LOOKING BACK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 37, 6 November 1937, Page 19

LOOKING BACK

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HORSES OF NOTE Performances That Linger In The Memory ST- HIPPD AND ARIEL

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One of tbe best tbree-year-olde tbat has raced in New Zealand was tbe late Mr, L. D. Nathan's St. Hippo/ by St. Leger— Sippona. St. Hippo was a big, long-striding borse, and be looked tbe f art of a really bigh-elass three-year; bld, wbich be undoubtedly was. He eommebced his tbree-year-old career — as so many good borses did in tbose days — by winning tbe Hawke's Bay Guineas in efEortless style. From tbere be went on to Riccarton and won tbe New Zealand Cup, almost as easily. He was beaten in tbe C.J.C. (now tbe New Zealand) Derby by tbe late Mr. Or, 0. Stead's Stepniak, but good colt tbongb tbe latter was, there is "little doubt "but tbat Joe Gallagber on St. Hippo was outgeiieralled by.Berrett on Stepniak, at the finisb of tbe raee, jiist as Dferrett bimself was outgenerallcd ; f our .years earlier in tbe Y.R.G, Derby ! wben, iiding Carbine, be allowed tbe j late Tom Hales on Bnsign to swoop ! down and beat bim on tbe post, in tbe saine mannas as be beat Gallagber on St. Hippo, I In tbe Auckland Cup of 1892, St, Hippo was allotted 8st 91b, a big Weight for a thfee-year-old in December; but ibis did not prdvent bim winning and piitting up a time record f &r • the race. A few days la'ter'St. Bippo won tbe Creat Northern Derby, turaing.tbe tables on his previous conqueror Stepniak. •I forgot to mention tbat alfbbugh St. Hippo raced little as a two-yeai'-oidj he won' tbe Gteat ^fortbern "(jiiainpagne Stakes in, tbe autumn and thus gave a first taste of tbe quaiity be possessed. St. Hippo, . like . many -good borses, * was not altogetber a stud siie.cess, and it iSjtbrough tbe female line tbat his , name sometimes crops up in preSenbday pedigifees. " * Hia cbief tliree'year-old rival, Stepniak, has, on tbe otber band,' been oue of tbe best sires at tbe Btuif in :.Ne.w iZealand, : and eertainly' I- sbould • :S&y tbe best New Zealand-bred sire. A true old-timer wbs Ariel, wbxcb ended bis days in tbe late Mr. G. 1'. Donnelly's stud at Crissoge, • It was in 1873 tbat Ariel was f oaled, bis sire being Dainty Ariel, all of whose progeny were good boned horses, and good jumpers. Tbe name of Dainty Ariel crops up in the back lines of many of tbe pe&igfees of jumpers to-day. However, witb few exceptions, it is tbrougb tbe female line tbat tbe Dainty Ariel blood has come down to us in presentday pedigreeS, for I do not remember any of bis sons tbat got progeny tbat diatinguisbed tbemselves. , As a raeehorse, Ariel was, I feel sure, tbe best of tbe Dainty Ariels. He travelled fi'om Auckland in tbe Nortb to Dunedin itt the Sotitb, and won many of tbe important races of tbe New Zealand turf. He first came into prominencfe by winning tbe Dunedin Jockey Club Handicap, and tbe j Great Northern Derby, in 1876, as a , three-year-old, in the colours of tL o | late Mr. A. Buckland, of Auckland. In j tbe same year as a four-year-old be won in bis first Auckland Cup in tbe J nominatioH of the late Mr. James Watt, fatber of Mr. E. J, Watt, of Sydney. Mr. Watt seerns to bave pass-c-d Ariel on to bis partner in tbe Longlands station property, tbe late Mr. Robert Farmer, for it was in bis colours that he won tbe Canterbury Cup of 1877. Following tbat win Ariel again cbanged ownel's and Won bis second Auckland Cup in 1878, in tbe colours of tbo late Mr. Allan McDonald, of Ppyerty Bay, He then passed into tbe possession of tbe late Mr. He,nty Redwood, for whom be won" tbe Dunedin Forbury Handicap, of 1878, witl> 9st 81b on his back. Tbe kaleidoscope of ownersbips, hcwever, had not yet completed all its changes f'dr Ariel, for when be coutested tbe Auckland Cup of 1879 it was in tbe entry of Mr. M. Edgar, Sbortly afterwards Ariel said goodbye to tbe turf. He had few mares of anytliing like good b/eeding mated with bim, and it cannot be said that be was a stud success. Gertainly be was not tbo sort to getj early two-year-olds, for all bis stock took time to develop. Aerial was well on in years wben tbe late Mr. Donnelly seeured bim as a sire to breed good station sorts, for whiok be was eminently suited. One , of liis sons, Purepo, from Waewaehapi, was as fino a type of sire to get firstclass bunrers and saddle borses as ono would wisb to see.