The Scotsman once passed in at $l200

Press, 11 April 1979, Page 32

The Scotsman once passed in at $l200

Special correspondent Dunedin The Scotsman, winner of Friday night’s $60,000 Miracle Mile at' Harold Park, Sydney, was bred to trot and was passed in for $l2OO when offered at auction as a yearling. The Scotsman, which has topped $lOO,OOO in stake earnings, was bred at Merton, north of Dunedin, bv Jim Patterson and his wife, Joy, from the mating of Tuft and Fontanl. Jim took a liking to Fontanl as a brood mare while assisting Joy’s father. Bill Allcock, when he bred and trained horses at Waikouaiti. “I always said to Bill 1 would love to get a filly out of Fontani,” said Mr Patterson. Fontanl had left the good trotter, Le Char, when Bill offered to lease him Fontanl for two years to fulfil his wish. But nature deemed otherwise and Fontanl left two colts for Jim and Joy. The first was Adio Force, by Flight Adlos, a winner in South Australia after being sold as a yearling for $l2OO. "I liked the straight-out trotters so I sent her to Tuft the next time.” said Jim. The result was The Scotsman, which did nothing but trot when

running with his dam as a foal on the Patterson farm. This was to be expected because his sire, Tuft, has left predominantly trotters and was the leading sire of performers at that gait in New Zealand last season. The winner of four races, as a pacer. Tuft is a dual-galted son of Star’s Pride, the greatest sire of trotters in modern times. Apart from Le Char, the winner of eight races, Fontanl had produced Miss Universe, the winner of four races as a trotter when the Pattersons obtained her on lease. Fontani is by Springbok, which sired a champion trotter in Durban Chief, winner of the Dominion Handicap, Trotting Free-for-all, and Greyhound Handicap at the 1958 New Zealand Cup meeting. Springbok, a son of Springfield Globe, also sired Oretl, a grand winner for Bill Allcock. Oretl advanced his winnings to $133,177 in the United States and set a record of Imin 58.8 sec. The Pattersons decided to sell The Scotsman as a yearling, hoping to obtain S3OOO to enable them to buy a brood mare. However, bidding only went to $l2OO when he went into the ring at

tlie National Yearling Sales in 1975 and the Pattersons decided not to sell.

Fontani in the meantime had returned to Bill Allcock, then at Yaldburst, and foaled a filly to Gerry Mir. After the national sale Bill suggested swapping The Scotsmen for the Gerry Mir filly, thus providing the Pattersons with their wish. The offer was readily accepted. Bill, who died six months ago, broke in The Scotsman and got him- running along as a pacer. His son, Niall, who was travel-

ling back and forth to Australia on business, became acquainted with the Sydney trainer, Graeme Sparks, who was seeking a horse for clients, and The Scotsman was sold for $7OOO. Sparks prepares the gelding for Mr Jeff Wray and Mrs Judy Sparks. The Gerry Mir filly out of Fontani, now four, favours the trotting gait and the Pattersons

placed her with the Darfield trainer, Leo May, last month. Fontani, now rising 27 years, is believed to be in foal to Boydsn Hanover. She has left 14 foals, including nine fillies. Tamla Mo. town, her 1969 filly by Holy Hal, won six races and is now being bred from.