NEW ZEALAND CUP MEETING.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9562, 31 October 1896, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND CUP MEETING.

[Br Spectator.].

Everything points in tbe direction of a very successful meeting being witnessed at Riccarton tbe second week in next month. During the past few weeks readers of the Refjbrib have been kept posted in what has been doing on the tracks. Nearly all the available stabling accommodation out at head-quarters has been engaged, and it is pretty well certain that there will be a fall muster of the best horses in the colony, and it is safe to predict a large concourse of people to see them race. Every year the big handicap race increases in importance, and the meeting at Riccarton in the spring of the year is par excellence the one of the season, and the racing carnival with the show week and other festivities has a magnetic attraction. On the opening day the New Zealand Cap, Welcome Stakes and Stewards' Handicap are the leading items on the bill of fare, but it will be sufficient this week to say a word or two anent the two mile event and the race for the two-year-olds, leaving reference to the other races till next week. New Zealand Cup. As the eventful day draws near Cup candidates arrive, and every gallop done at headquarters has an interest. The general fitness and health of certain of the probaole contestants is a matter of much concern. That speculation has been of an extensive character admits of no doubt, and that we are sure to see a good field is also certain. Whether it will be a record one it is hard to say. I should imagine after Wanganui running that some of the starters there are not likely to 44 face the music." It is hard to tell, however, what Home owners intend doing, and in making a forecast as to what will compose the field it has to be remembered that there are no end of contingences. Indeed, I know Beveral owners have not made any arrangement yet with horsemen. However, I append a list indicating PROBABLE STARTERS AND RIDERS.

Rather more than halfthe horses had been seen there up to Tuesday, when more arrived. Euroclydon has thrown off some of the soreness lie showed the morning Rafter his arrival, and has done some very pleasing work with Derrett in the saddle. It is by some surmised that that horseman may have the mount, but Goodman tells mc that he has not yet offered it to anyone. Derrett is also mentioned as likely to be up on The Shrew, who has been working with Euroclydon and going nicely too. The Aucklander, Fabulist, has continued to do good work, and should strip well, while Lady Zetland has got into something like her best form, and will run probably as well as ever. She did a good mile and a quarter on Saturday, and a very useful two miles on Tuesday. Saracen also has done good work, but for a day or two has been only walking", as he was in physic. Whethorhe will start or not there is now some doubt. The Possible I have not seen work, but Mahaki, who has left the track sore twice, is perhaps npt likely to start. Ngatuere may be coiuited upon ; he won at Wanganui over a shorter course in good style, but next day, did hot go at all well. Lorelei, on form shown, there, can have no chance, and K»nt'. disposed todismiss Man War,v yoHigeur and Crimson' ''■ Streak for the' same reason. Voltigcur may start, however. Lotion, selected by mc as. the best of the Napier lot, did nob show his best form at Wanganui, but for all that he is not unlikely to beat everything that started thereat. Culverin looks well,'and in her last gallop at Riccarton moved along all right. Some of the track watchers thought that Quiltiri could have finished in front of Fabulist in a gallop of a mile and a quarter on Tuesday, but he does not appear to mc to have done the right work to win a Cup;- though he ran well with little work in the Midsummer Handicap last season, A box has been engaged for Casket at Riccarton, which may be taken to indicate that he is likely to be at the Meeting, but whether he will start in _Jhe Cup is another matter. Pom Pom will, I hear, come south. Aidershot wears a very finished' appearance, and is by some preferred to his stable companion, but it. is not settled yet whether he will run or not. Black and Red on the Forbury racecourse defeated Captive in a mile and.a half gallop on Monday morning, the distance being run in 2min 47_sec The ground would not be so fast perhaps as when Captive ran the same distance in 2miu 45£sec> Black and Red may be entitled to respect, as Captive was a good deal fancied in some quarters. Day Star has been galloping nearly every day since his arrival, and he appeared less sore on Tuesday than he was previously. He worked out the first ! mile and a half well, but when coming home with Armilla, slowed down perceptibly. He is evidently indolent. Bellicent and Epaulet are both looking muscular. Report says they were galloped in the presence of their owner on Saturday, after which a rumour was in circulation that Epaulet was sore and likely to go out of the Cup. He was at Riccarton with other members of the Yaldhurst team on Tuesday and worked in bandages, and as far as I could judge there was nothing amiss with him, on the contraryI was pleased with the appearance of both the Yaldhurst representatives. I shall have an opportunity of making, a final selection, but at present I incline to the chances of Epaulet, Lotion, Fabulist, Lady Zstland and Euroclydon, but I will not have Day Star unless he pleases mc better next week. I have substituted Lady Zetland for Saracen on the assumption that she may be the one entrusted with the big task. The Welcomk Stakbs. About this time lust year great things were being predicted of the Hon. J. D. Ormond's two-year-olds by Dreadnought, and certainly they showed what at the time looked like rather good form, though it was proved later on that there were some juveniles of a better class than those that were seen out at the Hawke's Bay Spring Meeting. This season's batch, from all. accounts, are a great improvement upon the last, in which case tho Hawke's Bay sportsman, who is one of the most lavish patrons of the New Zealand turf, should have somewhat of "a mortgage" upon the juvenile events, at least in the spring, as, so far as can be judged, the best of the two-year-olds in Canterbury having early engagements are probably not so good as the best of last season's batch. It is too early yet to bind oneself to a definite opinion. I have however, an idea thexe are several that will tnrn out well, if not at once, before the season closes, aud the chances are that seme of the best may come with a rattle when the autumn leaves are falling. When we eliminate the names of a number of young* sters whose owners did not pay forfeit for them in the Welcome Stakes, and which, it may be taken for granted will not see the post, we have to deal with nine intended to try conclusions. Of these Sir Lancelot is the only one that has raced so far. His owner intends to rely upon this one string to his bow; and a very good string, too, is the pronouncement of those who have seen the son of Dreadnought and Idalia race. Indeed there are some who think theraceagood thing for him, and there us no reason why he should not prove as capable of winning races as Sir Moored and other of his half .brothers and sisters. It is thirteen years ago since his half-brother Liverpool scored in this race. There are only three dams of victors in the list that have each produced more than one winner of the stake. These are good old. Nautilus (dam of Cynisca, Pygmalion, and last year's winner, Bomhihfll), Rapee (dam

