Racing Record of a Premier Sire: Polymelus a Good Horse When in Racing, but Not a Great One, Daily Racing Form, 1917-01-11

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RACING RECORD OF A PREMIER SIRE. Polymelus a Good Horse When in Racing, but Not a Great One. For the third year in succession Polymelus heads the list of winning sires, and considering that his prog, ny have been running for six years only his ■access has been remarkable, especially as during that period he has sired fifty-six winners of one bundled and two races, worth upwards of 82. MM pounds, a sum which would undoubtedly have been exceeded but for the war. As a race horse ha was good, without aspiring to classic rank; indeed, the only opportunity offered him in this direction was the St. Leger. in which w was decisively beaten by Cliallacombe, which was, I think, one of the most mod. rate horses in the list of winners. The last appearance of Polymelus under the colors of his breeder, Lord Crewe, was in the autumn of his three-year sM career, whan he won the Qatwick st ik.s of ."..0:111 sovereigns, and his next was in the livery of Mr. Eraser in the City and Suburban, for which race he started favorite, but was unplaced to Dean Swift, Colden Measure and Donuetta. The colt did not run again until Ascot, when Shiela beat him over the New Mile, and he was unplaced to Andover for the ROUS Memorial. A similar fate awaited him in tiie Princess of Wales Stakes, won by Dinne-ford. and in the Eclipse Stakes, won by Llangibby. but at Manchester he failed only by a half length to give thirty pounds to Aurina in the Prince Edward Handicap, a performance which at least foreshadowed a return to form. That was the last time he ran for Mr. Eraser, S. B. Joel secured the best bargain of his turf experience by purchasing him for 4,200 guineas at the sales in the following October. Within an hour or two. Polymelus, starting at 33 to 1 and carrying 340 pounds, ran so well for the Jockey Club Stakes that, coming over Bushes Hill, he looked as for midabte as either Beppo. Keystone II. or Plum Tree, but the weight told, and he suffered an honorable defeat. A Series of Triumphs. Nor was the merit of that fine performance forgotten when barely a week later, with Maher on his back, he started a warm favorite for the Duke of York Stakes at Kempton and cantered home five lengths in front of Roseate Dawn, from which he was receiving eleven nesmds. That, of course, was not a startling achievement, nor was it surprising in the following week to see him leave Gold Riach in the lurch in their single-handed bout for the Champion Stakes; but it sufficed to prove Iolymeius was at the top of his form again, and a ten pounds penalty did not prevent him from starting the hottest favorite on record for the Cam bridgeshire. which he won with consummate ease from Kaffir Chief and Malua. Thus, within the short space of a month. 3.900 pounds of the purchase money was recovered in stakes alone, and it is fair to presume that a large additional sum was taken out of the ring as the result of the treble events. Nor did the triumphal march end ben, for although beaten for the Coronation Cup at Epsom, iiis racing career ended in a blaze of success when the horse won the Princess of Wales Stakes and added 4.840 pounds to his winnings. At the stud Polymelus has proved a little gold mine, for his first fee of ninety -eighty sovereigns has risen to 300 guineas with a full subscription list, and being only fourteen years old, he should be at his best now with a great future before him. The Maiden Erlegh sire got Black Jester, which won the St. Leger, and a better horse in Pommern, which won the Ouineas, Derby and "September" Stakes unchallenged, and may for all practical purposes be regarded as a triple-crowned hero, in fact he may have been a better-class race horse than his sire, for until Hurry On came Into prominence there was no horse in trail, ing which could hold a candle to him. Pommern ran but once this year, and though the verdict was only a neck in his favor no one can tell but Donoghue. how much he had in reserve, and there is no reason why he should not prove a great success at the stud. Some Other Winners. In the list of winners credited to Polymelus last season it is curious that only one two-year-old appears, but Invincible was undoubtedly a good one. and would have been awarded a much more prominent place in the Free Handicap had it been made a littl. later. As it was, the youngster was accounted eighteen pounds below Knutsfords form, and I fancy Mr. Hultons crack would have had bad luck had they met at that difference. Fifinella added materially to the reputation of Iolymeius as a sire in supplementing her two-year-old victories by winning the Derby and Oaks, and Canri.bie contributed the lions share to his winning total by annexing three races, one of which was the Jockey Club Stakes, worth 7.440 pounds. Of the other winners Phalaris was the laost notable, and it will be strange if the gigantic son of Bromus dues not develop into a champion sprinter next year. The pedigree of Polymelus is specially worthy of mention, for he is by ylleac Maid Marian, by Hampton, and Cyllene sired four winners of the Derby in Cicero. Minoru also winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, Lem-berg and Tagalie a winner of the One Thousand G uiness. Iolymeius was credited with upwards of thirty foals la-t season, including colts from Doris, ..am of Sunst.ir; Merry Agnes, dam of Pommern; Pretty Polly, dam of Molly Desmond, and Quintessence, dam of Clarissimus. — "Yigil.int" in London Sportsman.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1917011101/drf1917011101_8_3
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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800