Family C-13: Empress

The Empress family had its roots in the historic Australian stud of Lyndhurst, located near Warwick on the Darling Downs of central Queensland. While the family has disappeared from the Australian Stud Book, Lyndhurst, albeit under "new" ownership since the 1950s, persists as one of Australia's most successful thoroughbred nurseries.

The earliest known mare in the family was one of unknown breeding said to have been purchased from a "pound sale" by John W. Henry, a farmer at Drayton on Darling Downs; impounded stray horses, collected by "poundkeepers," could be sold after advertising their descriptions for the purpose of locating the rightful owners. This unclaimed mare was bred to Pioneer (imported 1859, by Voltigeur), producing a mare named Kerosene, who, put to the native-bred Queensland-based stallion Tamerlane, a son of Sir Hercules, dropped Empress around 1875. Tamerlane's recorded progeny include Carbine (not to be confused with the great Carbine (1885) by Musket), a runner in the 1860s that won the QTC Brisbane Cup, and some good producing mares.

Empress was purchased by Charles Edward McDougall, whose family, headed by Malcom S. McDougall, had settled at Lyndhurst in 1875. When his father died in 1882, Charles assumed management of Lyndhurst, and began to assemble a broodmare band, and in 1886 purchased Archie (1880, by the imp. Tim Whiffler's son Rapidity), the first of Lyndhurst's long line of influential stallions. Archie had been a good runner in Victoria, winning the VRC Ascot Vale Stakes, the AJC All Aged Stakes (8 furlongs), and the inaugural running of the VRC Bagot Handicap (10 furlongs). Archie, as sire of the 1893 mare My Colors, is also seen in the pedigree of De La Salle, the great race mare from Family C-10. Archie was followed by Ladurland (1900, by Ladas), imported by McDougall in 1905, a very successful Queensland sire, and then imported Syce (1906, by Cyllene), who got the great race mare Molly's Robe (1915) and many other Queensland winners, and imported Seremond (1910, by Desmond), the dominant sire in Queensland in his era and sire of Mollys' Robe's champion sprinting son Mollison (1925) that won many races in Victoria.

McDougall, albeit conservative politcally, was a progressive pastoralist who became a leader in local farming circles. In the early 1890s he established a beef shorthorn stud at Lyndhurst, soon importing bulls to promote early maturity, and he purchased additional acreage near Yuleba for a cattle stud, managed by his brother, Jack, from whence issued his champion shorthorn bull, Lyndhurst. After Charles died in 1922, his brother Jack assumed management of Lyndhurst, and in 1931 Jack imported The Buzzard (1926, by Spion Kop), twice leading sire in Australia and especially noted as a sire of stayers. Following Jack's death in 1955, Lyndhurst was purchased by the Kruger family which over time expanded its holdings to 2500 acres, and which operates Lyndhurst to this day. Smokey Eyes, a leading sire of winners in Australia, Grand Chaudiere, and other good stallions have since occupied boxes at Lyndhurst.

At Lyndhurst, Empress produced three useful foals by Archie. The first was Sydney Cup winner Realm (1887, first named Empire). Later she bred Czarina (1891), a good winner in Queensland, includng the QTC Derby, and later a stellar broodmare, and Archeress (1895) whose grandson, Stralia (1919, see below), was the last noted runner in the family, although Archeress still had descendants in the ASB through the 1930s.

Notable Descendants