THE SAWYER’S BAY STUD.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2228, 19 April 1881, Page 4

THE SAWYER’S BAY STUD.

£UIB LAUNCKLOT IN THE “ WEEKLY PRBSP. ] Using on a holiday rambla in Dunedin recently, and having a spare day at disposal, I gladly availed myself of the invitation of Mr George Dodson to have a look at hia stud farm, which is situated at Sawyer's Bay, near Port Ohalraora. Leaving Dunedin for tho Port by the morning train, I at once interTie wed 'Mr D daon on arrival, and placed myself under the pilotage of his son, Mr Tom Dodson, with whom, after a pleasant drive of half an hour, I reached the farm, which consists of 100 acres of good land, mostly, however, of a hilly nature; but nevertheless, from tho character of tho soil and situation of tho property, admirably adapted for breeding young stock. The first animal led forth for my inspection wns tho lord of the harem, Oassivollaumis. This horse (who was bred in England in 1869 and imported to Western Australia and thenoo to New Zealand in 1874) is by Oaractacus —Campanile by Stockwoll— Florence by Velocipede. Oaraotoous was by Kingston, out of Defenceless by Defence, and won the English Derby of 1862. Oassivellaunus himself is a bright bay horse, with black pointo, standing 16 2. He has a nice sensible head and a good reek. Ho is well let down behind ami has good quarters, though, owing to an accident ho met with, one of his hocks is ■lightly capped. He is a trifle hollow backed, but is otherwise an excellent horse to follow. He only rno-tl twice, and that was aa a two-year-old, when he won two stakes at Newmarket, boating good fields. So far at the ■tud his chances have been limited, but when Mr Redwood leased him, for the season before last, ho proved himself an excellent foalgetter, every one of Mr Redwood’s mares that he served producing foals to him. The only ones of hia stock who have raced so far have boon two throe-year-old fillies out of Remnant and Oastanette, a two-year-old filly out of Envy, anti a colt of the same age out of Miss King, and tho best of those is certainly the Envy filly, who ran a capital second to Bomnus in the Dunedin Champagne Stakes. She has since been purchased by Mr John Dunn, in whose hands she is now undergoing her preparation at Christchurch. The other stallion of tho Sawyer’s Bay stud is Satirist, a ■ix-yeur-old son of Ttaducer and Miss King. Ho is a brown horse, standing 15 3, and was bred by Oaplain Hutchinson, an old Dunedin sportsman, who will be remembered as owning Earl of Lynne, Mabel, &o. Owing to the absence of Oassivellaunus, Mr Dodson used Satirist for all his mares tho season before last, and the results, judging from the foals I •aw on tho occasion of my visit, and which I ■hall notice presently, must be very satisfactory to hie owner, apart from tho fact that the Traduoer blood is now so much sought after. Satirist was (so his present owner informs me) highly tried aa a three-year old, but, going •miss during his preparation for the Canterbury Derby, was put to the stud. I was next introduced to one of the handsomest yearling -fillies I have seen in New Zealand in the shape of a chestnut daughter of Oassivellaunus and Miss King. She has a nice narrow chest, U straight back, good knees and hocks, long arms and short oannoa bones, and is exceptionally well let down ; in short, if anything will ever make a name for Cassivellaunus it (this filly, who looks like racing, and of whom her owner is justly very proud. The two-year-old colt by Oassivellaunus out of Sweatlips, though a fine upstanding youngster, has not tho best of forelegs, while the colt of the same ago, by the same sire out of Amnri, is a fiat-sided young gentleman, though otherwise there is little fault to be found with him. In an adjoining box was a strapping two-year-old son of Oaesivellaunns and Remnant, who has only just been handled, and, passing on, wo ascended the slope of the hill, and soon stood among the brood mares of the establishment. The first wo name to was Sweetlips (imported from Australia), by Topsail out of Queen of Hearts by Gustavos—Alice Hawthorn by Little John (imp.). This mare, who was not covered the season before last, is in foal to Oassivellaunus. Close beside her was Amur), who was bred in 1861, and is by Skeleton out of Lady Jane Grey by St. Aubyn. She has not been covered this season, and in faot is not likely to breed again, as, from her advanced age, Mr Dodson baa decided to pension her off. Near her was Azucena. a big roomy black mare (bred in 1859) by Towton cut of Meg Merrilies by St. George out of Gipsy, and who is well known to New Zealand turfites ao the dam of Envy, Oastanette, and Talisman. To this capital specimen of tho brood mare can