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ASK REDUCTION OF ENGLISH STUD FEES. A discussion of the necessity of reducing stud fees is progressing, in some cases with acrimony, in the English turf newspapers, due, of course, to the severe" pressure of war. Concerning the matter, "The Special Commissioner" Allison, said in London Sportsman of November 11: "I am given to understand that owners of high-feed stallions resent my suggestion that they should accommodate themselves to the times and make the position easy for subscribers. I find that a- number have even raised the subscriptions of their horses for the coming season, which is really absurd. There is not in England at the present time a single stallion proved to be of the highest class. Polymelus is at the top of the list, and he has many winners, but nothing to make history. Cicero may do It with Friar Marcus, but that is on the knees of the gods. John o Gaunt alone has achieved real greatness as the sire of Swynford and Kenny-more, but his stock has hitherto been variable. Moreover, there is no suggestion of putting him up - to a big fee. That is not Sir John Thursbys way. Of course, the owners who have got breeders safely booked for next season and perhaps the next, can insist on their pound of flesh. There is no doubt as to that; but those who have raised fees and thini; to get subscribers who are not yet booked must be mad. Why, we are in times when it looks positively disgraceful for a man to disburse 400 guineas for a stud fee or 4,000 guineas for a yearling. These tilings should be relegated to the limbo of past follies, for there are plenty of stud fees at 100 guineas and under that will serve our turn, just as they did In the days of Stockwell and New-minster, and yearlings can be bought at proportionate cost, just as Hermit was bought for 1,000 guineas and Galopin for 510 guineas. It is only people with very thick heads and short sight who can imagine that in stating these truths I am trying to -depreciate their stallions. Of course, 1 should not dream of doing so, but I know how the cat is jumping, and they should not be angry with me for warning thein not to hang about in. a fools Paradise, but face" the position fairly and squarely. "As I have already suggested, there is no really great sire to le- advertised for next season no Stockwell. no Newmiuster, no Blair Athol, no Hermit.- no Galopiri, and ;no St. "Simon. It will not. be claimed by any reasonable being that, judged by results, any livhig stallion has come within measurable distance of the- successes achieved by the famous horses above mentioned. Well, then, why should portentous and increasingly portentous fees be asked for the services; of existing horses? "As a matter of fact the future is with the horses at low fees, many of which are every bit as good as the hitherto fashionables, and in so far as I can assist owners of such horses by bringing them, to the notice of breeders I will most certainly do so. "There are strong signs of d revival of bloodstock ;busiiiess in the United States of America, and also in the Argentine. From Kentucky a well-known American- sportsman writes nic asking for good yearling colts and fillies at about 200 guineas each, and surely there must be many such on hand in this country. In the Argentine, on the" 12th. ult., there was: a truly remarkable sale of Senor" Ignacio Cor-, reas young two-year-olds, ten colts by" Diamond Jubilee averaging 1914.sh,205 per head, and seventeen fillies by the same sire ,405 per head, the total sale of "forty lots, which included some by Greenan and Le Saucy, averaged ,100 per head. There had been an alarming drop in all the other sales this season, but this stud. th Haras". Las Ortigas, improved materially on its record of last year, when the total was 241,300 pesos, as against 2S9.S00 pesos this time. "Some of the highest-priced were out of mares formerly mine. Thus Rolando, by Diamond Jubilee out of Rosaline dam of Rosedroo. by Trenton, made ",420. and Campanazb, by Diamond Jubilee out of Celerina, realized ,C75. Rey Monje, by Diamond Jubilee out of Raferagh. made ,420, and Itaferagh Is a mare I Ixiught from Air. Buchanan for 500 guineas for Senor Correas- sonio years ago. She arid Celerina hate bred nothing but good winners since they have heeri in "South America." "In considering tile prices at which" the Las Ortigas youngsters were knocked down I am not in a . position " to say on what basis a settlement is arrived at between buyers and the seller,-"but it is hot likely to be anything less tangible than bills at sis or possibly twelve months. The late Mr. Haggin used to let buyers take his; yearlings on terms that they were to pay Out of the stakes won; and the obligation lapsed if stakes were -not won; but 1 dont think any such -concession as that has ever been made to Argentine buyers. "A note on concessions in- the matter of stud fees may here be interpolated: Mr. Buchanan has. I hear, already remitted half Sautrys fee for 1914 in one case where the mare lias proved barren. I hope Mr. Buchanan himself will be equally- well treated by owners to whose stallions any of his own mares have proved barren:"
