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ENGLISH BAEGAINS AND DEAR FAILURES That famous English cup horse Velocity which won so many races in 190450 was one of the great est bargains of the generation He cost 250 as a yearling and at the end of his racing career his owner refused 125000 for him Hacklers Pride iwhich won the Cambridgeshire two years running as well as other races coat only 375 as a yearling while the latest Cambridgeshire winner Land League w st but 225 Rubip 225Rubip the winner of thn Grand National this year was bought a a yearling for the extraordi ¬ narily low sum of 75 Octavian a famous winner uf tho St Leger only cost 50 as a foal and after ¬ ward became the sire of the dam of Crucifix a famous winner Two years ago a horse named Carlton died in Poland This horse which cost but 50 not only won eight races out of twelve including the Chester Manchester and Doncaster Cuns but also sired good horses horsesRock Rock Sand which won the Derby in 1003 and was ultimately sold for 125000 was sired by Sanfoin which had won the blue ribbon of the turf thirteen years previously and which was bought as a year ¬ ling for 2750 In the history of the Derby how over are to tie found many instances of the race being won by horses which were bought as yearlings for a ridiculously low figure Spearmint which won two years ago only cost 1500 The same price was paid for Voltigeur which won the Derby lii 1850 Voltigeur became the sire of three other fa ¬ mous horses whose stock won races of the value tf more than 2500000 2500000Mr Mr Merry is said to have netted 200000 when Ills Thormanby won the Derby in I860 Andyethe bought the animal for 1750 Curiously enough the previous year Sir J Hawley won the race with Musjid wliich he bought for 2000 while in 1861 Colonel Towneley won with Kettledrum for which u similar sum had been paid Thuy the Derby was w n for three successive years by horses whose total value as yearlings was only S5750 I These are a few of the lucky speculations in yearlings On the other side of the picture we have striking instances of thousands being paid for Lvearliiigs which never won a penny Take the case fit Merry Fox for instance whose sire was Flying Fox the horse which was sold for 187500 At the IJoncaster sale Merry Fox fetched 25000 and never yon a single race being ultimately sold at New market for SpOO SpOOWhen When Robert Sievier established a record bv paying 50000 for Sceptre it was freely asserted that he would never see his money back to use a sporting phrase But the filly won races in iramerable and repaid her owner over and over again On the other hand Mr Sievier once paid 27500 for a filly aftetward known as Sandflake which so far as memory serves never won a race while a gray colt for which lie paid 12000 never did any good goodAt At the 1002 sales the Duke of Westminster for 2isOOO became the owner of Kings Favor whose sire was the famous horse Persimmon but the colt was au arrant failure It was at the 1002 sales also that the late W C Whitney an Ameri ¬ can millionaire cheerfully paid 18000 for a chest Inut colt also by Persimmon Here again the yearling turnefl out a complete failure never win nng a single race being sold later for a small sum to qn owner liY Hungary And this was in the yer when Persimmons splendid daugbter Sceptre ind his son Zinfandcl were practically carrying iill before them
