NIAGARA AND GAULUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 39

NIAGARA AND GAULUS.

Before ilr Forrester's long-cherished dream of winning the Melbourne Cup was realised I was spending' an hour or two with him among his mares at Warwick Farm, and while looking at Niagara in his paddock he said : "I am going to get back all my Highborn and Honda money some Melbourne Cup day with a son of that old warrior. A horse bred like him must one day sire as good a stayer a« himself, and such a one could win nine Melbourne Cups out of 10 with 9st on his back.' Niagara was indeed a highclass racehorse out in a year of cracks, and had it been possible to have given him a thorough preparation as a four-year-old he would have been a great horse to follow r . As a three-year-old there was little or nothing between him and Abercorn, they ran two dead heats — over- /a mile and a-quarter and over a mile and a-half. In the first race Abercorn was giving Niagara 101b, but in the V.R.C. Derby they met at level weights and ran a dead heat for second place, but -to the day of his death Alec Robertson declared that Niagara woula have won had he been able to hold him. At the Abattoirs Niagara overpowered Alec, and come vet'}' near bolting altogether. Except when he was at Hobartville Niagara has seldom had more than eight mares in a season, but he has constantly appeared well up on the winning list ever since his stock raced. He is 13th on last season's list, and during the past five seasons hio stock have won 14-1 races, worth £11.4-27, which places him thirteenth on the list of the 20 nio=t successful stallions during the past five years. Waterfall and Aquarius are generally considered to be his best horses, but Mr Forrester declares that one of the very best horses he ever had through his hands was Faithful, by Niagara out of the Vespasian mare Faith. When he was getting Gaulus ready for the Melbourne Cup the only horse he had that could live with the big chestnut was Faithful, who could hang on to the son of Gozo at finy distance un to a mile and a-half, and the burly Warwick Farmer had already fixed upon the A. J.C. Summer Cup as his, but one fine morning; the horse sprung a tendon, which settled all chance of that useful race. Mr ForrestPr always had the most sublime faith in Gaulus as a sire, and lie used his persuasive powers on. Mv J. R. Smith to send him back to Tucka Tuck a instead of accepting Mr Humphvpv Oxenham's offer of £2000 for him. The Warwick Farmer is a firm believer in stayer? as sires, and holds that Gaulus was one of the greatest stayers of his time, mid he further declares the hor~e was only half fit. when he won the Melbourne Cup. He onrv had the hr other to Tlip Grafter really well nn.ee, and that was in Newhaven's vrar. Gaulus was siiecV.llv prepared for that Cup, nnd was stripped for a fair left-handed trial ovor two mile? ni Warwick Farm. He carried hfs Cup weight 7st 41b, and ran two miles and 45 yards in 3min 30ppp. which was equal to 3m in 27sec for two miles, and this on a deadly- randy track like Warwick Farm. After this, with his working shops on, be ran 0 mile and ji-qnni-iev in 2min 12>sec. Mr 111. A. Oatkv saw this gallop, and remarked: ""Who l a ceihn'nty! And we can get 33 to 1 about it too'" "Tf we can't get any bctifT," i-polipd Hip confident, owner of Gaulus, "wo will lav 10 to 1 on him, and even then ye will lio sbf»rpint> the bookmakprt." But a good fairy was watching over Newhaven's party onl vp.it, and the spirit of bad luck w.is siill on Afi iToirebter'h tivck, as on tho day tho delays of the commission were fixed vixvi noi'e injured hk round bone while taking

a f-harp spurt over a couple of furlongs after steady work. It took nearly a year to get him into w orking order again, and in the meantime an ay. ful f-plint made its appearance on the near lore leg, and he w.'ii practically d broken cloxvii horse on the day he did win the Cup. '"ISiit he was too game to valk lame on it," Mr Forrester admiringly tell.us.