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VIVIFYING INFLUENCES IN BREEDING Benefits of Restoring the Herod Line in England Through Roi Herode and The Tetrarch. I am off to the north to see yearlings, but 1 cannot as yet discard the Goodwood subject, for, owing to some astounding folly, the last race of the -week was the best on the card, and I and , countless others could not stay to see it. I tried to see even the start of it, hut failed even in that, and so had to go back to Molecomb and thence to Chichester Station. I must certainly take off , my hat to Tetratema, though I have never yet seen him, for to have beaten Orpheus in the -nay he did he must be a champion indeed. Also, it seems that Sir Douglas is certainly one of the best three-year-olds, or he would never have given twenty-one pounds to Chat Tor in the -way he did for the Gordon Stakes. More than once Admiral Meux told me last year about the home form of this colt, -with Stefaii the Great, but he seemed to run far short of it; however, in his races this season there has been no semblance of flinching, and I verily believe he -would have won the Grand Prix: had he been sent over for it, Galloper Light notwithstanding. Admiral Meux thought at Ascot there would le difficulty about the transport formalities, but in point of fact there would have been none, and I would myself have arranged that with pleasure. However, the colt remained at home and suffered the richest stakes of the year to go by the board. Sir Douglas has faulty hocks, beyond all doubt, but he is otherwise a fine colt indeed, though goodness knows what our three-year-old form, bar The Panther, amounts to. I have no doubt now that Tetratema must be the best two-year-old we have yet seen out, for I had placed Orpheus in that position, and anything that can beat him must be a smasher indeed. I "was disappointed to find both Mount Royal and Orpheus beaten on the last day; hut it is the fortune of Avar, and my readers will understand that I did not write about them without good reason. They are worth following, and when Mount Royal goes over seven-eighths or longer courses he will be particularly worth following. Nevertheless, the honors for the time being are obviously with The Tetrarehs stock, and if ever there was a clear demonstration of the value of fresh blood it has been furnished by the Herod line as developed through Roi Herode and his son. The Tetrarch, and also by Marcovil, whose premature death caused such a loss to the Matchem male line, though Hurry On remains -to represent him. Many of us have tried to replenish these lost or nearly lost lines of blood, and we have had variable success, but the general aim is the right one, viz., to maintain a correct balance of blood and avoid too much inbreeding to fashion. SUNDRIDGE AT COBHAM. As to fashion, however, what can I say about old Sundridge, which we shall have at Cohham next season if all goes well? Twelve nominations were taken to him during Goodwood week, and he will be full almost at once; but I want to point out that when I first mentioned his coming to England there was no idea of his coming to Cobham. However, it is there that he is to come because the late Mr. Ilalbronn was a good friend of mine, and his executors wish me too look after the old horse. One or two breeders have sent in queries as to the recent stud records of Sundridge, and it will surely suffice here to point out that at the recent sale of the Ilalbronn stud seven of the nine mares had foals by Sundridge. and of these seven foals one was foaled in February, four in March and the remaining two on April 8 and 11 respectively. This serves to indicate what a good and early season Sundridge made last year. But once more let me recall the immediate success of fresh blood like water on the desert of continuous inbreeding to fashion. Roi Herode and The Tetrarch are showing it clearlj enough, but it has been shown with equal clearness by Orby, thanks to his Hanover dam. I have tried my little best for years past to inculcate these ideas, and in my small way to put them into practice. Of course, in the blundering schemes of human intelligence no one can presume to say this or that is the right path, but I hope I may claim that the general trend of what I have ventured- to write about breeding is correct. The revival of Herod aud-Matehem and the abandoment-"of ceaseless inbreeding to Blacklock and Sir Hercules is working itself out into a living truth, whether I recommended it or not. Nature herself has much to do with these developments even now, though by our ephemeral fancies we may try to develop an exact science of breeding. HANOVERS VALUE. There is no sort of doubt to my humble intelligence that Hanover blood is the making of Orbys successes .here, and that these are due entirely to the fact that Gleneoe blood comes to us almost solely through Pocahontas, with which almost every ;pedigree is more than loaded. The merit of Pocahontas was immense, and the constant inbreeding to her has been quife abnormal, and even yet without conspicuously evil results, but on a ground thus prepared what must it not be to provide two other free lines of Gleneoe through his best son! This is done through Orbys maternal grandsire, Hanover, and I- have always claimed that Hanover should have been exempted from any Stud Book exclusion. Lord Jersey knows this, and Hanover himself surely iroved his title to be made an honorable exception, especially as he was in "the book already as the maternal grandsire of Orby and Rhodora, but is now out of it as the maternal grandsire of Sir Martin. These things should not be in such u wholly exceptional case as that of Hanover, though the general rule of exclusion from the General Stud Book is quite sound and right. Hanover was a male descendant of Gleneoe, through Vandal, and took iu another Vandal liuc through , , his dam. Moreover, Hanovers dam was by Bonnie Scotland, so that he represents a free line of Queen Mary, daughter of Gladiator. Vandal was the best horse ever sired by Gleneoe, and the blood of Hanover is really .priceless in this country. There has been no greater stickler for pure blood than I am, but on the other hand I have never left out Hanover, which I myself saw run and win throe times in 1SS7. He was a beautiful horse and would have swept the board in England that year. Anyhow, his grandson, Orby, is in the G. S. B., whereas his grandson, Sir Martin, is not. All the better luck for those who hold Orhy.s stock, but it is not quite as it should be. It is difficult nay, impossible when once a mistake has been made in a stud book rigorously to correct it, but. a process of correction, is not impossible, and it was that thought which led me always to put In a plea for Hanover, no matter what happened to other American suspects. THE TETRARCH AND ST. SIMON. It may be that in The Tetrarch we have a horse destined to effect an influence on bloodstock similar to that effected by St. Simon. It is true that The Tetrarehs first year at the stud will not compare for a moment witlt St. Simons, but the second year seems not unlikely to bring him on terms of equality, and it should he remembered that St. Simon did not make his first stud season until after a years interval from being taken out of training. In other words, he was a year older than was The Tetrarch when he began. In fact. The Tetrarch in his second season was the same age as was St. Simon in his first, and therefore the present two-year-olds by The Tetrarch come into reasonable j comparison witli the first St. Simons. The latter included St. Serf, Memoir, Signdrina and Semolina names to conjure by and famous for all time, but who shall say that Tetratema, Tetrameter andj Sarchedou will not in time to come be equally famous? One can oidy surmise as yet, but such a contingency cannot be described as unlikely. Moreover, Roi Herode, in reference to The Tetrarch, has a status similar to that of Galopin and St. Simon. In botii cases the old horses became slightly overshadowed by the extraordinary successes of his son, and there was not the uniformity of success in the careers of the old ones as of the sons; but Galopin was a great" sire indeed, second only to St. Simon in merit. Even when he was quite old he headed the list of winning stallions for a season, and sueli sons of his as Donovan and Galliard were enough for fame, even if there had been no St. Simon. Moreover, mares by him have proved invaluable matrons, and it is needless to do more on this point than to mention the name of Galicia, dam of Bayardo, Lemberg and Silesia dam of My Dear. Roi Herode has proved to demonstration again and again that he does not depend on The Tetrarch alone for his claim to be ranked as a great stallion, and his general influence In the future may be not less than that of Galopin. It is safe to say that gray will be a frequent color in times to come, and the character of the Britisli thoroughbred will be considerably altered. W. Allison in London Sportsman.
