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HEALTHY CANADIAN PLANS • Designed to Improve General Standard of Horse Breeding. * Seven Stallions Recently Bought in England to Form the Nucleus of Stud. a TOBONTO. Ontario. February 2.j.— Dearth of remounts is one of the after-effects of the war. During the early war yeais Canada was combed from coast to coast by buyers for the war office, who soon found that they could not secure the type of animal they required at the traditional forty pounds sterling. And as time went on the severe standard of prewar days had to be relaxed. War office buyers took the cream. After them came buyers for the French army, who were not so hard to satisfy, and bought off the western ranches hundreds of remounts tiiat had been rejected by the the war office. Then, too, there were demands for the Canadian war services. In the British army transport on the west front was carried by gasoline-driven vehicles, but remounts had to lie tound for the cavalry and. except for the very heaviest pieces, the armistice found in all artillery still horse drawn. The Heath were not so well off in automotive equipment and much of their transport depended on horses — nnd such horses! For five years the world was scoured for remounts, horses and mules. Canada supplied her full quoin, but it resulted in a dangerous shrinkage in volume and deterioation in quality. At the present time the Boyal Canadian Northwest Mounted Police are hard put to it to secure sufficient remounts in Canada for the requirements of tliat force. Necessity for improvement in the type of remount was realized by the war office a generation ago, and in 18SS a royal commission on horse breeding was established, with the object of raising the standard of light horse breeding. Instead of following the French custom of big national stud farms, the policy adopted was to encourage the small bleeder and farmer to put his marcs to good stock, and for this piiriHise the services were secured of approved thoroughbred stallions for specified districts throughout the Cnited Kingdom, by iffering a limited number of "Queens Premiums" of 200 pounds sterling apiece, to selected animals of four yeais old and over. This premium or bonus p-rmilti-d service at an almost nominal fee and owners of good brood mares thus were able to a very small cost to improve their stock by Hip Infusion of a potent thoroughbred strain. Since the war these efforts have heap even more intensm-. the royal commission receiving increased support trap both the war office and the department of igrieulture. An interesting experiment along the same line Is now being made in Canada, the movement being lue to the initiative of the Canadian Pacing Associations, which includes in its membership the principal jockey clubs of Ontario and Quebec, and is to be earri-d out in conjunction with the militia department. The blood horse being recognized as the key to the Improvement of light horse breeding, the association determined to foster it by importing from Great Britain a number of stallions to form the nucleus of a breeding stud, which it is intended to develop from year to year, as it is found possible to establish these sir-s throughout the country, iu such districts as the militia department may suggest. The movement at present is to be confined to Ontario and Quebec, but no doubt as it succeeds it will be extended east and west. STALLIONS PURCHASED BY W. P. FRASEH. W. P. Fraser. secretary of the Ontario Jockey Club, was commissioned to make the initial purchase, and he recently brought back with him from Kngland seven stallions of different types, well suited to the end in view. These number among them fine specimens of the thoroughbred, and small breeders of bloodstock will no doubt lie glad to avail themselves of the new strains thus introduced. First, perhaps, among these is McNeill, a seven-year-old golden chestnut of magnificent carriage and power, with grand bone and substance, standing 10.2. He is bred on fashionable lines and bears a striking resemblance to his sire. Ixird Boseberys Neil Cow, by Marco. which won the Two Thousand Guineas iu 1910 and. after lieing unlucky in the Derby ran a dead heat with the Derby winner, Iz-mbcrg. in the BeUass Stakes. McNeil! was a good winner himself, his dam. Pernelle. being by the great Persimmon, which wou the Derby and St. Ix-ger in 1S90 for the Prince if Wales, afterward FMward VII. Another good one is Spring Wheat, a seven-year-old dark chestnut horse of great substance, bred by His Majesty the King, at Sandriugham. being by Santry — April Princess, by Ladas. The latter won the Derby for Lord Bosebery in 1894. Spring Wheat has already won bis lauiels at the stud, being a winner of kings premiums and super-premiums. Another kings premium wiuuer acquired by Mr. Fraser is Bed King, by the famous gray sire Boi llerode, among whose progeny was that wonderful speed king The Totrarch. which was unbeaten as a two-year-old. Another purchase from the royal stud is General Probyn. a powerful and compact brown horse by Fariman — Prim Nun. by Persimmon. He is also a winner of kings premiums in England and has left behind him some grand stock. A young stallion that should have a good future is the fine upstanding horse Alasnam. a six-year-old bay horse by Alpha II. — Sunny Lass, by Sundridge— Shannon Lass, which won the Grand National, blue ribband of the steepleehasing world in 1902. This breeding comes out clearly in Alasnam. which has great bone of the hunter pattern. He was a good winner on the flat as a four-year-old. winning the Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood, among the beaten nasal being Abbots Trace, which was strongly supported for the Derby, but fell. Alasnam closed his turf career by winning the Derby Gold Cup. after whii h he changed hands in the Newmarket December sales at 720 guineas. Cattegat, a .six-year-old bay horse by Bndittm — Catgut, was a winner and a proved stayer on the flat, running in such races as the Chester Cup. two miles and a quarter. He is a bright bay with blaek points, showing a good deal of the blood of his grandsire Bend Or. He was bred by Lord Rothschild. Mr. Fraser added to these purchases a horse in training, this being the brown four-year-old colt Quartz Bock, by Rock Flint — Christie, by Sailor Lad. As a two-year-old Quartz Bock won three of his seven races, though not in quite first-class company. It would be interesting to see this colt in training on tiie Canadian tracks alongside the domestic breds of his age. Altogether the Canadian Racing Associations has been fortunate in getting together as a start such an interesting band of thoroughbred stallions, which should do much to improve the general standard of horse breeding.