of Apropos and Silvermark), and Hammock (dam of Siesta and Somniel). Rupee and Hammock are this year not represented, and it remains to be seen whether the success which has attended the descendants of Old Mermaid in this race will be further followed up. La Mode, her daughter, won; Stonyhurst, from Watersprite, one of her granddaughters, won, besides the trio from Nautilus. Will Seashell put down the Hawke's Bay representative," or will Decoy, ianother descendarlt, succeed? The first of these can gallop fast, and may follow the good examples set her by the other members of her family, but what Decoy can accomplish I do not know., Beauty Sleep may show some of the dash that made her dam, who won the race in 1881, famous, but she is trained away at Yaldhurst, and we have seen less of her than of Multiform, who has cantered a few times on the track at head-quarters. The Formo family is a fast one, and Multiform may be better at his age than Uniform, Forma or Forme, and that would, so far as he is concerned, eusure a race. Bloomer belongs to a family of performers and, though it is seven years since an Apremout won, prior to that date that sire had five winners in succession. Bloomer may keep the name of her sire and dam green. Besides Beauty Sleep and Decoy, there are three other fillies by Medallion engaged, one from that smart mare Huguenot, another, Argon, from Auray (dam of Mauser) sold untried by Mr Stead last autumn, and the other from old Rosebud. This latter, Maybud, is smart. I opine that Mr Ormond's representative will encounter the strongest opposition from the best of the Yaldhurst pair and Seashell, but a more definite selection can be made next week.

Euroclydon Fabulist Lady Zetland Saracen The Possible ♦Mahaki Ngatuere '.. Culverin «. *Lorelei .. •Quiltiri The Shrew .. Casket Bellicent .. Pom Pom .. Lotion .. *M:in-o'-War.. Aldershot .. Day Star .. Black and Red Captive Defiance .. Epaulet Lord Rosslyn Voltigeur .. *Criuiaon Streak 9 5.. —— " 8 12 '.'. T.Taylor ..8 9.. W.Shaw .. 8 6 .. P.White .. 8 5 .. Lindsay ..8 3.. J.Griffiths „. 8 2 .. O. Jenkins .. 8 0 .. W. Clarke .. 8 0 .. .. 7 13 .. Donovan .. 7 13 .. Derrett .. 7 12 .. ..7 9 .. Wilson ..7 9 .. Raynor .. 7 9 .. T. Connop .. 7 8 .. J. Hughes .. 7 3 .. .. 7 3 .. Gallagher ..7 2.. Pyne .'. 7 2 .. Rainbow ..7 1 .. F. Kingan .. 7 1 .. .. 6 10 .. King ..6 7.. Pine ..6 7.. McAleer •Doubtful.