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ORMONDES REAL TROUBLE Great Horse Sterile After Septjc Pneumonia Attack Failure Over Flotsam. Sure enough it was the late race track magnate Grant Hugh Browne who didnt pay for what he ordered in England. Special Commissioner Allison In the Sportsman names him in a recent article ns the owner of John M. 1". It seems that Mr. Browne also failed to pay an obligation over Flotsam. Here is what Allison writes: "I well remember the late Hume "Webster cn one of thoo bitter, unprotected occasions going about collecting names to make a syndicate to bring back Ormonde from South America. He would have succeeded in it, too, had he not wanted too much for himself on the scheme as proposed, and it was fortunate for all concerned that it did not come off, for, as is well known now, Ormonde, after his first season, was practically sterile on account of the bail attack of septic pneumonia, from which be suffered at Newmarket in his second season. "He was. as I call to mind, badly misused in that season, when he ought to have been laid by to recuperate, if possible. Tin? net result was only one living foal, Glenwood, and he was never beaten, but a roarer the only real roarer sired by Ormonde. Of his stock in his first season nil were sound save that Goldfinch was tlilek-winded, and Orville a produce of Shotover made a slight, noise, but tin; others, such as Orme, Llantliony and Sorcerer, were sound ns possible; and the generally accepted belief that the Duke of AAestminster sold Ormonde because he was a roarer must bo a fallacious one, or why should he have cairied on with Orme as principal stallion and bred Flying FoxV "Ormonde had in his second season contracted a far worse trouble than the mere thickness of wind, which he shared in common with almost all the Agnes family including Sceptre. I do not believe that Ormonde would ever have beaten Minting at Ascot had lie not been, to all intents and puropses, as sound in his wind as Sceptre was when she beat Red: Saiid for the. Jockey Club Stakes, at Newmarket. Sterility, however, is a vastly more serious matter, and. as I have stated above, it was fortunate for the proposed Ormonde syndicate that they did not complete the business. I only thought of it just, now from a memory of snow on the grand in Park paddocks at that time. "It is not often that syndicates of the sort work out satisfaeorily. I have tried one or two without success, as regards the sufficient number t supporters, and then, another for Flotsam, which was adequately supiiortod. but for some mysterious reason that beautifully bred and very good horse proved to be an utter failure at the stud. There may be some little excuse for him on account of the war, but his stock, with few exceptions, such as Elaine, showed no promise whatsoever. AAorse than this, when I attempted to realize Flotsam for the benefit of the svndicate, he was taken on a hire-purchase scheme by a gentleman in the U. S. A. at 0,090 a year, for three years, but no payment was ever made, though time was when the same owner paid S25.225 for John M. P. He is now, according to reports, in a penitentiary, but you never know the truth about American law cases. All I do know is that Major August Belmont kindly interested himself in the Flotsam matter, to the detriment of the supposed purchaser of Flotsam."
