The Cup Race.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 224, 20 November 1888, Page 3

The Cup Race.

O’Brien, the winner of the Melbourne Cup, was interviewed after the race. “ Did you feel pretty confident about winning?” he was asked. “ Well, ’he said, “It miy look like talking after the event, but I felt perfectly confident about the race. Yon .«ee I had ridden Mentor in all his work, and I knew what he could do. I told Mr Wai lace weeks ago that I knew he could win. ‘ Well, Mick,’ he said * You’re pretty oonfi lent. I hope you are right.’ I told him it was a one-horse race and that I was as sure of beating everything else in the race as if they were a lot of selling platers. Mentor was the only real two-mile horse in the race. I knew wh it he was made of. Why, when the whips begin to crack and the other nags are tiring, he is just begining to gallop. He has a heart as big as a lion. He’s real grit, I tell you. Done pretty well out of the race, you ask ? Oh, yes; I put a bit on him, you may be sure. I told ail my friends that it was a moral, and I daresay they put a bit on too. I \Con the Brunswick Stakes on him when he cantered home with 7st llib on hi« back, and I also won the Caulfield Stakes with him. but, as I told you before, I have ridden him in all his work, and I knew that with Bst odd on his back the Cup was a gift to him. Oh, about the race? Well, I don’t know that I can say much abmt it. I got a good place next to Malua, who was on the rails, and I gut away all right. I can’t describe the thing right through, for you see a jockey has his own horse to attend to, and in a big field like that it gives him all he can do. He hasn’t got time to look about him, and watch other horses. All I cared for was to keep a pretty good place—l think I ran about ninth most of the way—and at the same time I did not want to put too much steam on and take it out of him before the pinch came. I saw the accident to Spade Guinea just after we passed the stand, and then I just kept steadily along I felt he was going as firm as a rock under me, and I bided my time, for I knew he would bs going when most of the others were done. He was still going strong when we got to the half-mile post—half a mile away from home, I mean—and I thought it was time to look about me. I had got through a lot of them by that time just watching for an opening, and when they split up a bit in front of me, moved him on steadily. When we got to the half-mile post, as I tell you, Cylops was in front, and going well. Malua was going alongside of me near the rails, and Dick Swiveller and the Yeoman were in front. I waited for a while to get an opening to go through, but as there was no chance of that, I pulled him out and came up on the outside. I felt a bit frightened of the big brown fellow Tradition. He is apt to bore in upon you. He did it with me in the Melbourne stakes, and very nearly set me on the rails. It was not the fault of the jockey, but the horse swerves under the whip when he is tiring. So I took c ire to keep clear of him. When I got clear of The Yeoman we were coming near the home turn, Cyclops was still in the lead. I moved my horse up a bit, and soon saw that the [others were tiring, whilst mine was going very strong. About 150 yards away from home I was leading, and I knew it was all right. Tradition came up very strong, and I was afraid of him for a bit, but he soon tired, and my ho se came home as as strong as possible. He finished splendidly, and was not a bit the wor.-e for the journey. That’s all I know about it. I won easily, with plenty in hand, and I knew I would.” It is said that Mr Wallace gave O’Brien £2500 for his services on Mentor in the Cup.