Just an interesting little postscript to this great tussle, which saw SA-bred stallions coming to the fore.
In years gone by South African-bred sires were anathema to breeders. Then, in 1918, Henry Nourse, one of the biggest breeders in the world, at the time, bred a colt called Dignitary, by Greatorex, who was considered a strong prospect for the Epsom Derby in his era, before going in the wind. Greatorex was a bad tempered beast, who generally wore a muzzle, when he lorded it over Nourse's magnificent Dwarsvlei Stud, but, fortunately, he never transmitted this trait to his greatest son, who possibly took after his dam, a champion racemare called Dignity, by another of Nourse's stallions, Minor Forfeit.
Although he never won a Durban July or a Metropolitan Handicap, Dignitary was far and away the best of his age and won just about every major two- and three-year-old feature on the Highveld in his day. He was also a magnificent looking colt, whose genes must have been amazingly strong, because pictures of him show him to have greatly resembled a horse whose photograph undoubtedly elicited gasps of admiration when it appeared on this very site and in this very posting, last week.
Dignitary was hailed by Allan Robertson, possibly the greatest authority on thoroughbred breeding that this country has ever produced, as the best horse and the best stallion ever bred in South Africa during the first half of the 20th century and he justified that praise by becoming the first ever South African bred horse to earn Champion Sire status, way back in 1934, when he, himself, stood at Dwarsvlei, near Middelburg, in the Eastern Cape.
Only two horses have accomplished that feat since, Elevation and Jet Master.
And if you care to look up Jet Master's pedigree you will note that Dignitary was the sire of a mare called Merrymaker, who was born in 1932, and whose descendants, five of them, since then, comprise Jet Master's tail female line.
If you have an interest in this sort of thing, as I do, and you happen to be travelling to the Cape, or the Eastern Cape, by road, in the future, do yourself a favour and spend a night at Dwarsvlei, which now boasts an excellent guest house, run by Nicky Enslin, who has lovingly restored the grave of Greatorex on the farm. It's believed that Dignitary is buried alongside his sire, but this has yet to be verified. In any case, all the old stables are still there and you'll breathe in a fascinating slice of racing's history as well as sample the excellent accommodations of Nourse's manor house and Enslin's Karoo cuisine. The rates are remarkably affordable and you can book ahead (essential) by calling (049) 842 2611.
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