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i I j I j j j j Royal Gem II. Keys -Versatility as Sire Australian Stallion Employs Derby as Showcase for His g Two Fast Sons to Show Off 5 By LEON RASMUSSEN Staff Correspondent C Royal Gem II. used Americas most 2 famous horse race as a showcase to prove C his versatility as a sire, his son Dark Star -r making every pole a winning one with a C gushing brand of speed, and another of his sons, Royal Bay Gem, charging from out of - the pack to finish a respectable fcurth. If — a sire ever took advantage 6f the right oc- 3 casion to build himself a reputation, the Anzac import did just that. i/ As a racer in his Down Under home- land, Royal Gem II. performed almost ex- h "* clusively in stakes events, winning 23 times, placing eight times and finishing third on £ five occasions out of 51 races. His earnings J exceeded 00,000, a figure worthy of much greater distinction in Australia than in this C country. Royal Gem II. handled all kinds — of distances successfully, a harmony of Jj ability that seems to be a prerequisite of u success as a sire. Royal Gem II. is by Dhoti, annually near the top on the list of leading Australian sires. Dhoti was undefeated in England, where he was foaled, winning three stakes in as many starts at two before being sent to Australia. Although he has sired numerous stakes winners, Royal Gem II. is Dhotis outstanding son. Dhoti, himself, was by Dastur. winner of the Irish Derby. Dastur, out of Friars Daughter, is thus a half-brother to the unbeaten English Triple Crown winner Bahram, who formerly stood at Alfred Vanderbilts Sagamore Farm before being exported to South America, where he is now a highly successful sire. Dastur s sire was Solario, like Hyperion, a son of Gainsborough, so Royal Gem II. s tailmale line is one of great strength. Dam Most Phenomenal Royal Gem II. s dam, French Gem. is one of the most phenomenal mares in Australian bloodstock history. She not only won the Oaks and other stakes, but she produced five stakes winners from her first five foals. Fission, Royal Gem II. s second dam, also was a stakes winner and marvelous producer, all of her names foals being winners. Two of her daughters won stakes and another one produced a stakes winner. Truly, Royal Gem II. s pedigree is one that, top and bottom and in between stands critical inspection, being profuse in superior lines, superb performers and excellent producers. Royal Gem n.s pedigree also shows some inbreeding to Beau Peres sire Son -in -Law, his sires dam, Tricky Aunt, being by Son-in-Law, and his dams sire, Beau Fils, being by Son-in-Law. Dark Stars female line is better known to Americans. He is out of the Bull Dog mare Isolde, a frequent winner from two through six, although not of great class. She possessed considerable speed, was a bearcat in the mud and left the claiming ranks at various times when she was particularly sharp. She did her best racing at the minor tracks, but was certainly a "useful" mare. She has one other foal to race, El Zorro, a son of Fighting Fox and a winner. Her dam, Fiji, accumulated 13 victories in her impressive career and per-; haps it is her influence showing no considerable extent in Dark Star. Fiji, a daughter of Bostonian out of the Ormon-dale mare, O Girl, won the Latonia Derby, Latonia Oaks, Kentucky Oaks and several other stakes. In the Kentucky, on whose beadroll are so many of Americas finest feminine stars and producers, Fiji defeated Far Star, winner of the Arlington Futurity and dam of the stakes winners, Star Boarder, Star Reward, Fleeting Star and Sabaean. Bull Doe, like his older brother Sir Gallahad III., who has led the American broodmare sire list for 10 consecutive years, has also always been a noted broodmare sire, never having been worse than seventh on the list since 1944 and second to his brother in 1952. Anyway you look at it, Dark Star has the heritage to do just what he did — win the Kentucky Derby.
