Amid the Thoroughbreds

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 161, 24 August 1893, Page 5

Amid the Thoroughbreds

[By

Sir Launcelot.]

One of the biggest strings at Ellerslie is that presided over by J. B. Williamson, and the stable has come out well financially during the past season. I paid a visit to Williamson on Saturday, and was shown through the lot he has in hand, bar Despised, who was at the time of my visit on his way up from the South. Williamson not only has a big string, but a very mixed one, comprising as it does two-year-olds and older horses, hacks and jumpers, and a more varied selection it would be hard to find.

The first nag I was shown was a two-year-old filly by Tetford out of Weazel. She is all in the rough, only just having been handled. She is a good deal on the small side, but then you know pony racing is coming on, and she may be useful at that game. She is a really well-bred ’un. for her sire, who won the Wanganui Cup, is full-brother to Brigadier, and three-parts brother to Crackshot, being by Musket out of Pungawerewere, while Weazel is by Anteros (imp) out of Zealandia, by Maroro (son of Towton) out of Toi Toi, dam of Hornby and Kakapo. Another two-year-old was next introduced in the shape of a daughter of Nelson and The Maid, who realised 70 guineas as a yearling. This filly I liked very much when I saw her as a youngster at Major George’s, and I still like her. She is roomy and lengthy, and though her sister Calvi has not been a success so far, I shall be surprised if this filly does not turn out a good oatsearner. Perchance she may some day prove as good as her half-brother The Workman, and, if so, she will turn out a profitable 70 guineas worth. We now turned to a different sort of animal in the shape of a five-year-old gelding, by Sou’ Wester —Strike’s dam, that Williamson unearthed in one of his pilgrimages down the West Coast of this Island. From that locality some of our best hurdlers and ’chasers have come, and the illegitimate game will be the vocation of this joker. Another that may be placed in the same category is a four-year-old gelding by Natator out of Coral’s dam, who was procured in the same district. Derry was in the next box, and as I had heard such a lot about his being a flyer but had never seen him, I scanned him with some interest. He is a far betterlooking animal than I expected to see, and it is an open secret that Williamson tried him very highly before taking him down to the Egmont Racing Club’s Winter Meeting last May to compete in the Hack Handicap. He was served up very warm, but failed to get a situation, and the followers of the stable ‘ fell ’ to a good tune. Derry looks very forward, and some of the early country and suburban meetings may see him sport silk. He is, I may mention, a son of Ascot, the sire of Norton, and Ascot, who, by the way, seems to have got good horses since his importation to New Zealand, is by Kelpie (imp.) out of The Thorn, by The Barb out of Brown Duchess, so he is closely related on the dam’s side to Abercorn for that horse’s mother, Cinnamon is by Goldsbrough out of Brown Duchess. A four-year-old brother to Strike, who is by Natator —Lucy, by Ravensworth, is another of Williamson’s West Coast purchases destined hereafter for jumping purposes.

After some of these rough ’uns it was a relief to have a look at a thoroughbred filly like Specimen, the three-year-old daughter of The Dauphin and Necklace’s sister Bangle. That this youngster has pace on the track has often been demonstrated to the satisfaction of her trainer, but she has never yet run up to her track form in public, and at present she retains her maidenhood. That her victory in the colours of Mr ‘J. Lowther’ would be hailed with acclamation, goes without saying. ‘ Here is the bread winner of the stable,’ said Williamson, as he ushered me into Eve’s box. This quality lady has not grown up since she left off racing last season, but she has thickened a lot, and is well forward in her preparation. She may prove a hard nut to crack in both the Hawke’s Bay Guineas and Canterbury Oaks. Though not at the top of the list of winning two-year-olds last season, Loyalty, by virtue of his Challenge Stakes victory, occupying that position, Eve was third with /'B3O to her credit. At the very first time of asking she won the Juvenile Plate at the Auckland First Spring, beating Stanmoor, Captivity and Nannie. At the same club’s Second Spring, she had to put up with third place to Pegasus and Captivity in the Welcome Stakes, but with 7.11 she won the Nursery Handicap, having behind her Heart of Oak (second), Captivity (third), Royal Rose, Cobweb, Dark Rose, Specimen, Bay Bess and First Love. She did not appe t ” in public again till the Auckland Summer meeting, when she was third to Reflector and Pegasus in the Great Northern Foal Stakes ; won the Midsummer Handicap (8.6), beating Pegasus, Captivity, Reflector, Royal Rose, Taranna, Heart of Oak and Annabel; with 8.9 up she was beaten out of place in the Sylvia Handicap, won by Annabel, 6.7 ; and with 7.9, was third to Brown Alice, 8.1 1, and Pegasus 7.12, in the Musket Stakes. Handicapped at 9.2 in the Calliope Handicap, at Takapuna Summer, she failed to give Royal Rose a stone, though the colt only beat her a length, and with the same weight up again she finished last of the quartette that contested the Hobson Handicap. A journey to Egmont in the course of a fortnight followed, and Eve was indulged with a walk over in the Sapling Stakes, while she conceded 251 b and 151 b respectively to Banner and Gallant in the Nursery Handicap and beat them handsomely. Another little journey to New Plymouth for the Taranaki Jockey Club’s Anniversary Meeting, and with 7.0 she showed her heels to Fraternite 8.9, Rebellion 9.6, Lottie 7.10, and Cyrus 6.9, in the Flying Handicap, but the next day she just failed to concede Sirius 181 b in the Shorts Handicap. On the strength of the form she had displayed previously, she went out second favourite to Strowan in the Wanganui Two-year-old Stakes, but she did not succeed in ge.Jng a place behind Mr Stead’s colt, but on the second day of the meeting she was successful in two races —the Harrison Memorial Stakes and the Nursery Handicap, in the former carrying 6.11 and beating Krina, Monte Carlo, Rebellion, Ngatioma and Ua, and in the latter carrying 8.6 and beating Noyade and Banner. Returning to Auckland Eve credited her owner with the Northern Champagne, Royal Rose, Noyade, Pegasus, Stanmoor, Mahaki and Cobweb being the other starters, and with 9.0 up she was third to Royal Rose, 9.0, and Annabel, 8.0, in the Ellerslie Handicap. It will be seen from the above record that Eve has ‘ sweated for the brass ’ in earnest, having run in no less than 18 races, but she seems none the worse for it, and she will, I feel sure, be again a good bread-winner for the stable during the season of 1893-4. The two-year-old filly by Castor out of Veneration has improved a lot since I saw her about a year ago at Wellington Park, and few, if any, more handsome young ladies will sport silk this season. She shows heaps of quality, and while not too tall has plenty of size, is bigboned, with nice propelling power, and is beautifully let down. She does credit to Castor, and furthermore comes from a good galloping family on the dam’s side, Veneration being by Patriarch (son of Yattendon) from Fides, by St. Aubyn (imp.) from Chance (sister to Trump Card’s dam Revoke). I had never before seen Dishonor, and I found him to be a very nice cut of a horse. He resembles his brother Freedom a good deal, but he is a bit taller I should say. Knowing that reports had been in circulation at Ellerslie to the effect that he had broken down, I handled him and felt his forelegs, but could detect nothing. His trainer has evidently not been idle with him, and if all goes well with him, he may battle with 7.0 in the New Zealand Cup. He

