FEVES FIRST FOAL.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 841, 6 November 1877, Page 2

FEVES FIRST FOAL.

Sir,— There are few opportunities m Auckland of seeing really pure Thorough, bred Horaea of undoubted pedigree aad euch opportunities from their varw* y afford to those wko can apprec ate tk'*x all the greater treat : — Ifc is uudoubte lly a soirit stirrisg sight, to all Englishmen to see a Thoroughbred Horse m all the pride, and perfection of condition and viwr, strip on the Race Course, to compete m our National Pastime, bnt to my mind, fond as lam of our Isthmian Games, I think an hour or two spent m looking over the matr ns of the stud, has a peculiar charm of its own, 5s not m any wav second to Racing. First of all there are the pi asures of memory and the many pleasant recollections of how this mare won so and s.\ and: the mignificent finish sh^ made, and the artistic rush which just made her. a winner Dy a nose although conceeding lamps of weight to her opponents when it seeme 1 hoping against h >pc to expect that she could win. The scene all c .mes back to the minds eye, and agnin brings into remembrance, some of the good fellows who years ugo we had at <he Auckland Turf. Then again are the pleasures of anticipation and who shall say that they are one of thp least which we enjoy. Castk-s m the air ! how many ha*e we all built ? Look at a highly bred foal playing round his dam, and the pleasure of anticipation may b<? indulged m to its fu lest extent. What victories may we not dream of our fondest hopes, ma) we nob expect to find reiilised, »3 we se n the yourig'uns every move and criticise every inch of him, to the last, hair of his tail, and if ho belongs to a real good fellow, a sportsman every inch of him. who will run him -straight ard honournby, do not we all hope that our best wishes may be realised. Yes, proud o a goo ' rnce as I am, the paddock has to me many charms which are denied the post. Some such reflections as these occurred to me the other day on i?oing out to Epsom to see as fino a cot fr-al by the imported horse F^ve, from Captain Walmeeley's well known mare Moonbeam, as I have seen for miny a Inng year. It is a wonderfully . ood one, plenty of size and bone, like his sire every inch a gentleman, and brimful of quality. Noli only ia his owner to be congratulated upon posse'siig nndoub'cdlf the best colt th it has ever been dropped m the Australasian Colonies, but, i- is n subject of congratulation to all admirers of thoroughbred stock, to know that m Auckland we haye such a colt as would be eagerly competed for even m England at the present moment. Money cannot buy anything better or mor« fashionably bred, and what is perhaps not of least importance, of more running blood. ' Extreme pricsa are now bei-isj offered nt home for horses of the suinfl blood as Fe<re (fclie *ire. of this colt,) Anything a from Lord Olifdeu's blood, from the wonderful way m which his stock has 'been running, co.nnand extreme prices ; and yet some of the Auckland p°ople, who profess themselves jud es of horses, .allowed this magnificent^ bred animal to leave this province for Sydney, where, although thoroughbred B ire 3 are a drug, -.he was at onca at a high pric* engaged for three years tince which letter haV* been received from England offering a hand. some profit on his original cisft, nnd all expenses for both joiirniea. ghonld his owner wish to part with hi »>. From what I hear, th Sydney people are too good judges to think of doimr so till c l^ expiry of their agreement; and so • perhaps it may be on the cards we shall again have him. here. At anyrate should he not roturn and this colt have lu'k, we have a good repreeentatiye of his blood, which, with all the dash of foo f nnd magnificence of appearance which the blood of Lord Cliclen, Ha-icot, Queen Mary, Gladiator, and Beeswing gives his sire*, through his dam Moonbeam, we have all th>l"Btout weight-carrying blood of Flatcatcher, Touchstone, Whalebone, The Libel, Velocipede, and Pantaloon. In fac. yeu cannot name any well-known winner of late years without through his sire or dara heing abte to trace the same blood. Only let us have a few rac re as highly bred as this colt and we shall be able to hold our own with the South, and not let them year after year send up horses which take nil the cream off our race programme m January. Moonbeam has been sent to Hippocampus, admitted to be the best colt of his year m New Zealand. NUNQTTAJT DORiirO.