OLD-TIME RACES.

NZ Truth, 4 January 1908, Page 2

OLD-TIME RACES.

"Spreader" writes *:— "Talking o-I old. times, the men of the .early eighties t were sports* from the; tips of. their' toes upwards. Many a yarnfroin the "Banks of the Murrumibidgee" has, like the proverbial flower, blushed unseen lor want of a narrator. Some wealthy sheep kings spent their surplus on the tracks m those days and gained much excitement from backing their fancies on the old- wire fenced courses, where the tracks were bordered with belah and box trees. Rabbits and drought intermingled with the pace that kills has done most to make all but the names of several old families sink into oblivion! The Wagga Wagga gold Cup at one time, though microscopic m value m comparison with "The Cup," was always shrouded m a halo of romantic reminiscences, and collected a crowd from- all parts of the colonies. They had their own breeds, there m the district did wonders with them, and m" many cases some of our best horses of to-day are descended from sires that donned the silk or mastered harems m the old town. Such horses as The, Drummer, Borgor and Invenmay, the sire of the famous pony Pickles, who won innumerable races m public amongst open company, have left their hall mack* on many a good horse racing at the present time. Then, again, at. Junee, the town adjoining the junction of the great South and South-Western railways stood, perhaps the most noticeable sire<,in Australasian history, old Sunrise. He was a son of Robinson Crusoe, «and as ' a sire of winners stood out alone. It's a saying old as the hills m Riverina to-day that anything old Sunrise, got could gallop. He was noticeable m more ways than one. Supposedly a cripple, he got more winners of small races than, any two sires m the colonies, yet he never threw anything special—want of good mares, no doubt. And writing of this reminds one of Robinson Crusoe, who, at the outset of his career; was known as the Angler — Chrysolite colt; but got his name .from swimming ashore from a wreck. Many/ writer s~ haVe classed the, Crusoe mares as of more value than the colts from a ! breeding point of view, but. he got colts, some good ones, too-! , Abercbrn . was handicapped at 10.10 for the Melbourne Clip of that year, arid had he started would have carried thousands of the public money, but the owner scratched him for the Canterbury Plate and so spoilt his chance of making history. , Humphrey Oxenham, after winning the Caulfield Cup m 1893 with Waterfall, the Niagara— Little Wanza colt, went South arid annexed the Wagga Cup with the same colt, and that was practically the last year the outside public took any interest m that race. The Cup is still run .for annually, but its glory is fast" fading !jaa years roll by. Men may have the., money to-day but they seem to have lost" the dash. The old pioneering families and men of the. gold "rush days were as a class freer-handed and better-hearted than the men of to-day.