The sun., 1900-11-29
Hercdity illustrated by the English
RacehOrse.

The question, What do We inherit from
our parents? was recently discussed in an
Illuminating way at the Newcastle-upon-
Tyne Royal lnfirmary by DR.. THOMAS
OLIVER, professor of physiology at the
Newcastle College of Medicine. An inter
esting feature Of the lecture was the proof
o. the transmissibiity OF certain parental
qualities adduced from the history Of the
English racehorse.
No horse that was not thoroughbred ever
won the Derby. Curzon, who was Il half
brec all but succeeded in becoming the
exception to the rule, but he Just failed;
he ran second in the Derby Of 1895. 1t is a
significant act that nearly every winner
OF the great races last year was descend
ant Of st. Simon. who did not run in the
Derby because his breeder died while the
horse was a yeaTlng. but who beat the
Derby winner of his year, From first to
last st. Simon was an unbeaten horse He
won easily his last race at High Gosforth
Park as a threeye old, shortly after
which he retired with splendid cons,i-
tuition TO the stud. During this first six
years at the stud he begat stock that won
nD 1t"tI luill IdCfS, FOIltcllNtlN VALUED
at$i,lCo,r9o. Other sires have not equalled.
but have approached him in distinction.
Among these may be mentioned The Baron,
who fifty years ago was the sire of stock
well and Rataplan. animals more valuable
in the stud than on the course Stock.
well was the sire OF Doncaster who was
the sire OF BEND Or who was the sire of
Ormonde. who was the sire Of Orme by
whom was begotten Flying Fox. who won
the Derby in 1899. Here We have a line
Of famous racehorses. which. like that
OF 81, Simon, goes directly b ok to the
barley Arabian. the father Of the best blood
in the racehorses Of to-day. On the ina =
ternal side the strain can be traced back
TO the Godolphin Barb. another sire who
has contributed to the production Of the
distinguished breed.
How do the scxe, differ from one another
as regards peed ia the case OF the race
hor q. DR.. OLIVE does not agree with
those experts who assert that the best mares
arc the bost horses. He comedies that
prol ably a mare at ;wo years old l. better
an horse a, that age. just as girls roach
maturity earlier than boys; he thinks.
l'N'''l' .ihl I'tl'~ ''N'II'Itlf more
q lCkly than horSo-, and. on the whole
com te with them uufGN orahly "a three
year-ods llo points OFT that the Derby
is open TO both sexes, yet during l2o wears
only thre' mares have won that racc
namely. ileanor in 1901. Blink Bonnie in
1851, md Shot"ve' in iSS?. Il may bc said
tht mares are place nj disaGvanta,e
a. regards tho Derby. which Is run in tho
mo IN of May. when mares are not in the
best physical health an spirits. The
mares month is september. when the
st. lerer l. run Here then, is a race in
which mares and horses compete on eaIl.
term Nevertheless, since l176 the ycar
In which / al race was established. mar,s
have My won 20 time, out of loi
II seems, therefore, that, bot in the
Derby aud the -. Lcger, the greatest
spoei has been attained b horses. and
not 10y mares We need no. say thar
In the breeding of racehorses. il j. abso-
ntely necessary that TIE greatest car.
should be taken To mate sires of repute
with mares that are also well bred and
distinguished as racers. An example of