Family C-2: Yatterina

This family descended from a mare named Brunette, by Bay Camerton, the latter imported around 1828; her dam's name and history is unknown, although Barrie speculated she was born in Cumberland County and was by one of the good stallions there--Old Hector, Model, or a son of imported Northumberland. Brunette was bred to the important early imported stallion Steeltrap a year before his death, when he stood at Charles Smith's Bungarribee stud at Eastern Creek, producing the filly Flirt (1834). Flirt was bred to Gratis, another important early imported sire not long after he was purchased by the Busby brothers and installed at the Dalkeith Stud in the Munmurra district in Bligh County. Her daughter from this breeding, Kate, was bred to the colonial-bred Vanguard (1849, Aether-The Giggler), probably at the Tocal Stud (along the Paterson River) of Charles Reynolds; the resulting filly Koh-i-noor, born around 1855, became the dam of Yatterina in 1865.

Yatterina was bred by County Mayo-born Walter McEvilly (1820-1867), transported to Sydney in 1840 after conviction for forgery in Tipperary, Ireland. Living principally in Sydney, he received his ticket-of-leave in 1844, and served as assistant and then principal librarian for the Australian parliament from 1843 until his death in 1867, and was active in politics concerning Catholic rights in the colony. McEvilly raced, and probably trained, the great colonial-bred sire, Yattendon (1861) under the nom-de-course "Mr. O'Malley," and used Yattendon, winner of the AJC Sydney Cup and other good races, as a stallion while he was still in training. Yatterina was Yattendon's first recorded foal, born in 1865 and bred by McEvilly, who also bred the top 1870s racehorse Dagworth. McEvilly's death in 1867 was the result of a fall from a horse in an informal race at Moss Vale. Yattendon eventually became the foundation stallion at the famous E.K.Cox stud at Fernhill, Mulgoa. Yatterina, age two, at the time of McEvilly's death, was purchased by William Walters, owner of Glenora Park Stud, Papakura (New Zealand) and one of the best known owners and breeders of racehorses in Auckland, his reputation in no small part due to Yatterina and her offspring.

Running for Walters, Yatterina became a famous racehorse, closely tied to the early development of racing in New Zealand. At the inaugural meeting of the Auckland Turf Club at Ellerslie, December 26 and 27, 1873, she was there. She ran second by 1-1/2 lengths in the Turf Club Cup over two miles the first day, and the next day won the first New Zealand Cup over a mile. Credited with "upwards of 60 wins," over all distances in almost every racing venue in New Zealand, Yatterina was an exceptionally sturdy and successful runner to the age of ten, that year winning the Dunedin Jockey Club Handicap carrying 9 st-3 lbs., and the ARC Easter Handicap, dropping her first foal, Libeller (see below) by Traducer, not long after the latter race. Her success on the turf was equalled by her success as a broodmare at Walters' Glenora Park Stud, producing twelve foals by seven different sires before her death at age 25, and establishing this incredibly prolific and successful female family numbering many good racemares that, like Yatterina, went on to successful careers in the breeding shed.


Walters retained many of Yatterina's progeny for racing, and won a number of important New Zealand races with them. Yatterina's sons were Libeller (1876, by Traducer), a grand stayer (see below); Musketeer (1880, by Musket); and Fusilier (1881, by Musket), winner of the Wanganui Jockey Club Derby and Wanganui Stakes, among other races, and later a stallion at Thomas Cook's Turanville Stud in Australia's Hunter Valley. Matchlock, born a year after Fusilier (1882, by Musket), sold to the famous Hunter Valley sportsman James White, won six races -- including the VRC St. Leger, the Australian Cup, the VRC Champion Stakes, the AJC St. Leger and AJC King's Plate -- in twelve starts, after which he was sold to India. Yatterina's next son, Kingfish (1883, by Piscatorious) was another good one, winner of the Hawkesbury Guineas over a mile in record time and the QTC Stand Plate, and placed in other important races, including the AJC Derby, St. Leger and Craven Plate, and in New Zealand's Great Northern Derby. Her next son, Firelock (1885, by Musket) won races in Gippsland, Victoria. Her last son, Pinfire (1886, by Torpedo, a Musket son), won the ARC Auckland Cup, the Grand Stand Handicap and other races for Walters. None of these horses made a mark in the stud; that duty fell to her daughters, one of which was also a good race mare.

Leorina (1884, by Leolinus), was Yatterina's best racing daughter. Retained by Walters, and like her dam a great weight-carrier, for him she won the ARC Easter Handicap carrying 11 st - 10 lbs. and the Ladies' Bracelet ("for gentlemen riders") twice, carrying 12 st- 2 lbs., and placed in other good Auckland Racing Club races. In the 1892 Onslow Cup Leorina ran second, and her half-brother Pinfire was third. Leorina produced St. Mark (1896, by St. Leger), a winner of the Wanganui Guineas, but her female line did not breed on. Likewise, Yatterina's daughters Sleep (1887, by Somnus) and Yarranabbee (1889, by Hippocampus, purchased to Australia), neither of much use on the turf, failed to breed on. However, Rosarina (1877, by Traducer) and Hipporina (1878, by Hippocampus), both established very successful female lines through several daughters still winning stakes races today. Rosarina's daughter Vieux Rose (1888, by Hippocampus), bred by Walters and sold to the Lennard family at Te Aroha, won races and produced two good stakes winners, including Auckland Cup winner Santa Rosa (1905) and daughters that bred on. Hipporina bred the Avondale Cup winner Ingorina (1886) and other daughters that bred on; her great-grandaughter, March (1912, by Marble Arch), dam of the champion filly Queen March and of two-time Auckland Cup winner Te Kara, did much to revitalize the family in the 20th century through her daughters.

Notable Descendants