“I do not agree with Mr. Green when he says we have too much St. Simon blood. The real trouble is we have not sufficient suitable sires with which to mate our mares possessing strains of St. Simon.” Andrew Robertson, The Argus 1913
Much has been made of trainer Harry Telford’s obsession with bloodlines and pedigrees. There is such a fine line between inspired and fluke.
In the last round of the 2005 US Masters, Tiger Woods was standing on the fringe of the 16th green at Augusta, his score level with co-leader Chris DiMarco. Staring long and hard at the pin, Woods wondered how the hell he was going to get his ball anywhere near the flag. This deceptively treacherous hole called “Redbud”, with a lake down one side, is a picturesque par three Augusta nightmare. The problem facing Woods, a green sloping so steeply to the front and from where he was positioned level with the hole off to the side, should he attempt a chip straight at the flag, unless he could somehow defy physics, his ball would not slow up and, in all likelihood, keep rolling until it disappeared off the front of the green. Woods continued pacing up and down and around the green, pondering his dilemma, intently eyeing the slope until he finally summed up his situation and figured out a shot Pythagoras would be proud of. As he placed his club behind the ball, Woods knew anything less than perfection would probably result in a bogie or worse, losing the championship. A hushed crowd waited expectantly.
Woods eventually hit his ball from the rough cut grass off the side of the green, up the sharp sloping back of the green at just the right depth and angle, allowing the ball to stop then gradually make its way back down the slope. In what seemed like an eternity, his ball slowly ran all the way to the lip of the hole, stopped for the briefest of moments, only to then drop in for a birdie followed by a thunderous explosion of applause from a gobsmacked crowd. Woods won the Masters in 2005 after a playoff he would not have made had it not been for “that” shot. He worked it out and he meant to do it. Could he do it again? Well, he is Tiger Woods but even then you would think his chances were slim. Also, you can be plain lucky.
It may not have been entirely chance how Harry Telford found Phar Lap. Not a blind fluke but from a distance, Telford managed to pull off one of the luckiest and most inspired buying guesses of all time. Even at the time, there was scepticism in Telford stating he picked Phar Lap out of a catalogue on the strength of just his yearling’s bloodline.
“A few years ago somebody asked Telford what made him fancy Phar Lap as a yearling. Telford replied that after making a careful analysis of the pedigrees of the yearlings he was attracted by the excellence of the breeding of the Night Raid-Entreaty colt. Many people refused to accept that explanation, and attributed the success of the choice as being something in the nature of a fluke.”The Australasian 19 November 1938
Often used as “proof” of his obsession with Phar Lap in this auction catalogue, and with Carbine, comes from Telford pasting Phar Lap’s handwritten bloodline onto a piece of ply. He circled important horses in the tree such as Flair, her dam Glare, Stockwell and Entreaty’s dam, grandam and great grandam Prayer Wheel, Catherine Wheel and Miss Kate. Yet for someone who was supposedly obsessed by this family tree, vast bloodstock knowledge and complete focus on Phar Lap for months on end before this 1928 auction, Harry Telford suddenly sends an urgent letter off to his brother saying, “Forget what I said about Phar Lap, don’t buy him, buy the Tea Tray colt instead?” Why? Because quote, he felt the Tea Tray colt offered more promise.* There goes oracle out the window. Mercifully for Telford, his letter to his brother to alter his choice reached Hugh Telford too late, so he was now stuck with his original pick. If you really want to know about luck in this story, it is there in just that sliding door scenario. One should also be asking why Telford was looking so intently at this bloodline in the first place. Long before Telford picked out Phar Lap, for over a decade and a half prior to 1928, bloodstock agent Andrew Robertson very publicly advocated in Australasia for stronger representation of the Bend Or sire line to be matched with St. Simon dam lines.
*The Mirror 27 February 1954, page 18
Since his victory in 1910 Melbourne Cup with Comedy King, bookmaker Sol Green’s stud operations were going from strength to strength at his farm Shipley, outside Warrnambool. Green had always been contradictory. Having Comedy King, a direct descendent of St. Simon through Persimmon, as the farm’s main sire being a prime example of the bookie’s mercurial nature. Comedy King won over £12,000 in stakes, then went on to top the sire's list twice including siring two Melbourne Cup winners, Artilleryman and King Ingoda. Green appeared on one hand to be a devotee to all things St. Simon, and with an obvious vested interest in seeing a St. Simon sire line continued, he still advocated a new direction for Australian bloodlines. He suggested Australian thoroughbred bloodlines were too predisposed to the sire lines of Galopin and especially through his son St. Simon, thinking this bad for breeding and the long term development of racing. The glaring contradiction being Comedy King presented as one of Persimmon’s greatest sons and a true boon to Australian thoroughbred breeding. In short, Comedy King became Green’s ongoing advertisement for a St. Simon sireline in Australia. Equally as contradictory were Green’s own statements showing him an avid devotee of St. Simon.
