February'09 - Greyhounds Queensland

TWO greyhound pedigree enthusiasts,Brisbane's Sue Burley and England's JamesMcCormick have brought into question thelong-held belief bulldogs were crossed withgreyhounds with success back in the 18thcentury.There is a widespread acceptance amongthe industry that the famous blue bitchCZARINA descended from a greyhoundbulldogcross, an experiment by Lord Orfordin the late 18th century shortly before he wasto become famous in the world of coursing asthe owner of a kennel of champions.Lord Orford was the founder of the firstcoursing club, Swaffham Coursing Society,in 1776.CZARINA was the unbeaten winner of 47challenges and according to legendresponsible for altering the genes of thegreyhound population.Whelped in 1778 according to the AltcarStud Book, other reports state 1779 and 1781,she is said to have whelped her only litterwhen 13.Burley and McCormick have researchedthe background of Lord Orford and his famousgreyhound bitch and have come to theconclusion the bulldog influence is a myth.They believe Lord Orford's life wassurrounded in mystery and fabrication andmuch of what has been written about him issimply wrong and mis-reported.A report they put together recently onCzarinaCzarina follows (in part).:One of the great myths perpetuated bygreyhound authors and coursing journalistsfor more than 200 years, concerns the reporteddeath of Lord Orford on the coursing fieldshe so loved.The truth may be less spectacular butvery much in keeping with his erraticbehaviour and enigmatic character. Thefollowing is an account written at the time:-“Lord Orford’s coursing zeal remainedwith him to the last. No day was too long -no weather too severe for him. His deathwas rather remarkable.On the day when his favourite bitchCZARINA was due to run a match of someconsequence, nothing could restrain himfrom appearing on the field on his piebaldpony, though the state of his health wouldhave made his chamber a fitter place forhim than such a scene of excitement.The greyhounds were started, andCZARINA won. During the course he couldnot be dissuaded from riding after the dogs;particularly as his favourite bitch displayedShiokazeBlue Fawn, Sept '03, 33.1kgs(Yo Yo's Boy-Alanna Princess)28 starts, 18 wins, 3 2nds, 2 3rds.Track RecordsGold Coast 401m 22.64 (ht)Albion Park 395m 22.55Gold Coast 457m 25.58Won Awesome FouresomeCapalaba (19.67)Albion Park 30.14Trainer Ron Ball declared him asfast as any dog he has trained.Fee: $300. Frozen semen available. Natural Serviceavailable to proven broodbitches & city performed bitches.Ph Wayne Musgrave 0421 994492If you need proof these matings will work ... ring me!Sire: WHITE RIVER (Cry Havoc-Belle Shiraz by Black Shiraz)Sensational Victorian sprinter. Held Sale 520m track record 29.22secs. Winner Dave Hodgson Memorial(SP, Beating Ben's Fury, Two Up Larry, Pastrena Bale, Return The King, Smack Wallop), Sandown 29.59,29.69, 29.84 and 29.88. 2nd to Sun Hero in Warrnambool Cup. Brother to True Believer, True Steel.1st Litter out of ... SPIDERWIRE (Spiderbite damline)(Exceptional-Silence Her a daughter of Go Wild Teddy's dam Web Of Silence)Albion Park and Ipswich winner. Her first litter to Primo Uno produced Don't Tell Bec (9 starts, 5 wins, 22nds, 2 3rds, 520m Albion Park 30.49, 431m Ipswich) the only pup from litter. Spiderwire's litter to WhiteRiver again reinforces the successful nick with Black Shiraz, and the Head Honcho-Web Of Silence crossthat produced Go Wild Teddy (champion sprinter) and Mean Bean (Nat Derby). This mating doubles-up thefamous Wee Sal. 2 dogs, 3 bitches for sale. Whelped 1-1-09. Price $7002nd Litter out of ... KEEN BUZZ (Keen To Go damline)(Harvard Bale-Keen Express by Modern Express)Winner Albion Park and Ipswich and a litter sister to superstar galloper OWEY (54 wins, Tville Cup, Gatewayto the Top Alb Pk, 3 Young Guns, Tville TR). This is the damline of champion producer Keen To Go. KeenBuzz's litter to White River produces a double to famous broodbtich Mandalass. There is also a double-up ofUS Half of Famer Downing and a double in immediate tail of both damlines the famed Victorian broodbitchMable Alice (the Hopeful Light damline). 