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THROSTLE. FLAIR AND QUINTESSENCE. High Class Performances of Three Brilliant Young English Marcs. Of the daeate fillies of the past thirty years Throstle, Flair, Pretty Folly aud Sceptre axe cer , a | J , i. | i s 1 . s j j 1 | I 1 i 1 I i i i I ; ] tainly entitled to rank with the best, the Inst three especially so. Tbe prettily nsnand daughter i of Petrarch and Thistle. Throstle, was bred and t owned in partnership by Lord Alington and S,; i Frederic Johnstone, both of whom have passed over 1 to the meat majority. There was nothing partieu- larly briUllant In her two-year-old career, at which t age she suffered a abort head defeat from Speed. I beating: from I.n Nievre. and ran •"nowhere" 1 for the Kempton Great Breeders Produce Stakes, t w in by Match Box. then in the same ownership. It was not until after he had run second to Ladas for the Derby that he was sold to Baron de llit-ih. who wished particularly to win the J rand Prize of Paris with the celt, but be was J beaten a neck by Dotau Baghtche somewhat un- ] luckily. I think, for if 1 remember rightly he was ! slightly lame alter his journey across the Channel. I In the following spring Throstle was not much fancied for the One Thousand Guineas, and was j unplaced to Amiable. Lady Minting and Mecca. She did not run for the Oaks, and was receiving twenty pounds from Amiable in the Formation j Stakes, when, after a tremendous race with Royal Victoria, she nqucceid home by a head, the Duke j of Portlands buy dead-beating with Joeasta. three lengths away. In this race the heavy rain and mud with which he was bespattered caused Morny annoo to draw two pounds overweight on return- J ing to scale, but he was passed "All right" by order of the stewards. Isinglass, Ladas aud Rav- . -uslmry finished in front of Throstle for the Eclipse Stakes, bat She came out a winner from Maundy i Money and La Nievre at Goodwood, giving weight to both and showing good form in the achievement, i When tried prior to the St. Lager she made a I big hole in her manners, Itolting out of the gallop, j if I remember rightly, and started at the forlorn i odds of 50 to 1. while Match Box, in spite of the odds laid on Ladas. was barked down to 2 to 1. Watts wearing Eaten de Hirachs Jacket. Throstle was regarded as a negligible quantity, although Lord Alington "thro away" a "pony" or fifty. : and at the urgent appeal of Cannon gave him . jm illusion to ride her ••anyhow I like, my lord." Beyond all doubt she was a good mare that day. and. galloping smoothly and kindly throughout. effected a big surprise when she came with one well Mistained run trim the distance to lieat Ladas by three quarters of a length and Match Box by a couple of lengths more, at tbe same time turn- j ing tbe One Thousand Guineas form with Amiable upside down. That particular Doncaster was a great meeting for "Morny," whose fine riding was . the feature of the week, and was as much dis- | fusoed as the racing itself. Like his father be- t lore him. he waa a pastmaster in the art of race rilling, but he fairly excelled himself at that meeting by winning the Stand Plate on Rowellan. the Champagne on Solaro. the Croat Yorkshire Handicap on Basbey Park, the Doncaster Welter on Lumberer, the Milton Stakes on Newmarket, the Juvenile Plate On Queen Saraband, the Lewis Plate on Matabele, tbe Portland Plate on Grey j Leg and the Corporation Handicap on St. Ignatius, and some of his finishes were simply electrifying. It was one of Throstles bad days when she bolted out of the course while running for the Jockey Club Stakes, won by Isinglass, and after failures in the Duke of York Stakes and the Selection Stakes at Sandown. she bade adieu to the turf, retiring to the stud in the interests of the Duke of Wesminster. She bred Missel Thanh and Songcraft, but was not a success, and died in 1910. Flair made iter first appearance at Sandown in July when unplaced to Sarcelle. Cingal and a colt by St. Simon out of Perfect Dream for the National Breeders Produce Stakes, but that was her only failure. Three months later, with an advantage of ten pounds, she took ample revenge on Sarcelle. which she beat decisively for the Imperial Produce Plate at Kempton, and next at Newmarket acquitted herself in extra smart fashion when she readily upset a presumed certainty in Admirable Crichton for the Middle Park Plate, at the same time turning the tables on Gingal, clear evidence that she had come on appreciably since her first appearance. She next ran for the Free Handicap, which she won. giving twenty-five pounds to a useful