Sires of the Season.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 163, 7 September 1893, Page 7

Sires of the Season.

[By

Sir Launcelot.]

Mr. T. Morrin’s Ch h St. Leger. The subject of this notice headed the list of winner-producing stallions in New .Zealand last season, so I suppose he is entitled to be called the champion sire of the colony. And yet there are very few yearlings of 1893 sired by him to be found around these parts, for the fact is the horse has not received the attention lie deserves. But now that he has such a long array of winners to his credit, we are pretty certain to find his name figuring freely in the catalogue of Mr Morrin’s ■sale of 1895. St. Leger (who was bred in 1881, and is therefore just in his prime) was imported as a foal at the foot of his dam Atlantis, who was one of the mares purchased in England for the old Auckland Stud Co. I happened to be on a visit to Auckland at the time the mare and foal arrived, and of course I went and had a look at them. The mare was a big roomy matron, but the foal—Oh I -what a picture. The vessel that carried liim had come through the Red Sea, and the intense heat there had reduced him to a bag of bones. It seemed to me to Tie about level money that he would ’ peg ■out,* but he has lived to become New 'Zealand’s champion stallion for the season of 1892-3. St. Leger only ran once, and then unsuccessfully, and was soon put to the ■stud. In the early portion of his stud career he was overshadowed by that pair of great guns Musket and Nordenfeldt; but the deeds of St Andrew first opened the eyes of racing men and breeders to his merit, and his fame has steadily increased season by season. Unfortunately Captain Walmsley, who managed the N.Z. Stud Co., was not spared to witness the successes of a horse for whom he always predicted a great future. The blood that courses through St. Leger’s veins is some of the most aristocratic that can be found in the English Stud Book. His sire Doncaster won the Derby and other great races of the English Turf, and w r as by Stockwell out of Marigold, by Teddington. Doncaster •was for many years one of the most successful sires in England, and his son Bend-Or not only won the Derby, but sired the unbeaten Ormonde, who in his turn is sire of that great racer Orme. Atlantis the dam of St. Leger, who died last year, was by Thormanby (winner of the English

Derby) out of Hurricane (winner of the One Thousand), by Wild Dayrell (winner of the Derby) out of Midia, by Scutari— Marinella, a grand-daughter of Waxy. St. Leger’s half-brother King Ban has been a pronounced success at the stud in America. The best known of the stock of Atlantis, in addition to St. Leger, are North Atlantic, Fabulous and Leolantis, winner of the Auckland Guineas.

St. Leger was second on the list of winning stallions for 1892-93, with eleven winners of ss, while for the season of 1893-94, he headed the poll with fourteen winners of / 5250 7s 6d. St. Hippo with the N.Z. Cup, Auckland Cup, Auckland Plate and Great Northern Derby to his credit, is of course St. Leger’s most doughty son, but Impulse, Clanranald, Hippomenes, St. Clements, St. Anthony, Marquis of Tewkesbury, St. Kilda and others, worthily represented him last season, and we must not forget the past record of his speedy son St. Andrew. Only 15 subscriptions to St. Leger are open. His fee is 30 guineas for single mares ; 25 guineas for two or more mares, the property of the same owner.

Mr T. Morrin’s br h Hotchkiss. The last of the four stallions at Wellington Park is Hotchkiss, the first of whose get were seen at the yearling sale last January, received great commendation from connoiseurs, and realized good prices, considering that their sire is an untried stallion. Hotchkiss was used extensively by Mr Morrin for his own mares in his second season, and a dozen of his progeny will be catalogued for his next January’s sale. Hotchkiss was such a loose overgrown colt as a youngster that he was never raced, and the N.Z. Stud Co. decided to keep him to take Musket’s place. When the stud was dispersed Hotchkiss was knocked down to Mr Morrin for 355g5. As he was foaled in 1885 he is just in his prime, and while I see not the slightest reason why he should not sire thoroughbred racers, I look upon him as just the very type of horse to beget good jumpers, as he stamps most of his progeny with his own size and immense bone and power. Hotchkiss is by Musket (imp,) out of Petroleuse (imp.), by Oxford —Hartshorn, by Mountain Deer. To Leolinus Petroleuse produced Leos, a horse a good deal like Hotchkiss in make and shape, who won a race or two for Mr Stead. Leonessa was the result of another mating of Leolinus and Petroleuse, and this mare is dam of Westmere, one of the crack two-year-olds of the past season. Miss Alice, by Leolinus — Petroleuse, could also gallop fast. To Nordenfeldt Petroleuse threw Gatling, who was rather a good horse—judged by his second in the A.J.C. Derby and Second Foal Stakes and his third in the V.R.C. Derby—but possessed a vile temper. Hotchkiss is limited to ten mares, besides his owner’s, at 20gs a mare. Mr J. Thorpe’s ch h Fabulous. Here we have a young stallion, who only attained his seventh year on August Ist. and through whose veins flows the bluest of blue blood. Fabulous has been leased by John Thorpe from Mr L. D. Nathan, and will stand at the Harp of Erin and travel the surrounding districts. Fabulous, though not a success as a racer, is a fine upstanding good-looking horse, that should especially get fine chasers and hunters. He has served r season at the stud already, and when I was last down at Whitford Park Mr Nathan showed me some of his foals out of halfbred mares, which did him great credit. But with such a pedigree as he possesses no owner need be afraid of putting a thoroughbred to him. He is by Leolinus (imp.) out of Atlantis (imp.), by Thormanby (winner of the Derby) out of Hurricane (winner of the One Thousand Guineas), by Wild Dayrell : Leolinus by Caterer (son of Stockwell) out of Tasmania, by Melbourne. This is good enough, but it must not be forgotten also that Fabulous is full brother to Leolantis (who won the Auckland Guineas) and half-brother to St. Leger, who headed the list of winning stallions in the colony for the season just closed. Fabulous’ covering fees are the reasonable ones of 7gs for thoroughbreds and 4gs for half-breds. All fees are to be paid before January 1, 1894.