view raw text
, ; . English Derby Winner Foaled in Ky. Raised and Broken At Jonabell Stable Victory of Never Say Die Gives Dam, Singing Grass, "Lexington Area Prestige By HUGH J. McGUIRE LEXINGTON, Ky., June 2. Robert Sterling Clarks English Derby winner, Never Say Die, was foaled, raised and broken at the Jonabell Stables of John A. Bell HE. here in Lexington. The second American-owned and bred colt to win the Epsom race, first run in 1780, was foaled March 26, 1951, and Bells records show that his dam had a very difficult time of it and on arrival the colt was quite large and quite crooked. The colts dam, Singing Grass, by War Admiral, is on the smallish side and is still at Jonabell Where Bell reports that she is not too prepossessing although nice enough if studied. Bell adds that the victory of her son may promote the popularity of flop ears in ,mares. The colt went through the usual period of raising and breaking but was a member of a group of yearlings that Bell persuaded Clark to break at the farm for the first time. It had been Clarks custom to send the yearlings unbroken to his farm in Virginia from where they were exported unbroken to England. Others that were broken here also raced welH Bell recalls Never Say Die as a "big, strong, powerful studish colt who looked like he could run forever." His dam had raced well over distances in Britain. Has Yearling Filly by Nirgal Singing Grass had had a foal previous to Never Say Die, a filly by Combat. Following the Derby winner she slipped a foal to Super Duper, a mishap that Bell believes was probably due to her difficult foaling of Never Say Die. Her next foal is a yearling filly by Nirgal who is now in Virginia. She was next barren to Coaltown and was bred this year to Eight Thirty and has gone 32 days of probable pregnancy. Singing Grass arrived back in this country carrying Never Say Die and Bell recalls that her arrival time coincided with one of the rare blizzards that visit this area and that great difficulty was experienced in getting trucks to the railway cars. Singing Grass had to be unloaded and taken to the training track from where she was vanned to the farm. She is now 10 and Clark has three other mares of the same family, two of them half-sisters to Singing Grass. Bell also informed us thatClark, who is currently undergoing a check-up in a New York hospital, has realized a lifes ambition by the victory of Never Say. Die. j
