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REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunstan Clay Writes About Winter-Prepped Colts Blue Man Eighth Hialeah-Preakness Winner Market Breeders Also Watch Stake Results Many Young Sires Sending First Crops to Sale WOODBINE PARK, Toronto, Ont., May 24. Just as sure as death and taxes, this is the time of year when Everett Clay, who beats the drums at Hialeah Park, sends letters to members of the press concerning colts who were prepped in Florida and made good in the Derby, Preakness and other spring events. We have this note from him: "Youll be interested that at the Preakness finish, one through five, were Hialeah-developed horses. Blue Man, Jampol and One Count, all raced here and Sub Fleet and Primate were trained here last winter. Blue Man is the seventh Preakness winner to come out of Florida since 1941, the others being Whirlaway, Alsab, Pensive, Faultless, Citation and Bold." Florida has always seemed to be an ideal place to winter horses and the pride of Clay, and other Hialeah officials, is understand able from both the sporting and financial angle. Hill Gail rather upset the applecart this year in that he raced on the West Coast, and you can be assured that Fred Purner will soon be sending out letters reminding one and all that Hill Gail was the winner of the Santa Anita Derby over the now sidelined Windy City U. The latter, a speed ball, was brought to this country and sold by Ray Bell for a high-price. Nothing succeeds like success, and although we all know the results of the Derby and the "Preakness, we can understand why publicity directors follow-up the victories. Market breeders with yearlings to sell naturally watch the results of spring stakes more keenly than do those at the winter tracks. A year ago, the breeders derived considerable satisfaction from the four placings in the Kentucky Derby. Count Turf ,700, was sold at the Saratoga Sales by Dr. and Mrs. Frank Porter Miller; Royal Mustang 2,000, was consigned to the Keeneland Sales, and Ruhe ,500, was also an offering of the Breeders Sales Company. Phil D. ,500, proved one of the rarest bargains. Collectively, this quartet cost 5,700, but in the Derby alone they earned 15,500, to say nothing of what they earned after that. This years Derby winner, Hill Gail, is a Calumet homebred, but market breeders with yearlings by Count Fleet or Blue Swords to sell are especially fortunate in that Sub Fleet ran second to Hill Gail in the Derby, and Blue Man, who was third to them, won impressively when he moved over to the Baltimore track for the Preakness. This year, there will be 14 yearlings by Count Fleet consigned to the sales and of this number, eight are fillies and six are colts. Naturally, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Hertz, owners of Stoner Creek Farm, where Count Fleet stands, will be the principal consignors, and their offerings will be reviewed fully in a later column. Every year, interest in the yearling sales at Keeneland is increased by the youngsters of stallions who are sending their first crops to the races. The late John E. Madden once said, "If a stallion does not get a good youngster in his first or second crop, there is not much likelihood that one will come after that." That does not always hold true and, on occasion, we have seen a colt or filly who came after the first three crops make good on the race course. This year, there will be a number of yearlings by horses retired from racing with good records. The list including Nirgal, Ambiorix, Black Tarquin, Coastal Traffic, all of whom were impprted, and the domestic sires, Ace Admiral, Mr. Busher, Papa Redbird and With Pleasure. Nirgal, in this writers opinion, is one of the most promising of the alien sires. Foaled in 1943, he is by Goya n. Castillane, by Cameronian, and was bred by the famous French breeder, Marcel Boussac. Acquired by Dale Shaffer, he was one of the stallions included in the deal in which Henry H. Knight of Almahurst Farm bought Coldstream Stud and many of the horses standing there. Nirgal is a horse with plenty of scope. He stands about 16.1 hands, and, with an intelligent head and an exceptionally good neck, he is an attractive individual. There is plenty of white on him, for his hind ankles and his near fore-ankle are all white. He was a very good, if not great, race horse. This writer does not yet have a complete list of the yearlings to be sold at Keeneland and Saratoga, but we have seen some colts and fillies by the stallions mentioned. Many are beauties and it would not surprise us if one of the tops at Saratoga is a bay colt by Nirgal out of Man o Wars daughter. Spotted Beauty, the dam of Royal Blood, who cost 0,000 and won over 00,000. This colt in the Almahurst consignment, is a beauty in his own right and with a good racing record, he is a natural for stud duty when retired. The Claiborne Farm of Arthur B. Hancock will sell several yearlings by the imported Ambiorix and Black Tarquin, but we will go more fully into that in another column. Harrie B. Scott never sends many to the salesring, but, the veteran breeder puts a finish on the youngsters that make them stand out when under the hammer. This year, he will sell two by the young sire, Coastal Traffic, one being a colt out of the good mare, War Jitters, thus a half-brother to this years good racer, Hannibal. This is a fine looking colt who should attract many when he is on exhibition at Keeneland. The other Coastal Traffic is a colt out of Happy Home, by Blenheim II. Before us, is a list of the yearlings that the Aga Khan will sell at Saratoga in August, and, on paper, they represent some of the most fashionable breeding to be found in England today. This group of 20 will arrive late in June, and will be stabled at the Long Island estate of "Shipwreck" Kelly until sent to Saratoga for the sales. As closely as we can ascertain, there will be two other shipments of Irish yearlings sold this year. A few American breeders have foreign youngsters to offer, and among them is Larry MacPhail, who will send a group of 27 from his Glenangus Farm in Maryland to the Spa vendues. One colt that has caused considerable comment is a chestnut by Hyperion out of Miss Trig, by Trigo, and another is a chestnut filly by Nas-rullah out of Feale Bridge, by Coldbridge, and completing a very attractive trio, is a chestnut colt by Star Dust Crepe Suzette, by Dastur. MacPhails consignment is made up of colts and fillies by many of the most fashionable stallions in this country and he will have two by Nirgal, one a bay colt out of Pomtonia, Continued on Page Thirty-One I REFLECTIONS I By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page Forty by Pompey, and the other a bay filly out of Boomtown Gal, by Stimulus. The former baseball magnate has gone about the breeding of horses in a serious way and this consignment reflects that he places quality above every thing else in his operations.
