GREAT NORTHERN DERBY

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 326, 6 January 1937, Page 7

GREAT NORTHERN DERBY

ESSEX HAS IMPROVED A Good Siegfried Colt. The Great Northern Denby, the big race of the Auckland Racing Club's programme on New Year’s Day, was won by Mr J. S. McLeod’s Essex, with the Kiccarton colt. Trench Fight, in second place, just as he was in. the New Zealand Derby, when beaten by his stablemate, Wild Chase. Derby honours are not new to the Hawkes Bay breeder and owner. Mr J. S. McLeod, though he is most widely known, in the Dominion as the president of the New Zealand Racing Conference. At Rbccarton, in 1925, he won the New Zealand Darby with Runnymode, by King John from the Aus-tralian-bred mare Tressida, by imported Tressady. Runnymede was a good colt, though after his sale to Australia he proved a failure. Ttaasay and My Own, both by Lord Quex, were two other good performers. from TresSida. Simbo. by Psychology, also showed smart form before being sold and going to Australia, where he became notorious rather than famous. Tressida ranks with the Dominion's noted brood mares.

Mr McLeod’s latest Derby winner is the descendant of another mare that was secured in Australia, Gay Virginia, the dam of Essex, being by Lord Quex from Queen Lizzie, byRoyal Artillery from Oralene, by Lochiel from Herbina, tracing to imported Scandal, by The Libel, sire of Traduca, a famous horse imported to Canterbury from England in 1862. Essex is by Siegfried, a Son-in-law horse now forcing his way into prominence as a sire through the good deeds of more than one of his progeny, among them Wotan, the winner of the Melbourne Cuip. Essex was a moderate two-year-old and there was nothing special about his early form this season. He was in the hack class when, the Auckland meeting opened on Boxing Day, but his win in the Queen’s Plate showed him up as an improved colt. It is obvious that be is a stayer, no matter for surprise in a colt sired by Siegfried, a representative of England’s most famous, staying line.