SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2263, 15 July 1897, Page 37

SPORTING NOT ES FROM AUSTRALIA.

By Hori Poexe. Melbourne, June 29. THE MELBOURNE CUP. The weights were duly posted outside the I V.11.C. office a little after noon yesterday, and I within 10 minutes it was notified all over Melbourne that "Aurum had 8.6 in the Melbourne I Cup." It is the same old tale year after year. For months prior to the nomination day (the first Monday in June) the sporting public are puzzling themselves with what some certain horse will be allotted in the greac two-mile handicap of the year, and it really would surprise you to learn the amount of wagering that is indulged in there anent. Last year Wallace's weight was the enigma ; this year it has been Aimnn's. Nearly all the recognised talent were satisfied that he would receive 8 0, but very few antici pated that he would exceed 8 2 at the outside, «nd when it became known that Mr F F. Dakiu had exceeded this by 41b there were many ominous shakings of the head and a chorus of "What a poultice ! " However, the friends ot the bonny brown son of Trenton and Aura still remained firm in their allegiance to him, arguing stoutly that "Newhaven won with a good 71b iv hand last year," besides which " Aurum was fully a 71b better colt than Newhaven." Well v he may be ; and, again, he may not. Another thing: the st>-m logic of subsequent racing facts has prfiv» d conclusively that Newhaven must "Save had a terribly weak field to beat in the Melbourne Cup of 1896— a stroke of luck that Aurum may not experience on the firbt Tuesday in November. Newhavcn's hollow victory in the Derby completely paralysed the opposition in 'the Melbourne Cup ; but history is hardly likely to repeat itself again in this connection in the year of Jubilee. Natheless, should Mr W. R. Wilson decide on keeping him in the event, Auvum is certain to be a very warm favourite right through the winter, the general body of backers Using firm in the faith that lie is the best two-y. r >ld ever they have seen, whilst last year's coup hah caused quite a number ot them to don their considering caps as to whether, after all, a three-year-old'at his be3t is not better than at any other period of his racing career. Certes, if Aurum maintains his two-year-old form as a three-year-old he may finish in close proximity to the leader, but that he can carry 141b over weight for age to victory I, for one, will never believe till I see it accomplished. How Carbine accomplished such a task in 1890 is now a matter of history ; but then Carbine was a five-year-old, and the royal road to winning, if not ".smoothed" for him, was certainly in no way " blocked." However, amongst the 129 horses remaining in the event (Hear Hear 7.10 having been struck out as soon as the weights appeared, albeit he is still in the Caulfield Cup at the same apportionment at the time of writing), there is no need to dilate on what I imagine cannot win ; and so I will go through the list seriatim, and try to select the most favoured, in my opinion, at the respective ages. The Aged Division. There are 16 " old 'uns " in the Cup— Havoc 9 5, Battalion 9.4, Delaware 9.3, Cremoree 9.0, Hopscotch 8.10, Loyalty 8 4, Response 8 4, Devon 7.13, Sundial 7.11, Argent 7.9, So-and-So 7.9, Elswick 7.7, Sunburv 7.6, Ronda 7.4, Province 6.8, and Marungi C.7— and in the hanrlicaprer's opinion the Battailous— Nancy Fell gelding Battalion 13 4lb better than Havoc, whilst Oreinorne is on an equality with the son of NoHeofeldt and Frailty over two miles of ground. Were Havoc to start as fit and woll in the forthcoming Melbourne Cup as he was the afternoon he carried off the Australian Cup (with 8 7) in the autumn of 1895, I fancy he would account for both Battalion and Creiuorne (at their best) very comfortably ; but as he has been under a cloud with regard to soundness for a very 1 long time now, J. must staud i Battalion in preference. As regards Crernornp, ! nothing definite is known as to his owner's inten- ' tiotis, and so he may safely be parsed over till hereafter. Delaware would be certain to run a , great race with 9.3 ; and nlthough he has disappointed me times out of number I must still have a good word — for his si&ter's (Merganstt) sake— for Eiswick 7.7. I notice that Ronda is down on the 7.4 mark, but it is almoyfc hoping against hope to expect to see him at tbe post. 1 will confine my selections to Battalion and Delawake amongst the aged horses. The Six-yeau-olds. These number 18— Preston 89, Kallatina 8.8, Burrabari 8.4. Mischief 7.13. Tricolour 7.11, Pivot 7.10, Trent 7.9, Dreamland 7.8, Hindoo 7.8, Gaulus 7.8, Steward 7.8, Benedict 7.4, Lord Richmond 7.0, Fairlight 6J3, Victoria f.12, Battalion 6.7, Trentalto 6.7, and R,osella 6.7. Now, althoueh lam fairly intimate with Alderman "Teddy" Keys, I j am mainly ignorant as to his vu ws regarding the j "estimation" with which handicappers appraise horises he may be training ; but still I doubt whether he will feel more flattered than hurt on perceiving that in Mr F. F. Dakin's opinion j the black mare Kallatina (by Splendour — Doodee) i is 41b better than the record St. Leger winner j Preston over a two-mile course. Kallatina has j never di' played any ability to cover a distance of ' ground yet, whilst Preston's bold front at Flem- ' iugton last March proved conclusively that, like ' good wine, the Robinson Crusoe horse is improv- , ing with age. Burrabari is still being called upon 1 to expiate that sin of omission or commission of which he was guilty when he dropped from the clouds and finished third (with 7.8 up as a four-year-old) to Auraria and Hova in the Melbourne ; Cup of 1895. In that self-same Cup Preston was handicapped at 8.7. aud was well up at the home turn. Since then Burrabari has never won a race (very rarely starting), whilst the following April Preston carried 9.2 to victory at Flemington from Straightfire 7.5, Solanum 9.3, Disfigured 9.9, Idolater 8.13, and five others, winning easily by I three lengths, whilst covering the mile and a-quarter in 2rnin 9Jsec ; and yet, taking into con- | sideration his gelding allowance, Burrabari is - placed on the same mark as Preston, who was han- 1 dicapped at 9.2 for the last Melbourne Cup, and ! figured amongst the 25 starters therefor. It may ; be all right, but according to my idea Jim Red- j fearn has another undoubted " grievance" to run \ in double harness alongside the cruelly-treated j Marusa. Miiad you, Ido not mean to infer that j Burrabari has been harshly treated is being burdened with 8 4— only as compared with a recordbreaker like Preston. Trent n iglit run well with 7.9, albeit Jack O'Loughlan may prefer the halfmile less of the Caulfield Cup with only lib more. Dreamland has 7.8 at Flemington and 7.9 at Caulfield, and if one-half the rumours one hears about him are to be believed he can win the double if his party feel so " disposed." Dreamland is a difficult neddy to train through ; but should Jem Scobie

