THE CLUBMAN

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1262, 25 June 1914, Page 10

THE CLUBMAN

Carbine, whose death last week formed a subject for special reference in these columns, was deeply in-bred to Camel, who was foaled in 1882, and said to be the speediest of all the Whalebone horses, but it was said of him that he was always more or less lame and that his true form could not be thoroughly elucidated on that account, though he won a few races and matches, which were all the vogue in his day. Camel sired Touchstone, whose speed was his great forte, though he won some sixteen races in all, including the St. Leger, Dee Stakes, Ascot and Doncaster Cups. He never left a chestnut, and his gets were generally of the black-brown order. He sired more speedy horses than stayers. Ithuriel, one of his sons, was sent to Russia after serving a season or two in England. He won the Gratwicke Stakes and Liverpool St. Leger, but did not run afterwards. He, however, got a grand horse in Longbow, who, though affected in the wind at two years old, won five races at three years and six at four years old (the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood being one of them), and he ran second to Stockwell in the Great Yorkshire Stakes over a mile and three-quarters. Toxopholite, whom he got in 1855, won eight races, and they included the Ascot Derby, Doncaster Stakes, and Grand Duke Michael Stakes, but Beadsman beat him in the Derby. He got the credit of racing very stoutly, though his gets were mostly put down as soft. Musket earned a great name for him, however, too late to remove the reproach.

Musket was undoubtedly the best son of Toxopholite, and proved a great stayer. He Avon nine out of the eleven of his last races, including the Alexandra Plate twice and Ascot Stakes, and beat such horses as Blue Gown, Favomus, Albert Victor, and other good ones, on weight-for-age terms. His success at the stud proved phenomenal. His transplantation in New Zealand must have had a good deal to do with it, though he got some good horses at Home. His successes were not confined to any particular strains of blood. He got good ones when mated with mares bred in the colonies or mares imported, and he was fortunate to meet with some splendidly-bred mares of good substance and quality, though, strangely enough, some of them were mares that did not cost their owners a great deal of money, and were probably not very highly assessed at the time. There were some, too, that would perhaps never have been known to fame through their progeny had they not met a mate of such great individual strength and prepotency. During the seven years Musket was at the stud in New Zealand he left between one hundred and twenty and one hundred and thirty foals. He was mated with about eighty mares —that is, mares that figure in the Stud 800k —during that time, and some sixty-five of his gets were from about twenty mares with which he was used chiefly. He got about equal numbers of colts and fillies. i

Amongst the first mares that were mated with Musket after he reached New Zealand was the illustrious Sylvia, who had been purchased by the Glen Orchard Stud Company, and, as everyone knows, Martini-Henry, who won the V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup, was the result. Onyx was another Australian-bred mare belonging to the Company with which he was mated, but she missed in her first season, afterwards leaving Nordenfeldt. Erycina, another of the mares in the Glen Orchard Stud, produced the flying Mitrailleuse, and these were the only pedigreed mares traceable to a pure origin that the great horse had as consorts in 1879. Musketeer (from Yatterina),. Sneider (from Maid of Athol), Bessemer (from All Steel), Escopeta (from Winifred), Waewachapi (from Aconite), Linda (from Jenny Lind), lona (from Repo), and Miss Musket( from a mare whose breeding was obscure), were the others got in that year, and with the

exception of Sneider, Bessemer and Waewaehapi they each scored in their first or second seasons. The best horses he left behind him in the Old Land were Rifle, who won the Grand National Hurdle Race at Croydon, Muscatel, Cartridge, Salute, The Carina filly, Ringleader 11., Saloo, Warrior 11., Sousie Queen, Despotism, Bruno, Sally Brass, Brown Bess (winner of the Great Metropolitan, 1880, and Goodwood Stakes, 1881), Petronel (winner of the Two Thousand Guineas in 1880, the Epsom Stakes, six Queen’s Plates, the Great Yorkshire Handicap and Doncaster Handicap). The table hereunder is a list in alphabetical order of Musket’s sons got in the Dominion: —

Escutcheon Flintlock Nordenfeldt Artillery (Georgi) Pushka Archer Waterfall Revolver Armament Wonderland Remington Carbine Francotte Scots Grey Brigadier Hotchkiss Snapshot Cuirassier Hiko St. Ciair Cannon Howitzer Soudan Chainshot Jacinth Tit-bit Carbineer Krupp Tartar Corunna Manton Tranter Derringer Martini Teksum Enfilade Henri Tirailleur Emir Matchlock Thunderbolt Foulshot Mana Trenton Firelock Maxim Torpedo Flintlock Musk Rose Tetford (Agate) Muskapeer Nearly all of the horses named above had noteworthy histories as performers or sires. Most of the number earned distinction in both capacities. There were a lot of good mares by the same horses. Mention can be made of the following;:— Amelia Forest Queen Musk Deer Balista Falconette Musket Maid Bangle Fusee Necklet Bessemer Happy Land Necklace Belle Industry Maori Queen Browm Bess lona Ophelia Bona Vista Kariri Percussion Cantinere Kotuku Pearl Shell Coral Linda Precedence Cissy Lady Florin Rose Argent Discord Lady Cecilia Rosebud Escopeta Lady Alice Richochet Elfin Lady MerseyTamora Eileen Lady Vivid Alannah Walmsley Vivandiere Engagement Mitrailleuse Waitiri Fancy Free Muskerina

