Arrowfield Stud Dispersal Wednesday 16th April 1924
Featured Image: Front Cover (Leather Bound) and Sale Promotion for the sale in 1924
I acknowledge the great gift of my good friend Bill Moses for this treasured copy of the sale catalogue.
Introduction (by the combine selling agents H Chisholm & Co. and William Inglis & Son Ltd)
The dispersal of the famous Arrowfield Stud must rank as the most important sale of its kind that has ever taken place in the Commonwealth up to the present time, for Arrowfield, which is one of the largest studs in point of numbers we have, can also boast to shelter in its luxuriant paddocks some of the best brood mares in Australasia.
It was founded some fourteen years ago by its present owners, Messrs W & F A Moses, who prior to acquiring Arrowfield, had been successful breeding thoroughbreds at Combadello, near Moree, in a small way. The Messrs Moses, when they bought Arrowfield, had no other projects in mind than the establishment of a first-class stud, and no expense of any kind was spared either on the bloodstock or property to bring this to a successful issue.
The Arrowfield property consisting as it does of over 2000 acres of the famous Hunter River land, has proved itself eminently suitable for the production of high-class horses, and it is only necessary to mention a few names like Poitrel, St Carwyne, Radnor, Sir Alwynton, Nightwatch, Heroic and Quintus, who are all recent products of the stud to prove this eloquently.
The Hunter flows right through the property and the stock not only have the advantage of the rich alluvial flats, but the undulating hills at the back of the property make it an ideal situation for the breeding of the Thoroughbred.
In building up the Arrowfield Stud to the big concern it is today, the Messrs Moses have always maintained a very high standard of quality, and while they have added to their stock by frequent importations of very high class sires and mares, they have never lost sight of the great value of our own blood lines such as Fisherman, Goldsborough, and Musket, but have zealously preserved them by reserving from time to time the best fillies containing this blood produced by the stud. Such mares as Tressamita, Girilah, Beanbri, Carthona, Emita, Emelie, etc., all come under this heading, and the continued success of their families is the answer to the wisdom or otherwise of their breeders’ policy in preserving these wonderfully valuable lines of blood which in most cases have been sadly neglected by the average Australian breeder of late years.
The English purchases of the stud have always been made with due regard to individuality and breeding, and no stallion has been used at Arrowfield who had not he necessary qualifications of type, soundness and performances. Earlston*, Roseworthy*, Valais*, and the three most recent importations, were all proved performers of high class, while the English mares imported have one an all been beautiful individuals of the highest breeding and type. When such names as Chersonese*, a daughter of the famous Chelandry, and already he dam of Heroic: Pistole*, another beautifully bred Chelandry descendent; Cymbala*, the dam of Perseus; Desmine*, dam of Quintus; Cant*, by Cicero; Wanda M*, by Sunstar etc., it will be readily seen that the English bred mares ar Arrowfield represent the best and most fashionable blood in the world today.
The stallions in this catalogue to be offered afford Australian breeders a unique opportunity, for when Valais* comes into the ring they will be given the chance of buying the most successful young stallion that has ever been imported from England. His record as a sire, which is superfluous to dwell upon in this introduction, is an unparalleled example of continuous success from the very outset of his stud career. If Valais* represents the best English bred young sire in Australia, few people who have seen Poitrel’s wonderful performances on our racecourses, and have seen him since he has reached stallion estate will differ with the statement that Poitrel should be on all counts the best Asutralian bred sire available today. As yet, his progeny are unproved, but if looks and type count at all there is little to fear of Poitrel’s ultimate success as a sire.
Breeders and racing men throughout Australia should realise what a sale of stock such as contained in this catalogue really means to the big industry that the breeding of the Thoroughbred in Australasia has become. This dispersal surely supplies to them a chance of a lifetime, and it is with the great confidence that we ask them to attend an absolutely genuine sale such as the Dispersal of the Arrowfield Stud undoubtedly is.
H Chisholm & Co
The Metropolitan Building (2nd Floor)
Hunter Street
Sydney
William Inglis & Son Ltd
28 O’Connell Street
Sydney
Auctioneers in conjunction
*Denotes imported from England
Summary of Sale:
The sale comprised 4 stallions (Valais*, Poitrel, St Alwyne, Jim Craig), 111 mares, 14 miscellaneous stock and 7 yearlings: Total lots = 136
The gross for the sale was 60,858 and ½ Guineas.