44 'The American Thoroughbred 



the Dutchman, whom, for reasons already given, I always shall believe to have been 

 a better horse than West Australian and just about in the same notch with Gladiateur, 

 who was one of the three best winners of the triple crown, Ormonde and Isinglass 

 being the other two. 



I read, about a year ago, in an English paper, where some writer spoke of "Volti" 

 and the Dutchman and said "It is a most fortunate happening, indeed, that while 

 these two horses were rank failures in the stud, their blood should have been so 

 admirably united as to produce a first-class racehorse and a phenomenal sire in Galopin." 

 I do not agree with that writer that these two stallions were in anywise "rank failures" 

 in the stud. Considering that they were both in the stud simultaneously with Touch- 

 stone, Melbourne and Birdcatcher, three of the ten greatest sires in the nineteenth 

 century, though they were much younger horses, I can only regard their success as 

 bordering on the phenomenal, for Flying Dutchman, while he never headed the list, 

 was sold to France at a big price, previous to which he was four times second on the 

 list, once to Orlando, twice to Stockwell and once to Newminster, who, between them, 

 headed the list for an aggregate of twelve years. You certainly cannot call any 

 such horse as that a failure. Now let us pass on to the little brown horse from the 

 Zetland stable. Voltigeur's best year was in 1857 when his son Vedette won the 

 Two Thousand Guineas, the Doncaster Cup and the Great Yorkshire Stakes, which 

 placed Voltigeur fifth on the list. He was ninth in the next year when Vedette won 

 the Doncaster Cup for the second time, the Northumberland Plate and the Great 

 Ebor at York. My own belief is that Vedette, had he been nominated in the Derby 

 and St. Leger of 1857, which was a "mares year," would have, won both those classics, 

 placing himself alongside of West Australian ; and that Blink Bonny and Imperieuse 

 would never have been heard of, save as winners of the Oaks and One Thousand 

 Guineas, respectively. Voltigeur died at Hampton Court at the ripe age of 27 years 

 and was one of the first twelve on the list for no less a period than sixteen seasons. 



Here is a comparison for you : 



15 



Of course Stockwell got 17 classic winners to Voltigeur's i, but you cannot ignore 

 a horse that gets winners of such weight-for-age as the Ascot and Doncaster Cups 

 and the Great Yorkshire Stakes, the latter race being run at the St. Leger weights 

 and distance. Voltigeur got Sabreur, Vedette, Zetland and Skirmisher as winners 

 of this race, Sabreur winning the Doncaster Cup once, Vedette twice and Skirmisher 

 the Ascot Cup at three years old, beating Gemma di Vergy, Saunterer, Fisherman and 

 Arsenal. How any sane man can call such a horse as Voltigeur "a failure in the stud" 

 after such a showing as this, passes my comprehension. Skirmisher was also a full 

 brother to the Ranger, the first horse to win the Grand Prix de Paris and sire of the 

 imported horse Ulrlan who won the Doncaster Cup in 1873. I hold that the classic 

 events are a good test of a sire's precreative powers but far from infallible. Nobody 

 would think of calling Touchstone a failure, would he? Yet the interesting fact 

 remains that Touchstone never got a winner of the Doncaster, Ascot or Goodwood 

 Cups nor of the Queen's Vase, his only cup winner being Vanity who won the Chester 

 Cup and that race is a handicap and not at weight for age. 



In a similar way I have heard men say Blair Athol was a failure at the stud. In 



