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ENGLISH STUD FEES FIFTY YEARS AGO. Stud fees under present conditions have been maintained surprisingly well, and owners of stallions have little cause to grumble, for the halcyon period which culminated just before the war could hardly have been maintained in any event. I was writing about Carnival the other day, and this led me to turn to the 1866 "Calendar," in which he and his three-parts brother. Macaroni, were advertised as stallions. Macaroni had won the Derby of 1S63, and Carnival also had a brilliant record in the same year, but they stood at the Hooton Stud Farm, near Chester, Macaroni at thirty guineas, winners and dams of winners of 500 sovereigns and twenty guineas. Carnival at twenty guineas, winners and dams of winners of 500 sovereigns and ten guineas. Fees in those day were indeed moderate. Adventurer was standing at Sheffield Lane Paddocks at twenty-five guineas; Beadsman was at Middlethorpe, near York, fee ten guineas inclusive; Dollar, at Rawclifte Paddocks, commanded twenty guineas a mare; Dundees fee at Croft Stud was thirty guineas; Fitz-Rolands. at Barrows Paddocks, ten guineas; and even that grand horse Lord Clifden, winner of the 1S03 St. Leger, claimed no more than twenty-five guineas. He was then at the Moorlands Stud, near York. The highest fee of all in those days was KM guineas, and that was the rating of Monarchic at the Haras de Dangu. France; but in 1805 his great son, Gladiateur, had swept the board, and in similar circumstances Monarque, fifty yeurs later, would have been at 400 guineas, and probably full at that. The American horse. Optimist, was at a fee of seven sovereigns, and "gratis" to dams of winners of fifty sovereigns. Oxford, sire of The Student, then first favorite for the Derby, stood at thirty guineas. Rataplan, sire of Kettledrum. The Miner, etc.. was at thirty guineas, and St. Albans was the chief stallion at the Koyal Stud, fee fifty guineas. Saunterer headed the list at Middle Park with a fifty guineas fee. Marsyas came next with twenty-five guineas. At the East Acton Stud Farm was Scottish Chief, and his fee, recent celebrity though he was. was only thirty guineas. Only half that was asked for the Derby and St. Ieger winner. Surplice, by Touchstone out of Crucifix. Thormanby commanded fifty guineas, as also did Voltigeur; Wild Dayrell anil Young Melliourne were at forty guineas; Trumpeter and Wiiidhound at twenty guineas. Only the year before this. viz.. 1805. the great Buccaneer was standing at 12 guineas, fifty mares, at Neasham Hall Stud, and there he sired Formosa. Brigantine. See Saw. Paul Jones, etc.. before he was expatriated, to the lasting regret of his then owner. Mr. Saurey Cookson. There was no occasion to advertise Stockwell and Newminster. but. to the best of my recollection. Newminsters fee was 50 guineas, and Stockwell never rose aliove 100 guineas until after the great year of Lord Lyon, when Mr. Naylor raised him to 200 guineas, with consequences disastrous to the horse, for few owners of that period would pay it, and the downfall of the great stallion was such that we at last find him advertised for season of 1N70. fee 75 sovereigns each — "three mares one property! will lie charged 2H sovereigns." Turning to the foal list of the preceding season. I find that fourteen of Stockwefls twenty-three foals wi re bred by Mr. Naylor himself. The year before this. viz.. lsos. Mr. Naylor hail found Stockwell so thrown back on his hands that nineteen of twenty-nine foals wen- of his own breeding, and many of Mr. Naylors mares, such as Scrubhish Brush. Touch and Go and Heroine of Neasham. were notoriously bad. Stockwell did, in fact, suffer to such an extent from the undue exaltation of his fee that in ls.70 he had only f ift -en living foals, nine of which were bred by Mr. Naylor. and none of Mr. Naylors breeding were any good; but of the few-bred by other people. Doiicaster was one. Jang Forward another. Cantiniere a third. Wild Myrtle a fourth, and orrie a fifth. These five, with the exception of "orrie. were great winners, as most of us know, and "orrie became the dam of Corrie Roy. Highland Chief and other notables. Unfortunately this great success had come too late to stem the tide which had been so adverse to Stock-well since the raising of his fee. for in 1S71 he had only five f„als to the credit of outside breeders, and again there were nine bred by Mr. Naylor. The horse was anything but played out when he died from :.u accident in May. 1870. as he was only twenty-one. and might well have lasted a few-more seasons, for he was twenty when he scored his great success in siring Doiicaster. Gang Forward. Cantiniere. etc. It will thus be seen that splendid though Stoekwells stud career was he was badly han.licapiMd in his last five seasons by having had his fee raised beyond 100 guineas. This broke the continuity of breeders favor, and it is difficult indeed in such matters to regain a fiositiou once lost. Even the reduction to a seventy -five guinea fee did not. it is clear, win back many of Stoekwells old friends, but he was at that fee when he set the final seal on his fame by siring Doiicaster — "The Special Commissioner iu Loudon Sportsman.
