RACING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19474, 2 November 1926, Page 6

RACING.

THE MELBOURNE CUP. TO-DAY'S GREAT RACE. THREE NEW ZEALAND HORSES. MANFRED AND HEROIC OUT. BY PHAETON. Tbrt sixty-sixth Melbourne Cut) is set clown for decision at Flemington to-dav. and with a field of 21 horses engaged that should provide a contest worthy of Flemington. The w iiidravval of Manfred and Heroic leaves Lnrjish-bred Pantheon (9.3) at the head of Iho list. At Randwick last month Pantheon won a first-class certificate as a stayer when he romped home in front for the A.J.C. Plate. a race run over two miles at weight-for-age. and which distance he compassed in 3m 23Js. On that performance Pantheon can be voted well entitled to his place in to-day's race. Spear/ell. who is voted equal to Pantheon, is also a welltested candidate and his victory over Windbug at weight-for-age last mouth, in a fastrun mile and a-hall. brought him many admirers. The Banker (8.12) made a good clash for victory in the Caulfield Cup. and on figures the New Zealand-bred gelding Lught to t>o eaual to disputing mnttcis with the '.op weight, ior he is a proved stayer. uampiou, as winner of dual Derby honours, is (he bright particular star i>i the three-year-old division, and. as tho '■J ODposjte his name only represents 3lb. over weight-fcr-age. ha should be equal to talcint, a hand in tho settlement, of the question if lie be a true stayer. Limerick I'.st faded away at the business end of the Dsrpy contest on Saturday. and this does not serve to brighten his cup prospects. but lie has stood his racing so well under disabilities that it would be unsafe to count him out. Another New Zealand horse engaged ia iNa°S' a five-year-old son of Martian, who nas the hancty burden of 7.0. In the decision of the Sydney Cup last. April he ran a c.ose third, and it was announced some tune back that he had been mado the medium of strong support for the Melbourne Cup. DERBY WINNER AND THE CUP Of the 65 contests that have eventuated to date for the Melbourne Cup the Derby winner uu3 proved successful on nine occasions. The following are the purticulnrs bearing on tho Derbv winner and the. Melbourne Cup since 1876, the vear in which Briesis earned first distinction by winning the double: Derby Winner. Cup Weight. Position

SOME INTERESTING FACTS. Archer is the only horse that has the record of winning the Melbourne Cap on two occ.isic.ns, and we have to go back to 1861 and 1562 for the srjne.

Tho only horses to win both the V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup were Lantern, Eriseis, Chester, Grand fc'ieneur, Martiui.Heury, Newhaven, ILiriwee, Poueidon, Princo Foote and Patrobas. Tho full-brothers, Gaulus and The Gralter, ran first and second respectively in the Cup ia 1837 The Grafter was only beaten a head. He won next year. • Both horses were owned by the late Mr. W. I'oi tester,, The highest weight ■ ever carried to victory was ;.0,5 by Carbine in 1890. In the raco of the iollowing year he was awarded 10.12, but hie racing career had been terminated before the race was ran that year. The largest Cup field was 39—in Carbine's 5 ear.

The highest weight awarded to a three-ycar-old in the Melbourne Cup is B.G, which was '.he impost Aurum carried iDto third iiiace in the race of 1897.