was more than an average two-year old, and even if he should not go to Christchurch for such an important event, he should earn his oats in this neighbourhood. Dishonor was not seen in public last season, and as a three-year-old he only ran once—in the September Handicap at the A.R.C.’s First Spring meeting —when he ran into the rails, cut his stifle badly, and injured his tail, the marks of which he still shows slightly. The three-year-old son of St. Leger and Radiant is a colt that has been ‘ puffed up ’ to me frequently, but my first introduction to him did not impress me in his favour. I expected to see a colt with much more quality. He has not yet sported silk, but if, when he does, he gallops as fast as his brother Lustre, some good prizes will fall to his share. Williamson has evidently a partiality for The Jilt family, after the service Eve has done him, and one of his purchases in the fall of last season was Gay Deceiver, a four-year-old son of Woolbroker (son of Goldsbrough, and half-brother to Chicago) and The Jilt. This horse is on the small side, but is brimful of quality. He has never yet raced, but is in active work now. The four-year-old son of Captivator and Madcap, who is brother to Morion, was another of Williamson’s purchases on the West Coast during last season. He is a big overgrown fellow that should make a good candidate for hurdle or crosscountry honours anon. Mr ‘ Lowther s ’ two-year-old colt Lord Dunluce, is a stylish young gentleman of the ‘ cut-and-come-again ’ looking kind, and on the score of breeding, he should have plenty of pace, for he is by St. Leger out of Lady Antrim, by Nordenfeldt out of Erycina, dam of the flying Mitrailleuse. The two-year-old colt by Tetford out of the Leolinus —Miss Laura mare, Lioness, is a slummocky youngster that is not likely to come early, but different altogether are the three two-year-olds with which my inspection of the nags in training concluded, viz., Abel, by Castor or Hotchkiss —Aida; Adam, by Castor—The Jilt ; and a filly by Nelson —Tenambra. The half-brother to Impulse, who was fouled to Hotchkiss’ time and looks much more like a Hotchkiss than a Castor, has fined down a good deal since he was sold as a yearling (95 gs being his price), and is a powerful big-boned colt that looks well up to Derby weights. Adam is a bit taller than his half-sister Eve, but shows even more quality than she. I liked him very much when I saw him as a yearling at Wellington Park, and in the face of Eve’s running prior to the sale he seemed very cheap at 100 gs. He looks to me like the pick of all Williamson’s two-year-olds. He is well advanced in his preparation, and will probably come into winning form as easily as his half-sister did. Another two-vear-old of exquisite quality is the Nelson—Tenambra filly, who is, of course, full sister to Pegasus. She is a trifle on the small side, but shows quality all over, and she should also come to hand early. Williamson had specially brought in for me to look at a two-year-old colt by Howitzer (son of Musket and the imported Orest mare Titania) out of Pastime, the dam of Mangere, and if this be a fair specimen of the stock Howitzer gets he should do more credit to himself at the stud than he did on the racecourse. Williamson is fortunate in having by chance picked up Pastime just after her son Mangere first came into prominence. A glance at old Parnell and the Nordenfeldt — Clytemnestra colt Orestes roaming in the paddocks brought my tour of inspection to a close. Williamson has certainly a big string to handle, but the number of wins he has brought off during the past season has shown that he is quite up to his business, and some of the raw ‘tack ’ that he has may be found winning a good hurdle race or steeplechase before the season closes, while he is strong in the possession of two-year-olds, and among the elder division there are Eve, Dishonor and Despised. After accepting my host’s hospitality and chatting about his successes of the season 1892-3 and some of the prospects of the present season, I returned to town having spent a very pleasant afternoon.