AUSTRALIAN AND FOREIGN SPORTING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCV, Issue 10993, 25 June 1896, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN AND FOREIGN SPORTING.

During tho past two or throe seasons the City and' Suburban Handicap has steadily declined as a medium for ante-post speculation, and (says tbe London Sportsman ) never in its history has it provoked less than on. the present anniversary. For all that, it is as effective as ever in drawing an immense crowd to see it decided, and it would, probably be quite within the mark to say that never were more people present on the Surrey Downs on a “ City ” afternoon than at this year’s race. In brining sixteen',competitors to the post, the race suffered but little by comparison with many other occasions, and the held was as Large as had been anticipated. The market demand for Worcester continued njvto'.tbe fall of the flag*, and Mr Barnato's horse left off a good favourite, while La Sagesse, Tambour, Kirkconnel, and Funny Boat did not lack confident supporters. Hone of the quartette supplied one of the first three, however, and Worcester Won in handsome style. The son of Saraband and Elegance- thus, at the first attempt, recouped Mr Barnato the 2000 guineas for which he privately purchased him at Newmarket lapt December, and as he is undeniably bred, the horse may be considered a bargain. Ha was sent to the post in rare condition by J. Cannon, and gave Mornington Cannon his fourth winning ride in the race. , He won it last year on Eemirider, on Beve d'Orin 1890, and ouNunthorpe in 1891. Worcester won in 2min llseo, and the value of the stakes was .£1665. Last year, •when Mr T. Cannon’s Bemindor (4yrs, Bst 91b) was successful, the time occupied was 2min IQiscc, and the stakes amounted to ■£1435; while in 1894, the Duke of Westminster’s Grey Leg (3yra,7st) covered the course in 2rain ISISeC, and credited his owner with .£1435. . r ‘

In his notes 1 on the Adelaide Birthday Cup, “Terlinga” writes as follows;—It is not''necessary to say much about the race. Lord Kichinond, who was nasty at the post, lost ground through having, to go right round his fuffd, and it goes without sayingthat Lord Grenville would have done batter if his rider had nob been physically incapable of doing Mm justice, but there is no doubt Destiny- won by sheer merit. Walker came right out of the field with him when half the distance'had, been covered — Walker simply can’t wait with a horse — and the colt sustained the run to the end, and was going the strongest of the placed horses when the goal was reached. I have not seen such extravagant use made of a horse. in an important handicap over a distance of ground since Cyclops came away from tho field at the sheds in Mentor’s Melbourne Cup. Walker was very clever in getting a place in the early part of the race. As usual Destiny was very slow in getting under way, but as the big field swung out at the first turn his rider dashed him up on the inside, and was soon with the leaders. When Destiny came out with such a lead so far from home I thought lie would surely die away at the finish, but lie is somewhat unkind, and perhaps Walker was justified in letting him go on when he felt in the humour. After this victory I suppose we may tako it for granted that eventually Destiny will take Hcckcrsgat’s place at Morphettville. That he will be wanted for a season or two yetis not likely,and itis on thecards that he will carry the tartan jacket successfully in another good race before going to the stud. Destiny 'was a present to Mr T. E. Barr- ■ Smith from Sir Thomas Elder. Ha is a fine-looking horse, but I have an idea that the brother bought by Mr W. Bailey last March will prove the best of the fajnily. Trentham was prominent for a long way, but took no part in the finish. Ho va was never in tho hunt, and was allowed to canter home behind everything save Little Dudley. Horses that ran well were Acton, Tinstream, and .Port Admiral, but the three placed horses were out by themselves from the distance.

There appears to be a prospect of the Indian Viceroy’s Onp being made a handicap instead of a weight-for-age race, as at present- “Now that the added money has been increased, and as a large entry is desirable to recoup the Calcutta Turf Club for its outlay the surest way,” remarks the Ir-'Mdn Planters’ Gazette, “ would be to change the Viceroy’s Cup from a weight-fon-age race to a handicap. By so doing the stewards would silence that body of owners who are inclined to cry out at so much money being voted for the benefit of practically three long-pursed owners. It would,’further, be productive of a larger Held, for many an owner would be flattered into starting his not quite first-class one if ho thought he had a small bit the best of It at the weights with the- cracks. Of course we all know that .weigh b-for-age races are instituted nominally with tho dea of drawing a better class of horse int othe country, and so improving the strain of blood, but whether the racing stock which is yearly brought td Calcutta ever does much towards this is open to doubt. Certainly the record of recent years does not support the supposition, for the race has been for the most part won by either mares or geldings, no stallion having won since Moorhouse won in 1891, and before him Metal and Statesman in 1535 and 3SB-1. Of the mares who have run in the cxrp Metallic ' has been taken back to England, and Good Hope has also been sent to the stud at home. Moorhouse, by the way, who was bought for the stud, died before he ever served a mare. So that as far as improving the breed is concerned, the encouragement is hardly worth proceeding with. We believe that tho time has come when, were the Viceroy’s Cup turned info, a big handicap, it would be, what it ought to be, tho best race in every way in India; whereas, though we think the Calcutta Turf Club is right in raising tho states, it may, under the present conditions, continue to be a duel between '/the few opulent stables for all time. The average Indian owner cannot afford to pay £IOOO for a horse to win 10,000 rupees, whereas he might afford 5000 rupees or even 10.000 rupees with,a. chance of getting ;n on favourable 'toms, with' the more ixpensivo horses ofTiia antagonists.”

Kefcmiig to the display of Paris TIT; -in cho Great Metropolitan Stakes,. “ Vigilant ” of the London Sportsman writes--As usual, quite the pleasantest place it Epsom was the paddock, yet even before the big race'it was patronised by comparatively few people, though the percentage of

ladies amongst them was unusually large. The first candidate I came across was Paris HI., whose toilet attracted quite a deep ring. Whilst it is a mistake to describe him as a small horse, ho is certainly not a big one, and 9st 91b seemed a very crushing weight for him, though, with tho memory of his Northamptonshire Stakes runaway win. so fresh in people’s minds, they would not back anything else with any amount of spirit, and the “ Waler” started a raging favourite. Sheeplike and quiet as Paris invariably is prior to a race, no sooner does the flag fall than he becomes an entirely different horse, and even such a powerful man as Watts evidently had all his work to do to hold him in the first half-mile. Apparently the race was run at a capital pace from end to end, and a quarter of a mile from home it seemed to be any imaginable odds on the favourite. Just, however, as we expected to see him shoot out and come home in his Northampton style, he suddenly col Lapsed, and there appears to be good reasons for - the doubts expressed by those who knew him,, best in Australia as' 'to whether ; tlie distance would not prove..a little too far , for him: The “ Special Commissioner ” of the same paper has the following : The Metropolitan Stakes produced quite an international field, France, Australia, and America being all represented, with Dormouse, Paris 111., and Banquet. It was reserved, however, for this old country to play the winning card. Paris 111 was much liked in the paddock, but gained undue credit for stamina, owing to an erroneous statement that he had won over three miles. His best distance is from a mile to a mile and a half, and at a mile and a half or even three-quarters he would have won. In the race Corn bury attempted to keep in front, as he did last year, but Dormouse had his measure at an early period, and coming down the hill to Tattenham Corner! Paris 111. pulled his way to the front rank and came on for home with an obvious winning chance. The weight and the distance, however, told, and he was defeated by a head.