1 " nick him "to the day he will be "thar" or "thar. i abouts" at the finish. Hindoo, Steward, and Gaulus are all on the 7.8 mark, and the beVt of the trio will be dangerous, my predilection being for Gaulus. Aniong the six-year-olds commend me to Preston, Dreamland, and Gaulus. The Five-year-olds. • T «l? is a ., trul V dangerous contingent, numbering 26 in all— Wallace 9.13, lSuioclydon 9 9, Trus Blue 9.1, Valiant 8 8, The Chevalier 5.6. Ayrshire So, Ths Merry Boy 8.4, OTrigger 8.4, Royal Admiral 5.4, Miraclum 8.2, Acton 8.0, Toreador 8.0, Blackwood 8.0, Parthenopseus 7.12, Paul Pry 79. Woodford 7.9, Positano 7.7, St. David 7.7 Bluecap 7.7, Waihine 7.7, Swivau 7.2, Don John 6.13, Milto 0.12, Firtt Ascot 6.1C, Alabaculia 6.10 and Canal 6.7. Mr Dakin follows out his 41b superior theory with respect to the two topweights, Wallace and Euroclydon, making out Wallace to be half a stone above w.f.a. and the san of Gorton 31b in advance of that standard. Of course, Euroclydou's form is an unknown quantity so far as I am concerned ; but although I do not consider Eurorlydon any too favourablytreated, I feel thoroughly convinced thnt were Wallaco the only oue ho had to beat Mr H. Goodman would carry off the Melbourne Cup of 1897 to a certainty But there are such a number of others leniently treated that one hardly knows which to favour most. However, I must have Valiant 8.8, The Merry Boy 8.4, Royal Admiral 5.4, Miraclum 82, Toreador 8.0, Positano 7.7. Bluecap 7.7, Malto 6.12, and Alabaculia 6.10 on my side. And of these nine I shall select for special distinction amongst the five-year-olds ; Valiant, The Merry Boy, Miraclum, and' Posixano. The Four year-olds. These outnumber the five-j ear-olds by five, the 31 being constituted as follows :- Coil 9.3, Resolute 87, Nora, 82, Morocco 8.0, Wait-a-Bit 8.0, Fucile 7.13, Rcka 7.11, The Mus--keteer 7.10, Kobold 7.9. Moonlyon? 7.9, Strnthspej' 7.9, Sortie 7.8, Honiton 7.7, Athlono. 7.7, Lucullus 7.7. Locksmith 7.6, Voyou 7.5, Devoted 7.4, Koh<i 7.4, Com age 7.3. The Grafter 7.0, Motto 7.0, Josephine 6.12, Amnesty 6.12, Bunrfook 611, Cohort 6.11, Prince Carbine 6.11, Superior 6.10, Woodbine -6.7, Dearix 67, Trentmoor 67. So that, in the opinion of the handicapper, Coil as a four-year-old is as good a horse as Eurorlydon as a five-year-old. Well, I do not agree with him. And, another thing, on the V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup running Resolute is not 101b inferior to Coil. Resolute finished second to Newhaven in the Derby, and fourth (with 6 12) in the Cup. Coil was third in the D> rby, nnd (with 7.11) amongst the ruck in the Cup. AVbat a nice show Coil must have alongside Ihe JMe-ry Boy at their respective weights in the Melbourne Cnp after the V.R.C. Handicap running at Fleiuington last spring. They were both handicapped at 7.12, and The Merry Boy won " hard held " by three-quarters of a length from Coil, whilst covering the mile and three quarters in 3min 7}«ec. So, "Ta-ta, Coil." Morocco is nicely weighted at 8.0, albeit hardly so nicely as Waitabit, another eight-stunner. Morocco is by Splendour from Algerine — rare breeding, whilst Waitabit is by Malua (and looks it all over — from nostril to flag, especially about the flag) from Lucieu. Waitabit's exploits in the Newmarket Handicap (Hid Australian Cup are too fresh in the memory to need recapitulation here ; and as he has only 31b more in the Caulfield Cup he may have another cut at a big double. Strathspey 7.9 is by Strathmore from Melodious, and I only recollect him starting ouce— in the Hopeful Stakes at the V.R.C. Autumn meeting of 1895, which resulted in a dead heatbeuvepn Aroleaand Sayles (Arolea, winning • the run-off). There were 18 starters, -and both Resolute and Strathspey were included in the list (at 7.10 a-piece) ; but they were not in the wagering, and finibhed 'way back. Unlike Burrabari, though, Strathspey has not been looked upon in" the light of a posbible rod in pickle — that is by Mr Dakin, though evidently Mr Vowles lia3 his doubts— and so he gets into the Melbourne Cun>vyith the handy weight of 7.9 as a four-year-old. I am not enamoured with Reka's show ; ho finished fifth with 6 10 last year, and has gone up , 151b for the extra year. So that amougat the four-year-olds I view with most favour Waitabit and Strathspey. The Three- year oldsl These foot up m 38, as follows :— Aurum 8.6». Fleet Admii a17.1t), Key 7.10, Amberite 7.8. Keera 7 5, The Hypnotist 7.5, Patriot 7.4, Burleigh 7.4. ICI Norte 7.x, Pailip 7.2, Nor'-East 7.2, Manfred ' 7.0, Metford 6.33, La Carabine 6J3, Hymettns 612, Carbinier fi.l2, Alva 6.12, Majestic (f.ll, Tapioca 6 11, Reliance 6.10, Toxtoth 6.10. Nudity 6.10, Admirer 6.10, Boscobel 6.9, Lebel 6.9, Virtue. 