This is the first in a series of articles reviewing full brothers with 20 or more offspring {worldwide} as shown on the Classic Families (CF) database. Many of these sires won classic races, produced classic winners/progeny and contributed to the genetic inheritance of numerous outstanding performers.
There are 160 sires or approximately 75 combinations of brothers (pairs, several threes and a foursome) that make up this group. The four brothers who each achieved 20 plus offspring were from the pairing of Volomite/Margaret Spangler – Attorney, Blackstone, Chief Counsel and Kings Counsel [his arch rival on the track being Adios]. All were foaled late 1930’s/early 1940’s. Margaret Spangler left Spangled Maiden, founder of an extensive and successful family in Australasia.
Looking extensively at those brothers whose influence and impact was mainly in New Zealand, it is often not possible to do this without referring to the overall Australasian scene. Mention will be made of NZ based sires whose brothers may have only stood in Australia and/or North America. The resumes of each horse will be brief. This review looks at several timeframes using a sire’s date of birth as a means of classification.
These siring brothers are a combination of imported and colonial bred stallions. A number of them are out of some of our top producing mares – i.e. those with 5 or more offspring in CF such as Norice, Berthabell, Ayr, Airflow, etc. There are other brothers who successfully produced 20 or more offspring, but do not figure in the CF database with the required number of elite progeny.
Early Days pre 1930’s
The first timeframe being reviewed covers the 50 year period from 1880 – 1930.
ERA (1887)/VIKING (1884) – Childe Harold/Violetta. These brothers were from the imported mare Violetta who was a prominent broodmare of her era. They were full brothers to Violetta Junior, a champion NSW trotting mare of the 1890’s. Violetta left Viking, a 2:34.5 pacer in Australia, who stood at stud in NZ leaving 34 winners and being damsire of Delavan Chimes (Melbourne Thousand, Australian 2yo Pacers race mile record holder). Era, an Australian bred, won many trotting races on the track as well as in the show ring for his owner Horace Bartlett. A successful sire (Silver Boy held the Australian Pacers mile record) and broodmare sire before he was taken to England and ultimately purchased for America, Era was sire of the second dam of an Australian bred winner of the Auckland Cup, Blue Mountain King.
KENTUCKY (1884)/GENERAL TRACEY (1886) – Berlin/Jeanie Tracey. The brothers sire Berlin was the first standard bred stallion to stand at stud in NZ. Berlin was an immediate success in Canterbury siring 84 winners in total. The brothers dam Jeanie Tracey was imported from North America to NZ in foal by Robert Wilkin. She produced seven winners including Kentucky (by Berlin), General Tracey, Mambrino King and Miss Tracey. The champion trotting stallion Kentucky produced 46 winners in total including Kentucky Yet, Queen V and damsire of Adonis, a successful sire mainly in Australia (by Harold Dillon) and dual NZ Cup winner and successful sire Wildwood Junior (by Wildwood), both sires from broodmare gem Thelma. Thelma (Pride of Lincoln family), was our greatest locally conceived broodmare ever. Thelma’s literally thousands of descendants continue to produce many high class winners. General Tracey, was Berlin’s most successful sire whose branch of the family bred on. He was to leave 94 winners including 17 sons who became sires. His winners included Boldrewood (NZ Hcp).
