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HORSES AND TRAVELLING Australian Writer Gives His Views 3 on Much-Discussed Question. 4 Cites Case of Uitalll, Melbourne Cup "Winner English Writers, William Allison anil Mankalo, Differ Widely. 1 . ! Some time ago Daily Racing Form re- - printed from the London Sportsman an ar- tide by William Allison, the "special com- 1 missiGner," in which he contended that 1 travelling often helped race horses and stal- lions greatly and that a change of climate often made an apparently mediocre stallion J a big stud success. Pilot, writing in the 1 Sydney Referee, upholds this theory as follows: The improvement which enabled Bitalli to win a Melbourne Cup after repeated failures in races in Sydney, is attributed by many 1 racing men to change of climate having 1 greatly benfited him. It is probable that had something to do with it. 1 He was in Melbourne months prior to the Cup and a change of even a few weeks to the south often has a beneficial effect. What may be for the good of a race horse may act similarly in respect to a stallion. I can recall at least a couple of stallions that were successful in New Zealand, but failed to uphold their reputations in the warmer climate of Australia. If deteriora- tion in some stallions is possible through : change, it is only reasonable to look to that cause to improve others. 1 ENGLISH EXrEUTS DIFFER. ! On this point, however, two English ex- 1 perts differ widely. The Special Commis- ! sioner of the London Sportsman believes j change does benefit man and beast, while Mankato, of the Sporting Chronicle, is. opposed to that theory. The Special Commis- Bioner, in upholding his argument, said Mankato clearly thought that neither Bend Or . nor Orme suffered by being kept all their lives at the Eaton Stud, whereas he the Special Commissioner often maintained that it was from such continuous stagnation at the same place that their stock, after the ! first year or two was nothing like so good i as: the early samples of it. It was true that Bend Or sired Radium toward the end of his stud career and Orme had a final llare-up with Orby, but both these horses were from visiting mares. The early successes had been from Eaton mares when the sires were fresh and well. Further on the writer I quote said; "Of course, I do not contend that you can make a bad stallion into a good one by change of air any more than you can cure a man of cancer by sending him on a sea voyage. The one really incontrovertible point of substance is that change of air, at certain intervals, benefits all living tilings." 3L-V-KATOS ACCUSATIONS. Mankato, however, in expressing disbelief in much being accomplished by change, also hurt the Special Commissioners feelings when he accused him of "unloading" moderate stallions on to Australian buyers. Mr. Allison said the expression was ungracious and unjustified, as no one had clone more than he to warn Australian buyers that it was bad business to buy cheap mediocrities with specious pedigrees. When the late W. L. Wilson in the early nineties wanted to buy a St. Simon horse for 55,000, he advised him to buy Bill of Portland, because, although a roarer, he was a licrse of really high class, whereas a sound mediocrity would do him no good. He therefore bought Bill of Portland and for that good reason. The Special Commissioner then mentions a horse whose purchase for Australia he positively negatived, but which found his v.ay out there after all and sired some good winners. He then went on to say that though Australasian buyers had not felt able to give prices asked for classic winners or, at least, seldom he did not think they had ever received a bad or unsuccessful horse from him, ALLISON JtESrONSE. The Special Commisisoner concludes as follows : "It would be tedious to enumerate the transactions of so many years, but I will just mention Kenilworth, by Childvvick Kizil Kourgan Haut Brion, at a much earlier period and successful ; Soult ; Martian in utero, by far the best stallion in New Zealand for years past; Bardolph, Earlston, Sir Tristram, Pistol, Limelight bought for ,500 at .life December sales and sire of a double Derby winner Salitros in his first year in the stud in N. S. W.. Now, where does the unloading come in? "While writing I remember our last importation to N. S. W., which was the St. Leger winner, Night Hawk, which suffered in reputation simply because he was not regarded as a good St. Leger winner. Any- i how, he was one of the few classic winning colts sired by Gallinule, and his dam as a two-year-old was never beaten. He got a few winning stock during a brief season in England and he was sent out in war-time to Reginald White, of the Merton Stud, N. S. W., at the price of ,500 Unloading," indeed! Mr. White had given up his stud almost before Night Hawk had arrived, which the horse did after a terribly delayed voyage. What has happened to him now I do not really know. Of course, his sale at such a price was due to war conditions, when it was almost impossible to ship a horse to Australia."
