Great Sires Which Raced but Little: Star Shoot and Polymelus, Leaders in America and England, Sent to the Stud Early, Daily Racing Form, 1917-01-11

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I GREAT SIRES WHICH RACED BUT LITTLE. Star Shoot and Polymelus, Leaders in America and England, Sent to the Stud Early. By Ed. Cole. New York. Jan. 10. — With Star Shoot the leader among American stallions, in the matter of money wan by his sons and daughters, and Polymelus in a similar position with regard to his standing among Knglish sires, it is particularly noticeable that neither of these great horses was raced to any great degree prior to his being put in the stud. Star Shoot proved himself a smart two-year-old in 1N99, one of his principal tests being the race for the National Breeders Produre Stakes at San-down lark, when he was ridden by Lester Beiff. running a dead heat with Ian. ridden by "Tod" Sloan. He ran but twice as a three-year-old, being shipped here in 1901. In Mr. Maddens hands he has established a great reputation as a sire and has been at the top or near the top of the winning list for the last four years. The racing hero of the last two years has witnessed the competition of several of the get of Polymelus. but that they did not set the world afire with great performances goes without saying. On his own stamping ground, however. Polymelus has been unbeatable, and during the six yean that his progeny hive been running he has sired fifty -six winners of 102 races, worth upward of 10,000. a remarkable showing. As a race horse In- was good, without aspiring to classic rank; Indeed,, the only opportunity offered Ilin in this direction was the MM6 St. Leger. in which he was decisively beaten by Cliallacombe, who wa-, possibly, one of the most moderate horses in the list of winners. The last appearance of Polymelus under the colors of his breeder. Lord Crewe, was in the autumn of his three-year-old career, when he won the iiitwiek Stakes of 5,000. and his next was in the livery of Mr. Eraser in the City and Suburban, for which race he started favorite, but was unplaced to Dean Swift, Colden Measure and I mnetta. Runs Fine Race at Manchester. The colt did not run again until Ascot, when Shiela beat him over the Xew Mile, and lie was un-I laced to Andover for the Rous Memorial. A similar fate awaited him in the Princess of Wales Siakes. won by Dinneford, and in the Eclipse Stakes, won by Llangibby, but at Manchester he failed only by half a length to give thirty pounds to Aurina in the Prince Edward Handicap, a performance which at least foreshadowed a return to form. Thai was the last time he ran for Mr. Eraser, for Mr. S. B. Joel secured the best bargain of his turf experience by purchasing him for 1,000 at the sales in the following October. Within an hour or two Iolymeius. starting at 33 to 1. ran so well for the Jockey Club Stakes that, coining over Bushes Hill, he looked as formid-al le as either Beppo. Keystone II. or Plum Tree. but the weight told and he suffered an honorable defeat. Nor wan the merit of that fine performance forgotten when barely u week later, with Maher ou his back, he started a warm favorite for the Duke ol York Stakes at Kempton and cantered home five lengths in front of Roseate Dawn, from whom he was receiving eleven pounds. That, of course, was not a startling achievement, nor was it surprising in the following week to BOS him leave Cold Riach in tie- lurch in their single handed bout for the Champion Stakes, but it sufficed to prove Poly-tn. dus at the top of his form again, and a ton-pi unds penalty did not prevent him from starting tiie hottest favorite on v cord for the Cambridgeshire, which he wiiii wiili consummate ease from m Kaffir Chief and Malua. Thus within a short space of a month 9,300 of the purchase money was recovered in stakes alone, and it is fair to presume that a large additional sum was taken out of the ring as the result of the treble event. Xor did the triumphal march end here, for although beaten for the Coronation Cup at Epsom his racing career ended in a blaze of ■access when the horse won the Princess of Wales Makes and added 1.200 to his winnings. At the stud Polymelus has proved a little gold mine, for his first foe of approximately 0O lias risen to ,500. with a full subscription list, and being only fourteen years old he should be at his very beat now with a great future before him. The Maiden Erlegh sire got Black Jester, which won the St. Leger. and a better horse in Pommern. which won the Cuineas, Derby and "Septem!.. r" Stakes unchallenged and may for all practical pur-posts be regarded as a triple crown hero.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1917011101/drf1917011101_8_4
Local Identifier: drf1917011101_8_4
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800