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DOUBLE CHANCES ANCESTRY No Great Steeplechasing Blood in Veins of the National Winner. ♦ Ills Breedintr Was More or Less Accidental — Sire, Day Comet, ?iow in Ncw Zealand Stud. » BY E. E. roUSSELL. LONDON. Eng.. May 15.— The pedigree of the Grand National winner is not what would be regarded as orthodox lineage for the winner of the worlds greatest steeplechase. Hardly a line of famous jumping blood appears in it. so that one rather wonders whence comes his remarkable "leaping" qualities. Double Chance is the tenth and last living produce of the mare Kelibia, which was bred twenty-five years ago by the late Leopold de Rothschild. The fourth dam. Parma, became a member of the Rothschild Stud farm as long ago as 1S80. So far as the sires side of the pedigree is concerned it is "Rothschild blood" for almost eighty years, the family descending from Daughter of the Star, foaled in 1844. Evening Sar was a half-sister to Banter, which produced Touchstone, winner of the St. Leger, and twice successful in the Ascot Sold Cup and in the Doncaster Cup. Touchstone exercised a wonderful influence the British turf. Having proved barren to Sunstar in 1915. !on when fifteen years old. Kelibia was sent to Ireland and mated with Roi Herode. When j she returned to England she "broke" to The Tetrarchs sire. Thereupon the stud groom took it upon himself to mate her with the five-year-old Day Comet. He was in the sale list, and located at Southcourt Stud, which is within an hour of London. Buyers were few and far between in war time. In 1914 Day Comet sired five foals, all from mares owned by Leopold de Rothschild. A year later Day Comet was more or less acting as "teaser" for St. Frusquin. St. Amant, Radium and Tracery. In any event Kelibia was the only Rothschild mare to have produce by Day Comet in 1915. This was a chestnut colt since gelded, now so well-named Double Chance, which, although described as being by Roi Herode or Day Comet, was unquestionably sired by the latter. Day Cemet. it may be remembered, ran in the notorious Derby of 1913. when Aboyeur was awarded the race on the disqualification of Craganour. Although not placed by the judge there was no doubt whatever that Day Comet was one of the first four horses to pass the winning pos*. 1 light on the rails he was hidden by Aboyeur, Craganour and Louvois. Certainly Day Comet received far less recognition than was his due. Had he even leen placed it is conceivable he would not have languished almost utterly neglected by Knglish breeders. In 1917 the writer almost sold the horse to an Australian breeder, but negotiations collatiscd. Finally in 191S Day Comet was purchased, together with Archiestown. for an agricultural breeding society in New Zealand, where he is still flourishing. Last season his offspring won eight races and 7,125 in slakes. So far Day Comet has not had an outstanding winner. The fee of Day Comet when he sired Double Chance was 0. Today, in New Zealand, it is, I think. 25. Dennis ORourke, a widely known amateur rider in the Colonies, a few months after he bought Day Comet, met with a fatal accident while schooling a horse over jumps. Kelibia herself ran once only. She was then unplaced to Itock Sand in the lister-field Stakes. Her successful produce include Facet, a good stayer which won six races. Among them was the Liverpool Handicap, one and three-quarters miles. Robber, thrice successful, was .of selling plate class only. Karan won the Leicester Handicap, one and one-half miles, and other races. Kelibia also produced The Speaker, a remarkably fast colt, which was handicapped by bad forelegs, amounting almost to deformity. On soft tracks he showed remarkable speed for several seasons. As a youngster he gave twelve pounds to Dark Legend, which, the next season, ran third in the Two Thousand Guineas. Thalaris. however was too good for The Speaker in the Snailwell Stakes. Kulogy, a daughter of Kelibia. finished third to The Tetrarch In the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. She was bought by the writer for G. M. Currie on Koatanui. New Zealand. Her son and daughter. Humbug and Kpitath. both by Absurd son of Sun-dridge. were the best of their years in 191J and 1921. Upas, the sire of Kelibia, was bred tn France in ISO. He was one of the best sons of Dollar. He was a high-class race horse. He dead-heated with Sycamore in the French Derby. Rosemary, the dam of Upas, was a half-sister to the dam of Moorhen, which bred Galinule. ROTHSCHILDS BEST MARE. The second dam of Double Chance was Goletta. the best mare bred by L. de Rothschild. She won nearly 00,001 in stakes. A brilliant two-year-old, when she defeated Kager and Chelandry, the next season sho was successful in the Coronation Stakes at Ascot, again beating Chelandry. which had won the Thousand Guineas and had run in the Oaks. Goletta at four years old won the Prince of Wales S*akes at Newmarket, worth 2,500. Carrying 137 pounds, she finished two lengths in front of a good field, which included Velasquez. Chelandry, Collar, ISrio. St. Cloud II. and Dieudonne. At the stud Goletta produced two foals only, Kelibia and Uller. The latter was of little account on the turf. The third dam, Riscrta, won the Chester Cup over two and one-quarter miles. She produced seven winners. Goletta was easily the best of her produce, but another daughter. Itica, was a winner of nearly 0,000. Her victories included the Chesi rfield Stakes and Clearwell Stakes. Riserta was a half-sister to Isabel. The latter, a good mare on the turf, became most famous as the dam of St. Frusquin. the best horse owned and bred by L. de Rothschild. St. Frusquin, which had won the Two Thousand Guineas, was beaten a head by King Kdwards colt. Persimmon, in one of the most memorable of all the races in the history of the Derby. St. Frusquin won icarly 65,000 in stakes. He died in 1914. when twenty-one years old. His offspring won 493 races and ,239.1.70 in stakes. He also had many high-class winners outside Kngland. Notable among them is Kcou-en. now one of the leading stallions in France. St. Wolf, the champion stallion in Argentina for the last three seasons, is a son of St. Frusquin, whose daughters have bred innumerable first-class winners. Tlu- pedigree of Double Chance follows: = 5 r.-. - • f St- Simon. . . f •■■lonls s_ st.lrus.iuui s- Angela " .. J i Isabel Iletx-iaa W -• o I I 1armil S.o 5.1. f Lnctantius.. i Ielrarch 3 . „ ■= atgnt J | Koumiss X£ z. 2 I Catkin | I» .g Rose H , _, I I"*ernle SU Ifl [■— teLan C . 2 I las 1 I Payment SB Skirmisher Qu .a - l 1 ■. lies inary. . . s ,- , 7: J I erlumnj. I . I Vedette « r r. i S Galopin |riln.. = iGoletta J I Diiehea* m 05 I „, 1 Ix.rd Lyon iBiserta |*»a»» •Day Comet pedigree extended.
