TURF NEWS AND NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 June 1939, Page 11

TURF NEWS AND NOTES

CURRENT TOPICS FROM STABLE AND COURSE Breeding of Gold Wren COMES FROM GREAT FAMILY (By “CARBINE.”) Numerous old time steeplechasers have been quoted as■ of-the hunting field, which is even today recognised as the ideal | '< in which to educate jumpers. It i s equally the case, however, that .t is no use expecting a horse to go far as a racing .'huntei unless the foundation of a stud pedigree.

The breeding of Gold Wren is of some interest. His sire, Songbird, claimed important parents, being by Kilbroney from Grey Linnet. Kilbroney. a great stayer, sired some good performers over a journey, but he also left some brilliant sprinters, Songbird being one of them. Songbird was out in a season that produced some high-class gallopers, Winning Hit, The Hawk, Tamatetle, Mermin, Thespian, Rational, Pluto, and Bonnie Winkie being others of the same age. Songbird was well up to the best of this bunch at three years, and was a very good horse on the day he won the Great Easter Handicap. He has not had much of a chance at the stud, but he has sired some smart gallopers. On his dam’s side, Gold Wren goes back to the Sir Charles mare Vanity, imported to Aucklad in 1853 by Mr JHargreaves to become the founder of a family that has done some notable service in Hew Zealand, though the branch from which Gold Wren descends has not been its best contributor. Fallacy, a granddaughter of Vanity, produced Taurida, as a result of a mating with Stepniak. Taurida, mated with Pilgrim’s Progress, became the dam of, Golden Way, the dam of one good performer, Silent Way, by Calibre. Silent Way won a long string of races as a three-year-old for the late Mr John Grigg, and on being sold to go to Australia, he became the winner, at five years, of the Newcastle Cup. Another of Taurida’s foals, Phine Gold (by Gipsy Grand), became the dam of Goldfire. The real fame of Fallacy at the stud came from another and older branch than that of Taurida. Her first foal, by Lochiel, was Pibroch. When mated with Stepniak Pibroch became the dam of Menschikoff, a high-class racehorse, and his sister, Stepdancer, a good stayer, with two Dunedin Cups among her .successes. It was, however, in her stud career that Stepdancei’ made her greatest reputation. She produced three fillies as a result of mating with Martian. One of them was Warstep, ranking with the greatest race mares bred in New Zealand, while her son, Footfall, was a Dunedin Cup winner. Warstep’s youngest sister, Warlove, was an Oaks winner, and she became the dam of Spoon. The other sister, Stardancer, had a brief racing career, during which she ran a dead-heat with Bon Reve, as a three-year-old, in the Stewards’ Handicap. On being retired to the stud Stardancer had a long list of foals, some of them very good performers. The first of them.'Stgfland, by Nassau, won the Auckland Cup, while his sister, Spotlight, became 'the dam of Argentic. Limelight, by Solferino, had the Metropolitan Handicap among her successes; Starmist, by Autumnus, was an Oaks winner; while Paperchase, by Paper Money, was a brilliant sprinter: From this brief record it will be seen that Gold Wren has sound breeding at the back of his good form on the racecourse. With his great abilwinter to top class among the steeplechasers of the Dominion. Gold Wren is nine years old, and

his rise to fame has been rapid. It was not until Easter of last year that Gold Wren had his first race at Riverton where he had one start, finishing just outside of a place after his rider had lost an iron. At the Dunedin meeting in June he started twice running third each time. He followed with a second to Quinopal at Waimatc in July, a performance he rewhere Uncle Jim beat him. Then came his three winning performances at Riccarton, where he showed himself to be an accomplished jumper, as he did not make the semblance of a mistake. He won the Otago Hunt Club Steeplechase at his next 'outing in August, and he scored his fifth win on end when he annexed the Turi Steeplechase at the Birchwood Hunt meeting at Invercargill last March. His winning sequence was brought to an end when he fell in the Great Western Steeplechase last Easter, and he also fell again on the third day of the Riverton meeting, byt was remounted to get third money. There were excuses for these failures, as he had been troubled with a weak tendon for some time and could not be properly turned up for the occasion. He came into his own again at his next start at Washdyke last month, and followed with a win in the Otago Steeplechase last week. Thus his record to date is made up of seven wins, two seconds, • three thirds, and two unplaced performances from 14 starts, while his stake winnings amount to £l4lO, of which amount £1260 has been won this season. What Clubs are Doing. At the last meeting of the committee of the Gore Trotting Club a letter relating to racing and trotting clubs’ liability under the Social Security Act was considered, and members expressed strong opposition to the charge. The hope was expressed that the New Zealand Trotting Conference would make every endeavour to have the charge lifted. The opinion that more than one day’s trotting should be held at Gore was expressed by members at a meeting of the committee of the Gore Trotting Club, and it was decided to apply to the New Zealand Trotting Conference for an extra permit, with an application for December 26 as the date for the club’s annual race meeting. The Gore Trotting Club has appointed its secretary, Mr R. S. Green, its representative at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Conference, to be held at Christchurch on August 7. The committee discussed the allocation of floating' permits, and has decided to forward a remit to the conference urging that the allocating of floating permits be considered according to merits, and not on a geographical basis. Seeking Official Recognition. It is proposed to hold a conference of delegates from the various Trotting Owners and Trainers’ Associations at Christchurch in August, with a view to setting up a Dominion Council and seeking official recognition from the New Zealand Conference.