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. ; , ! I $,RES AND DAMS I I By Nelson Duristan Knight Has Easy Morn at Almahurst Pharamond II., Sickle on Looks Talks Constitution, Inheritance Look at Feet or Look at Head? NEW YORK, N. Y., May 23. We were talking with Henry Knight, owner of Almahurst Farm, one of the show-places of Kentuckys famed Blue Grass. He talked about mares and about the effect of the war on the breeding industry, and then suddenly his face lighted up as he said: "I am well pleased with my new stallion, Easy Mon, and have an idea he will make good." We recalled Easy Mon, and asked: "Has he let down since retirement?" meaning, of course, had he filled out and assumed the change in appearance which comes to the race horse after retirement to the stud. "He certainly has," Knight answered. "That good-looking head is now set on a well-filled neck that runs smoothly down into the shoulders at the side." That change in the neck comes after a horse reaches maturity. A certain amount of fat is deposited in the neck and forms a considerable crest, which varies" much in individuals. It gives the stallion a refined and stylish appearance and is typical of the thoroughbred. A strong neck is said to accompany a vigorous constitution, although it must be added that constitution cannot be judged solely by a horses crest. The neck of the thoroughbred is usually most pleasing to the eye providing, of course, the ho.rse is not "ewe-necked." To this writer, constitution and inheritance has long been among the most fascinating studies concerning the thoroughbred. We know very little about it, for the simple reason that very little has ever been written about it. No two experts will see eye to eye on what constitutes the perfection, or even the good points of ahorse. And, in many instances, cameras can be greater liars than humans could ever hope to be in picturing a horse. As a result, any knowledge along these lines comes mainly from personal observation. For generations, thoroughbreds have been studied regarding their "speed and stamina. We actually know HENRY H. KNIGHT Master of Alma- veteran breeders and racing men who hurst Farm, is well pleased with his new can study a horse Doint to one as a stallion, Easy Mon. rinter, an s.dJct another as a stayer. We lack that foresight, hindsight or horsesight, whichever it is, and must add here that whatever we say is our own opinion and might well be challenged by older and more experienced men. Going back to our conversation with Henry Knight, there is every reason why Easy Mon should be a good-looking horse. He is by Pharamond II., out of that grand mare, Slow and Easy, the daughter of Colin, who produced the three stake winners, Crossbow II., Gosum and Easy Mon, in a row. Easy Mon, as you remember, was a pretty fast horse. Easy Mons sire, Pharamond II., is a full brother to Sickle, and this pair by Phalaris and Selene offer a study for those interested in inheritance and formation. Sickle was foaled in 1924, and his full brother a year later. The Sickles are usually large horses, longer than they are tall, and on occasions have been referred to as "horsemens horses." No nicer compliment could be paid a stallion. When they come on the track they look every inch the thoroughbred with an unusual amount of substance, picturesque appearance and equine personality. Pharamond n., too, stamps his get, but as a rule they are more chunky than the Sickles, and they vary more. Whopper was a whopper and looked more like a youngster by Sickle than by Pharamond n. It is often said a colt resembles the family of the dam more than that of the sire,, and just one case was that of Sun Beau. He was by Sun Briar out of Fair Plays daughter, Beautiful Lady, and due to his size, appearance and way of going, was often said to be "a Fair Play." Sun Briars best sons and daughters were medium in size, but when anyone said Sun Beau resembled "a Fair Play," Alex M. Robb, of the Kilmer organization, was quick to obtain a picture showing he was "the spittin image of Sundridge." It was the late John E. Madden who always said: "Look at the feet, man, look at the feet!" That is all right for anyone buying a horse. But most experts agree that if they had only one point by which to judge a horse, that point would be the head. In this the Pharamonds are distinguished, and, too, were the Sun Briars. There is a marked resemblance in the Arablike heads and supple, well-set necks of Pharamonds babes. The Sun Briars had a small, nicely-chiseled "fighting" head that bespoke their class to an observer. In the neck they had plenty of length without being heavy, and in that they are just the opposite to the Fair Play clan. Man o War is a typical Fair Play, and one of the first things about him that strikes an observer is his powerful, thick and muscular neck. Big Reds sons are not as big as the Fair Plays, and this is easily seen in the trio of War Admiral, Battleship and Blockade. War Admiral did not resemble his sire; in fact, War Relic resembles his daddy much more than the three named. Most of the Fair Plays had strong, compact bodies, and good, solid hone, Crusader being another example. But while compact, Big Reds sons have mostly been of medium size. r Among the good-looking horses of recent years must be included Head Play, Mate and Eight Thirty. We believe they are three of the most impressive we have ! seen in a decade. One never tired of looking at Eight Thirty, and it is hard to believe any horse could "outlook" his sire as much as he does. Quite a few good-looking horses have come from the other side in recent years, and . one that will 1 immediately catch the eye is Fairaris, who ran in the Withers on Saturday. He is 3 by Fair "Trial, a son of Fairway, and thus we go back to a common ancestor with i Easy Mon, the sire Knight now has at Almahurst. Fairway, like Sickle and Ehara-mond . II., is a son of Phalaris. The latter was ahorse of beautiful proportions. ; British scribes tell us Teddys clan has done remarkably well and Whirlaway, a son of Blenheim II., has probably been studied by more people than any horse since . War Admiral and Seabiscuit, that blocky son of Hard Tack, who electrified the world in the Pimlico Special. True, they run and win in all sizes, shapes and colors, and whether inheritance, formation, make much difference, we do not pretend to know. What we do know is that studying it is one of the most interesting angles of the e thoroughbred we know about.
