THE NEW ZEALAND CUP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2319, 11 August 1898, Page 35

THE NEW ZEALAND CUP.

Of the 50 horses entered for the New Zealand Cup, one was not handicapped because his entry did not receive confirmation, another (Marquis of Zetland) was pulled out shortly after the appearance of the weights, seven failed to face the acceptance fee of 2sovs demanded last Friday, and 41 survive. That is a very satisfactory acceptance. Last year 11 dropped out and 4S paid up. The seven that uo\? i&aks exit MQ .WaiulsUi

[ bought to go to England; Bob Ray, who | probably has gorio amiss, seeing that he has I fallen out of the spring cups in Melbourne as well as our own bSexv Zealand Cup ; North Atlantic, whose defection is certainly not ascribable to considerations of weight, since he was the " thnow in" of the handicap; Zanella, who i< said to be unsound ; and the lignfc weights Donerailo, Golden Lrfgencl, and Ideal, concerning whom there could not be : possibly be any complaint about the handicapping, as three of the four wore on tho minimum mark und (he other only lib above | it. In respect to this New Zealand Cup owners are not in the habit of pulling out rashly because of a pound or two more 'than w.as oxpocted being given to their hor&e&, because no one can '.ell what spring form will be like after such a great intercal; and, further, a man cannot afford to play the " bite-my-nose-to-spile-my-faco " game in respect to a stake so valuable as this one. Considerations of this yort generally induce a good firnt acceptance. Sivordfish is a caso in point. Most of the scribes say he has more than his fair weight. I don't altogether agree with that, but I am in a minority, and, any way, the pon of Fishgiil has his full weight. He was, however, one of the first horses that we knew could bo reckoned amongst the acceptors. Still, although for those reasons I do not regard the payment of the 3sovs as a searching teßt of the merits of the handicap, there is little doubt that an owner who had a genuine grievance would stop at this point; and inasmuch as, so far as can be discoveied, not one of the batch pulled out last Friday has declined because of the weight, we may fairly say that the acceptance is au additional demonstration of the truth we scribes have been preaching all along, that Mr Henry's calculations are on the whole admirably thought out. Ido not think thab any one of the malcontents had been backed for money. Waiuku might have been but for the early-given warning that he was in the market. As it is, backers have held off him. If Mr Gollan, his purchaser, were a poor man lie might have been tempted to let the horse remain here long enough to have a slap at the Cup and other race 1 !. It is only the wealthy owner who can afford to stick to his plans and forego the chance of picking up a few hundieds.