South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889), Tuesday 16 September 1879, page 10


SPORTING IN ENGLAND,

[BY WESTON]

In looking back over the Ascot Meeting a lesson is to be gathered in stud lore. Taking the winners of three of the principal races, and analysing their pedigrees, we

lind the same combinations holding- their own. Thus, if we examine the family history of Mandarin, winner of the Royal Hunt Cup, we find him going- back to that stout hone Gladiator, through his brilliant son Sweetmeat. On his dam's side again he strains back to the Omlle blood. Passing on to the now famous Isonomy, we find him full of the grand Sir Hercules strains to a remarkable degree. In his sire Sterling is by Oxford, by Birdcatclier, by Sir Hercules; while his dam, Isola Bella, by Stock well, is ou the sire's side four removes from the Pride of Ireland; while her own dam, Isoline, ia a great grand-daughter of Sir Hercules, both through the maternal and paternal lines. Insulaire, the winner of the Alexandra Plate, is tolerably inbred to Touchstone on the dam's side. In his dam Green Sleeves goes back through ber sire Headsman, through his dam Mendicant to Tonchtone, while her dam Mrs. Quickly traces back to the same great parent stem through Longbow and lthuriel. Priam, too, appears at the end of the stem on both sides, and as all the world knows Insu!aire's sire Dutch Skater has the stout Gladiator mixture through his dam Fulvie. Again, Nubienne, winner of the last Grand Prix de Paris, takes up the same tale, for we get Gladiator in the third remove on both sides of the house, while her great-great-gTanddam was by Kocowby Cetus out of a Blacklock mare, out of Flirt, who was by Blacklock. It was a maxim of the (Treat breeder of Neasbam Hall, that to breed to win you most first ascertain the best predominating strain in the mare, and then put her to the horse that bas most of that blood. And his results were satisfactory. In enumerating some of them we can reckon np Kettledrum and Dundee, first and second for the Derby; Mimosa, winner of the Thousand, Oaks, and Leger, and a deadheater for the Two Thousand; Brig-antine, winner of the Oaks and Ascot Cup; Pilgrimage, winner of the Dewhurst Plate, and One Thousand and Two Thousand Guineas. And while on this topic we may remark how for a year or so the fillies seem to be superior to the colts in the home country. Certainly no three-year-old of either sex can compare with the Wheel of Fortune; and for two-year-old tillie? Oceanic, Sabella, The Song, and Donrance are superior to any colt out this season. Peter, who was supposed good enough to win the Derby, if his owner had lived, has turned out a* soft disappointing horse, and in three years Jannette and Pilgrimage were certainly before any three-year-old colt. And speaking of female racing stock, how rarely have very great racing mares produced offspring as good or better than themselves. Four certainly stand oat, viz.:—Crucifix, dam of Surplice ; Old Alice, dam of Thormanby; Blink Bonney, dam of Blair Athol; and Queen Bertha, dam of the Wheel. But great name, as Newminster, undoubtedly holds in the Stud Book; his dam Beeswing was a greater racehorse than her son. On the other side of the question great horses have often sprang from mares of but moderate form on the turf. We may cite as proof of this assertion West Australian, Gladiateur, Firing Dutchman, Teddington, Hermit, St. Albans, Wild Dayrell, Lord Lyon, Stockwell, Rataplan, and King Tom; and certainly the dams of those peerless fillies, Blink Bonny and Achievement, are best known for their daughters' deeds. A practical test of the staying powers of thoroughbreds and trotters has recently been made in France. Two years ago a match was made between Zethus, one of the champion trotters in the south of France, and Baron Finot's little thoroughbred Jacinthe. The latter won easily, doing over 18 miles without distress, though over hard roads, while the trotter was hopelessly beaten before covering 12 miles. Quite lately another match came off between Triboulet, a chesnut horse rising nine, by Mareup, oat of Mica, only a thirdrate performeT, and a fast-trotting pony, Tambour Battant. The distance was eleven times round the macadamised road which skirts the Longchamps Racecourse, about 25 mites. Triboulet was to gallop, and the pony to get on as well as he could, driven in a machine. Triboulet did the distance in 1 honr 20 mm. 3i sees., sad