IS ROARING HEREDITARY?

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1473, 18 July 1918, Page 16

IS ROARING HEREDITARY?

Mr. W. Allison, the Special Commissioner of the London “Sportsman,” writing on this subject, says: “I remember advising Mr. W. R. Wilson to buy an unsound “class” horse —Bill of Portland —for lOOOgns. rather than a sound mediocrity for the same sum, and he took that advice, with good results; but, on the other hand, my dislike to mediocrities or bad horses may have been carried too far, for time was when I was asked by cable to advise whether Simmer (by St. Simon out of Dutch Oven) was worth buying for Australia. I had seen Simmer at Kingsclere when he was in training, and knew that he was too bad to be ever started in a race. Moreover, he was no beauty, so I advised against that purchase. Nevertheless, someone else sent him out, and even he sired good winners, including two of the Champion Stakes, viz., Dividend in 1905, and again in 1907. Bobadil (son of Bill of Portland) got the Champion Stakes winner, Pendil, of 1909. “From these and many other proofs at the Antipodes, we may assume that roaring, from an hereditary point of view, is negligible, and I question very much whether it is not equally so in England. It would be hard to find a more tremendous roaring combination in any pedigree than in that of Ajax and Adam, the famous bro-

thers, who combined Ormonde, Prince Charlie, Chattanooga (a terrible roarer), and Araucaria, the roaring last daughter of the roaring Pochahontas. But Ajax and Adam were both of them sound as a bell.” Commenting on this, “Pilot,” in the “Referee,” says: The question of whether roaring is hereditary has long been productive of discussion, and while some authorities hold that it is, others scout the idea. Possibly -it may not be exactly hereditary, but it is reasonable to suppose that the progeny of stallions or mares so affected are more predisposed to it than those descended from parents entirely free from such infirmity. In Australia some roaring sires have given us racehorses that could get any distance, but others of their descendants have “whistled” badly, to say the least of it. Bright Steel was credited with being a whistler when he left England, but probably the Australian climate benefited him. Anyhow, those who scoff at the hereditary idea can point out that his mating with Trinlgett (a mare tubed for roaring early in her career) gave the Australian turf a Melbourne Cup winner in Westcourt, and that others of Bright Steel’s sons have done fairly over a distance.

“There never was a worse roarer than Bill of Portland, nor was there any more successful stallion. He sired a Champion Stakes winner, Bobadil, and a Melbourne Cup winner, Merriwee, and his sons, Maltster and Bobadil, are two of the best stal-

lions in Australia at the present time. Grafton was another shocking roarer sent out from England, and he, too, scored enormously, as, barring his wind, he well might do, being a baifbrother (by Galopin) to Polymelus. Peru, by Grafton, won the Champion Stakes, three miles, in 1908. Tartan, a grandson of Prince Charlie, won this race in 1905. I mention these cases not because they surprise me, in the least, but because so many people imagine most illogically that roarers cannot sire stayers.” To this we might add that Lochiel, who is said never to have left a roarer, was got by Prince Charlie. Apremont was a roarer, and left some roarers and thick-winded horses, and he was nearer to Pocahontas than any other sire that reached the Dominion. Musket was a roarer and left a few roarers, as did an odd one or two of his sons. Climatic influences have probably more to do with the disease than anything else, and the lack of knowledge or neglect to

treat colds and influenza in their first stages are responsible for the development of roaring in horses that may or may not be predisposed to the trouble. Few sires really enjoy the distinction of having had many gets without at least an odd one or two failing to remain entirely free from affections of the wind.

A new Bill is to be submitted to the Transvaal Provincial Council dealing with bucket shops. This measure will provide for the establishment of a Tattersalls (not necessarily the present one), in which antepost and starting price betting will be allowed, but only by those bookmakers who have first satisfied the authorities appointed by the Provincial Executive as to their bona 'fides and put up the necessary guarantees. Applications for bookmakers’ rights in the new establishment will have to be made direct to the Provincial Executive or to the Committee appointed by it, and it is expected that many of those people now controlling bucket shops will be among the applicants. Under the new scheme the Provincial Council will derive fresh revenue in the way of license fees and the tax on betting, and according to those people intimately connected with starting price betting one effect of the new Bill will be to close up the shops which prior to the Betting Act of 1909 were unknown on the Reef. Indeed, the Bill will contain clauses dealing most stringently with any future attempts at shop betting, and the punishment in the event of a conviction will be particularly drastic.

NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CONFERENCE. IMPORTANT DECISIONS BY DELEGATES. FRESH CODE OF RULES CONSIDERED. At the annual New Zealand Trotting Conference, held in Wellington last week —the president’s report at which appeared in our last issue—the principal business to occupy the attention of the delegates from the various trotting clubs represented was the consideration of a fresh code of rules prepared by a committee appointed at last year’s conference. These rules were adopted with certain amendments. An important amendment made to the rules was that every owner or lessee racing a trotting horse will be compelled to register his colours before using his horse in a race.

Another decision was that the power to appoint judges was left in the hands of the president instead of delegating the power to the executive. Further, it was decided to cast on owners the responsibility of notifying handicappers of the performances of horses. A further question considered was whether the starting should be by seconds or by yards, and it was decided to leave the question over for a year. A new rule proposed by the Wairarapa Trotting Club was: ‘‘That the provident fee of ss. must be paid on every horse direct to the New Zealand Association before such horse shall be eligible to be nominated for any trotting race run under the New Zealand Rules of Trotting in the Dominion. Any owner nominating a horse for which the provident fee has not been paid shall be fined £5 for every offence.” The motion was amended to read: “That the provident fee of £1” —and carried. The following remit was adopted: “That it be a recommendation to the incoming executive to review the permits reduced under war conditions, and if a reduction be necessary for 1920, the reductions be a fair proportion from one-day permits to two-day permits and more.” The following motion was lost on a show of hands:—“That the Westport Trotting Club be granted the 26th and 27th days of December on which to race for the season 1918-19, and that one day be taken from Ashburton; also that in future, during the continuance of the war, Westport and Ashburton race alternately two days and one day respectively year and year about.” It was decided to leave the power of appointing judges in the hands of

the president. An amendment proposing to leave such power in the hands of the executive was defeated. The election of officers resulted as follows: —President, Mr. John Rowe (Auckland); vice-president, Mr. W. J. Gore; executive, Messrs. E. Roberts,. C. Mackay, and C .M. Ollivier.

Rorke’s Drift’s brother, Point Blank, has been entered for the Winter Cup, but may not be forward enough to play a leading part (remarks the Southland critic, “Sir Modred”). However, he looks like developing into a useful horse and has already shown that he can gallop well, with a preference for distances over and above seven furlongs. It has been noticed that he generally stays on well in his races. At the same time, his public displays make him out to be rather too slow off the mark to emerge successfully from a contest for the Winter Cup.

The Southland-owned pacer Matchlight has left B. Jarden’s care and will in future be trained by J. Bryce at Oakhampton Lodge.