OSTERLEY (1886)/ROTHSCHILD (1889) – Childe Harold/Belle Briggs
Their sire and dam were imported from the USA and these brothers both left an indelible mark on the breed in Australasia. Rothschild was born in NSW,
renamed from Lord Byron on arrival in NZ to avoid confusion with a Clydesdale stallion of the same name. The great Rothschild had an undistinguished racetrack career but in the breeding barn he was the leading stallion of his era., his pedigree appearing deep in many of today’s champions. Among his 318 winners were Albert H/Belmont M/Ravenschild (NZ Cup), Master Raymond (Dominion Hcp), Nora Creina (AK Cup), Pyramid (Rowe Cup), Rockfeller (WA Cup). As a broodmare sire his list of distinguished progeny include Aerial Bingen/Bluewood (Rowe Cup), Childe Pointer/Ciro/Doraldhina (NZ Derby), Kohara (NZ Cup/Derby), Nantwich/President Wilson (GN Derby), Talaro (Ak Cup), Taurekareka (GN/NZ Derby, WA Cup), Kola Girl/Tommy Dillon (WA Cup). Rothschild was the sire of the second dam of Parisienne, one of our greatest ever broodmares. Osterley proved superior to his brother on the racetrack reducing the Australian trotter’s mile record to T2:24.8TT in 1894. Bred by Andrew Town at Richmond (NSW), he stood at Truganina (VIC) from 1894 to 1908 producing 60 winners including 33 sons who became sires. These winners included Emulator and the mare Lightfoot, two leading trotters of their era.He was damsire of Princess Wilkes who set an Australian Trotters Mares mile record in 1923 at Claremont Showgrounds in Perth (T2:15.0TT).
NATIVE KING (1916)/NELSON DERBY (1917) – Nelson Bingen/Norice. Colonial bred brothers by well performed sire especially of trotters in Nelson Bingen (sired winners of ten Rowe Cups, two NZ Cups), they were out of the great imported mare Norice. She was a high class race mare and the founder of a leading maternal family in Australasia. Nelson Derby was a classic winner of races such as AK Cup and GN Derby. He performed splendidly at stud leaving 107 winners including Haughty (2 NZ Cups, NZFFA. dam of Brahman), Plutus (NZFFA). As a broodmare sire, his credits included Casablanca (Dominion Hcp, Rowe Cup), Glint/Petro Star (NZ Oaks), Massacre (ID Pacing G/F), Oreti (USA Governors Cup), Willie Win (NZ Derby). He was sire of Mount Eden’s grand dam in Shepherds Brook. Unlike his full brother, Native King was a leading trotter who took out the Dominion Hcp and Rowe Cup before becoming a most successful sire. Among his 58 winners was Royal Romance (Dominion Hcp) and he was damsire of Maori Home (NZFFA, ID Pacing Consolation). Other full brothers to Native King/Nelson Derby in Nelson Fame and Bingen Boy left few winners.
ARION GUY (1917)/GUY PARRISH (1921) – Guy Axworthy/Margaret Parrish. These two brothers were out of one of the leading broodmares of all time in Margaret Parrish. She was to leave a number of prominent maternal lines through her daughters Eunice Bell, Foster Child, Lady Lux, Margaret Arion and Margaret Castleton. Their sire Guy Axworthy sired both pacers and trotters and was extremely influential as a broodmare sire, second only to Peter The Great of the turn of the century broodmare sires. Guy Parrish was imported into NZ by Etienne Le Lievre. A moderate trotting performer in NZ, almost half of his 84 winners were trotters (41). They included Great Parrish (AK Cup, GN Derby), Parrish Belle (Rowe Cup) while he was damsire of Bronze Eagle (NZ Cup), Captain Sandy (2 ID Pacing G/F’s, 2 AK Cups), Sir Michael (NZFFA, NZ Derby). Full brother Arion Guy time trialled in 1:59½US, won a Kentucky Futurity – 3T, USA Hall of Fame Immortal and his successes in the breeding barn included being damsire of trotter Certissimus.
