Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

TALK OF THE DAY.

By Sentinel.

AN APOLOGY Musket proved himself such a great ; pillar of tbe New Zealand 1 Stud Book • that one reads with regret that a contemporary has thought fit to decry the famous sire by stating "he never sired a fireti class filly, and none of his mares ever | produced a first-class, horse." . Such a I statement k not altogether true, and when a horee like Musket has enriched oui- ! equine world with so many great sons his shortcomings are swamped in his general , merit as a sire. The staitement quoted above is partially true, but ie unjust, because it gives prominence to a fault and overlooks, or is ignorant of, the fact that j come of his best bredi daughters did not appear on the turf, and in their cases had vpry little opportunity to make good at the i stud- Many of the fillies credited to ' him in the etud never appeared on the ; turf or are otherwise mentioned in the I records beyond the statement chat they i were foaled. Perhaps they did not get j beyond that stage of their existence ; but ; s»till sufficient material is left to dispute the statement that Musket neither left a good mare nor that his daughters left a j high-class racehorse. Of course, a highi claes racehorse is understood to be one that has made his mark in w.f.a. events, or has , proved a good handicap performer The j best-known Musket mares that have raced ' are Mitrailleuse, Hilda, Cissy, Necklace, ' Necklet, Rose d'Ar<gent, Lady Florin, Volley, Pearlshell, and one or two others, who failed 1 .o achieve success on the turf (probably through r.o fault of their own), . but who subsequently made good at the etud. Mitrailleuse was a winner of many races, and if she was not entitled to be considered one of the best, <sho wai- at lea«,t a frequent winner of handicaps for 6e\e- ' ral seasons. Hilda (Musket— Ouida) won the A.R.C. Champagne Stakc-s, the Auckland Guineas, the A.R.C. Eaeter Handi- ] cap (1£ miles). A.R.C. Autumn Handicap ' (li miles with 10.0 in 2min 14seo), Hawke's Bay Cup, amd in several other ] races showed winning or otherwise excellent form during the five years she was on ' the turf. At the stud she produced Ful- ' men, a great stayer and' good horse, of whom the best was not seen on the turf. He dead-heated in the New Zealand Cup ' with Ideal, and otherwise displayed good form. Hilda also produced Antares, winner ] of the Auckland Cup, and aL«o Maude, the dam of another Auckland Cup winner in Mahutonpa. Cis«y (Musket— Frailty) won the A.R C. Welcome Stakes and the Auck- ' la.n<J Gumeae She only appeared once as ' a three-year-old (evidently pom,!? amks), . but was undoubtedly a hiirh-class per- ' former at four years, when she won seve- ' ral «ood races under big weights and ran | third in the Auckland Cup U Crackshot i and Hilda. At the stud Cis<3f produced ' Altair, winner of the C.J.C. Derby, Mid- , summer Handicap, Champagne Stakes, New Zealand St. Leger, and was generally ad- > : mitted to be a first-class racehorse. Cissy ' also produced Daystar, winner of the ' Hawke'e Bay Guineas, Hawke's Bay Cup, ! [ A.R.C. Easter Handicap ; Janet, Sant j Ilario, and San Remo Necklace was a good performer, and produced Collarette (dam of Collarit), Cravat, Armilla, Jewellery, and Coronet. Percussion produced I Projectile (winner of the A.J.C. Metronoli- i tan) and Fulminate. Volley won the Caul- { field Guineas, A.J C. Champagne Stakes, ' Uie V.R.C. St. L-ger Stakes, beating i ; Meloe, to whom *he ran second in the 1

A.J.C St. Leger and! A.J.C. Derby. Locket threjv Bangle (a -winner and dam of Casket), Necklet (a winner and dam of Pendant) Musket Maid produced a good horse in Waiuku, a New Zealand Gup G winner and great performer over all disI tances. Vivandiere produced a Cup winner in Canteen, despite the great tax that wag put upon her productive powers, and m 15 . addition left quite a small host of useful Id sorts Happy Land produced Hova (second in the Melbourne Cup and winner r of the Newmarket Handicap). One or two a- others could be named, but a conclusion I will be made with Industry, who pioSuced g two Melbourne Cup winners in Gaulus and The Grafter If Musket missed fire with his daughters there is not much doubt the second generation has more than made = i good the deficiency. His sons have sired ~ j greait. producers, am? those who are inI dined to throw a stone at the memory and I merit of Musket 6houk? remember that _ I the sires who have been a great and unqualified success on both 6ides of the house in the first generation are extremely rare. Some of the great horses in England have achieved immediate success to a certain ex- | I tent, but they had a much greater field to I I exploit than had the son of Toxophihte. ' „ j Still, if Musket did not achieve the greatest 1 ■*• • possible success at the stud with the female branch of the tribe enough has been, shown ' to demonstrate he did not disgrace him- j i self. :

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19090908.2.271

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 52

Word count
Tapeke kupu
860

TALK OF THE DAY. Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 52

TALK OF THE DAY. Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 52

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert