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ENGLANDS FLYING COLT : i I, . . ! Tetratema, the Speed Marvel of 1919, and His Breeding. Stamina of the Flying Son of The Tetrarch and Scotch Gift Questioned. There is much discussion in England just now about the prospects of the phenomenal colt Tetra-tema. which, has so early smothered all opposition by his wonderful speed. The son of The Tetrarch ami Scotcli Gift is far smoother of action than was his sire never beaten as a two-year-old and lias virtually run away witli all his five races. Wise William Ailison, the Sportsmans special commissioner, does not believe that Tetratema will race on anil stay, and recently wrote his reasons for this belie. Here, they are and they are interesting and historical: The question of Tetratemas stamina seems to be almost an idle one, for which of his possible opponents has ever shown .the slightest ability to extend him? It looks as though he would never be asked to go fast enough to tire himself, yet on two-year-old running Ecossais seemed to be an equally impossible colt to defeat, and e. his three-4:ear-c4d-recnriVUoliUanothex-storyJLJUava written several times that Tefrafema is not well bred oti his dams side to stay, no matter how we regard the claims of his sire oh this point. It is needless to go much farther into this than to recall that the tap-root of the dams pedigree was Hippodrome 18CS, by Oxford Hippodamia, by Pelion. Tills mare was bought by the late Mr. Smith of Whimple under the advice, of the then Lord Falmouth, who persuaded him that she would provide a useful addition to the profits made by bullocks. This advice was quite good, for oh January 1, 1SS0, at between 12 an 12:30 a. m., Hippodrome produced Hamptons first foal, which developed into Rookery, about the smartest two-year-old filly of 18S2. No one, however, could ever describe Rookery as a stayer, and Mr. J. B. Leigh bred a sprinting line from her, commencing with the brilliant . Flyaway. The old mare. Hippodrome, never bred another so good as Rookery, to which Devonshire Lass 1SS3 was a sister. As Mr. Smith used as a rule to consign all his mares to his own horse, they had but an indifferent chance of success, except in those early days when, he had ventured to pay a 25 fee for Hampton, and being greatly encouraged by such a result as Rookery lis continued during, three years to send Hippodrome to namptori. The produce, however, was disappointing, and then his own horse, The Miser, was patronized. The Miser was a well-bred Hermit horse, and lie ought to have got good stock, but he certainly did not, .with the exception of Goldseeker, winner of- the City and Suburban. HOW "BULLOCK" SMITH RAISED HORSES. This may have been largely due to Mr. Smith rearing his bloodstock after the manner of cattle. His was excellent bullock land, and the climate near Exeter is mild, so that mares and foals used to lie out under shelter of the big hedges. I remember being astonished at the size and bulk of foals reared in this way, but it was not gqod hnrtf stuff only, such as-.vcould havo tended to-the making of a fat beast. Later on, when they were Liken up and put in work, they used to sweat away to mere framework. Be that as it may, Devonshire Lass was in due "course ;mated with The Miser and produced Ianthe, through which this female line descends to Tetratema. Later on Mr. Smith had another Hermit horse named Hawkstone, even more unsuccessful than The Miser, but Tetratema has been spared the addition of that blood. It would have been almost out of the question to put Ianthe to Hawkstone, so Mr. Smith sent her to Tarpoley, and the foal was Maiind, just useful, but not a stayer, nor is there anything in Tarpoiieys record as a sire of brood mares to suggest stamina. The best known Tarporley matron is Cheshire Cat, dam of Scatwell, and we know his limitations. To complete this edifice before we get to Tetratema we have to add Symington, the sire of Scotch Gift, dam Mauud. Well, Symington was a worthy horse, but nothing in his stud record would suggest his ability to impart stamina to such a female line as the one I have briefly detailed, from its Hippodrome inception. Nay, more. Scotcli Gift lias railed hitherto to breed anything notable at all, and. the three-year-old Arch Gift, a brother to Tetratema, failed lamentably at Liverpool in his only-race of this year, when, on March 2S, he ran third in a field of five for the Bickerstaffe Stakes, beatenj a length ami two lengths; by Beresiua and Racket, both of -which were running out of their course. Nevertheless, the vagaries of breeding are such that it is quite possible Tetratema is a freak horse who will scatter all breeding theories to the winds, as did Galo-pin, son of the long-neglected Vedette and, by the way, I saw Vedette sold at the Dewhurst sale a year or two before Galopin had brought his belated fame.; All I want to make plain at present is that Continued on third page. I ENGLANDS FLYING COLT Continued1 from first" pasc. " the pedigree of Tetratemas dam affords some hope to owners of ether good two-year-olds that the flying gray will not of absolute necessity be out by himself over the longer courses. Racegoers and breeders who recall Mr. "Bullock" Smith and his son will find it difficult to lielieve that they instituted a family of classic winners at all still less one that can" have produced a phenomenon, such u3 Tetratenia appears to be.
