Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW AND Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette. With which is incorporated the Weekly Standard THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1906. OLD V. YOUNG STALLIONS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 834, 1 March 1906, Page 6

Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW AND Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette. With which is incorporated the Weekly Standard THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1906. OLD V. YOUNG STALLIONS.

Many an argument has arisen as to the respective merits of old but proved stallions as against young and untried ones. Supporters of the latter argue, not perhaps without some show of reason, that young stallions, if bred on the right lines, especially if they have been good performers, must of necessity be better than older horses in that they are possessed of much greater virility, and that the young stock are thus given a better chance of proving hardy and strong. Looking from the long annals of turf history the fact is, however, brought home that many of the best horses have been sired when the stallion has been well up in years. For instance, Gladiator, for whom 2000 guineas was paid, was bred in 1833, was put to the stud as a four-year-old in 1837, and sold to the French Government in 1846. That made him thirteen years old when purchased, and in his eight years of French haras life he as good as made the French turf (according to the “Live Stock Journal”). The Prime Warden, a very famous buy for France, was bred in 1834, and purchased in 1847, so he was also thirteen. He had left his mark in England as the sire of Clothworker, the hardest horse of his day, and of Bassishaw, the subsequent great-granddam of Isonomy, and in France he was the sire of Light, sire of Sornette, winner of the Grand Prix de Paris, and the best mare of her day. The Flying Dutchman was twelve when the French bought him, and he lasted ten years, to get much better stock in the land of his adoption than the land of his birth. Lanercost was bred in 1835, and won every sort of long distance race and cup until he was seven, was then at the English stud for eight years, in which time, amongst others, he got the St. Leger winner, Van Tromp, and at sixteen he was sold to the French to sire extraordinarily good stock, including the speediest and probably best steeplechase horse of his day, Cosmopolite, Magenta, another great steeplechaser, and Gustave, winner of the French Two Thousand. He was sold cheap at sixteen (£450), 3000gns being offered and refused for him four years previously. lon was bred in the same year as Lanercost, was second in both the Derby and St. Leger, and was sold to the French in 1851, so he was sixteen. He got some wonderfully good stock, including Lion, winner of the French Derby, and through a daughter of his came Salvator, winner of the French Derby and Grand Prix, and thought to have been the best horse of his time. lon was in French haras service for seven years, and in England he had got the Derby winner, Wild Dayrell, but that honour was unknown at the time of his purchase, as Ellen Middleton was in foal to him during the year he left England. Fifty others could be mentioned of good mature ages when the French agents seleected them, and it could also be shown that the older horses did very much better than the younger ones chosen. A very great horse was Harkaway on the turf, but with the very best opportunities he was scarcely a great

success until 1850 (then sixteen), when he got King Tom. Irish Birdcatcher, a very good runner, was foaled in 1833, and lived until he was twenty-seven, his death being recorded in 1860. Nearly all his best stud results were obtained after he was well in his teens. He got Daniel O’Rourke, his Derby winner, in 1848 (i.e., 15 years old), and Saunterer, decidedly his best stayer, in 1851, so eighteen years old. Voltaire ran second in the St. Leger in 1829; got nis first St. Leger winner, Charles XII., in 1836 (ten years old), and his second St. Leger hero, Voltigeur, in 1847 (twenty years old). Lord Lyon had his best son, Minting, when he was twenty-three; and Stockwell got Doncaster when he was twenty-one. Diomed, winner of the first Derby, was at the stud in England from the time he was six until he was twentytwo. Then he was sold to the United States, where he got a good deal of stock, and was said to have founded the trotting breed, and reports differ as to whether he died at twenty-nine or thirty. History does not say what price was given for Diomed, but if it was £luoo, he was a far better bargain than me unknowns.' all nut together, when judging results. The Americans have mostly gone in for tried adult horses. They bought Leamington in 1865, and he was bred in 1853. From that purchase they won the English Derby with Iroquois, who was got by Leamington when the latter was 25 years old, so really another Diomed. Australia .also has gone in for old seas oned horses that have done much on the turf, .uni something at the stud, as instanced by Tim Whiffler, The Marquis, and Fisherman. The first of these won the Chester Cup in 1862 as a three-year-old, ran a dead heat for the Ascot Cup as a four-year-old, and after Lord Coventry had used him for three or four years as a hunting sire, he was sold to an Australian gentleman in 1871, his age then being 12. The Marquis had won the St. Leger of 1862, served in England for two or three years, and got the useful mare Lady Geraldine, when the Australians bought him ,also at 12 years old. Old Fisherman had been standing in England for good eight years before he retired to the stud. Then he had a year or two at the Swancliffe Paddocks, Oxfordshire, and was shipped to the land of the Southern Cross when he was eleven.