the pony was then palled up utterly exhausted, having only completed 21 miles. In looking forward to the. result of ihe' Leger, the new? of which must soon Teach us by the wire, not one of the 280 horses engaged can on public form have the slightest chance of beating Wheel of Fortune. Bayou d' Or ia an improving and improveable horse, but three-year-old fillies can improve, and do improve np to September, which has been called * the month of the mates," Even leaving her at her Ascot form tbe.colt must improve a stone to be on terms with her. In the Prince of Wales Stakes she gave him a pound and beat him in two lengths, which in the then state of the ground is all a seven-pounds beating. He is, after all. a light-bodied, narrow-framed one, on a high leg. Leap Tear, the Wheel's stable companion, is s finer mare to look at than the little unbeaten heroine, aad would be preferred by rnobt if neither had run, for she is a bigger mare all over, and on quite as short a leg. Leaving the Wheel out, Sir Bevjs ought to hare a proper show, for it is hard to say to what extent the state of the ground contributed to bis Derby victory. The hero of the previous year as a two-year-old colt, Cadogan, 'who was backed more than a year ago to win the Derby of this year, appears to have gained nothing by the year. Cnaribert is muscular, at least ia thick winded; and though that may do for the Rowley mile it won't do for Epsom gradients or Doncaster Town Moor. Blue Blood Captain Macbell declares he backed for more money to win the Deiby than he bad backed any horse since Hermit. Bat if he could stand a Derby preparation, he certainly is not good enough for the Leger. The second and third in the Derby, Palmbearer and Visconti, are doubtful goods. Palmbearer the Messrs. Barrow would not pass, bat Yiseonti may be a place winner. The race would seem to lay between Wheel of Fortune, Sir Berys, and Leap Year. Bat coaly Newcastle caljs as hence, and thoturh the cry of the pitmen, " Unnybands wins—Unny hands -wins," i sno longer heard, still the glory ia sot all departed from the Northumberland Plate. And the list of the winners is one to which to be added is ft feather in ihe cap of any hone. Memory farisgs back such great names as Cyprian, Hetman Platoff, Chanticleer, jtmg?ton, Underhand, Caller On, Lily Agnes, and Hampton. Bad as is the state of trade in the north, the zeal of the good people was not to be quenched; and though the winner did not, as once, bear the spotted jacket of Lord Zetland the victory -was popular. Last autoxmn (i.e., last autumn in the mother-comrtry) Clearhead defeated Julias Cesar in the Edinburgh Handicap, and at Catterick Bodge ha bad behind him the second in the Lincolnshire Handicap sod the Derby. Heoost his present owner 54 guineas.' Glendafe was only beaten a head, and this makes two occasions when | he has been within an ace of winning. , The Newmarket July is always a meeting, of some interest, as it very often introduces a two-year-old of whom nothing bad been seen before, and one, too, worth keeping in mind. This Tear the famous July Slakes *reU maintnned its reputation, **d in '

Mask Prince Soltykoff has a colt not uuworthy of the great names associated with the July Stakes. Since 18o'J w^ come across such names as Hobbie Noble, Mawyns, Buccaneer, Saecharometer, Cambuscan, Achievement, Lady Klizabelh, Sunshine, Hannah, Keossais, Cain balls, aud others. Maslc is another winner going back to the stout Gladiator, white on his dam's side we have the Stockwell an<l Touchstone strains. But perhaps the most in- } terestiugraceof the meeting was the Bunbury Stakes, in which Count Lngrauge's Phenix met the Derby winner .Silvio, and the race in the running was productive of. more, interest than any anticipations could have hoped for. It was generally voted a match between tho two, aud such indeed it proved. Goater was on tho Frenchman, and F. Archer, of course, on Lord Falmouth's horse. The Derby winner only gave 2 lbs. for the year's difference, while at Ascot, with 7 lbs. worse terms for the eon of Cymbal, Silvio bent him a long way in the Hardwicke Stakes. It was a magnificent race, magnificently ridden, and I a bead verdict was the result. [Since writing news has come by wire of the scratching of Wheel of Fortune for the Lfger. This is one of the rare instances where a horse- tcratrlied almost on the eve of a great race can give rise to no rumors of a dishonoring character.]