In the 05 contests for the Melbourne Cup tha., have eventuated to date only four mare 3 have proved successful. Tho winners wereßriseis (by Tim Wifller), Auraria (by Trenton), Acrasia (by Gozo), and Sister Olive (by Red Dennis). l our New Zealand-bred horses havo won the Cup, via;., Martini-Henry (1983), Carbine (1890), Apologue (1907). and Sasanof \1916). Poitrel defoatcd a field of 22 when he carried 10.0 to victory iu the Cup of 1920. Tho greatest outsider to win the Cup was Thi' Pearl, who in the race of 1871 started at 100 to 1 In the Cup contest of ISBS, Sheet Anchor •won by a head from Grace Darling, with Trer.ton half a head away third; and Nordenfeldt less than half a length away iourth. The only instances in which a three-year-old beaten in the V.R.C. l>erby came out and won the Melbourne Cup at tho same meeting aro furnished by Auraria and i r:ilieryman. The former ran third to "Wallace and Oscniator in the Derby. The horses that finished first and second respectively in the Derby were lamibered among the lot that Auraria defeated in the Cup contest. Richmond Main defeated Artilleryman in the Derby, but places were reversed in the Cup. Ir 1900 two three-year-olds—Clean Sweep and Malster—fought out the finish for the leading position in the Cup; and in 190'J Poseidon and Antonious, who were of a like ago, came homo in first and second places respectively. A similar record attached to the Cup of 1915, when Patrobas and Westcourt came homo in that order; and in 191J Artilleryman and Richmond Main, who were of a like age. finished first wad second. James Scoble has the record of training the winner of the Melbourne Cup on threo occasions, viz.,, Clean Sweep (1900), King Ingoda (1922). and Bitalii (1923). In 1924 Stand Ph. who hailed from Scobie'3 stable, fan the winner to a short neck. When King Ingoda beat The Cypher by half a neck for the Cup of 1923 trie owner of the latter, it is said had his horse Larked to win £25,000. Grand Flaneur and Comedy King are tho only horses that won . the Melbourne Cup thrst also sired a winner of the race. Grand Flaneur won the Cup in 1860, nnd in 1891 his four-year-old son Patron led the field home. Comedy lung scored a victory in M'O, and h : s three-year-old son Artilleryman win in 1919. Pitalli, who won the Cup in 1923, was aired by an American-bred hortio (October). English-bred horses have won the Cup on occasions, viz.. Comedy King (1910) and Backwooil (1924). MANFRED SCRATCHED. A SENSATIONAL SURPRISE. A, and ?:.Z. MELBOURNE. Nov. 2. Manfred was scratched for the Melbourne Cup nt 10.30 this morning. Australian ar.d N.2. Cable Association. (Reed 9.35 p.m.) SYDNEY. Nov. 1. The withdrawal of Manfred, the outstanding public fancy, from the Melbourne Cup raco came as a sensational surprise. Tho scratching has hit the public heavily. At 3.30 p.m. Heroic was also scratched for the cup. The withdrawal of Manfred and Heroic has created a sensation in turf circles. Manfred's leg filled after Saturday, and an examination of Heroic to-day proved conclusively that ho would not be able to run. J. Coutts is to ride Limerick. A further sensation was caused by the scratching of Heroic. This has again badly hit the public.

1876—Briseis st. lb. . G 4 it) Cup. First 1877—Cheste: .. f> 12 First. 1R7S-—Wellington .. 5 13 Fifth 1879—Suwarrow . . .. <; l Third 1880—Grand Flaneur .. r> 10 First 18S1—Dnrebin .. 6 12 Twelfth 18S2 —IT u v i tcr Did not run 38S3—Martini-Henry .! 7 5 First. 3854—Rufus Did not run 38^5—Xordenfeldt 7 5 Fourth 13SG—Trident ..7 7 Fourth 3887—Australian Peer ..7 5 Third JSS3—Iinsi~n ..7 5 Broke down 3833—Dreadnought Not entered 3890—The Admiral 7 9 Sixth 1891—St ruth mo re ..7 6 Third 3852—Caraoola ..7 6 Eleventh 389JJ—Carnage ..7 7 Second 3894—The Harvester Did not run 1805—Wallace 7 6 Nowhere 189r; -Newhaven .. 7 13 First 1897—Amberite ... 8 4 Now hero 38!M—Cocob .. 7 10 Third 3899— Merriwce ... 7 6 First 39?>0~Malster .. 7 11 Second 3901-Hautvillers .. 7 12 Did not run 3902—Abundance .. 7 G Third 1903—P.J. A. . . '7 10 Nowhere 1904—Sylvanite .. 7 10 Nowhere 1905—Ladv Wallace Not entered 1906—Poseidon 7 6 First 3907—Mountain Kins ..7 6 Third. 190?—Alawa ..7 r, Fifth 3909—Prince Foote . 7 8 First 1910—Beverage ..7 9 Did not run 3911—Wilari ..7 5 Did not run 3912—Wolawa Not entered 1913—Beragoon 7 6 Sixth 1914—Carlita ...7 4 Ninth 1915—Put rob as .. 7 0 First 391K—Wolaroi ..7 6 Fifth 1917—Biplane ..7 8 Did not run 3918—Epsebius .. 7 6 Nowhere 3919—Richmond Main -.7 6 Second 1920—Salitrort ..7 6 Nowhere 1921—Furious ..7 4 Nowhere 1922—Whitticr .. 7 10 Nowhere 3923—Frances Treosady . 7 3 Fifth 392! —Spearfelt ... 7 6 Third 1928—Manfred ..78 Second THE CUP FIELD. The followinc is a list of the horses cnraged in the Melbourne Cud: — st. lb. st. lb. Pantheon ••.93 Rampion ...79 Spearfelt ... 9 8 Balbufl • •. 7 8 The Banker . 8 12 The Slave ... 7 7 Tookarby • . . 8 10 Our Prince . 7 6 Spearer • . . . 8 6 Limerick ...75 Royal Charter 8 5 Valaisian ... 7 4 Piastroon ... 8 4 Naos • . ...70 Valp.mita ... 8 0 Stratia . ... 6 12 Johnnie Jone3 8 0 Beedos . ...67 Valbee .... V 11 Miss Disraeli . (> 7 Cotnus .... 7 11