Leger and the Autumn Handicap (7.13) also fell to him. As a four-year-old he was first seen out at the Auckland R.C.’s Summer Meeting, at which he annexed the Publicans’ Purse, Grand Stand Handicap, and Auckland Plate. Being taken down to Dunedin again he was unplaced in both the Cup and J.C. Handicap, but ran second to Foul Play in the six furlongs Railway Plate. After finishing once unplaced at Oamaru, he ran a dead heat with Bideawee for the South Canterbury Jockey Club Handicap at Timaru, but an arrangement was come to, and the dead heat was not run off. With 7.0 up he finished third in the Timaru Cup won by Maritana, and an unsuccessful appearance in the Auckland Easter Handicap terminated his racing that season. As a five-year-old he did not score. He commenced as a six-year-old by being unplaced under .7.7 in the Auckland Cup, but he was second with the same weight to Lara in the A.R.C. Handicap, and won the Stewards’ Handicap with 7.7 from a field of seven. At Wellington Summer, after running unplaced in the Wellington Cup, he proved second best to Vampire in the R.C. Handicap. He was unplaced behind

Betrayer in the Wanganui Cup, and then retired still the following season, when, as an aged horse, he ran four times without scoring a win. Hippocampus was undoubtedly, when well, a sterling racehorse,but like other good racers he has not had half the chances at the stud he should have had. Being by Dainty Ariel (son of imported Riddlesworth) out of the Fisherman mare Fanny Fisher, his blood is of very high class quality, and is bound to come out in the second generation—that is to say through his mares who may be utilised at the stud. Though “ Hippo’s” opportunities have been somewhat limited he has got several that could gallop, notably Hippodama (also known as Speculaation), who won the Wanganui Cup, Marlborough Cup, Mar-ton-Rangitikei Handica, and numerous other good races ; The Baron and Vieux Rose, both good sprinters ; Glenora, who showed a good turn of foot last season as a two-year-old; Captain Abram and Theorem —good hurdlers—the latter especially ; and last, but notleast, Shillelagh, the winner of the last Great Northern Steeplechase. Hippocampus always was a very handsome colt when in training, and he still retains this beautiful symmetry in his old age. As his jet black colt glitters in the sun before me to-day there arise sad memories of his old and beloved master, and of the large sums for which he “went down” when Hippocampus ran second to Songster in the Canterbury Derby and to Fishhook in the Dunedin Cup; when Fitz Hercules was second to The Dauphin in the Canterbury Derby ; when Piscatorious, hobbling home on three legs and backed for pounds, shillings and pence, was second to Le Loup in the Canterbury Jockey Club Handicap; and when Libeller, capitally handled by Wattie, and in tip-top form and backed for a hatful of money, found a conqueror in Lady Emma in the Dunedin Cup of 1882. Ah I those were the days when an owner could get a bit of money out of “ the ring” if his good thing came off, for poor old Abe Snider was quite a leviathan metallician then, and there were several other good men and true among the pencillers with plenty of pluck and grit about them. The voice of the totalisator proprietor was then only just beginning to be heard in the land, and as the totalisator had not at that time become so seductive to the general public as it has since, those bookmakers who bet to figures on a big race generally had good volumes. And what excitement on the night before the races there used to be then, for grandmotherly legislation had not then declared the harmless Calcutta sweep to be illegal. One sighs often now, but sighs in vain, for a return of those halcyon days But we are soon among some of the brood mares, and Mr. Walters first points out to me Leorina, —a lady I had never seen before, for I did not arrive in Auckland in time to witness the first day’s racing at the last Winter Meeting, at which Leorina wound up her racing career. I do not believe any horse or mare in New Zealand ever ran as many races as this daughter of Leolinus and Yatterina, and certainly none proved themselves made of such “ cast-iron ” stuff. The old mare’s legs look clean enough for her to go into training again, but I do not suppose we shall ever again see her on a racing track, for she has been stinted to St. Leger—the best stallion that could possibly have been selected for her first stud mate, I think. The daughter of Leolinus and Yatterina is only in her ninth year, so she should confer many a brilliant animal on the New Zealand turf to perpetuate her name and good deeds. And while on the subject of Leorina’s age I may say that it is not generally known that she was a J uly foal, having been born on the 29th day of that month in 1884, so that she has, according to breeding usage, to take her birthday from August Ist, 1883. Considering this disability, it is the more surprising that she ran so many good races as she did. Close by Leorina was Lady Emmeline, foaled in 1887,-got by Somnus (son of Traducer) out-of Fanny Fisher —blood which shows her to be closely related to Piscatorious and Glaucus. She has been served by Cuirassier. A very high quality mare is Empress, who is a younger sister to Marion, by Maribyrnong out of Peeress. The late Mr. Walters, after sending Peeress to Australia a couple of seasons to be mated with Yattendon, decided, after that horse died, to put her to some other Australian stallion, and his choice fell upon Maribyrnong. The results of the union were Marion (1881) and Empress (1882). Marion won several races, but Empress was hot a success at the game.

