FATE OF FAMOUS STUD.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 August 1919, Page 3

FATE OF FAMOUS STUD.

JUMPE-RS ON VVAR SERVICE.

Mr Walter Winans, the American millionaire horse-breeder, told the story recently of the fate of his famous stud of 50 horses. “These 50 horses were the finest in the world,’.’_ he said; “not because I say so, but in the opinion of the world’s best judges who ‘had awarded them the highest prizes at Olympia and other international horse shows_ “But the War Oflice came along and took them, paying me their standard allowance, £4O apiece for them. “Any one of these would have realised far more than the War Office allowed for the whole stud.

“My own stceplechaser Blue Moon, was tied up in the open without a rug, and died next day of ‘pneumonia. “Marmion, a beautiful animal, who won the international high jump at Oiympia; Knock Along, who also won many of the jumping prizes; and Vendetta, also a famous jumper, went to Russia just before the war brook out, v.*hel'e Vendetta Won the Czal"s jumping prize.

“Capfain Bertren who used to ri ‘e for me at Olympia, and later Was made 2:. general in the Russfan Army, was forced to ride Vendetta so hard during one of the early battles on the Russian front that it fell down dead, “The Bolsheviks got hold of Knock Along and galloped him about Petro-

*1 xvi“ Cm? x".<;f:r‘. urfiil -he died of “ \ hunger in the streets.

“Marmic-11 was in the hands of the Iwlsheviks when I last heard, and is probably dead_ I would not have taken £IOO,OOO for any one of those three. E2Oll is irreplaceable. “My three Russian troika horses 31so prize~winl”lel-s, went to France and died there. , “Then there was Cokers Rosador, 14-nown all over the world. A famous horse-breeder once offered me a blank: cheque for him, and I said: ‘He’s not for sale.’ The ‘War Oflice paid me £4O, and it went fo France and perished_

“The horse that won so many firs»: prizes in the pace and action classes, Ponnie,Vicw, was equally unlucky. It was in my stud down in Kent, when the Germans tried to bomb Asmara} Junofioll. A bomb dropped near the si-all, and Bonnie View jumped backwards with fright, broke its spine, and died.

“I have not 15 horses left. These were too young for inclusion in the great War O‘fi"lce sweep that was made at the beginning of the war_ I think that sénne of fahese will become as famous as those that are gone.”