GREAT DIVIDE’S DAM

Southland Times, Issue 24233, 17 September 1940, Page 9

GREAT DIVIDE’S DAM

Royal Lancer’s First Success NIGHTGLASS’S BRIGHT PROSPECTS Nominations for the Dunedin meeting close on September 24. Rchandicaps Rehandicaps for the first day of the Geraldine meeting are: Geraldine Cup —Roy Bun 51b. First Hurdles—Sir Frederick 101 b. Songbird’s Record

Songbird started in 58 races, and won £5623. He was first 16 times, and was 18 times in a minor place, a good record in view of the fact that practically all his racing was done in handicaps. From Waving Corn Sir Frederick, who beat the hurdlers at Ashburton on Saturday, is a four-year-old horse by Night Raid from Waving Corn, a mare who did a good amount of racing in Southland some seasons back. Waving Com was got by Solferino from Rosalita, by Rokeby from Rosalia, by Stepniak from Rosella, by Seaton Delaval. Prudent Prince Prudent Prince, whose success on Saturday graduated him from hack ranks, is a useful stayer and a particularly well-bred galloper. A four-year-old gelding by Lord Quex, he is out of Squeeze, a sister to that great galloper Cuddle and half-sister to Padishah. Squeeze was got by Psychology from Caress, by Martian from Trichas (imp.) by Thrush. Youthful Horseman Idlealong, who ran unplaced in the Pacific Handicap at New Brighton, was driven by J. McLennan, jun., son of a one-time noted reinsman. J. McLennan, sen., was one of the best horsemen in New Zealand with trotter or pacer, in saddle or sulky. One of the best horses he drove was Cello Sydney Wilkes, while with Terence Dillon he also scored some notable victories. Special Force The winner of the New _ Zealand Sapling Stakes and last season’s leading two-year-old, Special Force, is to make his next appearance in the Wellington Stakes. He has filled out considerably during the winter and promises to be an outstanding pacer again this season. He is well-mannered, speedy and a good stayer, and so has all the credentials necessary to place him in championship class at an early age. Unfortunately, Special Force claims few classic engagements, the Wellington Stakes and the New Zealand Futurity Stakes at Ashburton being the only two for which he was nominated. Plans For Bcaulivre A cable message from Sydney yesterday stated:—Beaulivre may not race again until the Epsom Handicap. He is thoroughly fit and needs no further racing. He would be penalized in the Hill Stakes to be run on September 21 and that race is not easy to win with a penalty. McMenamin may ride Mildura in the Epsom. Beauvite’s mission is the Metropolitan. The jockey, W. Cook, has been released from Early Bird who was to have been his mount in the Epsom. He will now ride Reading. The diminutive apprentice jockey, G. Young, a son of Gloaming’s former rider, achieved his first win on Pinero.

Promising Filly Nightglass, who finished second to Don’t Forget on Saturday, is a three-year-old filly by Nightmarch, who promises to make quite a name for herself. In three starts as a two-year-old last season she won once (returning a sens tional dividend) and was twice third. Her placing on Saturday marked her first appearance this season. The Nightmarch filly is out of Good Sight, the dam also of Keen Sight. Good Sight was got by Winning Hit from Equipment, by Martian from Tomorrow, by Bill of Portland. Equipment was the dam of Rivalry (the dam of Rival Shot, Rival Hit, Winning Rival and others). Full Feather, Semper Paratus, Cricket Bat, Centrepiece, Stout Heart and others.

Royal Lancer’s success on Saturday was well overdue as the Irish Lancer gelding raced consistently last season, being placed in four of six starts. Royal Lancer finished in the money in each of his first four starts and would have won a race before this had a head'injury hot prevented him from racing at the National meeting. He has demonstrated in private that he is a hack much above the average and from now on should make his presence felt in Southland fields. Royal Lancer is owned by his breeder, Mr W. Swale, of Limehills, and is a half-brother to Bilbao. His dam, Winsome Sister, is by Some Boy 11 from Sister Regis, by Charlemagne II from St. Regis, by Hotchkiss from St. Evelyn, by St. Leger from Lady Evelyn, by Perkin Warbeck. Sister Regis is a sister to Sister Radius, the dam of Maghera, Loughrea, Circulation, Compression, Bitractor and others. Royal Lancer, who is at present a member of A. S. Ellis’s team, will rejoin F. W. Ellis’s teajm after the Geraldine meeting. Great Divide’s Dam

Last week a paragraph under the heading “Son of a cart-horse makes a name for himself on track” appeared in these columns. The paragraph, which was credited to a Christchurch paper, dealt with the breeding of Great Divide. During the week the writer received a letter from Mr J. C. Parcell, of Cromwell, who states: “I read with interest the paragraph about Great Divide and to say the least it is laying it on a bit thick. I don’t know anything about Great Divide, but I do know something about Gold Tinge and Black Surprise, and as they all come from the same dam, probably these remarks apply to Great Divide as well. The dam of Gold Tinge and Black Surprise was bred by my father at Bannockburn, Central Otago, a good many years ago. She was not by Blue Mountain King, but was by Wildwood Junior, and was out of a Houi mare. She ran wild on the hills round about Bannockburn until she was about 12 years of age when she was brought in and broken in by my father and driven in a gig. My father went to Southland about 1918 and took the mare with him and used her for driying purposes while he was residing at Fairfax. W'hen he left Fairfax he sold the mare to Mr Pulley, of Otautau, who then bred from her. There was nothing of the carthorse about her, for she was a light fast-stepping mare and always had tons of pace. My father was not a sporting man, otherwise he would have had her trained. There was no doubt whatever that she would have won races .. .” There was no suggestion that Gold Tinge was out of a Blue Moun-

tain King mare, but Great Divide’s dam was a half-sister by Blue Mountain King to Gold Tinge-and Black Surprise. The information that Gold Tinge is out of a mare by Wildwood Junior is of some interest as it has always been stated that she was out of a Houi mare. This makes the pedigree of Great Divide rather interesting as his dam was got by Blue Mountain King from a mare by Wildwood from a Houi mare. Blue Mountain King was by Ribbonwood (by Wildwood), while Wildwood Junior was also by Wildwood. Thus Great Divide’s dam boasts a double cross of Wildwood blood close up.

An Amazing Performance The cable message announcing the win of Ajax in the Memsie Stakes described his success as an amazing one, but it omitted the real basis for amazement. Ajax lost four or five lengths when his rider, H. Badger, failed to anticipate the start. In the circumstances, the horse registered one of the outstanding performances of his career. “I didn’t expect it to be a start,” said Badger. “For that reason I checked Ajax as he was moving into the tapes. Ajax swung side on as I checked him, and the barrier went up at the same moment, leaving me standing.” Backers who laid odds on Ajax received the shock of their lives when he lost so much ground and was only fourth of six runners and about six lengths behind the leader, Tragopan, at the end of two furlongs. He was four or five lengths behind near the halfmile, and backers expected defeat when he was still fourth and in danger of being pocketed round the home turn. Badger then pulled him to the outside and a furlong from home he was making no appreciable advance on El Golea, who had taken the lead. But Ajax responded like the champion he is, and. though only a neck ahead at the finish, could have increased that margin. r