3 dogs, 2 bitches for sale. Whelped 21-12-08. Price $800.Contact: Denis Rouse 0428 786020, Brendan Rouse 07 49875131her superiority at every turn; when in themoment of his highest exultation and in theeagerness of his triumph, he fell from hispony, whether occasioned by apoplexy ornot is unknown, but he almost immediatelyexpired.”This account is known to owners,breeders, and greyhound enthusiasts,however, in a collection of letters written byLady Dorothy Nevill, a descendent of LordOrford, there is a very different account andthis was published in 1906:-“A great patron of the sport, heeventually met his death through taking adive from a window. A coursing match wasgoing on close by, and eager to see it, heseems to have been in too great a hurry toadopt the conventional method of going outby the door.”These extracts illustrate the turmoil in LordOrford’s life during the time and period whenthe mythology regarding the crossing of abulldog with a greyhound was founded.It would seem Lord Orford’s chief stewardwas unable to read or write, and the hiredworkers would hardly have been capable ofsensibly recording any worthwhile breedingproject, and this casts serious doubt to theclaims surrounding the evolvement of abulldog cross and the possibility thechampion greyhound CZARINA could havebeen conceived in this manner.We are of the strong opinion the moderngreyhound has not inherited any genes whichpurport to have arrived as a result of crossbreeding of this kind.We are also of the opinion the emergenceof Lord Orford as the owner of championgreyhounds is unlikely to have beenconnected in any way to the alleged crossbreeding which might, or might not, have takenplace.Most of the 18th century coursing ownersand breeders seemed to have a need for selfglorification,which they hoped to achievethrough the prowess of their greyhounds.Perhaps it was thought a little secrecy waswarranted to prevent others from tapping intotheir successful strains.* Due to whelp ... White River-Imported OrchidWas it the very successful coursingdynasties of Lord Orford and ColonelThornton that unintentionally created themythology and the legend of the bulldogbreed?It is certain CZARINA’s supposedpedigree has become legend and it has beenaccepted for many years her ancestry is seventimes removed from the bulldog cross. Howdid this become a fact which was allowed toprosper and yet never seriously refuted byany coursing journalist or greyhound writerfor more than 200 years?Was it possible there was such an absenceof proving documentation?Lord Orford established the first coursingclub in 1776 at Swaffham.Coursing prior to the formation of clubslike Swaffham in 1776, Ashdown Park in 1780and Malton in 1781 under the auspices ofColonel Thornton and Major Topham, were aprivate affair mainly upon and over the estatesof landed gentry.Tenant farmer coursing meetings wereheld on occasion and the farmers were invitedto compete against his Lordship or the Squirewith their own greyhounds.One prominent coursing tenant farmerJohn Purser, of the Duke of Bedford’s Estate,owned champion Pilot born in 1820. Pilot isthe direct male-line descendant of 95% of allthe greyhounds in the world today.We believe there is sufficient evidence torepudiate the belief of CZARINA’sconnection with Lord Orford’s bulldogexperiments.The supposed acceptance of her partbulldog pedigree by coursing writers duringthe period which preceded the firstGreyhound Stud Books of Thomas Goodlakeand Thomas Thacker has flourished right upto now.Until that time little was revealed as togreyhound pedigrees, which might explainhow it was possible for myth to become fact.Since the supposed experiment of LordOrford, which was regarded as a success,others have experimented with the bulldogcross and the prevalent opinion is theproduce has a tendency to run by nose.We believe the modern greyhound hasnot inherited any genes from the Englishbulldog.We believe some hidden truths wereperpetuated by the secrecy of Lord Orford,and perhaps later by Colonel Thornton whoacquired at auction, soon after his Lordship’sdeath, CZARINA along with the sire of herlitter of eight, JUPITER.That litter included CLARET, the sire ofchampions MAJOR and SNOWBALL. Wasit Lord Orford’s secrecy surrounding hisbulldog and other cross pedigrees which wasnot repudiated by Colonel Thorntonfollowing his purchase of many of thosegreyhounds.It has always been assumed Lord Orfordbred CZARINA himself, but from what hasbeen written in the Sporting Magazines of1802, and 1805, a period closer to thehappenings we have described, and relatingto greyhounds and coursing some twodecades before Thomas Goodlake’s first StudBook, some doubt exists.The 1802 Sporting Magazine makes adirect link as to who bred CZARINA bynaming William Woodley as her breeder. Thisassertion is repeated in the May 1805 issue:-“SNOWBALL was got by ColonelThornton’s CLARET (who never lost amatch) who was got by Colonel ThorntonsJUPITER who’s grandsire was JAVELINand great grand sire BLUE JUPITER allhaving been bred at Thornton Royal, hisgreat grand sire was RAINHAM CLARETwho was out of Lord Orfords famousThe (February, 2009) Journal Page 22