THE FIRST MELBOURNE CUP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 3749, 15 November 1873, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE FIRST MELBOURNE CUP.

The following from the Australasian will doubtless be interesting to our readers at tho present moment:—"The first Melbourne Cup was run, under the management of the Victoria Turf Club., on Thursday, tho 7tli of November, 1861, aud was won by a Sydney horse called Archer, 5 years, carrying 9 St. 7 lbs., beating fourteen others—' literally in a cauter, by half a dozen len-jths.' The quotation above is from Bell's Life in Victoria, and wo purpose making some extracts from that paper, that our readers may judge for themselves how the turf has progressed since then, and how the 'Cup ruce' has gradually increased in public interest, until it has now becomo ' the greatest sporting event south of the line. l .... This was the first Melbourne Cup Meeting, and if Lhe writer of tho abovo remarks was present at tho last Cup Meeting ho must have looked back with Bomo pride to the opinion l>e then expressed, and had amplo evidence in the scene beforo him that tho hopeful picture he then drew had been fully realised. It is extremely interesting, comparing past with present, to refer furlher to tho report, and note under what circumstances anl with what surroundings the first Cup was run for aud won." Tho course was iu excellent order, and even " the Slough of Despond" in tho training-ground had so far dried up that tho horses attached to the low-back cars wore enablod to pull through their loads without much jibbing. Tho traius of the JSsaendon railway wero well filled, »ud a largo number of pedestrians wero pouring on to tho courso. Bat how many people do our readers imagine were present to constitute this pouring on the courso ?" Was it 10,000 or 20,000 ? Hear what Bell sayß :—" At tho tirno of the start for the Cup there could not have been fewer than 6000 people upon tho ground, aud tho gravid stand and hill wore densely crowded. Upon the latter there were übout 2000 persons, and on the lower portion of the ataud were His Bxcollency the Governor and a large numbor of ladies." Last year it is computed that

40,000.persons witnessed,the Cup race. And if the day is flue, how many, we wonder, will be present this year ou the Flemington course. May we not expect that the modest' 6000 of 1861 will be 60,000 at least ? But the writer of Bell's report was not far wrong when he said in 1861 —"Whatever other interests may suffer, our national sports shew.no signs of rotrogresion," and it is satisfactory to know that all other interests are now in an equally flourishing state with that of raoing. Tho anticipations of tho reporter in Bell have been fully realised.

And now of the race itself a few particulars, Eightean horses ran—of these Archer won, Mormon was second, and Prince third. The other starters were Antonelli, Flatcatcher, Tho Moor, Nutwith, Inheritor, Grey Dawn, Tory boy, Black Bess, Sorcerer, Eagle's Plume, Fireaway, Lucy Ashton, Dispatch, Twilight, and Medora. " Mr. De Mestre's pair, Archer and Inheritor, were surrounded by an eagor crowd of New South Welchmen. Archer was full of life, and looked ready to jump out of his skin, but the money was all on, and the pretensions of the crack not being at all supported, very little was heard about him in tho ring, nor did cither his appearance or his style of going induce us to think him at all dangerous. He is a powerful, raking horse, with a tremendously long stride, well calculated to get useful hacks and hunters, but certainly did not look able to give the weight he was asked to the speedy animals he had to meot." Bell's opinion was rather out there, however. Archer started nt 100 to 8 j Mormon, 6 vrs., 10st. 51b., who ran second being first favourite at 3to 1. Mr. W. Pearson's Prince, aged, Bst., was third, bis price at starting being 100 to 6; and Antonelli, 3 yrs., 6jl. 71b., who was fourth, 100 to 3. Archer's time was 3m. 525., and he won " literally in a cantcr by half-a-dozen lengths." We did not know eo much then as we know now of " dangerous De Mestre." Tho prophets and tho touts of 18G1 were all out in their reckoning of tho mighty Archer. Twelve years have passed away, and Mr. De Mestro is again among us, with tho first favourite for tbe Melbourne Cup. It is noteworthy, also, that a subsequent cup winner took part in tho first cup race, viz., Mr. W. C. Yuille's gr g Tory boy. Of this horse Bell wrote Tory boy, who is cortainly a racehorse in miniature, stripped, as Mr. Yuille's horses always do, at the very top of tho tree, and the many clever victories snatched by this gentleman's stable induced a large section of the publio to believe they were to bo treated to another Buck hunt. Toryboy, however, got choked off at a milo and a half." But tho racehorse in miniature only bided his time, and was not choked off when, four years later, he got in with 7 st. and won. Tho day after the Cup, Archer won tho Town Plate in a canter. Wo will conclude this notice of the "first Melbourno Cup" with another extract from an article in Bell. It is very suggestive: —"Tho way that Archer shot to tho front when Cutts shook him up was a sight to be remembered. I was quite wrong about Inheritor being the horse of the stab'.o j but I, alas 1 am not tho ouly man deceived, as the bookmakers can vouch for. According to rumour, iu their trials Inheritor was put down a3 the better horse; but Archer, it seems, is one of those horses that will not race except iu company. I can scarcely believe that the stable could have made such a mistake ; but the Sydnoyites are quite our match in diplomacy, and it is hard to tell." Truly, tho Sydney men are our matches in diplomacy, and no mistake ; and it looks very much as if another Sydney horse will this year " Bhoot to I the front," and win tho Melbourno Cup of i 1573."