DEATH OF ST SIMON.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9118, 10 April 1908, Page 2

DEATH OF ST SIMON.

THE GREATEST SIRE OF THE AGE. The death of the scallion St. Simon,' the- news of which comes from England last week, removes one of the most illistrious horses entered in the Stud Rook. Foaled as far back as 1881, St. Simon, it may appropriately he said, lived to a green old age; and that important winners have been credited to him right up to the present year is a striking proof of his virility. St. Simon was bred by the late Prince Batthyany, but the Hungarian spprtsman, who made his home in England, was never destined to see the magnificent brown son of Galopin and Sr. Angela carry his colors, for hefpassed away ere the colt came to fulfil his two-year-old engage ments, and the Duke of Portland was enabled to secure the horse that was destined to win distinction as the greatest sire of the age for the moderate outlay of 1660gns. It was unfortunate for St. Simon’s racing record that Prince Battyany should have died at the period he did, for as a result the colt’s nominations became void, and thus he was deprived of the opportunity of taking rank as a triple crown hero. However, when he went off the scene he had pre served an unbeaten certificate, and with a high eulogium conferred upon him by the late Fred Archer he was voted one of the greatest gallopers that had ever graced the turf.

A curious tale is related in connection with the sale of St. Simon, when he was offered by auction at two years’ old. Some time previously to the son of Galop in being sent into the ring a prominient turfite received private advices to the effect that he was a flyer, that he had his leg dressed “to look like a blister,” and that he must secure him. Apparently Mat Dawson had received intelligence of a somewhat similar nature, for it is reported that when looking over the colt he noticed the dressing, and licked it with his tongue to see what it was made of. That he was satisfied is probable from the fact that he refused to be stalled off, and purchased the colt for the Duke of Portland, then lust embarking on a turf career. It was not until Goodwood that Si". Simon made his first appearance in public. This was in the Halnaker Stakes, which he won in a canter, as he also did a Maiden Plate at the same meeting.. It was here that the much-talked-of Kingsclere crack. Bushey (atferwards renamed Duke of Richmond), made his debut, and as the style in which he carried off the Richmond Stake, endorsed bis private reputation, a match was made between him and St. Simon, to take place at Newmarket in the autumn. In the meantime, however, St. Simon had set the seal upon his excellence by carrying off the Prince of Wales’ Nursery at Doncaster. For this event he carried the “crusher” of 9st 81b., but setting weight at defiance he cantered away from one of the largest fields which ever contested that race, and the example he made of his opponents is not likely to be yet forgotten by those fortunate enough to have been present. Considerable excitement was engendered by the match with Bushey, the Kingsclere partisans being confident, despite the form shown by their opponent. Archer, as usual, rode St. Simon, while T. Cannon had the mount on the Duke of Westminister’s colt, but even the “prince of jockeys” could make no impression on the Duke of Portland’s crack, who won easily by a length, though various opinions were held as to how much he had in hand. St. Simon then went into winter quarters. His first engagement as a three-year-old was in the Epsom Gold Cup, and as the owner of Tristan and the Duke of Portland did not care to oppose each other, it was arranged for a trial to take place at the Newmarket First Spring meeting. It was a public affair, the pair running at weight-for-age, lambic and another three-ysar-old being thrown in at catch-weights to make a pace. Tristan was in great form about this time, but his younger rival gave him no quarter, and won in the easiest possible fashion by six lengths. The death of Prince Batthyany had, of course, rendered void St. Simon’s nomination for the Derby; otherwise the judge would not have been troubled with a dead-heat, as during the spring Matthew Dawson tried him to be fully 211 b better than Harvester, who, after being stopped in his work, was good enough to tie with St. Gatien. In the Gold Cup at Ascot the Duke of Portland’s crack made hacks of his opponents, winning by 20 lengths from Tristan, who oh the following day enhanced St. Simon’s reputation by carrying off the valuable Hardwicke Stakes from a high-class opposition. An equally easy victory in the Goodwood Cup was the last of St. Simon on a racecourse, for although a match was talked about a between him and St. Gatien later on in the season, it came to nothing. As a matter of fact, by this time the son of Galopin had become a source of trouble to his trainer, but for which, indeed, it is probable that the match referred to would not have been heard of, as an opportunity had been preiously afforded Mr Hammond of encountering the crack had he really desired to do |so. Doubts have been frequently raised as to whether St. Simon was a thorough stayer, and even Matthew Dawson expressed himself as dubious on this point. “But,” said the worthy trainer, “I could never get anything to go fast enough to test him;” and it will probably be admitted that an animal who could beat such a horse as Tristan twenty lengths over the tiring Ascot Cup course could stay well enough for anything. • , St. Simon’s career as a sire has been an extraordinary one, for from the very outset he jumped into a prominent place in the winning sires’ list, and up to di&e his descendants have won considerably over half a million in prize money, which, it mav be remarked, beats all records in all lands; and when it is further added that his sons at the stud claim winners of stakes to the value of over £600,000, it will be rec ognised what an all-round record is down to the famous brown horse owned by the Duke of Portland. St. Simon’s best year, so far as the amount of money involved is concerned,., was in'the season of 1896, when, with a brace of crack three-, year-olds (Persimmon and St, Frusquin) to represent him, he was ■'.credited with close on £60,000. Concerning St. Simon’s classic winners, it is a peculiar fact that his two Derby winners, Diamond Jubilee and Persimmon, are brothers, and that they also won the St. Leger; -while his two St. Leger winners,

Memoir and La Fleche, are sisters, and they also won the Oaks for him. Therefore, two brood mares produced for St. Simon 10 out of his 17 classic winners. Since 1900, when Diamond Jubilee, Wiuifreda, and La Roche won him all the classics, St. Simon had not sired a winner of any of these five races, but a St. Leger and an Oaks have fallen to the progeny of his sons, whose immediate descendants haVe also twice succeeded in the One Thousand Guineas and twice in the Two Thousand Guineas. The following is a full list of the classic winners sired by St. Simon : Two Thousand Guineas, 1896, St| Frusquin. Two Thousand Guineas, 1900, Diamond Jubilee One Thousand Guineas, 1890, Semolina. One Thousand Guineas, 1892, La Fleche. One Thousand Guineas, 1894, Amiable. One Thousand Guineas, 1900, Winifreda. Derby, 1896, Persimmon. Derby, 1900, Diamond Jubilee, Oaks, 1890, Memoir. Oaks, 1892, La Fleche. Oaks, 1898, Mrs ButterwickOaks, 1894, Amiable. Oaks, 1900, La Roche. St. Leger, 1890, Memoir. St. Leger, 1892, La Fleche. St. Leger, 1896, Persimmon. St. Leger, 1900, Diamond Jubilee. What a gold mine St. Simon has proved to the Duke of Portland may be readily gauged by a consideration of his life as a sire. St. Simon’s original fee at the stud was the modest one of 50gns. The _ subscription was doubled .in his second season; raised to loOgns. in 1891; 200gns, in 1892; 250gns. in 1894; SOOgns. in 1895; 400gns. in 1897; and SOOgns. two years later. Even this last prohibitive sum did not deter breeders, for season after season his best list was full in advance, and during recent years, when fewer mares had been served, competition for a subscription had been unusually keen. From 1894 until 1904 St. Simon annually earned a sum varying from £12,000 to £2o,ooo—his fees for the season when SOOgns. was first charged amounting to £20,475, a huge contrast with his first season, when 20 mares were served at 50gns. only. St. Simon is well represented at the stud in almost every notable portion of the Empire. In Australia his sons Positano, Simmer, and Haut Brion can be singled out as noteworthy sires, while in New Zealand Soult, another of his descendants, has won a front place amongst the sires of Maoriland.— “Phseton,” in Auckland Weekly.