“St. Simon was the greatest racing thoroughbred that the world has ever known, and possibly ever will again be seen either on the racecourse or in the harem.” Green, Sol “My Lifetime in Racing – The Story of Two Great Racehorses” No 9: The Truth, August 6, 1936
Sol Green did not specify in his 1913 statement where this new blood would be coming from. Just wary of the predominance of St. Simon’s bloodline, feeling it would slow the long-term advancement of Australia breeding. The more cynical among breeders, and when it came to the subject of Sol Green, that was almost everyone in the racing community, figured the comments were more aimed at Green attempting to garner extra publicity.
Andrew Robertson did not fully endorse this point of view of St. Simon blood being replaced but felt Green’s suggestion needed clarifying. Whether Sol Green particularly wanted the international bloodstock agent’s opinion he was going to have it, regardless. Anyway, it created a good opportunity for both men to crank up the publicity machine for their respective stud operations: Shipley and Allendale Stock Farm.
These statements urging breeding away from a St. Simon sire line did seem incredible to most Australian breeders of the day. You would have to be some Nostradamus in 1913 to be suggesting a St. Simon’s sire line was not the best sire line to pursue. After Comedy King winning in 1910, the next eleven runnings of the Melbourne Cup saw eight won by horses possessing a St. Simon bloodline.* St. Simon is still considered one of the greatest and most influential sires of all time. After being undefeated in ten starts he began a stud career that would prove nothing short of extraordinary.** But then his progeny started to breed, especially Persimmon and their get came to dominate racing throughout Great Britain, North America, South America and Australasia. The Melbourne Cup in particular and Australasian racing in general skewed towards the St. Simon sire line, this was not the case in England. Of the UK Triple Crown over the same period, the Epsom Derby only produced two St. Simon sire line winners, St. Leger one and 2,000 Guineas, none. Robertson penned an open letter to "The Australasian" to better explain his thoughts.
“I do not agree with Mr. Green when he says we have too much St. Simon blood. The real trouble is we have not sufficient suitable sires with which to mate our mares possessing strains of St. Simon"*
* Melbourne Cup winners 1911 The Parisian, 1912 Piastre, 1913 Posinatus, 1917 Westcourt, 1918 Night Watch, 1919 Artilleryman, 1920 Poitrel, 1922 King Ingoda & 1928 Statesman all come from a St. Simon sire line.
**From Memoir’s Epsom Oaks and St. Leger win in 1887, his progeny dominated English racing: Semolina, La Fleche, Amiable, Persimmon, St. Frusquin, Desmond, Diamond Jubilee, William the Third, Chaucer and Rabelais all made a significant impact and would make a further impact after their racing careers were finished. St. Simon’s 420 live foals won nearly 600 races, many of which is the most important on the English calendar.
Displaying thorough knowledge of the situation, Andrew Robertson goes on to identify what he believes are the two best “Bend Or” sires for the job: Cyllene’s sons Cicero and Polymelus. The other possible horse was Spearmint, sired by Carbine. But as Carbine originated from New Zealand and there were so many mares in Australasia at the time carrying the blood of Musket (sire of Carbine), it would not have been seen as prudent to have a sire from the same bloodline. Not that that has necessarily stopped breeders in the past. Green used Robertson’s advice in England a few times when helping to select mares for "Shipley". It was decided collectively between Sol Green and Allen and George Tye, owners of Allendale Stock Farm, to try and import Cicero to Australia in dual ownership. After much toing and froing, in the end, Robertson's attempt to import Cicero proved a futile exercise.
Their frustrated attempt to snaffle Cicero, displays just how accurately, and passionately, Andrew Robertson predicted the sire line of Cyllene and other Bend Or lines to start dominating racing. A century later this sire line saturates the blood of horse racing in every country. There is hardly a winner in the last 60 years and especially the last thirty years around the world where a “Bend Or” bloodline is not coming down the sire line in spades. Even though Andrew Robertson did not directly import a Bend Or sire during this period, his trumpeting of this sire line would have huge implications on the direction of Australia's thoroughbred breeding.
