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BRUCE LOWE NO. 9 FAMILY Maid of Masham Branch One of the Best of Groups. Much of Its Quality in America How Its Excellence Was Gathered and Held. - 15 Y EXILE. The Maid of Masham branch of tin No. 9 family is now recognized as being, on all count, one of the best all round of the ISrueo Lowe families. This is the result, as I see it. of the introduction of the Matchem strain, through Young Mellmurno and his sons Rapid Ulione and ltroiher to Strafford. Theorist, am IV Facts are facts, and it was not. until the daughters, and other female descendants of Maid of Masham, were bred to Melbourne wires that this branch of the No. 9 family sprang into prominence. Since this was done, however, the success, both as sires and as race horses, of members of this family lias been nothing short of amazing. Intil the days of Cyllene. with one exception, no strong male line to cither lierod. Matchem or Eclipse was brought forward by a No. 11 horse. The one exception is I.raiuble. sire of the Maria West horse Iten Rrush. and it. is on account of these two that the Don John line to Eclipse still carries nr. lien Itrusli, as you know, is the only non-figure sire to head the American winning stallion list and I.raiuble the only Xo. ! sire transmitted, prior to 18!ir, to bring forward a strong sire line from either of the three fountain heads. Moreover, so far as 1 am aware, tint Don John-Bonnie Scotland lino to Eclipse lives and flourishes only in the Ilii tort States. The success of Ronnie Scotland line horses as sires is proverbial. It is remarkable, therefore, that one of these transmitters of sire excellence should be a No. 9 horse and the other a member of the non-figure family of Maria West. This. I take it, is further proof that outcrossing is the life and soul of horse breeding. In this connection permit me to point out that with due care in the selection of desirable mates the line of Itonnio Scotland may be so built up and strengthened that the bloodstock breeders of the world in time will find it incumbent upon tlieni to seek out-cross sires in this country to help out their own already overworked lines of Eclipse. Since Rrambles day the Xo. ! sire Cyllene lias appeared on the scene and at the present the Rend Or line best carried on by Cyllenes son. Polymelus is another impressive Xo. ! newcomer, though he is not a member of the Maid of Masham branch of the family. So is Dark Konald. the successful sire of the One Thousand Guineas winner Anucleuse. Son in Law. Magpie, Ambassador and the. newcomer Rrown Prince. HEROD; MATCHEM; ECIPSE BLEND. Maid of Masham. a chestnut daughter of Don John -what a really influential sire lie was! -was foaled in 1S45 and became the dam of five good producing daughters and no prominent sires. The best of these were Gillx-rts dam", by Toxophilito: Lady Masham. by Brother to Strafford, an unnamed daughter of Young Melbourne; Faraway, by Young Melbourne, and Outfits dam. by Toddington: Gilberts dam bred Stella and Lady Paramount, by the Jlatcheni sire Itrother to Strafford and Elaek Star by the Eclipse horse Forerunner. Here, indeed, is a good object lesson concerning the good results which come from a blending of the strains of Herod, Matchem and Eclipse in other words, outcrossing. Those of you who have made an intelligent study of bloodstock breeding do not need to be told by which mare the Maid of Masham family is best carried on. There is no room for argument here and 1 for one am convinced that the Matchem blood of Itrother to Strafford is in great, measure responsible for the success of the Stella branch of the family, for to Stella trace the four times leading sire of the Initert States, Star Shoot. Sidus and St. Celes-tra. Ecouen, St. Astra and Diavolezza in France, as against the rather indifferent success, both as a race horse and sire, of Hessian. The Lady Masham. also by Itrother to Strafford, branch of the family is responsible for the production of some real horses in Peter, Timothy. Friar Kock and Fair Play. To the unnamed daughter of Young Melbourne trace Sir Martin and Sir Itarton, and Faraway, by Young Melbourne, is ancestress of the Derby sire Cyllene, the Cosare--witeh winner Yentoi, Whittier and all the many good winning descendants of Distant Shore. A word here as to nomenclature: Faraway. Distant Shore, Landsend, Arcadia, "an you beat it V I fancy not.
