SPORTING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9042, 29 January 1908, Page 7

SPORTING.

TB£ GREATEST SIRE OF THEI *T AGE.

A stallion in whose career a worldwide interest is centred is St. Simon, for he occupies a unique position. A great racehorse himself, he has transmitted the great quality of galloping to his stock in a marked decree, and his sons and daughters have won a high place at t,he stud. The celebrated son of Galopin having been foaled as far back as 1881, it can be said in an equine sense that he has lived to a green old age, as he is now rising 28 years. Truly, St Simon's career as a sire lias been an extraordinary one, for from the very outset he jumped into a prominent place in the winning sires' list, and upjio date his descendants have won •coOTiderably over half a million in prize money, which it may 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 recognised what an allaround 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 Persimmon and St. Frusquin to represent him, he was credited'with close on £60,000; but in regard to the number of races won, he has never done so well as in 1892, with 47 winners. The following are the amounts won by the descendants of St. Simon since they first appeared on the turf : Inißß9 £24,286 Inlbo ... ... 32,799 Jin 1891 ... In 1892 56,139 In 1893 36,319 In 1894 42,092 In 1895 30,469 In 1896 50,740 In 1897 ... - 22,541 In 1898 15,210 In 1899 17,505 In 1900 ... ... 54,460 In 1901 28,671 In 1902 36,531 In 1903 5,964 In 1904 ... ... 17,596 In 1905 12,385 In 1906 4,569 In 1907 4.787 What a goldmine St. Simon has proved to the Duke of Portland may be readily gauged by a consideration of h> life as a sire - st - Siman's fee at the stud was the modest one of 50 gns. The subscription was doubled in his second season; raised torlsognsin 1891; 200gns in 1892; 250gns in 1894;- 300gns in 1895; 400gns in 1897; and 500gns two years latef. Even this last prohibitive sum did not deter breeders, tor season after season his list was full in advance, and during recent years, when fewer mares have been served, competition for a subscription has 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 500gns was first charged amounting to £20,475, a huge contrast with his first season, when 20 mares were served at 50gns only. to