view raw text
TRACERYS DEATH DEPLORED English Turf World Mourns Loss; ytf Noted American-Bred Sire of Great Eacing Fame. What a loss ! To me, of course, Immeasurable in a limited sense but to tho future of the British thoroughbred immeasurable in a vastly gretaer degree. "We may argue as to the exact status of Papyrus, urable in a vastly greater degree. We may recall Abbots Trace, Monarch, Tamar and others of Tracerys stock, but he was only fifteen years old and had spent three stud years in tho Argentine. The pity of it all ! Never did he look quite so well as he had done this year, and then like a bolt from the blue this trouble has come. It leaves one almost incapable of thought for tho coming years, all available thought having been devoted to Tracery and his probable future throughout seven or eight seasons. Alas for the vanity of human wishes ! No horse has ever died at Cobham in this premature fashion, and thus it is that the death of Tracery comes as a horrible shock to all concerned. Tracery was like my own child if one may say so for I sent his sire and dam out to Major August Belmont in the same ship to the U. S. A., where they were mated and produced Tracery, who came over here to win the St Leger, Eclipse Stakes and many other races. I never ceased in my endeavors to get Tracery as a stallion to Cobham, and at long last I succeeded, but this fatal finish teaches one that human effort, however successful for the moment, is apt to be utterly futile. Still, there comes the old adage : Try, try, try again ! and I am not too old to follow on that, but where to find another Tracery Is a problem indeed for young or old. It is correct that Tracery never headed he list of winning stallions, but he was well on top last year until Papyrus was sent to New York, missing several engagements here which he could not have lost. Most of my readers will wish to know tho reason of Tracerys death, so I give the following copy of the certificate: "Cobham Stud, Cobham, Surrey, "August 5, 1924. "We, the undersigned, hereby report that we have this day made a post-mortem examination of the brown thoroughbred stallion. Tracery, by Rock Sand, out of Topiary, aged 15 years, with white saddle-mark, who died at 5 :30 p. m. today at the above address. "We found that death was due to rupture of the diaphragm, with hernia of the stomach, and about 8 to 10 feet of small bowel into the chest cavity. "He was- otherwise healthy. "GEO. H. WOOLDRIDGE, F.R.C.V.S., Professor. "E. II. LEACH, F.R.C.V.S.. "NEVILLi J. KING, M.R.C.V.S." Now that Tracery is dead there is need to look out for his successor, if a worthy one can be found in this country, and my first thought was of Papyrus, who, by the way, has not yet finished his racing career, but, if all goes well with him, will fulfill somo of his later engagements this season, such as the Jockey Club Stakes. I had some hope of getting Papyrus to Cobham for next season, but it seems that cannot be, for Mr. Hornung had made all arrangements for his standing at West Grinstead Park and had spent a lot of money in new boxes and fencing of paddocks to accommodate the visiting mares, all of which would be idle expenditure if Papyrus should stand elsewhere. There are now forty void nominations to Tracery, some of which might be usefully diverted to Papyrus, whose fee will be 300 guineas. Mr. Hornung, who in himself a Tracery shareholder, would, I think, be inclined to give priority to any of his fellow shareholders who may wish to use Papyrus, who will, I fell certain, make a first-class stallion. W. Allison in London Sportsman.
