The following brief _résumé_ of the yearling sales of 1889-90 will give
readers a good illustration of the prices referred to in the preceding
pages:
Recent sales almost indicate a return of the sensational prices which
were the rule a good many years ago, when baby blood stock seemed to
many buyers worth "thousands upon thousands"; very fair averages have
at all events been obtained, and in one or two individual cases, big
prices were the order of the day. The number of yearlings of both
sexes which changed hands throughout the season of 1889, ending about
the middle of October, was 662, the produce of 189 different sires.
The average reached was, as near as possible, 300 gs., the total sum
realised, by public sales in that year being 195,358 gs.
The figures which follow will afford a means of comparing the average
prices obtained for yearlings sold during the seven years ending with
1890
1884 544 Yearlings Average of 268 gs.
1885 524 " " 257 "
1886 521 " " 215 "
1887 639 " " 200 "
1888 592 " " 151 "
1889 662 " " 300 "
1890 454 " " 362 "
_The_ price of 1889, it may be mentioned before going further, was
4,000 gs., paid by Colonel North for a colt by St. Simon, out of
Garonne. Four colts by St. Simon changed hands at the very excellent
average of 2,150 gs., but the distinction of yielding the highest
average belongs to Isonomy, five colts of that celebrated sire fetching
the splendid total of 11,880 gs.
Giving precedence to "Her Majesty's yearlings," we find that a lot of
twenty-seven came to the hammer, three of which changed hands for 5,000
gs., one of the number, according to "Ruff," passing to Colonel North
at a cost of 3,000 gs., a brown colt by Hampton, out of Landend. In the
same lot was a chestnut colt by Bend Or, which brought only a hundred
short of these figures, and there was a Springfield, which brought 50
gs. more than the Bend Or yearling; other four passed out of the Royal
paddocks at Bushey Park for 1,640 gs., so that Her Majesty's breeding
establishment must, in 1889, have earned such a handsome profit, as may
help to reconcile Parliamentary economists to the continuance of the
Royal Stud.
Coming now to individual sires, the figures show that Hermit, or, at
all events, Blankney, maintained a good place, although his average
exhibited a great falling-off when compared with some former years. It,
however, reached 921 gs. for each of six yearlings, which is better
than the return shown in the previous year, which gave an average of
700 gs. for five. One yearling, by Hermit or Galopin, is put down in
the list of sales as having brought a sum of 1,950 gs. sterling. One
prolific sire is credited with an average of 464 gs., for sixteen
yearlings: St. Gatien, the property of Mr. John Hammond, contributed
two of his "get" to the year's sales, at the price of 910 gs., a
fair commencement. The Springfields (seven) changed hands at good
quotations, making an average of 443 gs. Zenophon has five yearlings to
his credit, and Wisdom double that number. The average of the latter
horse's yearlings was 801 gs., and of those of the former 504 gs.
respectively.
The highest price obtained has been stated above, 4,000 gs., the lowest
may now be chronicled; it was 8 gs. for a foal by Savoyard out of
Bohemian Girl. The heaviest individual buyer of yearlings throughout
the season, and other blood stock, was Colonel North, who would require
to write a big cheque in order to square his account. As is shown by
the table, the sales have been very good both as regards individual
prices, and the average, which as can be seen is more than double
that of the year 1888, and considerably above that of 1884, which was
thought excellent at the time. Six of the lots brought to the hammer
in 1890 realised averages of from £445 to £928. Mr. Snarry's three
produced the splendid return of £3,771; one of his, indeed, topped the
list in 1888, and fetched the very handsome figure of £2,800, whilst
three others which changed hands, did so to the tune of £2,600 each; in
1887, the big figure of 3,000 gs. was obtained for one colt, whilst a
series of good prices were got for a few of the other yearlings.
Some excellent prices were made during the yearling sales of 1890. The
Royal foals in particular were in great demand. The twenty colts which
changed hands produced the handsome total of about 13,820 gs., which
represents a high average; one of the number alone, however, fetched
5,500 gs. Others also brought good prices; large sums for individual
yearlings was the rule, close upon sixty animals being knocked down
at prices ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 gs., which must have recalled
old times and prices to the memories of many racing men, whilst the
names of the buyers would probably bring back to very many now on the
turf recollections of the Hastings' era and the brave days of the
Middle Park sales. The filly by St. Simon, which cost Baron Hirsch
5,500 gs. at the Queen's sale, represents in interest alone for the
money expended, an annual sum at five per cent. of pretty nearly
£300. A chestnut colt, by Sterling, cost Mr. D. Baird 2,000 gs. Lord
Dudley, among his other purchases, gave 3,000 gs. for a colt and filly
respectively; at another sale the same nobleman paid 2,100 gs. for a
brown filly by Paradox, out of Wheatsheaf.
