OF THE SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB 129 
THE LAIRD OF NETHERHALL 
46. The shrewdest practitioner in animal types and bloodlines 
since the earliest masters, perhaps the shrewdest of all because 
his material already had passed the refiner’s fire, was the Laird 
of Netherhall, ANDREw Montcomery. Born in the late forties of 
the last century, he was attaining manhood when the superlative 
Prince of Wales (673) was foaled, and grew into his indepen- 
dence in husbandry as this founder of bloodlines developed his 
prestige in showyard and breeding paddock. But even as he 
shaped his career as a breeder of Clydesdales, the star of Darnley 
shone on his firmament, and he was called to make the decision 
the master must always make—what materials, what blood he 
should use. In spite of the enormous prices and popularity of the 
Prince of Wales’ sons, he allied himself with the Darnley blood. 
Rightly had he interpreted the brood successes of Darnley’s 
daughters to the cover of Prince of Wales, rightly did he reason 
that some son of Darnley must transmit the same merits that the 
daughters had bequeathed. As a yearling he acquired Macgregor, 
bluntly declaring at the outset that he had found what he sought. 
And he builded well. A new type of draught economy arose in 
the Macgregor progeny, and a new supreme justice of the Clydes- 
dale court arose in the land. The genius of NETHERHALL’s laird 
overshadowed the pronouncements of those noble veterans, Davip 
RIDDELL and LAWRENCE DREw. 
MontTcomMeEryY’s ultimate triumph was founded in the acquiring 
of Baron’s Pride. This latter horse, foaled May 8, 1890, sprang 
from the loins of Darnley’s rugged grandson, Sir Everard, leading 
showyard sire of his generation. Darnley fathered three notable 
sons, Macgregor, already mentioned, Flashwood and Topgallant. 
Although of powerful make, the last named was the least known 
of these in his day, but through his son Sir Everard and ANDREW 
Montcome_ry’s skillful booking of Baron’s Pride, he was the 
choice of the three to carry forward the torch of improvement. 
