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GALLINULE LEADS ENGLISH -SIRES. Close Race with St. Frusquin Ends in Favor of the Older Horse. In England it took the finish of the flat racing season to determine whether St. Frusquin or Gal-linule was to liead the list of English stallions of 1907, the conflict being finally settled In favor of Gallinule by a narrow margin, mainly because an investigation set on foot by Sporting Life showed conclusively that Slieve Gallions success in the Two Thousand Guineas had retted him ,000 more from forfeits than he had been credited with. This led "Augur" to say in Sporting Life of November 2S: The explicit statement published in the Sporting Life with reference to the winnings of Slieve Gallion during the past season, has, we may take it, resolved all doubts concerning the actual position of Gallinule in the sire list. For weeks Captain Greers horse and St Frusquin had been running a neck-and-neck race for the premiership. Two months or so ago Gallinules supremacy appeared to be unassailable, especially by Mr. Leopold de Rothschilds Qiorse, for there was a margin of something like 0;000 between -their two totals. But Lesbia and Rliodora came to St Frusquins assistance and in the very last week Dusty Miller and Heliotrope gave him a further lift. A very similar duel was fought by these two towards the close of the season of 1903. Then, however, St. Frusquin fin ishod with a lead of 41.25; his total being 32,-031.25, and Gallinules 32,390, In a sense, therefore, the slight balance in favor of Isonomys son on this occasion i3 in the nature of poetic justice. When we bear in mind the fact that Gallinule was foaled in 18S4, and is,, therefore, rising twenty-lour, the achievements of his sons and daughters during the past twelve months are very remarkable. Most horses when they attain his age are long past their prime, but, like St. Simon, lie appears to have been cast In no ordinary mould. It is only rarely in the annals of breeding that we come across such abnormal cases. Diomed, the first win ner of the Derby, was one of them. In 179S, when he was twenty-one years old, Sir Charles Bunbnry sold him to an American for 50. His stud fee had gradually been reduced until it touched 0 and apparently his career of usefulness was at an end. But with his deportation to the United States he took a new lease of existence, lived until he was thirty-one, and founded a dynasty of thoroughbreds in the land of his adoption. His son, Sir Archy, was the sire of Timolean, whose son, Boston, was the sire of the renowned Lexington, who was the sire of Bal-tinglass fifth dam. It is not often, then, that we find a sire twenty-three years of age at the head of the list of winning sires. When St. Simon for the last time surpassed all his rivals for we may assume that he will never again attain to that distinction he was nineteen years old. That was in 1900, when, mainly as the result of the successes scored by Diamond Jubilee, he had the magnificent total of 93,125. Two years later, however, he all but secured the first place once more with an aggregate of S2,C55. On that occasion he was just beaten by his brilliant son, Persimmon, which had a total of 84,340. But St. Simon is in a class by himself, so to speak. He has earned for his owner, the Duke of Portland, stud fees to the value of, approximately ,250,000 and his slock have won stakes amounting to more than ,500,000. It is scarcely fair to Gallinule to compare his record with that of the Welbeck champion;1 St. Simons only come once In a century. Nevertheless, Gallinule also can boast of some wonderfully fine, figures. His stock made their first appearance on" a race course in 1S93, and won 2,750. The following year the total was increased to 7,S10. In 1S97 his offspring won over 5,000 and in 1S9S more than double that sum. But perhaps I cannot do better than give the complete record in tabular form: Year. Amt. Year. Amt. 1893 .$ 12,750 1901 $ 102,275 1S94 27,810 1902 .., 07,045 1895 24,770 1903 132,390 189G 22,430 1904 154.G25 1897 45,675 1905 12G.145 189S 91,780 1900 S2.125 1899 41.845 1907 11C.915 1900 79G50 Total ...,12S,140 It will be observed that in each of the last eight years Gallinules total has easily run into five figures. If, then, he was somewhat slow in establishing his reputation, he has succeeded splendidly in maintaining it. Bred by Mr. J. C. Hill, Gallinule is, of course, by Isonomy. out of Moorhen, By Hermit. When a two-year-old he was sold for 5,500 to the late Mr. Abington Baird. lie won some good races, but missed scoring in others owing to a weakness for breaking blood-vessels at a crucial moment. It was a mishap of this sort, for instance, which prevented him winning the Lincolnshire Handicap in 1S89. So often had the horse disappointed, that Mr. Baird sold him privately in 1SS9 to Captain Greer for ,000 and there were many people who declared the buyer had made a poor bargain. Gallinules services as a stallion were, the first season he was at the stud at Crotanstown, obtainable without payment. He got eight foals, and seven of them won races in 1S93. That was a pretty good start. After that he commanded an ever-increasing fee, and must have brought in a fine income these last, few years. He Is sure to do well again next season, for there are some smart young horses in his group of winners this year.