It would take up too much space to enumerate all the individual sales
of the season at big prices; but it may be mentioned that one of the
yearlings bought by Mr. Maple cost that gentleman the sum of 4,000 gs.
Another big price was 3,100 gs. paid by Mr. Daly for a Springfield
colt, which is 100 gs. less than was given by Colonel North for a St.
Simon filly. Mr. H. Bass also figured among the buyers of high-priced
yearlings, one of which, a Sterling filly, cost him 3,000 gs.; and,
summing up these figures, we find that seven of the yearlings which
changed hands at the summer sales, realised a total of 24,000 gs.
Some excellent averages were obtained at Bushey Park, for instance
(Her Majesty's), where three yearlings only made less than 100 gs. The
Yardley Stud yearlings (first lot) were sold at good figures; only one
of the fifteen made less than a hundred, whilst one animal brought
as much as 2,000 gs. In the second lot of fourteen was included Mr.
Bass's cheque of 3,000 gs. The figures realised by the Park Paddock
animals were as follows: 120, 730, 1,050, 300, 3,000, 1,050, and 2,100
gs. Other sales might be pointed to at which fine averages were also
obtained, such as that of the Leybourne Grange yearlings, at which the
lowest price realised was 120 gs., the highest sum obtained being 700
gs., the total amount given for the twelve lots being 4,460 gs. The
lots put up by the Waresley Stud, as also by Mr. Beddington and Mr.
Hoole, also brought good figures.
It would serve no good purpose to continue the analysis, but it may be
stated that, in the course of 1890, 654 yearlings of both sexes were
exposed for sale at the average price of about 362 gs., the total sum
realised for the season's sales being 236,608 gs. The two sires which
stand out with prominence are St. Simon, with an average for nine of
2,150 gs., and Ormonde, for two, with an average of 2,000 gs. The
highest price obtained for any one of the yearlings has already been
chronicled; the lowest sum realised, it may be stated, was 11 gs.
The foregoing statistics will serve to show that the breeding of blood
stock is profitable, and that there is still a demand for good strains
of blood, for which big sums of money are never grudged, although it
is exceedingly rare to find the more expensive purchases showing to
advantage on the racecourses of the kingdom.
It is somewhat pitiful, or, it may be said, painful, to find men--and
among them members of Parliament--crying, more or less loudly, "down
with sport." Such persons assuredly know not what they say, seeing
that "sport" provides thousands of families every year with food,
raiment, and habitation; the money usually expended on the up-keep of
race-horses and hunters being largely distributed among those who are
generally termed the "working classes." With regard to the cost of
sport on the turf, it must be kept in view that the interest accruing
on the prices paid for the animals amounts in itself to a large sum
annually.
Take, by way of example, the sums expended by one gentleman in the
purchase of blood stock, and let us call the amount £10,000; that of
itself means £500 per annum, for which it is just possible he may
never see any return, and have the keep of the horses, the entries,
travelling expenses for trainer and grooms, and jockeys' fees to pay,
a class of expenditure that may certainly be averaged at not less than
£300 per annum for each animal.
As to the cry, which has been already referred to, of "down with
sport," it is most unjust, and is probably seen to be so, even by
the more ignorant of those to whom it was first addressed. "Down
with sport," would mean the loss of daily bread to thousands who are
employed in stables and in agriculture. Training stables cannot be
built without masons, carpenters, and other workmen. Horse clothes
employ our weavers, and harness-making gives remunerative employment
to hundreds. The farrier in his forge feels all the better for there
being 10,000 race-horses in the country, helpers in stables do not go
without clothes, and racing grooms and jockeys will annually require,
at least, 15,000 suits. Horses are fed on the best of oats and hay, and
to provide this forage, two or three thousand persons will contribute
a share of their labour. Important race meetings attract myriads of
spectators, and so our railways flourish, and our hotel-keepers and
their servants thrive. Over one million sterling is earned every year
by servants and others who are dependent on the great national pastime
of horse-racing. I am taking, in the foregoing remarks, sport as I find
it. Some people will say that the oats eaten by horses would be better
if given to men as food; but that mode of argument can be made to go
in a circle. Men must have recreation, and nothing will prevent them
picking out the pastime they like best. So much for the cry of "down
with sport."