THE GREAT ARMADA AND THE CONTRE COUP 27 



have altered, and manners and peoples have changed with them since the 

 decades sacred to the Taits and the Fishers, and the horse, and his rider, too, 

 are not the same. The old blood which we cherished some sixty years ago has 

 disappeared, and we wonder if it is for the better. 



Sir Hercules, Yatiendon, Chester, The Barb, Kelpie, Fireworks, Tim 

 Whiffler, Fisherman, Angler, Maribyrnong, Kingston, The Marquis, New- 

 minster, of all those heroes of old not a trace, on the male side of the house, is 

 left behind. With the opening century commenced the invasion of English 

 sires, and in the same fashion as the Norway rat of old ate up and exterminated 

 his brown English cousin, so has the imported blood from England exter- 

 minated our old-time Australian horse. To-day, in the list of winning sires, 

 the first sixteen are imported horses, and out of the first hundred, seventy-eight 

 were foaled in the British Isles. Of the two and twenty that were dropped in 

 Australia, many came from English parents, and each one at least owns to an 

 English grandsire. 



In the entire long list there are but a couple of the descendants of Chester 

 that claim any winners at all, and these, sons of Carlyon, are lower than the 

 two hundredth place. But that we are still capable of rearing dominant and 

 pre-potent blood sires in our climate, and nourished on Australian pasture, is 

 evident from the fact that, within recent years, Malster, Bobadil and Wallace 

 have been powerful factors in the production of our winners, and this gallant 

 trio, one or other of them, have headed the poll, and that many times. But 

 they are dropping out, those three, and ere another generation has passed 

 away, practically every wining sire will be an importation. 



Even the very foundation stones of our studs have been turned topsy turvy 

 and thrown away, since the days of Macarthur, Icely, the Fishers and Tail. In 

 their eras the blood of Herod was in the forefront of the battle, although, as 

 time went on, Birdcatcher, and from him Stockwell, encroached upon his 

 domain, and finally settled the house of Eclipse on his unshakeable throne. 

 The advent of Musket brought Touchstone to the front, and still further 

 strengthened the Eclipse blood. But the greatest revolution of all was 

 accomplished when Bill of Portland, a son of St. Simon, of the tribe of 

 Blacklock, of the house of Eclipse, landed in Australia. So tremendous was 

 the success of the sons and daughters of the brown horse, more especially when 

 mated with Musket mares, that no newly imported sire seemed to have a chance 

 of success unless he were imbued with that same St. Simon strain. The effect 

 is still in the strongest evidence to-day. 



If you scan the latest list of winning sires to hand, that for I 920 to 1921, 

 you will find the following results: The first hundred and three places are 

 occupied by sires of the following lines of descent: The direct descendants, in 

 tail male, of St. Simon and Galopin number thirty-five; whilst three trace to 

 Speculum, son of Vedette. Fourteen are Stockwells, through the medium of 

 Bend Or, and eight through other branches. Birdcatcher claims other winning 

 stallions, apart from the Stockwells, through Isonomy, the great son of 

 Sterling, and for the most part by virtue of Isonomy's chestnut son, Gallinule. 



Touchstone boasts of twelve Musket sires to his credit, twelve Hamptons, 

 and but a single Hermit. To-day there is not a single representative of the 

 house of Herod in the first hundred on the roll. But Matchem, by the aid of 

 that grand horse, Barcaldine, is represented by six living sires. This brief 

 summary tells us exactly how the barometer is behaving. In Australia Eclipse 

 is paramount, and that for the most part through the influence of Blacklock. 

 Musket, who did such wonders for our breed forty years ago, is sick, almost 

 to Doomsday with Eclipse. Hermit, as a male influence, is dead. Barcaldine 