Marion was very unlucky with her foals during the early portion of her stud career, and almost similar bad fortune has attended Empress since she has been at the stud. However, Marion has how produced a clinking two-year-old in Strowan, and Empress—who is every whit as fine a mare as Strowan?s dammay yet enrich the pages of the Stud Book. Unfortunately, she had a dead colt to Hippocampus this season. She has visited the same horse again, Mr. Walters evidently remembering that The Baron is by Hippocampus out of a halfsister to Empress. Cressina is a close relation of Leorina, being by Leolinus out of Yatterina’s daughter Rosarina, and Rosarina was by Traducer, so that she gets that valuable strain mixed with Leolinus and Yattendon, which is surely a first-class combination. Cressina is a fine roomy mare, and only being seven years old, should be good property; Whatever may be said about Leolinus? success or non success as a progenitor of winners, it is at least unquestionable that his brood matrons will be very valuable in a few years’ time. Cressina has visited Hippocampus this season*. Morion’s sister Ophelia, who was also in the paddock, is not a very commanding matron, but her breeding is really good , for she comes from imported blood oh both sides —Musket and Madcap. I She has been mated this season with Pinfire, which I take to be rather too close in? breeding, in that he is sired by a son of Musket. However, we shall see how the union turns out. After I had glanced at a two-year-old bay filly by Nelson out of Hipporina that has not yet been broken in, “There’s an old dame,” exclaimed Mr. Walters, >and turning round he intro* duced me to old Fanny Fisher. »• Need I say that I did honor to the illustrious old lady by doffing my hat as I always used to do when confronted with old Sylvia; Onyx, Peeress, Lurline, or First King’s dam Mischief, who was but an insignificant little pony standing no more than 14.3. The late Mr. Walters indeed V did the State some service ” when he bought Fanny Fisher at the Maribyrnong. sale for, I think, iSogns. Foaled in 1865; she is one year younger than Sylvia;, but she shows far more vitality than Mr. Morrin’s mare. When in her prime should say she was a mare of quality, but perhaps somewhat ragged hips, but as I had never seen her before I am not in a position to judge.; She may with truth be said to have rarely thrown a bad one, but we are not likely * to * see her breeding again, for she missed to Castor last season, and Mr. Walters says he will put her to the horse no more. She was put to the stud as a four-year-old, Dainty Ariel being her mate, and to him she threw Kingfisher, who won the first Auck* land Cup. Next year she had a colt, also by Dainty Ariel, that got burnt in his stable at Papakura. Hippocampus, also by Dainty Ariel, saw the light in the following year, and then came Piscatorious by Traducer. He-was such a nailing good horse —albeit always more or less on the sick list —that I regretted that we never saw 1 more Of "the Traducer —Fanny Fisher nick racing, for a filly that the old mare threw to Trap ducer the year after Piscatorious was born got drowned in a ditch, and the old lady never visited Traducer again., Mr, Walters sent her to Australia for two seasons with Peeress, and 'she threw tp Yattendon Fishwoman and Fishgirl, both of whom showed their ability to gallop, Fishgirl is now a much-prized inmate of the Papakura stud, but Fishwoman, after breeding Glaucus, died later on in the same season. Torpedo, Fanny Fisher’s son of 1881, has already earned fame at the stud as sire of Pinfire, aud in ; Mr. Douglas’ stud he is likely to get many more winners. The latest of Fanny Fisher’s progeny to confer further fame ■upon her