Sporting Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 320, 10 September 1896, Page 7

Sporting Topics.

Breeding Problems. The very best study for breeders of the thoroughbred is the monthly sire figures of such a racing country as England. Sporting Life publishes these figures, and much care is taken with them. To the owner of a thoroughbred horse or mare they are invaluable, as the potency of the different lines —Eclipse, Herod, and Matchem —can be seen at a glance. Any man at all versed in stud-book lore must admit that the once-popular Melbourne line is dying out—a contemporary writer eulogised a sire the other day because he had three strains of Melbourne in him —very fast, as to-day only eight sires of that house are represented on the winning list, and all of them come from Solon, who gave the line a new lease of life. The blood of Wild Dayrell is now carried on by half a dozen moderate sires, and all of them are by the one horse, See Saw. With such great proofs before them, it is to the interest of breeders to breed only from lines that have stood the test of time, and fight shy of blood that was once in the ascendant, but now decaying fast. Eclipse is the great landmark in the studbook, and with the two exceptions just named — Melbourne and Wild Dayrell—every sire on the Sporting Life list comes direct from him through two channels —Whalebone and Blacklock. The Blacklocks, mostly through G-alopin and his sons and grandsons, have won the most money from March till July, but other lines beat them for the number of races. The amount won by the Blacklocks, during the period named, is £80,803, spread over 120 races, won by 83 horses. It must be remembered that two horses, St. Frusquin and Persimmon, won about £30,000 of this. The Birdcatcher line comes next on the list, with 162 winners of races worth £64,674. Most of the horses of this line come from Stockwell. Twentyfive of the Birdcatcher sires come direct from him, and four from his brother Rataplan. The Winning Strains. The Touchstone line, through Orlando, is poorly represented by Marsya’s son (Albert Victor) and grandson (Beau Brummel), but Touchstone comes out strong with the descendants of Newininster through Hermit and Lord Clifden. The latter is represented by 17 sires, most of them through Hampton, whose stock (69) won 103 races, worth £26,709. Hermit sires number 29, and their progeny (76) won 98 races valued at £21,824. I almost forgot to mention that the Oxford-Sterling line from Birdcatcher has got 19 sires on the list, and they fathered 71 winners of £20,120. It appears to me that the strongest sire line left in England is the Birdcatcher, after whom comes Lord Clifden. It would be interesting to go through all the sires enumerated on the list, and see how Mr Bruce Lowe’s figures pan out : but time is money, and money means boose —I mean bread. However, I will dot down some of the sires from memory in rotation, as they appear on the list: The line from Blacklock (2) —-Voltaire (12), Voltigeur (2), Vedette (19), Castlereagh (8), Donovan (7), Galopin (3), Galliard (13), St. Simon (11), St. Serf (8), Oberon (1). The Touchstone (14), Newminster (8), Lord Clifden (2) line —Ayrshire (8), Florentine (4), Hampton (10), Petrarch (10), Royal Hampton (11), Hermit (5), Edward the Confessor (13), Coracle (2), Marden (2), Melanion (8), Retreat (19), Senanus (1), Trapese (10), Tristan (10). The Birdcatcher (11), Oxford (12), Sterling (12) line —Isonomy (19), Easterling (4), Common (4), Janissary (1), Ingram (1), Bonnet Rouge (1), Satiety (2). The Birdcatcher-The Baron (24) line—Stockwell (3), Rataplan (3), Doncaster (5), Bend ’Or (1), Goldfinch (4), Muncaster (16), Ormonde (16), Kendal (16), Martagon (14), Saraband (14), Lord Lyon (1), Fullerton (9), Juggler (9), Minting (1), Robert the Devil (1), Brag (2), Blinkhoolie (10), Surefoot (19),. Wisdom (7), Blair Athol (10). These few are dotted down from memory. Perhaps those I have left may figure out better than this lot if the numbers were searched for.—(“ Delaware.”)