FROM STUD AND STABLE Ashburton link with cup favourite’s origin

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32819, 20 January 1972, Page 6

FROM STUD AND STABLE Ashburton link with cup favourite’s origin

Almost 100 years ago an Ashburton man made a modest purchase in England that was to have a profound influence on New Zealand bloodstock breeding, an influence that will be deepened if Silver Knight wins the Wellington Cup on Saturday.

Mr J. Carter selected Miss Kate, which was a winner in England but in fairly modest company. Miss Kate, bred in 1873, was brought to New Zealand at the age of five, bred 15 foals in consecutive years from 1881, and became the ancestress of Phar Lap, Kindergarten, and Golden Souvenir.

Another of her descendants, and an already famous one through his victory in the Melbourne Cup last November, is Silver Knight, which will be attempting to bring further fame to a famous family by winning the Wellington Cup on Saturday.

After she had left two colts and two fillies Miss Kate was bought by Mr E. Gate, who had managed Mr Carter’s stud and, from 1884, carried it on in his own interests.

Seven years later Miss Kate foaled Catherine Wheel to a mating with Maxim, and this filly was to become the dam of Entreaty, which produced the mighty Phar Up.

Antelope, the third foal of Miss Kate, bred the topclass performer, Blue Jacket, winner of two Auckland Cups and the Great Northern Derby. Elegance, a halfsister to Blue Jacket, was third dam of Kindergarten and Golden Souvenir, both Wellington Cup winners for Mr E. N. Fitzgerald.

Another half-sister to Elegance and Blue Jacket was Latona, and the product of her mating with Marble Arch was Persis.

Cost 20gns Persis was bred by Mr F. J. McManemin in 1914, but was offered at a dispersal sale when Mr McManemin was appointed handicapper to the Auckland Racing Club.

When Mr L. S Otway decided to buy Persis for 20gns he took the first step

towards bringing fame to his Trelawney Stud as the nursery of high-class stayers. Persis had been served by Robert the Bruce, and Mr Otway sold the foal for £5.

Persis never raced but had a remarkable career at Trelawney where she produced 16 foals, of which 11 were winners.

This is one of the Cinderella stories in which racing abounds, and Silver Knight, a fifth-generation descendant of Persis, added another famous chapter when he won the 1971 Melbourne Cup with a superb staying performance.

Closer up on his family pedigree Silver Knight has other splendid staying influence. His dam, Cuban Fox, was sired by the famous Foxbridge, whose daughters have been responsible for five Melbourne Cup winners. The next dam, Chubin, was got by Nizami, which sired the Melbourne Cup winners, Hiraji and Foxzami, both from Foxbridge mares, during his reign at Trelawney.

Bred to stay The Silver Knight pedigree is a peerless one and in more recent years the record of his family has been brightened through the deeds of Prince Grant, a threequarter brother in blood to the Awapuni-trained stayer. Prince Grant won the Sydney Cup and 13 other races, including the A.J.C. Derby, by eight lengths. Prince Grant and Silver Knight were sired by Alcirnedes, whose purchase for the Trelawney Stud in England was another great

stroke of fortune for racing in this part of the world.

Anne Gable and Suttle, which are high on the list of Cup fancies, commend themselves to all pedigree students.

They are by Le Filou, whose record as a sire of twomile racers is magnificent. Gay Filou and Michael Molloy have already given Le Filou successes in the Wellington Cup.

Le Filou has also sired Light Fingers and Red Handed (Melbourne Cup), Senor and Floutulla (Auckland Cup), Noir Filou (New Zealand Cup), and Fulmen (Brisbane and Adelaide Cups). Ansin, winner of last year’s Wellington Cup, was sired by Cracksman, one of Le Filou’s most brilliant sons, which is now at stud in England.

Both Anne Gable and i Suttle belong to the Hebrew , Maid family, which has been responsible for some of the ’ best stayers in the stud book. ’ Anne Gable’s dam is by the splendid stayer Golden Souvenir from Glamor Girl by the English Derby winner, Coronach, from Kriemhild, by ! Siegfried from Left, by Martian from Hebrew Maid’s first foal, Lovelorn. Suttle traces to Lovelorn through Flying Florence (by the Sydney Cup winner, Contact), Florence Mills (by Desert Gold’s brother, Nigger Minstrel), Liaison (by Lord Quex), and Lovematch (by Martian).

Lovelorn produced seven successive foals to Martian, and six of them were winners. Menelaus won the New Zealand Cup, and Lovematch

the Hawke’s Bay and Wanganui Cups. Left became famous as a producer through the deeds of Wotan (Melbourne Cup), Peter Jackson (New Zealand and Great Northern St Legers and Moonee Valley Gold Cup), and Gaine Carrington (Caulfield Cup). Lovelorn’s last foal by Martian was Dominant, the winner of 31 races including the Auckland Cup, the Great Northern Derby, two St Legers, and later several of the top weight-for-age races in Australia.

Skipton was a Melbourne and Caulfield Cup winner from this family; Motere won an Auckland Cup, and Old Bill the Wellington Centenary Cup in 1940.