GREAT BINGEN (1919)/PETER BINGEN (1920)/WORTHY BINGEN (1917) – Nelson Bingen/Berthabell. These three brothers were by Nelson Bingen who finished top of the sires list in 1928-29 and 1929-30, five times placed second and left 219 winners with stake earnings approaching £191,000. Their dam was the immortal Berthabell who had sixteen foals for nine winners. Great Bingen was a high class pacer whose 26 wins included a NZFFA and Australian Championships. He was the first stallion to stand stud duties for Sir John McKenzie leaving 46 winners including Taxpayer/Double Great (NZ Derby). His broodmare sire credits included Bintravis (WA Cup), Bonnidene (GN Derby), Powerful Lady (NZ Oaks), Tapuwae (Rowe Cup). Peter Bingen although starting his career as a trotter, was another high class pacer winning two NZ Cups and a NZFFA . His 45 winners included three time Otahuhu Cup winner Double Peter, Peter Smith and Peters Find (GN Derby) while he was damsire of NZ Derby winner Single Medoro. Worthy Bingen, sire of 33 winners of whom 21 were trotters was rated the best sire of the three brothers by journalist Karl Scott. He was the sire of Worthy Queen whose T2:03.6TT (took 5.4 seconds off previous record) set in 1934 stood as a NZ Trotters mile record for 28 years and Tan John (Dominion Hcp).
Other siring brothers of note, one of whom stood in NZ during this period included :
DENVER HUON(1904)/HONEST HUON (1905) – Huon Junior/Young Leila. These brothers stood at stud on opposite sides of the Tasman. Denver Huon (2:12.0) started his siring career in Australia but did most of his duties in NZ including running second to Ravenschild in the 1913 NZ Cup. His overall siring successes totalled 41. Honest Huon (2:28.5) was less talented than his more famous brother on the track but proved to be the better sire. Tthe sire of 64 winners and damsire of Derby winners Bobby Linden (VIC/SA), Jean Pronto (VIC) and Wantio (NSW).
CORPORAL LEE (1928)/SWORDSMAN (1933) – Peter Volo/Lydia Lee. By imported stallion Peter Volo (six times leading American sire), Swordsman was a good trotting winner. He was the sire of 43 winners, the bulk of them trotters (36) and damsire of Philemon (Dominion Hcp) and Sure Mart (NZ Trotting FFA). His full brother Corporal Lee won the Fox Stakes and many of his offspring won races in Canada including The Count B (4 Canadian Derbies).
INDIANAPOLIS (1929)/MIRACULOUS (1938) – Wrack/Estella Amos. By imported parents, Indianapolis was the first three time winner of consecutive NZ Cup’s, an Auckland Cup and GN Derby. His time trial of 2:00.4 set at Addington in November 1936 was a NZ record. A NZ Hall of Fame inductee, he was the sire of 74 winners including Indian Parrish (Rowe Cup) and damsire of Jewel Derby (Rowe Cup), Le Chant (NZ Trotting FFA), Miracle Watch (VIC/NSW/SA Trotters Derby), Stylish Major (ID Trotting G/F). His brother Miraculous, born in Victoria was in utero when arriving in Australia. He won two heats and placed fourth in Bandbox’s 1947 Interdominion in Perth. He was to sire 55 winners including Acclaim (SA/VIC Derby), Miracle Watch (VIC/NSW/SA Trotters Derbies – inbred with Indianapolis sire of second dam) and damsire of Miracle Note (2 Dullard Cups, SA Trotters Derby), Miracle Time (SA/VIC Trotters Derby).
An Australian threesome of brothers of influence during this period were ROCK HUON (1902) /MARBLE ARCH (1909)/LULU BOY(1907) – Huon Junior/Greta. These sons of Huon Junior were from Greta who left nine winners from nine foals. She was by a wonderful broodmare sire in Vancleve. All three brothers were good performers on the track. Among Rock Huon’s 222 winners, his best son was Machine Brick (Otahuhu Cup). Marble Arch left 55 winners including Marble Ridge (Australian record number of 52 victories). Lulu Boy, considered the best sire of the brothers produced 158 winners with his siring son Royal Lulu leaving Royal Again (WA Cup). Two other full brothers by Huon Junior were Dexter (27 winners) and Galtimore (9 winners).
Part II of the Brothers In Arms series will look at the mid 20th century period 1930 – 1960.
Peter Craig
25 January 2017
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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