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F of f d o - t - - s . . e 0 1 . . , . . . , . i - . i , i PRETTY POLLY VISITING ENGLAND Some Comparison of Her Career in Racine; with ii That of the Brilliant hut Erratic Sceptre. I think many of the present generation of people B Interested in racing -will agree writes "Hotspur" in 1 the Dally Telegraph that the most brilliant race horse in their time was Pretty Polly. She was so consistent in her brilliance. Other famous horses have done brilliant tilings notably Sceotre, her I great rival in history. But Sceptre by comparison was inconsistent, her brilliant periods fluctuating with astonishing frequency. Tills was brought home to me on looking up her three-year-old record, At Ensoni she was unplaced for the Derby, and two days later won the Oaks; at Ascot she first lost and then won witii the customary idle day sand- wiched between the performances; at Goodwood she was a losen and then a winner; while at Doncaster she won the St. Leger and two days later lost to Elba for the Park Hill Stakes. Yet she won four out of the five classic races. Inconsistency, there- fore, can scarcely be said to have dimmed her splendid deeds. Nevertheless, Pretty Polly was brilliant in her consistency while all the time remaining at the top of the tree. For siie won tlie three classic races she took yarl in tiie One Thousand Guineas, Oaks ind St. Leger and throughout her four seasons of ; hard racing she was only beaten once in England and once when attempting in France to win the Prix du Conseil Municipal. No doubt at all the Gold Cup course at Ascot was beyond her best distance, but I shall always think that her defeat was to be credited to Danny Mahers brains and scheming to bring aliout her downfall by the aid of Bachelors Button and his pacemaker, St. Denis. TO VISIT SWYNT0RD. I am induced thus- to revive memories of tlie famous mare through seeing her quite by chance one day last week, when I happened to be at luiepp Castle, in Sussex, whither she came witii two companions in Herb or Grace and Minerva. I met them just coming off a three-day journey from Ireland, Pretty Polly, with her extraordinarily fast ind swinging walk, making her man come along at the double. The trio are to stay at Sir Merrik Burrell s stud uiitil they separate, Prettv Polly to proceed on a visit to Swynford at Newmarket, and the others to Sunstar and Polymelus respectively. Pretty Polly is getting an old lady now. The Stud Hook tolls joa that she was foalertr as -long ago as 1001. and yet she retains much of the vigor and snrightliness of her famous youth. I could not believe that at eighteen years of age she would be looking so extraordinarily fresh and well. She is due to foal about April to Lomond, and this fine young Desmond horse should suit her. She has not done badly as a brood mare, and vet she has certainly not done well; that is, if you judge her by the high standard she herself set as a race horse, and, of course, there is always a tendency to do so. Naturally her breeder jind owner, the late Major Eustace Loder. had her mated with his Derbv and Grand Prix winner, Spearmint, but in three consecutive years she was twice barren and then slipped twins. Quite tlie best one she bred was Mollv Desmond, which was a high-class two-vear-old, anil now. as I have remarked, she is in foal to the Desmond horse. Lomond. It is possible that the mating with this comparatively young and virile sire may 1 result in a race horse worthy of the dam. Swynford, being a grandson of Isinglass, will bring in the robust Isonomy blood, while on the ! other side of his pedigree is a strong Hermit strain through Tristan, the sire of Canterbury Pilgrim. That mare, by the way, was from tlie dam of ! Jeddah. whose name lias been prominent of late through the death of his breeder, Mr. J W Lar- nacli. At eighteen years of age the odds are against 1 Pretty Polly producing the best of her rather unsatisfactory stud career, but it is in her favor that there are many possibilities about the alliance with Swynford, while It is quite true, and also in her favor, that the mare is looking iu splendid health at the moment. ,