During World War One, William and Fred Moses of the famous Arrowfield Stud located in the Upper Hunter Valley, NSW travelled over to England and beat all other Australian breeders to the punch. Lord Rosebery’s manager J. Edmunds purchased for the brothers a Cicero colt, Valais in December 1918 along with several of Rosebery's mares, one being Chersonese, the future dam of Heroic.* For the Moses Brothers, the 3,500 guineas price tag turned out to be a bargain. An unproven, unheralded sire, many thought the Moses brothers’ purchase of Valais an incredibly expensive risk. Of course, it was. Valais had only been through one light season of eight mares and since all the foals were still yearlings, Valais was very much an unknown quantity as a sire. Just as well, for the purchase price would have skyrocketed had it been known he was producing winners from the first. Valais probably would not have left England, but just as Andrew Robertson publicised five years earlier, using Cyllene’s bloodline with St. Simon mares would prove a masterstroke in breeding great racehorses in Australia.
* Tattersall's Club Magazine November 1930
The Robertson brothers and Harry Telford were family friends for nearly 30 years before Phar Lap came along. Since 1910 to when Harry Telford saw Phar Lap’s bloodline supposedly screaming out like a siren in the 1928 Trentham catalogue, Telford knew both publicly and privately Andrew Robertson’s thoughts on a Bend Or sire line being matched with a St. Simon mare well before Trentham. Whether Andrew Robertson pursuing such a high profile son of Cyllene influenced the Moses brothers into importing Valais six years later into Australia is academic. What is certain, the influence Valais had on this sire line and Australian breeding when his ensuing multitude of winners, including Heroic and Manfred, began stamping their greatness upon racing, has been phenomenal. From that moment on, it is not difficult to see what Telford was looking at when he saw Phar Lap’s Bend Or/Stockwell sire line. Many would believe Telford to be obsessed by Carbine/Musket blood. Being a long-time family friend of Andrew Robertson and knowing bloodstock agent Ken Austin and their thoughts on this matter, crosses with Musket on both the sire and dam sire side was in effect the “cherry on top” rather than the real substance of Phar Lap’s breeding. The real prize being a strong Bend Or-Stockwell sire line, combined with multiple crosses on both sides with St. Simon and Galopin then having Carbine, Musket, Isonomy, Minting, Newminster and the highly influential imported mare Miss Kate all helping to make up this potent genetic mix. However, while all the attention may have been focused on Carbine, Bend Or and St. Simon, a large chunk of Phar Lap’s genetics lie in his 12 crosses back to Stockwell which saturates both sides of this champion’s family tree. Also, there are 21 crosses back to Stockwell’s dam, Pocahontas. Both horses supposedly containing the genetic “X” factor of large hearts.
History has a way of leading future generations down a distorted, if not mythical path. The notion of Harry Telford as a bloodstock wizard, academically picking Phar Lap out of a catalogue may be gilding the lily ever so slightly. Comparing his bloodstock choices both before and especially after Phar Lap, when money was no longer a problem, makes for sober reading. His yearling selections were in the main nothing short of deplorable and helped grease the wheels to a fast track back to destitution. There is not one other single buying choice or breeding created by Harry Telford that could be even remotely described as a consistent Group 1 winner much less anything approaching a superstar.
Harry Telford’s decision to purchase Phar Lap may have had less to do with his bloodstock skills and Carbine and more with looking at what was happening in the thoroughbred bloodstock world at this time, Andrew Robertson, the Moses brothers, dumb luck and panic. It is interesting to note an extensive article appearing in “The Referee”, early February 1929. Three weeks before Phar Lap’s first race. Written by “Warraree” he goes into detail and the importance of a Stockwell-Bend Or bloodline. The article focuses on the line's growing dominance especially through Cyllene, Polymelus and Phalaris.
“The phenomenal success of the Polymelus-Phalaris tribe in recent years is sufficient evidence that the great Stockwell line, which probably reached its greatest point of development when it produced Bend Or, still retains in vitality in England as it does in Australasia. Cyllene was a grandson of Bend Or. This great line is so strongly represented in Australia and New Zealand…” The Referee 6 February 1929
The one horse not mentioned in Warraree’s extensive essay into this incredible bloodline is Night Raid. There is no doubt in hindsight Phar Lap ticked all the boxes, yet so too did many other horses at Trentham that day tick all the boxes and look a hell of a lot more like a potential champion racehorse than the awkward Phar Lap. Before Phar Lap made it to the 1928 Trentham sale ring, he was supposedly offered by bloodstock specialist and neighbour Bob Heron on behalf Alec Roberts to Harold Preston of North Otago for only £25.* But declined the offer as Phar Lap looked such a deplorable colt. Preston, in one of those moments like a Decca A&M man rejecting the Beatles, probably wished he could have that moment over again. This story is refuted by farm manager John McDonald who stated later, of not recalling Phar Lap being shown to sale to anyone before going to Trentham.*
*Sporting Globe 8 February 1939 Bob Heron's story was immediately refuted by those in Timaru and according to John McDonald, farm manager at Seadown Stud, never recalls Phar Lap being offered before going to Trentham.
