parlo: but those "mysterious cicrumstances" can be very well explained. Don't forget - Deux pour Cent's heart wasn't allright. Yes, there's that assertion of Dr. Ambroz (veterinarian, naturally) who said in France that his heart is in great shape. However, it certainly wasn't when Deux pour Cent came to Napajedla. Don't ask why, I'm not a vet... But Dr. Ambroz was great person (he was also the director of Napajedla) and it's hard to believe he would make such a mistake. But as I said, Mr. Vitu had some doubts about it, and he told about it Dr. Ambroz' son, also veterinarian. And he said that it's probable that Deux pour Cent had a minor heart stroke in fact.
Also, don't forget that Deux pour Cent died in the middle of July! When thinking about it, we made our trip exactly in the same days, in the middle of July, and believe me, Moravia climate in the July is something which we almost can't stand, and we are 19 and 20. Deux pour Cent was 15 when he died, his heart was in bad shape and he was disturbed by escape of the mare. It's enough to explain his death I think.
Yes, there are those poison discussions... Maybe I didn't point out that it was all in the plain of guesswork. No real fact, and clinical tests proved it was a heart stroke. Nobody knows where that poison story started, who should be the woman there... arzenic... as I said, it seems to be a bit absurd. However...
It's also worth saying that the "arzenic woman" - if she existed - had a very easy work: I believe that everybody could get to stallion stalls. Remember, we were there too, in position of not exactly wanted persons. We saw four grooms, overall. We were ordered to see some mares in the main areal only, and in fact we went to rotunda, to stallion stalls, to stallion paddocks! We spent hours with the mares in paddocks in Penne area, and the livestock specialist told us not to go there! Simply, we did what we wanted. We aren't that kind of persons normally
But with nobody to control it, who would resist... This trip cost us quite much to be good girls and visit only mares, simply. But important fact is that we theoretically could poison every horse we met. Easily
And if we didn't go to directory, nobody would know who poisoned the horses... It's nice, isn't it? Yes, today it's not the same like 50 years ago, but I suppose there's no big difference.
Hope you aren't frightened too much
I really don't believe that there was something more in Deux pour Cent's death than the heart stroke.
And just one more note to Deux pour Cent - I didn't make any special research, just browsed through some stallion catalogues and I found some his descendants in our breeding. Except some imported stallions from Tantieme sire line, there were those three I mentioned: Cejlon, Jasmin, Hakim. I found out that Cent was also used in thoroughbred breeding, but I don't know where and when. It wasn't in Napajedla and I don't have any other materials from that period. I'll ask my friend, who could have suitable materials.
But there were four more stallions with "our" Deux pour Cent blood:
Diplomat, horribly-looking horse with royal pedigree. Son of Masis - Dina, Deux pour Cent - Diva, Simson.
Markeur is second - it's the name I heard for the first time in my life. Detvan - Marna, Deux pour Cent - Mamuska, Ut Majeur.
Those two pedigrees are extremely interesting. Both Masis and Detvan are legends of our racing and breeding. Diva, granddam of Diplomat, was the dam of Detvan, and Mamuska, granddam of Markeur, was the dam of Masis. Except the various combinations with the blood of those titans, which were common, it shows clearly that Deux pour Cent had the best mares he could have.
Third stallion was Parcel, son of Cejlon. Also listed as thoroughbred stallion, I found out the note that he was used in warmblood breeding. I suppose he was at stud where both thoroughbred and warmblood mares were bred. There was a lot of similar studs here.
And fourth was Veronal: Wiesenklee - Verona, Masis - Vesera, Deux pour Cent. The previous stallions are more a curiosity, but Veronal was top horse on the track, having won two classic races and lost only St. Leger when running third. He was also successful in some international starts and became a stallion. Not too popular, but good sire. One of those special horses who can produce good horses from mares who should end in riding club, not at stud. That's also the reason why he didn't make any important sign in our breeding.
I've got the feeling that one of my friends told me both Diplomat and Veronal had some progeny in warmblood breeding, but I can hardly swear on it.
parlo, you're also right about the times of war, but you know it as well as me. I must say I've never been interested in it - I mean in Czech breeding. Naturally I know it happened with a lot of animals from France, Germany, Russia and who knows where else, but no in Czechoslovakia. At least I think. We hadn't so good horses to be worth stealing them... Maybe some animals were lost - I know for example mares from Napajedla were transported to second end of the state, but I don't know any really famous animal lost.
When thinking about it... ironically, war brought us Detvan and Masis, our greatest horses in fact. Detvan was by Gradivo, who came from German racetracks. There are comments in books that "Gradivo was bought for CzK 1 750 000" and that previous stallion, legendary Simson, "was put down due to infirmities of old age". Just a fairy-tales; Napajedla directory was ordered to buy and use German stallion and our great Simson was shot because of it. Naturally, now you can only see that both dates are noticeably close. I know that it also wasn't the original plan to buy Gradivo; some low-class stallion was offered to Napajedla. It was thanks to director of Napajedla stud, who refused to buy that stallion and persisted on better horse, so Gradivo came to Napajedla. However, Gradivo did a great job here. He sired many classic winners with Triple Crown winner Symbol, many great mares... It's an irony, but he was the great sire and his son Detvan too, although he was the most disastrously used stallion we ever had... One year he wasn't used, in next four years he had four foals. Then he returned to Napajedla and still his books were very restricted... I have a rare photo of his phenomenal daughter Hviezda, she was the perfect filly. By the way, she was one of those four foals, and she won the Oaks and was the dam of Derby winner... what more to say. Both Detvan and Gradivo were great horses and without war, who knows who would be here...
City, son of Caissot, was similar case, although he came from Hungary. Another book comment: "he came with transport of horses evacuated from Hungarian stud Csongrad". Heaven knows where they were originally evacuated, but they fell to Czechoslovakian state as war reparation. In this transport was also yearling filly, Mamuska. City's foals gained more than 20 classic victories and most of those classic winners were really great horses! Fillies Bosna and Svatava, colts Korbel and Blyskac - the latter was Triple Crown winner - who later became stallions... And with Mamuska City sired Masis. Nobody told it officially, but we all feel that if there's one horse who deserves the title ofCzech horse of the century, it can be only Masis... Great racehorse and record holder, great sire, one of the greatest damsires. It would take too long to write all his successess.
If I should name four stallions I can't imagine the Czech breeding without, I'd say Gradivo, Masis, Behistoun and Rainbows For Life. You see, our breeding had only a profit from the war. Really irony, but it's the fact.
Avatar: This wonderful horse is my big love: Czech-bred horse Heretic, son of fantastic sire Rainbows for Life out of great dam Hairy Dream.
As Deux pour Cent was great stallion, it's well documented in several books. Full story - according to those books - is:
