MELBOURNE, January 11. NEWMARKET HANDICAP AND AUSTRALIAN CUP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2342, 19 January 1899, Page 36

MELBOURNE, January 11. NEWMARKET HANDICAP AND AUSTRALIAN CUP.

Owing to the Post Office department having abolished the 3 o'clock delivery of an afternoon in the city, and substituted therefor a 5 o'clock one, the committee of the V.R.C. have altered the timo of closing nominations for their principal events from 4 o'clock until 6 p.m., the innovation coming into force for the first time on Monday, when Mr Henry Byron Moore's Newmarket Handicap and Australian Cup smaoifestg came .under owaeis? and. trainers'

consideration. The closing time for receiving entries for the two races named was fixed at 6 o'clock at the A.J.C. office in^Sydney and the S.A.J.O. secretariat in Adelaide, and as 6 o'clock Adelaide time represents 7 o'clock in Melbourne and as the South Australian nominations foT the two big handicaps of the V.R.C. Autumn reunion are purely Victorian business, and not " federal " as yet, there ia a " perfunctoriness " displayed in despatching them over which, were it not for the kindness of Mr E. Miles (of the V.R.C), would effectually preclude the complete list of entries being put on the cable in sufficient time to permit of their being published in the daily papers of New Zealand next morning. The first copy available was handed by Mr Miles to the Melbourne agent of the Now Zealand Press Association, and albeit it only wanted some five-and-twenty minutes of the closing time of the New Zealand cable (9 p.m.) when the names of the entrants were sent away from Elizabeth street, I dare be sworn that they were at their destination in Maoriland some time prior to their reaching tho composing department of either of the Melbourne dailies. I only mention this in common justice to Mi Miles and his assistant, who are always only too willing to do everything in their power to forward the despatch of sporting press telegraphic business to New Zealand. As for Mr Miles personally it would afford him particular gratification to receive a few nominations in the spring and autumn from your side of the "big drink " ; biit whilst voicing his wishes in that connection to me on Monday evening he directed attention to the tremendous expense and risk incurred in bringing horses up from, New Zealand to compete at Caulfield at Flomington. " Look what a mint of money it must have cost Mr Robinson some years ago when he brought that large team, including Vanguard, Oudeis, Thunderbolt, Liverpool, and Winchester, over, without any success," remarked the Mogul of the V.R.C. office. " Ah," he continued, " between me and you aaid the gate post, I don't think we give the New Zealand horse 3 sufficient consideration, or peihaps more of them would pay us a visit occasionally." Now that is very nice — very nice, indeed ; end if my dear old. friend can only imbue the V.A.T.C. handicapper (Mr G. Vowles) and his V.R.C. confrere (Mr F. F. Dakin) with such views then Blazer may be afforded an opportunity of displaying his sprinting ability in the Oakleigh Plato aaid Oakleigh Purse (a divided handicap, of 1000 soys, over five furlongs and. a-half of ground) as well as in the Newmarket Handicap (likewise of lOOOsovs, but half a furlong farther). On the first blush it would appear as if the Oakleigh Plate and Oakleigh Purse events were more in favour with owners and trainers than the threequarters of a mile flutter -up the Flemington straight, seeing that 102 nominations (only three less than last year) have been received for tho Caulfield dash as against only 87 (19 less than in 189S) at headquarters. But it must not be forgotten that two-year-olds who are eligible in the Oakloigh Plate and Oakleigh Purse are " tabu " so far as the Newmarket Handoicap is concerned; albeit that fact does not fully account for the discrepancy. However what is likely to interest you most is the intelligence that Blazer appears on both lists, and that the appearance of the four-year-old son of St. Cla-ir and Mountain Lily amongst the contestants on the day will be certain to lend additional interest to each of the trysts. Mr W. R. Wilson has seven (Bobadil, Symmetry, Renown, Norseman, Regained, Haughty, and Delusive) engaged in the Newmarket Handicap ; but half a score (Scorn, , Revenue, Rona, Graceful, Renown, Symmetry^ Haughty, Regained, Norseman, and Delusive) representatives in tho Oakleigh Plate and Oakleigh Purse. Of course, after his recent exploits, the ancient Wakawatea is again to be placed in commission, and as ho always did favour the Caulfield going it is no cause for wonderment that his owner has determined to afford him another opportunity of showing how he can yet " foot it " against the youngsters on the classic heath. The Messrs James Wilson have between them five charges (Reaper, Standish, Canada, Diffidence, and Alix) in the Newmarket Handicap; but only James Wilson junior's pair — Alix and Diffidence — figure amongst the Caulfield entries. Diffidence is a bay filly, three years old, by Pilgrim's Progress from Etra-Weonie, and, Hike all the Sappho progeny, is terrifically fast. Perchance it may repay you in the near future to make a marginal note thereof on your cuff. Verbum sat sapienti. I notice Mr George A. Tow ton has entered Tarquin (a Neckersgat — Tarpeia-four-year-old again this year; and should he but come fit and well to the post in anything approaching the two-year-old form I witnessed him display in Western Australia, ho will strike a very sturdy blow on behalf of the

straighthairs," I promise you — more especially as he is pretty well certain to receive kindly consideration at the hands of the V.R.C. handicapper. The nominations for the Newmarket Handicap (87) are the smallest for a number of years, the nearest approach thereto being in 1893, when there wero 89 responses. As si matter of fact, Viotorian-owned horses are as oiit-numbered as out-classed by the representatives of other colonies.

