Family C-36: Rosebud

This family, mostly based in New Zealand, is still producing stakes winners, and includes excellent stayers, good sprinters, and classic winners in its line of descent. The family's taproot was a mare of now unknown pedigree, bred in New South Wales by a Mr. Imlay and imported into Nelson in 1848 or 1849. She became a broodmare owned by Constantine Dillon, an early emigrant into Nelson, where he quickly became involved in the colony's politics and cultural affairs and a member of the oligarchy that controlled Nelson. Dillon had a run west of Blenheim, known as the Delta Farm, in 1848, and a large station of 32,000 acres near Waihopai in the Wairau Valley, known as Leefield. In 1851 he was appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands at Nelson.

Dillon's mare produced a chestnut filly, named Rosebud, to the cover of Il Barbiere (1842, by Figaro). Il Barbiere was the first recorded New Zealand-bred thoroughbred racehorse, later an influential sire seen in early pedigrees, including in Family C-26, Family C - 4, and an unnumbered colonial family descending from the Canterbury Derby winner Opera. Rosebud, in the stud of an early Nelson sportsman, Mr. Cautley, produced Young Rosebud (1854, by Sir Hercules), after which she went into Thomas Redwood's (brother to Henry Redwood) stud, where she bred Otto (1857, by Sir Hercules), Cloth of Gold (1861, by Bay Middleton) and his brother, Little Hermit (1864). The gelded Otto won the Cheviot Cup at Nelson for Redwood, the first cup offered by the Nelson race organizers, and racing for Charles Redwood (another brother) won the Derby Stakes at Canterbury (later the New Zealand Derby) in 1861, among other races.

In the stud of landholder William Jones, Young Rosebud (1854) bred a daughter, Moss Rose (1858), by Bay (or Duppa's) Camden, through which the family continued. Bay Camden (1851, by Calendar) had been bred in New South Wales and imported by George Duppa into New Zealand in 1855. Moss Rose was first a broodmare in the stud of John Shand, and then became one of the mares in the Middle Park Stud Company, established in the mid-1870s at Canterbury, where the great stallion Traducer spent time at stud (the one-time leading U.S. sire Sir Modred (1877) and his brother Cheviot (1879) were bred by Middle Park Stud). Shand, a Liverpool merchant, emigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1851. He established a farm, Avon Lodge, at Riccarton, and a second farm, Rawcliffe, at Springston, and also a store in Wakefield.

Moss Rose produced eleven live foals, six in the Shand stud. Two of these were successful broodmares: Sweetbriar (1867, by imp. Antidote) and Red Rose (1870, by Traducer). Sweetbriar bred Cloth of Gold (1872, by imp. Ravensworth) winner of the 1877 Timaru Cup, and the good Canterbury-based stayer Chancellor (see below; 1874, by Traducer).

Red Rose did not race, and bred sixteen live foals before dying in 1892. She spent most of her life as Middle Park Stud Company broodmare, dropping two daughters that continued the family line: Rosalind (1876, by imp. Albany (1867, by Thormanby) and La Rose (1883, by the imported French stallion Apremont (1878, by Mortemer), who spent his career as Middle Park Stud Company stallion). A third daughter, Mountain Lily (1880, by native-bred Totara, also sire of Longlands (Family C - 25), bred Saul Solomon's brilliant weight-carrying Otago sprinter, Blazer, winner of the Electric Plate at Canterbury, the Dunedin Wingatui Stakes, and the WRC Telegraph Handicap in three successive years (1900-1902).

Rosalind was first bred at age three by Henry Redwood; in all she produced ten foals for Redwood, and seven foals for other breeders. She produced three good winners, Black Rose (1881), winner of the Canterbury Derby Stakes (New Zealand Derby) for Redwood, Roseal (1900), also a winner of the Derby, and Royal Rose (1890), winner of the CJC Jockey Club Handicap in 1894. She had several daughters that bred on, including Epilogue (1891), bred by Redwood, whose descendants included Wellington Cup winner Guest Star (1970, see below), and the good juvenile Show's Pride (1969). Another daughter, Prologue (1895), was the dam of the good South Island stayer Sinapis (1908), winner of the New Zealand Cup, the Wanganui Cup and other good races. Prologue's descendants included Gold Salute (1936, see below), who was taken to Australia to beat the best in Victoria and New South Wales in the early 1940s.

Moss Rose's daughter La Rose is the other branch through which the family descends to the present. After five generations of relative quiet, the Night Raid mare Paigle (1927) revitalized this branch with daughters Peony Rose (1934) and Lady Paigle (1941). La Rose's branch includes the long-running sturdy stayer Palisade (1957, see below) and the stakes winners descending from Group 3 winner Isla Bijou (1981), such as her long-running sprinting daughter Centisle (1990, winner of SAJC Goodwood Handicap and 5 other races) and her miler half-sister Sylvaner (1997), winner of three G2 stakes.

Notable Descendants