AUSTRALIAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1862, 29 July 1887, Page 23

AUSTRALIAN.

" Vigilant " writes as follows to the Sportsman :— " As I think it would be interesting to ascertain exactly what could be^ won from the ring in connection with the bigg&t races of the year, I have made certain inquiries, and I find that, taking them all, big and little, straight^ out and double-event layers, the winning stable and the public could back a, horse' to win tbe

Melbourne Cup for rather more than £10pJ000, and make sure of getting all; that amount on settling day. 1 ; I had a chat with 1 two gentlemen who rank amongst the biggest 'betters, in the ring,, and who certainly have backed their own horses to win larger stakes than any other two men in Australia... I alude t*>- Messrs .-Humphrey ( Oxenham and Morris Jacobs,; , ln the Melbourne 'Cup of '85 Mr Osenham .tells ( me he invested £2500 on his little mare, • Cerise and Blue, and I stood to win £75,000,;. this .included his own bookjOf £lO,OQO, in which, of; course, he had not,, laid the mare for a penny. , In this case the public had very little .money about Cerese and Blue, and £20,000 would probably morethancover the total amount they would.have netted if the little; daughter of Wilberforce' had managed to , get 1 her head in front;. It was in the same race and the same year, I think, that, Mr Morris 'Jacobs backed The Plunger to win £40,000, and i I well remember hearing somebody, .yell, "The Plunger whip for, a monkey !" as Piggott led into the straight at the home turn. The biggest ' amount, however, , that Mr Jacobs, ever lost' in one stake by backing horses was in the Adelaide Cup won, by Sting,' when he invested £2100 on The Plunger, who, ridden by Hales, could get. no nearer than second to Sting. On paper it, would be the easiest thing in the world to make a Melbourne Cap winner backed to win £150,000, and prove it by figures, and j yet at the same time , the sum actually laid j against the horse might be but a trifle more than half that amount, I will try to illustrate this. ' Arsenal was backed to win the Melbourne Cup for a fair stake last year ; then a lot of j hedging money was thrown on the market, and the horse was apparently laid against twice over, but it was really the same money. As a matter of fact I know one fielder who had a £1000 book on the Melbourne Cup, and who laid £12,000 against Arsenal, the odd £11,000 being' hedging, money. On the Melbourne Cup there are one or two ring-men who have £10,000 books, and it would peihaps be possible to win £40,000 from six of the promin1 ent pencillers." There was again a run on Silver Prince for the Melbourne Cup yesterday (says the Argus of the 19th inst.), the New Zealander being backed to win £3000 down to 100 to 7. The only other transaction was Niagara for the Derby, about whom five 50's were taken and offered. An even 500 was also offered on Niagara beating Abercorn. At the sale of Mr D. Cooper's horses in Sydney, Chesham was sold to Mr W. n A. Long for 320gs, .Oceana to Mr G. H. Chapman for lOOgs, Etiquette filly to Mr T. Lamond for lOOgs, Sorata to Mr W. Forrester for '80gs, and Ruby colt to Mr Long for 65gs.

Grace Darling has found a new owner in Mr Anderson, who hails from New' South Wales, the price paid being 250gs. It would have taken a little more than this to buy the Caulfield Cup winner when she ran second to Sheet Anchor in the Melbourne Cup; but the mare does not appear to have improved with age.

The London Times paid a very high compliment to the Australian ladies and to the Flemington racecourse in its introductory notice of the last Ascot Cup day on June 9. After remarking that the number of visitors who saw the gold cup won by Bird of Freedom this year was estimated to be the largest which ever assembled upon the heath, it declares that "there can be no question that, as regards the beauty of the women, the lawns at Ascot present such a spectacle as can be seen at no other race . meetings in the world, unless it be at Flemington when the Melbourne Cup is about to be run for." The Prince and Princess of Wales and' numerous other princes and princesses and a large number of the nobility attended. ' A sensational jump is recorded as having taken place recently at Caulfield. An eye-wit-ness of tfle feat informs me (says " Asmodeus ") that Lizette, with Batty in the saddle on the morning named; accomplished a leap which has probably never been equalled in Australia. My informant states that the mare in negotiating' the fence on the hill opposite the stables formerly occupied by the late Frank Leng took off so far from the obstacle that the few' spectators present anticipated with horror a catastrophe, as it seemed impossible that she could clear the jump. To the equal' astonishment and relief of the ' watchers, however, the gallant j daughter of Hieroglyph landed clear, and so impressed were those present with the , per- ! formance, that measurements were quickly taken, when it was found that Lizette had j taken off 25ft from the fence, and in her jump had cleared a few inches over 35ft. This, I fancy, is about the nearest Australian approach to Chandler's celebrated English record of 1 37ft,

