SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA,

Otago Witness, Issue 2645, 23 November 1904, Page 52

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA,

By Honi Poene.

MELBOURNE, November 9. CONCLUSION OF THE CUP CARNIVAL.

Dealing with the results generally, the bright particular star amongst tUe two-year-oids was undoubtedly Mr H. V. Foy's bay colt Murillo (by Velasquez— Balsam), who eclipsed his Aiaribyrnong Plate effort by carrying 9.3 to victory m tlae Nursery Handicap, on the second day, coming home a, tinjee-lengths' winner from Decoilette 6.7, Royal Star 8.8, «nd seven others, whilst cohering the five luiiongs in lmin 2£sec. All going well with him, Murillo is bound to be a strong winter favouritefor the next Blue Ribbon. Though a, nicelyshaped colt, Murillo has riot the commanding appearance of either Prestonpans (Lochiel— Crossfire), Charles Stuart (Wallace— Sweet Alice), or North Head (Grafton— Loch Mea). The latter finished second to Murillo in the Plate, and subsequently, with 9.0 up, annexed the Second Nursery Handicap, of six furlongs, froro The Infanta, Scorcher, and eight more, in 1.18. Scotland (Wallace—Key) was evidently suffering from the effects of his tremendous effort in the Debutant Stakes, and will undoubtedly ahow to more advantago later on — a remark which is eq\ially likely to apply to Royal Star (Simmer— Giril), and Scorcher (Sirarn cr — Leb el). Of the two-year-old fillies, Picturesque (Mostyn—Picture), The Infaoita. (Bobadil—Tue Heroine), Vibrate (Wallace^ — Swing), Decoilette (Haut Brion — Necklet), and jSTovellma(Haut Brion — Novelette II) filled the eye most pleasingly. Noveliina is a. full-sister to Sweet Nell, and was solidly backed down to 9 to 4 for the Flemington Stakes on Saturday; but she ran very green, and with 7.4 finished fourth to Picturesque 8.2, The Infanta 8.8, and Scorcher 8.4. * Sylvanite (Grafton — Gold 1 Dusl) proved himself to b'9 the best three-year-old, colt; but none of the others of the same age appeared up to weight. Blinker (Pilgrim's Progress — Reminder) ran third for th© Cup with 6.12, whilst Dividend (Simmer— Lady Trenton) caused! joy to enter the hearts of the fielders by sailing home a very easy winner in the Spring Handicap, of a mile and a-quarter, from his heavily-backed stable companion Billingsgate (Bill of Portland— Fishwife), 9.5, who was conceding him no less than 2.0. Billingsgate started at 7 to i; Dividend at 15 to 1. Then, again, in the Final Handicap, of a mile and. a-quarter, the Malvolio — Grand Can«ry colt Munderah (a 16 to 1 chance) fairly revelled under has light weight of 6.10, and wore that approved) good five-year-old gelding Bullion (Bill of Portland— Coin) 8.0, Cherson (Bill of Portland— NadaK 8.6, and a, dozen others down in the first-class time of Sinin Bisec.' Red Streak (Wa-llace— Elsie), who carried off the Oaks from Impress, Gunstock, PortLand Rose, Class, and Binda, in 2inin 42sec, held pride of place amongst the fillies, and as, with 7.12, she ran Bullion 7.7 to a neck (Killua 9.5 five lengths away, beingthe nearest of the 17 others) in the Railway Handicap, of six furlongs, covered! in 1.14J, it will pass without saying that she is a "streak" by nature as well as name.

Although Mr Sol. Green did not take on the C B. Fisher Pla/te (which was won by another four-year-old mare, Sweet Nell, in 2.37J) with her, Gladsom-e's Melbourne Stakes and Flying Stakes victories established her as the undoubted champion weight-for-age contestant during the meeting; and as her bookmaking owner has secured no less than six stakes with her since purchasing, he must have recouped himself he* oost price-^£lso0 — several times over. Quite recently he is said to have declined an offer of £8000 for her.

Writing about purchase money, it has transpired since the demise of Lord Cardigan on Saturday that before he ran in the last Melbourne Cup Mr Mayo refused an offer o| £3000 for him, and from nopn. last Wednesday to noon to-day he was under offer to Messrs W. C. "JTuille and Co., who were in communication with an English client for the purchase of the phenomena/I chestnut for £4000. Concurrently with these negotiations, Mr Mayo was himself in treaty for the purchase of Blinker, who finished next to Lord Cardigan in the Cup.

TURF FLOTSAM AND JETSAM.

Canteen looks as if he had been paring o, little too anuch attention to tu© eommissariajt department. Sporting writers are neve* aoiy too flush as a iwlii, out tti«re'p noaa cf ths fraternity so poor as to do the adipose gioy the reverence now. You see, after starting a- 7 to 2 favourite in a field of 16 for the V.R'.C. Handicap, of a mile and three-quarters', in which he ha^ the nice weight of 8.7, he could only get sixth place from Dumont 7.6', Avalon 8.1, Patronus 8,12, Oasian 7.10, and New Broom 7.2, the 14 furlongs being accounted for by the record-holder, guinonl, yo,

3min 3seo. It certainly looks ass if the money (3000 "Jims") w.i 3 worth Canteen; but one caa never tell.

