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Combs Syndicate Pays 500000 for Alibhai AlibhaiRecord Record Price for Thoroughbred Warner Brent Members of Group GroupLOS LOS ANGELES Calif June 11 Alibhai has been sold A syndicate headed by Leslie Combs II prominent Kentucky breeder has purchased the great son of Hyperion from Louis B Mayer for 500000 Combs will arrive in Los Angeles next week to complete the deal and at that time will release the names of those making up the syndicate Two Californians Harry War ¬ ner and George Brent are known to be members of the purchasing coalition coalitionMayer Mayer has withheld the sale of the ex ¬ ceptional sire for some time hoping that a California syndicate would be formed to buy the stallion thus keeping him within the state However California breeders failed to get together 6n the project and now it appears certain that the horse will stand future seasons in the Blue Grass GrassWith With the announcement that Louis B Mayer had sold his sire Alibhai for forContinued Continued on Page Three Sire Alibhai Sold For Record Price PriceSyndicate Syndicate Headed by Combs Pays Mayer 500000 for Famed Hyperion Stallion StallionContinued Continued from Page One 500000 the record books were thrown open and it was discovered that the price is the highest ever paid for a thorough ¬ bred In 1946 the Aga Khan sold Star ¬ dust to an English syndicate for 448000 while his son in the same year disposed of his stallion Tehran for 400000 400000The The previous high for a horse sold in America was the 265000 paid for the Americanbred and owned Tracery in 1920 by the Argentine breeder Senor Unzue who made the purchase from August Belmont BelmontA A young sire but 10 years old Alibhai was never raced He was brought to this country by Mayer for racing but after breaking the mile Canta Anita rec ¬ ord in a workout he broke down and was retired to the Mayer Stock arm But Beau Pere was also at the Mayer place and the famous Australian sire because of his proven record was naturally given the best mares to cover Despite this Alibhai got runners who could hold their own in fast company and he sired very few who failed to win winPrice Price Betters That Paid for Grandsire GrandsireAlibhais Alibhais breeding is a study in purple He is by Hyperion Teresina by Tracery Thus the price he brought breaks the record formerly held by his dams sire Tracery Hpyerion among breeding pun ¬ dits needs no introduction being general ¬ ly regarded as one of the greatest sires to ever stand in the tight little isle Hy ¬ perion was the son of Selene by Gainsbor ¬ ough the latter another noted English sire Selene may be regarded as the Eng ¬ lish counterpart of La Troienne Besides Hyperion she gave the thoroughbred fam ¬ ily the great sires Pharamond n and Sickle SicklePlaying Playing second fiddle to Beau Pere Alibhai was little known east of the Rockies until tl j Arlington Classic of 1946 when The Dude who had racked up an impres ¬ sive victory skein kept about his business and defeated Assault and other highly thought of threeyearbids Around the same time talk on the West Coast became a question What would Alibhai do if he had the best mares This was the result of his progeny winning race after race over California tracks tracksThe The Dude was not Alibhais first stakes winner In 1945 the illfated Style Prince out of Blue Breeze by Blue Larkspur had won a stake at Hollywood Park and during his brief career was never out of the money in seven starts while winning four times He numbered Honeymoon among his early victims But when The Dude came along those who could write off one stakeswin ¬ ner as a natural happenstance realized that here was a horse who might have something somethingThen Then during the 194647 winter meeting at Santa Anita On Trust out of Torch Rose a gift mare dominated the three yearold division culminated with a handy victory in the 100000 Santa Anita Derby Some of his other exploits were a close fourth in the Run for the Roses and a fine second to Faultless in the run for the BlackEyed Susans He is now eleventh on the worlds leading money list with earnings of 367320 367320If If On Trusts eastern form wasnt the clincher Cover Ups record was Taken out of an auction at Del Mar in August of 1946 by the Arizonian Z T Addington for 24000 at Bay Meadows on Preakness Day 1947 this fouryearold picked up second high weight of 120 pounds and won the San Francisco Handicap a 25000 test Previous to that he finished second in the 50000 Tanforan Handicap and had also won the Balboa Handicap He was also nearest to Cum Laude at Santa Anita when the latter bested Seabiscuits record for a mile and an eighth Then at the 1947 sum ¬ mer Hollywood meeting he not only won the Gold Cup but also annexed the Sunset Handicap In annexing the Gold Cup ne ran the mite and a quarter in 200 to equal the skeptical worlds mark of Whisk Broom II IILast Last year Alibhai was second to Bull Lea on the list of Americas foremost sires His offspring earned 834095 His 32 start ¬ ers annexed 85 races LESLIE COMBS Heads syndicate that thatpurchased purchased stallion Alibhai from Louis B BMayer Mayer for 500000
