|
|
Manton
|
|
 |
|
|
Manton was a moderately successful racehorse who became an influential sire in Poland. Bred and raced by French-born Lady James Douglas, he was born two years after her English Triple Crown-winning colt, Gainsborough, and like him, was by the successful race horse and sire Bayardo, who stood at Alec Taylor's Manton Stud in Wiltshire.
Manton's dam was the french-bred filly, Jane Grey (1900), who was out of the Royal Hampton mare Graceful Girl and by the top french stallion Le Sancy. He was by far her most successful foal in England, the only one to run in top company. At age three he won one £904 race, and was third to long-shot Caligula and Silvern in the Doncaster St. Leger.
In 1922, age five, he was purchased to Poland by Kazimierz Stolpe and Stanislaw Schuch, their decision to buy him based on his pedigree and his handsome appearance. He was much sought after his first few years at stud, but when his offspring did not live up to expectations, he fell out of fashion. Many of his offspring were small, high-strung, and unable to go a distance. His best runners were precocious, fast juveniles.
His best son was the black WAGRAM (1928, out of Ewa by the Melton son Brzask), a precocious youngster who won a number of races at age two, including the A. Potocki Stakes, the Widzow Stakes, the Borowno Stakes, the Ruler Stakes, and the Krasne Stakes, and was second the President of the Polish Republic Stakes. He lacked the stamina to do well in the three-year old classic races. Manton's other successful youngsters included the fast chestnut filly ARROW (1926, out of Zeyneb by San Thiago), and the colts FAGAS (1926, out of Sobotka by Danilo II) and HARPAGON (1926, out of Habe by Con Amore).
|
Grandson Jeremi won the Polish Triple Crown
|
|
Manton's daughter, FORTUNA II (1924, out of Habe by Con Amore (Hungary)), an own sister to Harpagon, proved to be a top broodmare. She was dam of Skarb (1936, by Bafur), one of the best two year olds in the history of Polish racing. He was unbeaten at age two, winning his maiden race by 12 lengths and usually far ahead of the field in his other races. He later became a good sire, especially of broodmares. Skarb's brother, the speedy Pasjans (1934), was the best of his generation, winning eight of his nine races, including the Rulera Stakes and the Wielka Warszawska Stakes (dead-heat with Kitty Villars).
Another Manton daughter, IGLA (1927), produced Jeremi (1935, by Bafur), unbeaten at age three and winner of the Polish Triple Crown (the Rulera, Derby and St. Leger), setting the track record for 3,000 meters in the Polish St. Leger. Jeremi is generally considered the best horse to race in Poland between the two world wars.
|
Manton was third in the leading sire's list in Poland in 1928, with 50 foals winning a total of 188,981 zlotychs, and the following year, supported by 68 winners, rose to second place. In 1930, Wagram's two-year-old year, he became champion sire, with 79 winners; after that he never again appeared in the top three leading sires. However, his fillies proved to be excellent broodmares, and through them he is seen in Polish bloodlines to the present.
--Izabella Dubielczyk
|
|
|
|