** Evening Post 12 April 1932
In Harry Telford’s version, he first ran the idea of buying Phar Lap by a Sydney syndicate fronted by bookie Bob Price.* Rattling off the merits of the yearling’s bloodline verbatim, Telford's pleas for funds kept landing on deaf ears. Finally, American David Davis took the bait and backed Telford’s bid for his yearling. Once in the Trentham sale ring, there too it is obvious Phar Lap did not look like any sort of superstar racehorse in the making.** Jack Sullings ran the New Zealand arm of David Davis’ Dominion Portrait Company and received a letter from his boss, “…if in town at the time of the sales (could you attend) but don’t put yourself out.” Sullings was first to admit he hardly knew one end of a horse from another. What was more, he left the sale under the impression Phar Lap had already been sold. It was only when he ran into Telford’s brother, Hugh on the way out, who assured him Phar Lap was still to enter the ring, did Sullings return.
* The Mirror 27 February 1954 & Sporting Globe 30 September 1936
** Press, 5 November 1930
***Evening Post 20 May 1929, “Phar Lap – The Untold Story” Pat McCord & Graeme Putt & Sporting Globe 28 May 1930
According to Tommy Woodcock, Harry instructed Hugh Telford while Davis and Sullings had really nothing to do with the purchase. How Davis tells the story, Telford told him of the horse and he instructed Sullings if he was in the area to attend the sales and bid. Imagine having two different stories when it comes to a horse like Phar Lap? History has it that Sid Reid, the personal trainer for Lower Hutt pastoralist Vivian Riddiford* stopped bidding and allowed Hugh Telford or Jack Sullings the winning bid of only 160 guineas for Lot 41, acting on behalf of an “A.J. Davison of Sydney”. A gangly, pimpled or wart covered Phar Lap was on his way to Sydney. Alec Roberts was thrilled. He would have been more than happy with his 75 guineas reserve for Phar Lap.
*Trainer Sid Reid stopped bidding at 150 guineas - Patea Mail, 8 April 1932. Edward Vivian Riddiford (1879-1934) was a very successful New Zealand thoroughbred owner and sheep farmer. At this 1928 Trentham Sales, Riddiford was not well and left early. As the sale of Phar Lap was later in the afternoon, Riddiford was not personally present and his personal trainer Sid Reid did not want to bid higher than what he had been instructed. At 150 guineas, it gave Riddiford the under bid on Phar Lap. Earlier in the sale he also under bid on another successful horse Pink Coat coming down the line of Lord Woolavington’s Hurry On. Patea Mail, 8 April 1932. Riddiford died on the way to London in 1934 and was buried at sea - New Zealand Herald, 25 October 1934
Had Harry Telford been in attendance at the 1928 Trentham auction, history could have turned out very differently. He could well have had second thoughts purchasing Phar Lap. Even beyond his undelivered letter to Hugh to change his bid to the Tea Tray colt, Phar Lap simply did not present well in the ring. Despite his cheap price tag, to most people’s assessment, this huge colt looked as if one of his parents may have mated with a Clydesdale. Also, another peculiarity with Phar Lap as a yearling was his awkwardness in walking. Roberts’ manager John McDonald admitted Phar Lap was incredibly clumsy and walked like there was something almost structurally wrong.* Phar Lap's galloping was a different story where the colt looked magnificent in full flight.* But at Trentham, those present only witnessed a lanky horse with a very strange gait. A couple of lots after bidding successfully for Phar Lap, Hugh Telford forked out 425 guineas for a bay Tea Tray-Graceful filly, Tea Queen from Ian Duncan's, "Elderslie Stud". Apart from winning a few hack races and second divisions, Tea Queen really won nothing of any significance and later as a broodmare produced no winners. Yet at the time, Hugh Telford obviously considered Tea Queen a far more valuable proposition than the ungainly looking thing he just purchased for his desperate brother.
*There is a story told by John McDonald of Phar Lap jumping a high fence as a youngster and then on realising he was in a paddock by himself jumped right back so he could be with his friends. All done with ridiculous ease. The same was said of Carbine and 1966 Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Galilee. Cummings managed to purchase Galilee cheaply for 3500 guineas being far from a perfect horse. Pigeon toed with an offside foreleg being thrown out the side, was nicknamed "Charlie Chaplin". "The Master" Les Carlyon
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