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Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 879, 24 January 1930, Page 12

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PREFERENCE FOR IMPORTEDS AUSTRALIAN COMMENT The following interesting comment, taken from the latest issue of the “Australasian,” can also be applied to this Dominion:—Three great Australian racehorses will be represented for the first time at the yearling sales this year in Melbourne and Sydney. They are Manfred, Heroic, and Windbag. It will b© generally conceded that they were horses of exceptional racing merit, but in the years to come there will be and fruitless controversy among their numerous partisans regarding their relative merits as racehorses. For that reason their stud careers will be followed with more than usual interest, and there is a general desire that they should succeed and dispel the prejudice which has long existed against Australian - bred sires. Up to the time Bill of Portland was imported to Victoria in 1894, sires bred in Australia Mere able to hold their own in competition with all-comers. The position changed with the advent of Bill of Portland, who achieved remarkable success during the few years he was in this country. Setting the Fashion Bill of Portland was a son of St. Simon, and he imparted a brilliance to Australian horses which had hitherto been lacking, and, as he was a pronounced success, fashion demanded the importation of other sons of St. Simon. Horses representing that male line came to the country in large numbers, and although many of them were indifferent performers and were really culls from English studs, they were thought good enough to replace highclass Australian performers. Breeders Mere not wholly to blame. Buyers would not look at yearlings by Aus-tralian-bred sires. Thev insisted

upon having them by imported horses —preferably by sons of St. Simon—and breeders in their own interests had to satisfy the demand. Breeders were compelled to conform to fashion, and could not afford to take Australianbred sires into their studs. Little Real Difference In recent years Australians have come to realise that there is really little difference in the best English and Australian form, although there might be more really good horses there than in this country. There were few better judges of horses and form than the late Mr. Leslie Macdonald, and, after a visit to England a few years ago, he declared that Manfred, Windbag and Heroic were equal to the best horses he saw in England. The leading performers on English racecourses are seldom offered for sale, as they are able to earn fortunes for their lucky owners in stud fees. Those that are put on the market command prices which Australian breeders cannot afford to pay, so it is now dawning upon some of the Australian studmasters that it is better to breed from first-class Australian racehorses than from those of an inferior type from England. Failures Trafalgar and Poitrel are tMo notable Australian racehorses which have failed at the stud in recent years, but their failure was not unexpected, as they Mere not of the type likely to succeed, because they were stayers M'ithout brilliance. Woorak, on the other hand, possessed great speed and as he Mas able to run a mile and aquarter, lie Mas well equipped to succeed as a sire. Bobadil Mas a horse of similar type, but he Mas a better stayer than Woorak. Both horses Mere successful as sires. We have had no better sire in Australia, imported or otherwise, than Wallace, Mho was bred at St. Albans. Malster was another Australian-bred sire to achieve great success. There is no reason why Manfred, Heroic and Windbag should not do as well as any of their celebrated Australian predecessors, as they are horses of fine type and are well bred, and in their racing days brilliant as M'ell as solid. There will be general satisfaction if they are able to break down the prejudice against Australian-bred sires.