winner in Gauoper, and retired into winter quarters with a well-earned reputation as a smart filly. This was reflected in the following soring, when slight odds were laid on her for the One Thousand Guineas, which she won with such consummate ease that she immediately be came favorite for the Derby, for which it was understood Sir Daniel Coo| er had decided to run her, but unfortunately within a few days it trans pired that one of he rhocks had given way. and her racing career ended. Not until then had the name of Spearmint been mentioned in connection with the Blue Riband, and no doubt the Clare haven program was to keep him in reserve for the Grand Prize of Paris, but in the altered circumstances he came out well fancied at Epsom, and not only won easily, but subsequently garnered he French spoils also. The double effort set-•ied Iii tn as far as racing was concerned, for he could never be wound up to concert pitch again. Notwithstanding that line double event achievement there can tie little doubt as to which was the hetter of the pair, and the careers of both were cut all too short. For bloodlike quality, power and symmetry Flair was as near perfection as can lie imagined, while her breeding, bv St. Frusquin •nt of Hare, by Ayrshire, challenged comparison with anything in the Stud Book. Thus no great surprise was caused when, after the death of Sir Daniel Cooper, for whom she had produced For nhyris and Gallon to Gallinule. she. with her last-mentioned foal and covered bv Minstead, was sold •"or the huge price of 15,000 guineas. I do not call to mind that any of her prodm e has yet accomplished anything startling on the race course. although her three-year-old. Sentiment, by Spear mint, had a bit of form last season. A mare that has been generally overlooked, but which may conceivably have been quite in the first class is Quintessence, a beautiful creature by 8t. Frusquin. always a favorite sire with Lord Faint otth. nut of Margarine, by Petrarch, which was assuredly one of tbe handsomest horses ever seen. Her name is proof of the high estimate formed of her In her earliest days. and. better still, she lived up to the character by going through iter engagements undefeated. True, she was not hard worked, her public efforts having been restricted to three in her first season and the name number ■it three years old. but these include a classic victory. Her first appearance was at Ascot, where she gave a taste of her merit by running clean away from Kroonstad, Padilla and others, including Zinfandel, in the Forty-fit" tli Biennial. Sermon stood Imt a poor chance against her, although lieaten I v no SMTC than a half length for the Exeter Stakes at the First July meeting, and another hollow victory awaited her at Goodwood, at which meeting her first seasons activity ended. 0 that so far she had not opposed any ol" the cracks of her year, which included Rock Sand, vhkh afterwards earned lame as hero of the Triple Crown. For the One Thousand Cuineas Quint-ess nee was less fancied than either Baroness la Fleche or Skyscraper, bat neither of them troubled her In the race, for which Sun Rose was second. Probably tbe best animal won. but it was an unsatisfactory affair, which led Up to an objection by Prince Sottykbff to the start on the ground that tiie gate did not act properly, that tbe tapes were broken, and that some of the starters, including Sun Bbse, were interfered with by being entangled In the webbing. It transpired that the i protest bad not been lodged within the time pre scribed by rub, and was therefore invalid, though according to the official report it was withdrawn. I 1 t there is an addendum to the effect that "earing to the gate not acting on tbe far side of tbe i • r- - Sun Rose. Hammers. .| and Guigne were hampered and lost several lengths." It is clear. therefore, that Prince Soltykoff did not complain without reason. Quintessence was not in the Oaks, i and did not show again until September, when tit DoncaatdT she beat liamnierkop bv f tir lengths a~ against the three which had separated Major : I.oders mare from Our Lassie at Epsom, but the Oaks was won easily. The fillys final appearance t was In the Newmarket Oaks, in which she finished four lengths in front f Ease, to which she gave live pounds. Notwithstanding her breeding and racing merit Quintessences stud record has been disappointing until recently, and probably the best of her produce Is Clarissimus. :l two-year-old of •-rent promise, by Radium, that has run twice only and wound up with a meritorious victory in •he Clearwell Stakes. — "Vigilant" in London Sportsman.