Last year the V.R.C. Committee made a profit of £6540 over its Cup meeting; this year Mr iH. Byron Moore confidently expect? the gain to foot-up ovei £7000. Last year tho stakes totalled £18,543; this year they reached £19,108. Humphrey Oxenham (the Sydney bookmaker, who iwon the .Cup with Acrasia) heads the list of winners a-t the meeting with £5312, that &\xm representing the value of the Melbourne Cup to the winner. Mr H. V. Toy scooped £1499 with Murillo, and >G!adsome's two victories credited Sol. Green with £1142, or a couple of pouad& more than Mr J. Mayo obtained through Lord Cardigan's two seconds in the Melbourne Stakes and Melbourne Cup. Mr R. G. Casey's first in the V.R.C. Derby represented £102-i, whilst his second in the Flying 'Stakes supplemented this by another century. Sport Royal— whom Walter Hickenbotham assured me on the Sunday morning before the Cup was one of tlie fittest horses ever he trained in his life— ran most disappointingly throughout the meeting. Dividend, the half-brother to Lord 'Cardigan and Strata Florida, is a big upstanding black colt, with white points. Now that Lord Cardigan is no more, his strain of St. Simon-cum-Musket-eurn-Yattendon blood 1 should make ."Dividend valuable as a. sire, even if he does nob emulate the deeds or his illustrious relative. And, miad yon, there's virtue in an "ii" sometimes. He is evidently on the im v prove. The Englisli-brecfc imported horse St. Amibrose (St. Simon — Ambleside), with 8.2 on his six-year-old Lack, v:on the Williamstown Clip ia3t Friday from Pliable '7.10, Sinnang 7.9, pud 11 othei-3, in tho official time of 2mm 20i&ec. Ii the clcckist" mada no mistake, this establishes a record for the 11 furlongs in Ausiralia — the previous holders thereof being Uneasy (Randwick, June 3, 1901) and liderim (Randwick, April 18, 1903), with 2min 21sec.

Sydney trainers won 12 out of tha 27 races on the four days, including the Melbourne Cup, the Manbyrnong Plate, and four other two-year-old races. Fourteen horses trained in New South Wales- ran into money totalling over £11,000— "a nice amount," remarks the Argus, '"for Mr T. Prout Webb to levy iuconte tax on."

At a sale of racehorses at Messrs C. Yuille and Co.'s yards, Newmarket, on Monday, Wingaroon was knocked down to Mr Willie Glasscock fcr 500gs on behalf of Mr H. Abrams, of Singapore. W. Da-vies, a West Australian bookie, sjavs 3Gogs for Combat, 245gs for a brown colt named Forest Charm (by Wallace from Forest Queen), 97ig9 for Pi,ecovery, a-nd 115gs for a two-year-old colt by Hovst, from Trade Wind. Combat displayed decided symptoms of lameness.

Another Westralian buyer was also in evidence—Mr P. A. Connelly, at one time "mine host" of the Grand Hotel, Barrack street. He secured Bewitcher for 370gs, and a four-year-old mare by j^relock from Quality for 25gs. At the same sale Mi* Sept. Miller purchased a two-year-old coll by Wallace from Flash for 175gs. Over fhe "walnut 9 and -wine" at the Victorian Club on Mionday afternoon, •Mr Humphrey Oxenhaxn, in returning thanks to th« toast of this health, .stated that had he been m his old form, hs would' have won much more over Acrasia, as he considered her the best -of good things, and told all his friends so. However, a3 he 'had a "big book on' the event he was thoroughly satisfied. Ho wasi sorry his old trainer, Mark Thompson, was not associated with the victory, bat hopecii to have him back in his former position shortly, as he thoiight it likely the A.J.C. would remit the remainder oi his disqualification sentence. Gladsome and Dora Grey left early in the week for Bacchus Marsh, where they are to be treated to a good spell.

MISCELLANEA.

The M.C.C.'s single-handed bowling chanapions'hip was brought to a close on Saturday, when MY J. H. Sheedy, of the. .Richmond l Union Club, who v;oa the same tournament in 1900, was again returned the victor. On Saturday his final opponent was W. Howe, whom he defeated by 21 points lo 12. Last year Mt Sheedy finished fourth. T. Warne, „ curator of the Carlton Cricket Club, is in great batting f orni *ag'ain. this season, his 68 (not out) against Melbourne on Saturday on a bad wicket being a masterly performance. Andi yet he appears to be purposely ignored by cricket selectors' of inter-State and intercolonial teams.

At a, meeting of the Victorian Cricket Association last night a letter was read from' the secretary of the New South Wales Association asking whether the Victorian body would agree to guarantee a, sum of £500 ,as its share of the primary expenses of de&patchiag the Australian Eleven to Exig-land. Thei amount reqiiired was £1500. The repaymeiit of the advanoa wasi to be a first charge against the earnings of the team. Despite the opposition of W. Brace, who advanced' all sorts of arguments — legal and otherwise— against the idea, it was carried, on the motion of Mi- J. T. Lipseomb, that the responsibility ba accepted. A ballot between R. W. M'Leod, F. Layer, and H. Trumble for the position of Victorian selector resulted in the election of Mr M'Leod.