AUCKLAND CUP MEMORIES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 7, 7 December 1936, Page 10

AUCKLAND CUP MEMORIES.

SIX CUPS TO TWO HORSES. The racing season moves on steadily ami now we arc on the threshold of the widespread holiday racing carnival. Naturally, most interest centres in the Auckland Cup, which had its beginning in 1873, when the total stake money oil' Clip day reached £4lO. In 1921 die aggregate was £10,200, with a £3500 Clip. There were 18 subscribers to tbe first Auckland Cup run in 1873 and the field numbered five starters. It. Derrott, who became the most prominent of Now Zealand horsemen as the seasons passed, rode the winner, the then 3-ycar-old Havensworth — Wainiea colt Papa pa. The late Mr Henry Redwood, tbe "father of the New Zealand Turf,” bred and raced Papapa, who bad conic from winning the Now Zealand Derby in. which race lie had been ridden by the late ft. Mason, who had also been in some part connected with the training of the colt. Templeton, one of the gamest of the game—“ Brave Old Templeton” as he was styled by Tom Bracken, who immortalised the son of Tradticer in verse—won for Mr P. \V. Dclaimiin in 1874. Dainty Ariel’s best son Ariel, in the colours of tbe late Mr James Watt, father of Mr E. J. Watt, won the first of bis Auckland Cups in 1876, ami two years later after hits suecctis in the Canterbury Cup, Ariel won his second Auckland Cup, this time in the nomination of the Gisborne sportsman, Mr A. McDonald. After this race he went lame and changed bands for £SOO. Ho was at once “fired” and made such a good recovery that lie scored bis third success in the race twelve months later. The last two Auckland Cups won by Ariel were run over 2) miles and this was also the distance of the race when Nelson won in the successive years of 1885, 1886. and 1887. Nelson was imported by the late Major F. Nelson George, together with bis dam, My Idea, and several other marcs from Australia. Nelson was a wonderful stayer. He won the Great Northern Derby, but began to show his best form as a five-year-old when he won the Auckland, Dune din, and Wellington Cups in succession, and ho annexed the Auckland Cup in the next two seasons with 9.8 and 9.12. It was no' until lie won bis first Auckland Cup in the then Australian and New Zealand re cord time of 4.0 for the two and a-quarier miles, however,- that ho really came into prominence. Nelson was trained by the late Edward Cutts, who was preparing two other candidates for the raeo at the time, the late Sir George Clifford’s highly performed colt Stonyliurst and Major George’s King Co o horse Wapiti, who was better fancied early by the Major. Stonyliurst was the actual favourite, but Wapiti, who had been galloping in great style, continued to find a heavy backing until a few mornings before the l-ace, when, proving too much of a handful for his lightweight rider, he galloped about four miles. Aflcr this escapade he. bled profusely and Major George was then forced lo place his hopes in Nelson. Nelson was backed substantially 1 o win the Auckland Cup, but the commissioner •exceeded his commission and was forced to stand a. large amount, which he tried to quietly unload. This news leaked out, however, with the result that Nelson started at much longer odds than had been accepted about him earlier. He paid in the vicinity of £25 on the totalisator, but how much more iic would have paid had the H.M.S. Nelson not been in port can only be conjectured, for tbe bluejackets backed him staunchly because of his name. Major George won his fourth Auckland Cup in 1893 with Pegasus, a three-year-old son of the Major’s favourite Nelson. Pegasus was tbe outsider of the eight starters in tbe Cup and won by a length amt a-half from Ida and Roscfcldt Royalty, who bad won the Railway Handicap took the Derby from Pegasus and again defeated him in the Auckland Plate.