is Warrior, who has already won good races this season, and will, in all probability, score more heavily before the curtain is rung down on July 31st next., J Lunch at the homestead followed, and then we strolled down to the stables and had a look at the yearlings in their boxes, following this up by an inspection of the only two racers that were at home —Pinfire and The Baron, Glaucus and Helen McGregor being absent in the Waikato. I was naturally anxious to see Pinfire, of whom I had heard so much. I found him to be a different stamp of a horse to what I had expected. He has plenty of length, size and power, but he is, if I may use the expression, somewhat too lumbersome to please me. He looks well forward in his preparation, but .his front pins bear evident signs of blistering. lam told though that they did the same last year when he. won the Auckland Cup, so he may see the post neirt

Monday .and run well, but for my part I think that wherever he finishes Coalscuttle will be in front of him. The Baron, whom one could hardly mistake as being a son of Hippocampus, has run wall on several occasions over short courses. He hurt himself in a race last season, and is hardly likely to see the post again till the back-end of the season. He is a horse of nice quality, which is only to be expected from crossing a son of Fanny Fisher with a daughter of Traducer and Peeress.

Mr. Walters then drove me to a farm dose to Mr. Morrin’s Wellington Park establishment in order that I should see the rest of the brood mares. We found them up to their knees in rich grass, the first to present herself for notice being Muskerina, bred in 1885, got by Musket out of Hipporina. This mare was put to the stud early, and on the score of blood is one of the most valuable Musket mares in the colony, for she is full sister in blood to Matchlock, who won the V.R.C. Champion Stakes and other valuable races for the Hon. James White. She han a very neat filly at foot by Nelson, bnt as Major George would take no outside mares this season Mr. Walters had to send her to St. Leger—a good selection. Fishgirl, the beautifully-bred daughter of Yattendon and Fanny Fisher, wants a bit more size perhaps, but shows heaps of quality. She has had the misfortune to miss this season to Hotchkiss, but * she has again formed one of his harem. Musket on Fanny Fisher produced Torpedo, and the result of the union of Fishgirl with Hotchkiss will possess the same blood with Yattendon and Leolinus given in. I liked as well as • any mare in the paddock the daugher of Hippocampus and Yatterina —Hipporina by name. This mare won several races on the Wanganui coast, and is a very handsome brood matron. She was attended by a slashing fine colt by Hotchkiss, one of the best of the many good looking ones that horse has sired in his first ’season. The youngster, be it remembered, is a close relative of Matchlock. Another fine mare, and one that has bred winners, is Rosarina, the sister to Libeller. She is quite unlike the little horse that carried Mr. Walters’ “ rose and white stripes” so often, for she is a lot taller, and is a bay in colour. Her daugher Carronade has upheld her mother’s reputation so far, and Rosarina has, therefore proved herself to be one of the most valuable Traducer mares in New Zealand. She has a fine bruwn colt at foot by Hippocampus, and has visited Cuirassier. The progeny will thus present a combination of such crack sires as Musket, Fisherman, Yattendon and Traducer, which will take a lot of bettering. Rosarina was the last Mr. Walters had to show me, and a drive back to Otahuhu enabled me to catch the train to Auckland, carrying in my mind pleasant recollections of my first visit to the old-established Papakura stud.