Whitford Park Yearlings.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume V, Issue 229, 13 December 1894, Page 4

Whitford Park Yearlings.

[by

BORDERER.]

The batch of yearlings to be placed on the market by the proprietors of the Whitford Park Estate may not be a very extensive one; but if quantity be missing there is any amount of quality present. Six colts and one filly is the main to be put up at Sylvia Park on the 31st inst., and when the parcels are placed before investors they will be voted a credit to their producers. I paid a final visit of inspection to the Park last Saturday, and am confident that buyers of young stock will find it a matter of profit to attend the third annual sale to be held on the last day of the month by the Messrs Nathan. The sires represented by the yearlings are by St. Leger and Cuirassier —a great pair indeed —and mated with the the mares held by the Whitford Park proprietors it is no matter for wonder that attractive and promising blood stock is the result. The first youngster that will be offered on sale day is the outcome of a Cuirassier—Liquidation mating, a brown colt, who was missing from Sylvia , Park on the occasion of my visit. A touch of rheumatics fell to this youngster’s portion a short time back, so.the doctor invalided him to Whitford Park, where he is fast shaking off his ailment. On sale day he will be in the ring withhis companions. This yearling has had an unlucky time of it since foaling. His ' career was nearly cut short through stoppage before the first day of his life had been fairly spent, and when I visited the Park in September last I found him sharing a paddock with the only yearling filly on the estate, the reason, of his separation from the other colts being a lameness in the stifle from which he was suffering, caused it is thought by the youngster being cast in his box. And now rheumatism is tormenting him, sbhis title—Reconstruction—is a decidedly apt one. Lot No. 2 will be a chestnut . filly by St. Leger out of Bellona that was roaming a paddock in company with the Tasman —Sybil two-year-old (Lavinia) who has been invalided at Sylvia Park since the breakdown that threw her out of the last Welcome Stakes. The Bellona yearling is sturdily built, although rather on the small side. Her build is beautifully even, and her conduct in the paddock shows that she possesses pluck and a decidedly nice turn of foot. Being out of a four - year - old mare,, she is as big as can be expected, and though big ones are, of course, preferable

the little ’uns are not to be despised. Paris and Portsea defend the small racehorse in eloquent fashion. This first foal of Bellona’s has a big touch of her sire’s look about the body, but the headpiece speaks the dam all over. Her shoulders are nicely sloped, she has good bone and a well-developed forearm, and her loin and quarters give promise of future strength. Bellona being by Nelson from Muskerina. this filly has Doncaster, arid Yattendon in her pedigree; Lot 3 is a brown colt by Cuirassier out of La Dauphine, who is the baby of the yearling lot, his foaling date being November 10th. it This colt has a very tailing outline as a prospective weight-carrier. He is thick set with a finely-shaped middlepiece and has quarterss peaking strength all over. His dam is by The Dauphin, by Traducer, and the mixture of Musket and Traducer in the union that produced this colt is a nick of blood beyond unfavourable comment. St; Leger on Lady Whitford is the mating that gave Lot 4, a compact sturdylooking chestnut colt that will no doubt develop into a strong low sort of a racer, for his quarters denote great future power. His dam runs back to Sylvia’s dam, Juliet, on both sides of her pedigree, and can boast three direct - strains of Fisherman. Lot 5 is a brown colt by Cuirassier out of Sybil, whose second foal it is. Lavinia was her maiden effort in the producing line, and we know the filly named to be a galloper, so with the" aid of a horse like Cuirassier, Sybil should give something decent. The youngster to be offered is a well-grown, racy-looking fellow with a neat head, well-turned middle piece, and good solidlooking quarters. Out of a half sister to the dam of last year’s Victoria Racing Club’s Newmarket hero, and by a sire dike Cuirassier this colt’s breeding should not faibhim, and his appearance is well worthy of his blood. We now come to the big gun of the Park/ Lot 6, a bay colt by St. Leger from i antiniere, and as nice a yearling as mprtal man or, rather, prospective buyer could wish to Iqok at. This is the first colt the mare has thrown, and take him as you Will he is a clipper in every sense of the word. If he is not a future celebrity appearances are worth nothing, and whoever buys this parcel of horse flesh may pardonably hug the belief that he possesses a youngster that will grow into the beau ideal of a racehorse. He is a decidedly handsome bay with black points, and not a speck of white can be seen on his body. His head is plain but very business-like, the long* neck is fitted on finely sloped shoulders, and his bone right through looks good. This colt has a great middlepiece with a nice smooth back and strong loins, and stands over plenty of ground. His shoulders run well back, he is broad and very well developed across the loin, his feet and legs could hardly be improved on, and with splendid bone and good firm joints he looks a gentleman every inch. If a big, rangy, well-developed and wellmuscled colt can tempt gold this youngster should fill the bill splendidly. In appearance he greatly resembles St. Hippo—not a bad model—and is far and aWay the pick of the Sylvia Park basket. A colt by Cuirassier from Roie forms the seventh lot on the calalogue, and I fancy Roie will never be disgraced by this first foal of hers. He is exceptionally well grown, stands over a big space of ground, and will doubtless be bigger than his father if Fate be kind to him. Early racing will not be his/brte, but when he does unlimber himself his action will be to the point. His headpiece is not of the pretty order, but it is stamped with plenty character. Good flat bone is apparent in him, and his quarters denote great strength. His sire-and dam could gallop to a pretty tune, and when he comes to the track he will be a worthy descendant. At present he is somewhat marked in the stifle, the result of a fall he had a few days back on the scoriacovered yard, but luckily his tumble did not resultin anything serious. Scoria in a stable yard where yearling occasionally caper round is hardly an advisable ground covering. This completes the list of stock to be offered and the breeders have reason to anticipate a favourable sale. The youngsters are in the pink of health, and reflect the greatest credit upon H. Wilson, the Park studgroom, who cap handle all his animals as though they were pet rabbits, a sure sign that he treats them well. I have a look at some of the brood mares before I leave the Park and find

Anna with a filly foal by St. Hippo, Bellona a colt by the same sire, Miss Betty a fiily by Dreadnought, Roie a filly by Cuirassier, Rosie a filly by Brigadier, and Sybil a filly by Cuirassier. The mares and foals look in the best of health and as in the case of the yearlings, Wilson appears to be on the best of terms with the youngsters. ,The Messrs Nathan have done their part in breeding sound racing stock-; it now remains for speculators in the thoroughbred to recognise the enterprise of the Whitford Park breeders.