only be applied tho old quotation—“ Age cannot wither, and she is certainly one of the finest mares Mr Dodson has in his paddocks. Bhc unfortunately slipped twins last season, and has not since been covered. I was very much pleased with Sapphire, a fine upstanding chestnut by Traduoer out of Miss Mottle, an Australian mare by Tonohit out of Magio by Buffalo. Napphira, who I remember as ■bowing a great deal of quality as a three-year-old, won tho Kaitangata Handicap at the Dunedin Summer Meeting in 1879, and the Timaru Consolation Handicap shortly afterwards, and was undoubtedly a vary fast mare over a sprint course. She, too, is in foal to the son of Oaractacus. Hard Times is a chestnut mure, bred in 1668 and imported from Victoria, got by New Warrior out of Rivulet by Cossack. She is a nice mare, but was not in tho best of condition, and I much preferred Oastanette, by Traduoer out of Azuci-na. This mare’s throe-year-old daughter by Oassivellaunus will bo remembered as having run third in the Maiden Flats at the recant Wellington meeting. She, on that occasion and at the subsequent Dunedin meeting, showed a big turn of foot, and was purchased by Mr John Lunn, her present owner. Oaitanette is again in foal to OassiTcllaunui. A very taking mare, and one especially well made behind, is Remnant (by Caledon out of Calumny’s dam Gitana), whose daughter, La Bohemionne, has won asveral big events at tho various up-country meetings in Otago during the last and present seasons. She too is in foal to Oassivellaanns, as also is Tangi, a hay mare with good points But a very plain head, bred by Mr Redwood in 1871, got by R-ivonsworth ont of Phoebe (Sinking Fund’s dam). Close by her was an old acquaintance in tho shape of Flat Iron (by Peter Flat out of Emma by Gil Bias— Emily by Operator), dam of Mangle and Mufti. She, too, is in foal to the son of Caraotacua, ond I can only hope, for Mr Dodson’s sake, that the result may be as good an animal as Mufti, who, had his trainers aver been able to got him fit, would, from the form ho displayed on several occasions in private, have made his mark on the turf. Little Noll (bred by MrOhirnsido of Victoria, got by the Touchstone horse Peeping Tom out of Dorah, is another big raking black mare, but tho last of tho stud matrons I saw was an old friend, and is decidedly the gem of the harem. This was Envy (by Traducorout of Azucena), who will bo remembered by several af my readers aa having boon, when in Mr Nosworthy’s possession, perhaps tho fastest mare in Now Zealand over a short course, she having placed several of the most valuable sprint races in this colony to the credit of the present proprietor of Enfield. Her best credentials ss a brood mare are tho two-year-old filly alluded to above and her last foal whioh I shall presently notice, and, seeing how valuable tho Troducor blood now is, Mr Dodson is to be congratulated on the possession of Envy, who not only sprang from the loins of tho old Libel horse, but who herself was a first-rate performer on the turf. We now returned to the stables, whore we found ail the foals, which have recently been -vrearn'd, enjoying their midday repast. They ava eight in number and are as follows: —Bay filly by OussivellttUnuß—Tangi, brown colt by Satirist —Cuetanotte, bay colt by Flying Dutchman—Miss King, brown filly by Satirist— Envy, bay colt by Satirist—Sapphire, bay colt bv SuHriat—Remnant, bay filly by Satirist— Flat Iron, and brown filly by Satirist— Amur:. They are a very nice lot of youngsters indeed, tho pick of the bucket being the Envy and Fiat Iron fillies, the latter, however. heir," a bit or. tho small side. The colt by Flying Dutchman out of Miss King is not at all a bad "un, ni.d his sire, who is by Peter Wilkins (imp.) out of Resistance by Boiardo (imp ), and is now in the possession of Mr Coombs of Tokomairiro, should, from his breeding, certainly bo able to get racehorses. Miss King, I may mention, was sent to Mr Ooombs’ horse, ns, in tho absence of Oaosivelluunus at Spring Creek, it wns of course out of tho question to put her to Satirist, who is her son. This concluded my inspection, and I returned to Port Chalmers agreeably surprised at what I had seen, for I had no idea that the Sawyer’s Bay stud, which has ao far been a terra, incognita to New Zealand •porting writers, contained so many and such good animate. Truly it is only yet in its infancy, and its proprietor has had many difllunities to contend against, but if ho docs not command success, his pluck and energy at .east deserve it, and I can only hope that, should he race any of his stock, the blue jacket and black cap of the veteran starter of fthe Dunedin Jookcy Club may frequently bo Uhg first) to catch the judge’s oye.