TO-DAY'S CUP.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 260, 3 November 1925, Page 15

TO-DAY'S CUP.

;• AUSTRALIA'S GREAT RACE. i CHANCES OF HORSES. I j A DAY OF EXCITEMENT. (Specially written for the "Star.") (By "PHILir DE CRE SWELL.") There is no rare in Australasian turf history so valuable in sweepstake as the 1 richly" endowed Melbourne Cup. which! is be'injr run for the sixty-fifth time at Flemington this afternoon, bin the result d whicb will not be known until the -Star goes to r ref,, - Evpr . since this now great evrnt began in a small way in 1860, it has become more famous every year, and the result is not only eagerly awaited annually all [ over the Southern Hemisphere, but throughout every important city in the. British Empire a? well. In Victoria the first Tuesday in November ia a holiday, simply because most people will not work. They can"t— everyone is talking of the race, and all interest is centred a= to which will win the big two mile event. It is quite immaterial whether one bets or r.ot — they desire to be there all the same, for nip fever is in the blood, and pulses beat fast as the hour draws near. There is no city so full of visitors in Australia as the Southern State during carnival week, and one who arrives late finds accommodation hard to obtain. All the hotels are full, and boarding houses in the city cannot cope with the demand. The result is that Flotsam and Jetsam begin to drift along early, and by Derby Pay all those who wish to see the cup have generally arrived. Yes, undoubtedly (.'up Day in Melbourne is the greatest day in all the year. Flag- are flown, and all sorts of bunting keeps waving with the breeze. Pantomimes generally start, and various big allows are brought over especially for the occasion. Leading business' firms commence annual sales, and sensational price-cutting begins. Shop window? are full of Cup Day fashions and various different styles are seen on the lawn for the first time. Beautiful mannequins parade around in wonderful costume-, and great publicity is given to everything pertaining to the race. Special trains and .-teampr> are run from Sydney and other States, and by Monday night everyone is asking: "What will win the cup to-morrow?" It is the only question that matters. All else seems forgotten. As parents have put the query years ago, so their children do to-day. And so. when Tuesday morning arrives, everyone, men, women. and children, deck themselves out in their finest array, and prepare to leave for Flemington to witness an event which stands in racing history as the greatest thirg of the year—the race for the Melbourne Cup", and the honour and glory of the wondrous prize. Magnificent Course. Flemington. where the race is run. is a beautiful course, which perhaps is the finest of its kind in Australasia. Everything is so natural regarding the conditions. The great hill, from where most people view the event looks down on a hollow haven where the race is run from wondrous lawns and greenery all above. Although not so picturesque as Ellerslie, it is an ideal course, and more suited for tremendous crowds than L'llerslie would be. Very early on Tuesday morning trains start to arrive, and before 10 o'clock thousands are on the course. Every few minutes sees more people arrive, and by midday the air is full of excited voices all rife in speculation as to what will win. The flat is a veritable mass of living people who swarm like bees over every inch of available ground. How beautiful the great course looks, filled with thronging people all dressed up in their gayest and best, and with the flags of various colours flying all around. Everyone is there, and grandstands are [lacked till it seems they must give way and fall under the tremendous burden they are asked to bear. Presently in the trees scores and scores of people can be seen eating sandwiches and picnicking in old-time gipsy style. Children are running and frolicking about, with happy shout and radiant laughter, and men and women all converge together on one topic, namely, which will win ' the Cup this year?. For everyone before the race seems to know winners, although a few minutes after it is run they say they should have backed the horse that passed the post first. This, however, is generally the aftermath of every race, besides that which, brings all Australia to Flemington. Candidates' Chances. Twenty-eight horses are left in for to-day's* race, and with the exception of one or tw6 course withdrawals, all will start. Stand By has been-allotted pride of place with 0.5, but with such a weight Windbag, which is three pounds lower, looks the better horse. Last year's winner, Spearfelt. does not appeal; neither does Xigger Minstrel, with 0.0. After his brilliant run in the Melbourne Stakes, Pilliewinkie has an undoubted chance, as he was running on at the finish of the ten-furlong event on Saturday. To beat such performers as Whittier, Heroic, Pantheon and Windbag is no easy task, and the Melbourne Stakes, is generally a good guide to Cup form. Still, Windbag, despite the extra weight, looks a better proposition in a large Cup field, for such a horse will be better suited by the longer distance and will have more time to settle down. Virgin Gold has a great chance, for without a doubt L»jr brilliance will • enable her to secure a good position early and allow of a chance to add great pace over the final half-mile. WTien Sister Olive won the Cup in 1922, she led all the way. Virgin Gold may do the same to-morrow. Manfred is sure to start favourite, and no horse more justifies that position than does the dual Derby winner. All being "well, -the three-year-old should make a great race of it, and good think him sure to win. Everything is in the colt's favour. He has the services of F. Dempsey, and the weight will suit him nicely. He has brilliance and staying ability combined —a great combination for a race like the Cup. Solidarity will probably be one of the last to leave the barrier, and being very small may be knocked about a great deal. Should this unlucky horse, however, find its legs and be in a good position half-a-mile from home, I know of no horse that can sustain his last run and the tremendous limit of untiring fpeed he exhibits towards the end. He is one of the gamest horses I have ever B een, and. if all goes well, he will be v ery hard to beat to-day. Brown Bajah is dangerous and should very Dearly win. Accarak, Gungool, Valamiter and Mrrthmaker all have chances. The race, however, really looks a fight between six—Manifred, Windbag, Brown Rajah. Pillie-.vinkie, Mirthniaker and Solidify. Wallarak heads the list of the others, while Valamiter is not withput admirers.