The Elsternwick Park Handicap, run a fortnight ago, was destined to cause a sensation. Childe Harold won unmistakably by a good length, while Gulpha and Success, who divided the favouriteship/finished rei-p'ctiviply last and last but one. Mr Vowh'S caused Gulpha's number to be' hoisted as the winner, and' as C'hilde Harold was not even placed it'was manifest to everybody but himself that he had mistaken one for the other. Though the error was clearly pointed out before the horses weighed in, the judge postively declined to alter his decision, and iv consequence the utmost confusion and uproar prevailed. The bookmakers naturally considered it hard to have to pay over a red hot favourite who had run absolutely last ; backers of the fortunate Gulpha of course developed a marvellous knowledge (?) of the racing law, and declared that " the judge could not alter his decision ! ! " while the few who had backed Childe Harold groaned aloud and swore like mosstroopers. This extraordinary decision says "Vigilant" hasbeen the sensation of the season. Mr Sydney Smith held the record up to last Tuesday, with his memorable Master Avenal adjudication; but ' Mr Vowles has now fairly beaten him ' on his merits; and the Gulpha episode has justly entitled the lastnamed gentlfman to the 'possession of the belt. Barring Mr Vowles himself, I have not heard of anyono who had the slightest doubt that Childe Harold had won, and the j persistency of the judge iv st'cking determinedly to bis decision that Gulpha is the winner, was consequently the more inexplicable, and would really [ appear tantamount to obstinacy. The mistake" j was an unfortunate one — serious, infact^but j those who know Mr Vowles will readily acquit' him 'of everything barring the mistake^ We 1 I have had him interviewed, and he says he could j not understand the affair at all ;' he really was I under the impression that Gulpha had won; 11 but what everyone says ' must be true^ and perhaps he didn't." The affair is over! Mr Vowles has tendered' his resignation, and there" I cannot be a shadow of a doubt that a terrible j blunder has been perpetrated. The Victorian j Trotting Club have been served with a writ by the owner of Childe Harold, who .claims the stakes. , ,' , • >. ''„*,',. ' In connection .with this same judicial error' ' certain rumours were afloat that the judge had', backed Gulpha to win a couple of hundred pounds. The stewards put the somewhat delicate question as to' whether he had_ an .interest in the race to Mr .Vowles, who ( gave, it an emphatic and explicit denial! ' According" to the, V.R.C. rules a judge may reverse, his decision within half-an-hour, and Mr Vowles had this opportunity. Towards the expiration of the, I

half-hour he was asked. by the stewards, if. s he, , 'wished';t6 alter his decision,' bat he,, .resolutely • refused ' to do so, Stating that if the horse witti ; [ [ the blue f jacket, and .white Btar^ r was. ( Gulp.h«, 1 '- that' horse was the'wjnner.* ," Th^n the/ question "* as to whether of .hot the jadge|hW<l,ah 'iiiferest; in Gulpha's, winning was iput, and 'answered as '. '. stated. ' ■ ' •■ •'- '-" ■'' ■ >l - ""' Mr Vowles has since voluntarily .sent.,. in » his resignation, as, judgVfor ,the V/iotioria'Am'a* teur ,Turf Cliib'.'the Victorian. Trowing crub," the 'VVilliamstown Club, and JMoonee Valley. He, states his intention neVer* to go in the judge's boxagain, so much disgusted, is|ho>with - the recent occurrenc^ at Elsternwick'ParW, 5 He ' cannot imagine how he ;cduld' hav'p fallen into the error which he eaid "ho' must* have been ■guilty of , because , 't what everybody says must '< be true." He had uo doubt, on. his mind but that Gulpha had won, and he cannot now understand the, affair. , , Within ,the past eight years, he asserts," he, has judged twice as many < races as any other judge in Australia, and for the t past year or two the average number 'of races' judged. by him annually, must be .close upon 250. Mr Vowles-.do^a not,- contemplate - giving up his position as handicapper. . . ; , • A. man who " knew something " M we'nt up to a bookmaker, who was fielding on thY Flat af'the Graiid National'meeting, and inauifed : " What 1 price The Ace?" Hl'll take ' 6to 4," was the .polite reply. "Is that the best price ?" asked • the knowing one. " Well, if , yo'u^ wait a little while it may be 10 to II 11I 1 on him^" replied the fielder. " All right, I'll lay you a bob to •" "Here," said the layer, "I'll give you Bd^ be cause if you are plunging like this it ►must bo a dead bird ; I'll go for him myself."