VICTORIAN CUPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 3, 3 July 1940, Page 11

VICTORIAN CUPS

BEAU VITE FAVOURITE

The presence of Beau Vite in the big Victorian Cups settled at once the troubles of bookmakers in finding their early favourite, says a Melbourne exchange. In the first lists the Beau Pere colt appeared everywhere as favourite for the Melbourne Cup, and he occupies that position as well in the Caulfield Cup, though in this event there is no definite sole favourite yet. The Melbourne layers remember the excellent race Beau Vite went in last year's Melbourne Cup, when he was in front a furlong off the post and might have carried on if the track had not been so heavy. One Melbourne critic goes so far as to say that he was not at his best then, but that might be read as a reflection on his trainer. He performed much more notably on his return to the Dominion, but George is of the opinion that on firmer ground the colt would have won the Cup. It is likely to be some time before a clear-cut favourite is found with Melbourne layers for the Caulfield Cup, but the declaration of the weights this week would without doubt have limited' their range of choice. The most highly-rated rising three-year-old in the two Cups appears to be the Sydney colt John, the winner of the A.J.C. Champagne Stakes, and Lucrative (winner of the Sires' Produce Stakes, in which John did not start, and second in the Champagne Stakes), Pandect, and Cephren. The first charts issued on the double contain the following leading lines:—

MELBOURNE CUP.

Beau Vite. John, Lucrative, Pandect, Pure Gold, Maikai, Mosaic. Apostrophe, Beaupartir, Cephren, Dhoti, Nuffield, Old Bill, Reading, Tragopan.

CAULFIELD CUP.

Beau Vite, Dhoti (imp.), Greenwich, (imp.), John, Landlaw (imp.), Maikai, Moonray (imp.), Mosaic, Pure Gold, Reading. Apostrophe (S.A.), Beaulivre (N.Z,), Beaupartir (N.Z.), Burhan Ali (imp.), Buzalong, Earl Marshal, High Caste, Lucrative, Nuffield, Old Bill (N.Z.), Pandect, Scarlet Toi (imp.), Tragopan (Q.), Yours Truly.