From Stud And Stable CARBINE WON MIDDLE PARK PLATE IN 1888

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30975, 3 February 1966, Page 4

From Stud And Stable CARBINE WON MIDDLE PARK PLATE IN 1888

The Canterbury Jockey Club’s Middle Park Plate does not create much interest outside Canterbury these days.

But it was not i always so. It was one of the early races won by Carbine, which has made a greater contri-

bution to internai tional racing than any other horse bred in New Zealand.

Carbine was having only his second start when he won the Middle Park Plate at Riccarton on January 2, 1888.

It was a sweepstake of 10 sovereigns each with 250 sovereigns added, two-year-olds to carry 7-7 and three-year-olds 9-0, but with penalties and allowances. Mr Dan O’Brien’s Musket colt had won the Hopeful Stakes at the Tattersall's Club meeting about a fortnight earlier. Later he was to win the C. J. C. Champagne Stakes before going to Australia about two years before he won his Melbourne Cup with 10-5 in a field of 39 in record time for the race.

Mr O’Brien, who sold Carbine for 3000gns when the colt was only a three-year-old. owned three of the first eight Middle Park Plate winners.

He was one of the most colourful owners of a colourful age.

Once he went broke when campaigning horses in the Central Otago goldfields.

Athlete

Not being able to borrow any money at the time, he rode 23 miles to a sports meeting, and won the 150 yards hurdle race and the 150 yards flat race. He also rode a hack into third place In a £l2 race, and secured the first prize when winner and runner-up wee disqualified for jostling each other.

O’Brien, who at one time; owned the Racecourse Hotel at Riccarton and erected fine] brick stables there, owned; several other big winners. ■ With Tasman he won the! New Zealand Cup in 1883. the Wellington Cup in 1885. the Dunedin Jockey Club Handicap, and the Timaru Cup in 1883 and 1884 besides 26 other races. He won several races including a Wellington Cup and the Canterbury Cup with Tanibourini and his third Middle Park Plate winner, Florrie. also won the New Zealand Derby-Oaks double in 1891.

One of the most impressive winners on the programme

the day Florrie won her Middle Park Plate was Prime Warden.

Then a three-year-old Prime

Warden won the Midsummer Stakes, one mile and a half, by three lengths. The breeding of this Apremont colt is of particular interest. His dam was Miss Kate, ancestress of Phar Lap, Dalray, and many other big winners. Potential

The field for the Middle ; Park Plate on Saturday lacks brilliant first-season performers in any numbers. But the race might strengthen early opinions about the potential of at least two youngsters engaged. Faraday, a close relation of the A.J.C. Derby winner, Prince Grant, looked good when third first time out at the Hororata meeting at Riccarton in December. Faraday, with average improvement, could do very well at three years.

Another promising youngster in the field is the unraced Roman General.

He is one of the successful Agricola tribe, and his dam is Foxpiay by Royal Commion from Foxleap by Foxbridge.

Roman General descends from the V.R.C. Oaks winner, Elusive, ■ which was brought to New Zealand to establish a most successful branch of the Eleusis family.

In the 1920’s a distinguished member of this family was Winning Hit, which carried the Clifford colours, the colours that Roman General will carry on Saturday. After winning the Middle Park Plate at two years he became the best three-year-old of his year. Another runner for Agricola in the Middle Park Plate will be Agrippa.

He is a descendant of

Cymene, and belongs to the same family as Cylinder, another New Zealand Derby winner.

Agrippa, a promising fifth first time out at the South Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting in December, was the seventh foal from the Foxbridge mare, Bridgeway,