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THE THOROUGHBRED IN NEW ZEALAND. Breeding Studs That Have Produced the Southern Hemispheres Most Famous Horses. "Crossing over to New Zealand 1 remained in that delightful colony alnnit six weeks and had a most enlovable and instructive time." says a letter to London Sporting Life. "I was privileged to visit most of the principal breeding studs In the North Island. It is an ideal country for breeding. As you know, the climate Is very much like our own, but they do not have so much wet weather,, and Hie temperature docs not drop so low as It does here in whiter. All this is iu favor of blood stock. and if only New Zealand breeders were to import high-class stallions and mares on the same scale-as their brethren in the Argentine have done, there Is. so far as 1 can see. no limit to the possibilities attainable. The fact is. however, that for a generation or so very little has been done in tills way. They want more stallions of the caliber of .Musket, and more mares like Steppe, sister to Hermit. As it is, most of the horses that have gajned renown on the Australian turf have been bred in New Zealand sneh ns Carbine. Trenton, Lochlel and Norden-feldt. Tho stud farms are situated for the most part on limestone land: the grass is all that could lie desired, and the young stock thrive amazingly. There is undoubtedly ;i tremendous future before New Zealand as a home of the thoroughbred. "One of the farms I visited was that of the Hon. J. 1. Ormond. at Hawkes Bay. on the east coast. He lioth breeds and trains race horses there. Tle estate covers 2.000 acres, all grass. There are no fewer than 105 thorougliJired broodmare ou the farm. They adopt the practice or running cattle in the paddock. Mr. Ormond has a fine herd of shorthorns. The principal stallion at his stud Is Birkenhead, a half-brother, by Orme. to Wildfowler. Witii regard to the horses in training, it is no unusual thing to ship some of them to run at a race meeting 400 or r00 miles away, and they are ready to race two or three days after landing. "I saw racing at Hawkes Bay and AVanganui. IhUIi big meetings. It struck me that the class of the animals competing had not Improved much. If at all. since I was there seventeen years ago a fact which bears out what I said about the desirability of importing good horses and mares from England. There are a great numlier of small breeding studs In New Zealand, but I do not think the ordinary farmer goes In for blood stock like ills prototype in Ireland. The breeders are usually gentlemen of means. Another good stud at Hawkes Bay is that lelonging to Mr. Lowry. Then there Is Mr. Watts, at which Merriwee. by Bill of Portland, is a successful sire: and .Mr. Bidwells fine establishment, where I saw one of the ltost ihorses I came across in the Australian colonies. I refer to Elevation. When lie was shown to me I was- greatly struck by his resemblance to St. Frusquin. Imagine, therefore, my surprise, when I learned that he is by San Francisco, "brother to the great Southcourt sire. Elevation, now five years old. and retired to the stud owing to a breakdown, was one of the best three-year-olds that ever raced in New Zealand. His dam is a line mare called Step-feldt, bv Nordenfeldt. out of Steppe, by Newinin-ster. ont of Seclusion the sister to Hermit I referred to just now. San Francisco is now in Australia, but he was in New Zealand for several sea sons, and nearly everything by him was first rate. Elevation won most of the races he started for. Downfall, the last winner of the New Zealand Cup. anil maiiv other good horses are by San Francisco. San Francisco had left New Zealand in-fore his reputation was thoroughly established. He Is pretty sure to prove himself the best sire imported into Australia for many years. Ik- is now at one of tli. Victorian studs."