Carbine proved the best of the many great horses Musket sired, whether at Home or in the colonies. Carline’s best son in Australia was Wallace, and Wallace in turn got that great horse Trafalgar, as popular a horse hi Australia while he was racing—and he is again in work —as was his grandsire, whose death we had to chronicle last week. Spearmint is voted Carbine’s best son in England, and has given us some good winners. There can be no gainsaying the face iliat the Musket line has proved a marvellously great line, and through a smoke of good fortune. Owned and bred by that eccentric sportsman Lord Glasgow, Musket was tried and found wanting at two years old, and

was condemned and ordered to be shot, but his attendant and trainer pleaded for his life, and asked to be allowed to give him a further trial. It was when a bit more matured that he commenced to develop form. How he won over varying distances up to three miles has often been recorded. This is a matter of history, but the deeds of his sons and daughters—chiefly his sons, though he had many excellent daughters amongst his winners —went to swell his roll of honour, and in their turn his descendants, as mentioned in the foregoing notes, and their descendants, while his great grandsons and daughters have been keeping up the reputation of the family.

Musket was leased for life bn behalf of the New Zealand Stud and Pedigree Stock Company, or, as it was at the time known, the Auckland Stud Company, and. we have the fact before us that so little was he thought of that he was sent into the Waikato to get carriage and harness horses from half-bred mares, and was so used for one season. Fortunately, he covered a number of mares with some breeding, but only a few that could be found in the Stud Book, and as a matter easy of proof his first season’s gets that could be traced to that source could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The successes of his early gets after he reached New Zealand helped to bring him out of the obscurity into which he was perilously near being driven, and as the harness horses he got were

great slugs, and the hacks by him were a penance to ride, what would have become of the great horse had he not had some chances in England before he left and here on his arrival, it is hard to say. The fact of beingimported by the representatives of a Stud Company which was doing its best to advance and advertise the province and the country induced a few owners from districts out of Auckland to patronise him. Musket had to make his own way, as Traducer did. Both succeeded, but horses with less individual merit would have failed. They, however, did more to advertise New Zealand than any other horses of their time or since.

Last week the nominations for the classic races of the Auckland Racing Ciuo of now yearlings foaled outside the Dominion closed with the secretaries of the Canterbury, Dunedin, eilingtcn, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland Racing Clubs, and also with the secretaries of the Victoria R.C. and Australian J.C. It was not really that any Australian owners would engage their yearlings. Our racecourse attractions do not appeal to Australian owners, and the privilege of coming in at the late door with a contribution of a premium of ssovs. for each youngster nominated lor each race would not suit them. A few New Zealand owners who made purchases in Australia two months ago availed themselves of the opportunity, and the Auckland Racing Club received £l5O, which does not go to increase the stake, and which, before the last of the races are decided in 1916, would earn a bit in interest for the Club. It cost Mr. Lang, or the owner who races under that nom de cours, £35 to engage his Persian Knight—Florence McCarthy colt for seven of the events. Mr. T. H. Lowry paid the same amount for the privilege of entering the Varco — Adria colt for seven of the events. Mr. W. G. Stead engaged the Maltster —Condiment filly in six of the races, and Mr. Ernest Alison his Kenilworth —Busy Bee filly in five, and Mr. Gerald Stead entered his fillies Mountain Dream, by Mountain King from Moorooroo, and Brayton, by Bardolph from Zaza, for the Great Northern Foal Stakes and 20th Royal Stakes. Just why it should cost these owners so much to come in so long after the first nomination will not be generally understood. The privilege is worth something, but the fee is high, and it would run into money to engage yearlings for all New Zealand classic events in that way. How many owners would pay it? The Auckland Racing Club have shown their willingness to meet owners who may go outside the Dominion in search of fresh blood, and from a monetary point of view they have no reason to regret it, but it really seems a shame to take the money after all. It is a heavy tax on enterprise. The time is ripe now for taking nominations at least for the autumn two-year-old events and all three-year-old events in the month of June, as is done in Australia. It would be good for all concerned, as it would then be left to the owners at the time of closing, and not the breeders only, to engage their youngsters in races that it might please them to enter for. A Southern buyer might like a colt or filly but would refrain from purchasing it if its sole engagements were in Northern events, or vice versa. The matter of nominating them were far better to leave to those who might intend racing the youngsters. In these days, when there is no pre-post betting on Derby events or on any of the classic races, the system of getting nominations made so far ahead cannot be defended, and it is doubtful whether the clubs profit to a greater extent under present conditions than they would do by waiting, for many colts and fillies that have not been entered at the early date would be acquired and given a nomination later after showing unexpected development during the summer and autumn months. The existing system was introduced years ago, but there

is no reason now Viiy\it should continue to exist.