69, Erl Queen 69, Bunyan 6.9, Strathjoy 6.8, Bengal Tiger 6.8. Herilas 6.8, Rhymer 6.8, Clarion I <;.8, Luster 6.7, Lord .Salisbuiy 6.7, Elected 6.7, Pinfire 6.7, Carbina 67. There's very little "sentiment" about Janies Wilson, jun., and therefore he is hardly li,kely to appreciate the compliment paid i o bis filly Key by placing her. within 51b of Aurum, and calling upon her to carry 61b more thai Auwria did. But, _as I advised you some lim? back. I nm not going to Rtand a three-year old at all this year ; in my" opinion it's not up to them again ; but were I compelled to have a flutter amongnt them I should rertainly Eelect one of Mr.W. R. Wilson * colts—. Majestic 6.11. Manfred 7.0, or Reliance 6.10. There you have my ideas anent the probable location of the next Melbourne Cup, and to gather them v all together and mix them up higgledy-piggledy and have a slap-daHh, "open-yeur-inuuth-aud-shut-yotir-eyes " sort of <lah at it, Mippose we jot the elect down in this fashion :—: — The Merry Boy Battalion Strathspey Yauant Dreamland jjelawaue Wau-mjit Gaulus Positano MIRACLI'M PRUSXOM With iv &]>eci:il reservation in favour of Tjie' Merry Lav, Valiant, Miraclum, W.tiTjßir, ' I'RESTON, aiill P.ATTALTO??. THE CAULFIELD CUP. In the ruaiu there is such a remarkable unanimity between the two apportionments that one would feel inclined to the opinion that Messrs Yowles and Dakin had taken couneel together and "agreed to differ" only about horses whose special missions could be easily figured out. The horses that ara handicapped for the Caulfield Cup without being entered for the Melbourne Cup are :— Beverley 8 12, Survivor 8.10, Staffa 85, Cauoona 8 1, Vanitas 8.1, Lieutenant 8.1, Pilot Boy 8.0, Snapshot 80, Newham 8.0, Foliage' 7.12, Stiaightfire 7.11, Bonnie Heather 7.9. Pickles 7.9, Olive 7.8, Horuesnun 7.8, Feu de Joie 7.7, Excel 7.7, Mif-s Gladstone 7.6, Batchica 7.6, Theodora 7 5, The Captain 7.5, Sayles 7.4, Aiha Craig 7.4, Akarini 7.4. Beau Brummel 7.3, Birksgate7.2, Laura 7.2, Fund 7.1, Water Colour 7.0, Clover Hill 7.0, Surefoot7.o, Wenlock 6.13, Mir*lla 6.l3,Archie Lee (i.12, Phidias 6.10, Sabma 6 7, Te Coma 67, Lord Brassey 6.7. Now, I do not intend to go over the same ground again, but wi'l divert your attention to the fact that Burrnbari, The Hypnotist, Amberite, Metford, and Key are each 21b better off over the shorter course, whilst Waihine (by Trenton— Lady Granville), Alva, and El Norte gain 41b advantage in the mile and a-half event. To boil things down, and taking all matters into consideration — wagering and so forth — the following look best on paper up to the present for the big mile and a-half handicap of the Spiing :— Survivor Toreador Dreamland Mora Vanitas Waitabit Ayrshire I'oi.iage Gaulus Canoona Trent Key StTNBUKY AKAHINI BiRKSGATE. THE BETTING MARKET As soon as the weights were declared Foliage, Waitabit, and Sunbury weie installed nominal favourites for the Caulfield Cup at 100 to 4 (offored), whilet Waitabit and Aurum were moat inquired for with regard to the Melbourne Cup. There was no straight-out betting to speak of, but a number cf doubles were laid at 1000 to 2, th« volume of wagering including £25,000 to 69 Foliage and Waitabit, £20,000 to 40 Foliage and Fieet Admiral, and £20,000 to 40 Sunbury and Waitabit. Before the weights were announced £600 to 30 was taken about Aurum for the double V.R.C. Derby and Cup.