breeding history of

I am looking for any info about “Sir Tristram”. I recently bought this from eBay because it seemed rare in the United States. Well, I try to find info by its name and its patent’s name (ATTbright). The only thing I could find was that was ATT belongs to B.B. Attfield of New Zealand, and so far he has at least two roses under his name, “Apricot Delight” and “Delightful Lady”.

Any info of the parentage of this mystery rose “Sir Tristram”? I was sold by it’s description of its seedlings. Here is the total description in full. The only red hybrid tea I have is Ceaser E. Chavez, and I was looking for another one:

"The greatest sire ever to stand in New Zealand, Sir Tristram turned the Australian and New Zealand breeding scene upside down with his exploits in the 1980s and 90s. He sired a Golden Slipper winner in Marauding and two Melbourne Cup winners in Gurners Lane and Empire Rose. A successful sire of sires, Sir Tristram is an equally successful broodmare sire still. His last yearlings were sold in 1999.

"Sir Tristram’s first Group One winner of 45 was Sovereign Red, that total made Sir Tristram the world’s second leading sire of Group One winners: only in arrears of Sadler’s Wells and ahead of Mr Prospector, ahead of Nijinsky II, ahead of Danzig and ahead of Northern Dancer.

"In the 1980-81 season Sir Tristram won the first of his nine Dewar Stallion Awards, given each season to the New Zealand-based sire with the greatest progeny earnings throughout New Zealand and Australia.

"In 1982-83 Sir Tristram became Champion Australian Sire, a title he won a further five times.

"In 1986-87, at the height of his fame, he was Champion Australian Sire, Champion Australian Sire of Two-Year-Olds, Champion New Zealand Sire and the Dewar Stallion Award winner.

"Alongside every measure used to define excellence, Sir Tristram, matched with well-established New Zealand and Australian female families, has set extraordinary new figures.

"45 Group One winners; a total of 130 Group and Listed Stakes winners; in all, more than 220 black type performers, almost one quarter of all his runners. Sir Tristram’s progeny earnings total close to $A57 million.

"Not surprisingly, Sir Tristram provided the top-priced yearling at twelve New Zealand National Yearling Sales, from the early 1980’s to the mid-1990’s. His sale-toppers include the first seven-figure yearling ever sold in New Zealand, the colt from Surround sold for $NZ1.2 million to Mr Kobayashi of Japan in 1989.

"He sired outstanding two-year olds Grosvenor, Isolda, Kaapstad, Our Tristalight, Tristalove and the 1987 Golden Slipper winner Marauding. His classic fillies Mahaya, Mapperley Heights, Noble Heights, Popsy, Riverina Charm, Royal Heights, Starline, Tristanagh, Tristarc, Tristina, Tristram’s Belle, Tristram Rose and Only A Lady. Not forgetting his classic colts Dr Grace, Grosvenor, Military Plume, National Gallery, Sovereign Red, Tasman and Zabeel.

“Sir Tristram’s major Cups winners were Admiral Lincoln, Dupain, Limitless, Irish Chance, Noble Peer, Trissaro, Tristarc and three outstanding Melbourne Cup winners Brew, Gurner’s Lane and the big mare, Empire Rose.”

Enrique, the “Sir Tristram” in your quote was a race horse. The rose was named for the horse. I can’t find anything about the rose.

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Oh! And here I was thinking that it was the seedlings… no wonder I couldn’t find anything. I feel so dumb…

Well, it will be intresting to grow this mystery rose. Hopefully it’s an actual rose named Sir Tristram, and not a renamed rose…

I inquired of Dawn Eagle in New Zealand, and she passed along the inquiry to the nursery selling Brian Attfield’s Sir Tristram. The reply is below.

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Sir Tristram was bred by Brian Attfield and the breeding is ‘Harmony Seedling x Dublin Bay’. Its two best features: it is colourfast (just like Dublin Bay); and its colour is a couple of shades darker than Dublin Bay’s.

It is a well formed HT that lasts really well in a vase, opening so slowly that people think it isn’t real! The bush is fairly large.

Thanks Peter! Now I know the place to put it and the parentage is very helpful.

Please thank Dawn Eagle for me.

I’m wondering how this rose got all the way to the US without any vendors… I’ve asked the vendor, but no reply…