The two miles and a-quarter journey of the Australian Cup has attracted 44 contestants, as against 46 in '98, 37 in '97, and 38 in '96; so that we have every reason to feel satisfied .with this .special putcome. Bobadil, Cocos, Merloolas, Lc Var, ajid Lochabor aro certain to be well attended to in the matter of weight, whilst Doustorswivel, Wild Raven, Reka, Boscobcl, and Ballistite are likely to be allotted comparativoly moderate imposts. Wild Raven (Tronton — Ravenswing) ran a great horse under serious disabilities in the last Bagofc Handicap. Certes he had only 6.10 on his back for the mile and a-half; but then Iko Foul sham and his party backed him as a real good thing, and personally I fully expected to see the winner — Lochaber B.lo— disqualified for manifest interference in tho straight. Ballistite (Carbine — Inheritance) finished third with 6.12 and appeared to be coming two strides to the others' one towards the finish. He is extremely like "old Jack " in colour and conformation (especially about the napper), but has nasty lound joints which may ijossibly cause his tiainer, Walter S. Hickenbotham, some perturbation. Howoyer, Walter Hickenbotham is nothing if not painstaking and attentive; so that one of these fine days you will havo to be prepared for a cable message informing you that the sturdy four-year-old Ballistite has achieved something great. Reka, as a matter of course, has been an altogether unknown quantity since his severe injury in tho Caulfield Cup (a severed artery) ; but—equally as a matter of course — you will glean all his doings at Flemington (whore he is now located along with Mr S. G. Cook's horses) as soon as Trainer W. H. Prcstwick begins to dust him along. BOYCOTTING VERSUS BLACKMAILING.

The experiences of " lucky drawers " of horses in consultations over the late Sandhurst Cup have been accentuated in Western Australia during tho New Year's meeting of the Western Australian Turf Club. Le Var (Lochiel — La Valette) — who, by the way, "has been nominated for the Australian Cup by Mr " Paddy " Bolger — was a great public fancy for the Perth Cup; but at 2 o'clock on the afternoon of the raco he was scratched therefor, the ostensible reasons advanced being that his party could obtain no money about him from tho bookmakers, and that the individual who had drawn him in the local " consultation" had not offered sufficient inducement — in the shape of " a cut " out of his probable winnings. On this occasion the " smarties " wore just a bit too previous, as shortly after Le Var was scratched, and prior to the event coming on for decision, his owner received a telegram, io tho effect that the drawer had coa-

sented to lay him half his winnings in the event of Le Vai proving successful. This was a nasty jar of a verity, but still, one cannot help thinking, not half nasty enough under the circumstances. I am a thorough believer in the advisability of the drawer of a good horse sacrificing a part to secure the remainder by laying the owner, trainer, and jockey " a fair thing " out of tho prize — say 20 per cent, between them. But when a cormorant of an owner demands one-half under compulsion (to wit, the threat of scratching) I would see him in the bowols of perdition ore I laid him a bean. Natheless the drawer should be afforded some sort of protection in the matter, and the plan I would suggest is as follows : — Whenever a clear case of such meditated blackmailing is brought under the cognisance of say Mr George Adams, let that gentleman publicly notify that for the future no horse- in which the "blackmailer" possessed any interest or with which he was connected should be acknowledged in any shape or foim in his " consultations"; if such an animal won the second horse would, receive tho first prize, and so on. His horses should bo practically " barred " as " howling favourites " are by the bookmakers in some parts of America when the presence of a moral certainty in a race paralyses the betting. Leaving him out of the transaction altogether the bookies wager on. the other contestants, the foremost of whom at tho finish of the race is paid out on as the winner oven although he failed to finish nearer than second to tho " barred " animal. And, in like manner, where the races are conducted under the totalisator regime, such horses should be outside the pale of tho machine; so that the would-be "blackmailer" would have to race for whatever wagers he might be able to secure from the bookmakers and for the stake alono. I grant you this would be a very drastic course of procedure, but then violent diseases require desperate remedies, and unfortunately tho gentle public who fancy a good horse are liable to be placed in even a worse position than his " lucky " drawer. He does scoop in something as a non-starter.