TALK OF THE DAY.

Otago Witness, Volume 23, Issue 2684, 23 August 1905, Page 50

TALK OF THE DAY.

THE NEW ZEALAND CUP.

Before those who were present at the National last week had shaken their minds clear visions of post-and-rail fences, sod walls, and gorse hedges they were confronted with a hurdle in the shape of the handicap for the New Zealand Gup, which, was quit© as formidable 1 as tie obstacles which had proved so disastrous to the many horses during the previous week. The first glance showed that, as was commonly expected, Achilles held the position of honour for the -Jhird: consecutive year, and the handsome son of Medallion, has been allotted 61b less than, he was asked to carry last year, and 21b more than he carried into third place behind Canteen and Wairiki. It remains to be seen whether the field which follows the ton-weight contains the quality to which he has been previously asked bo give weight over the sajne course, but he appears to hold a -winning chance, and has not been unduly crushed with weight. This fact is particularly noticeable when it is called to mind that in addition to possessing staying powers thePorirua crack can go as fast as the best of them over a short course- A good number of those who follow in the list are hasbeens, suoli as Nonette, Orloff, St. Michael, Roseal, Melwood, General Symons, Bulawayo, Patronus, and others, who have succumbed to the strains placed upon them by the racing and training they have undergone. Some of these have been off the scene for some considerable time, and as horses caomot run out a New Zealand Cup journey without doing something fairly solid on the track they may never repeat their past form, so that, althou&h. the, weights 1

in some cases look lenient on past form, the concessions allowed are reasonable. For instance, the Mahutongas and Maniapotos which have arrived in the arena during the past few months would have to step along at their best if Nonette, Orloff, or St. Michael could survive a Cup preparation. Achilks has bren asked to concede 71b to Mahutonga, whom a number of people contend should have won last year's race. The Quilt gelding showed considerably improved form afterwards. He won the Auckland Cup with 8.12, and gave 91b and a beating to Scotly. Now he has to allow the last named 141b. Scotty 8.6 beat Mahutonga 9.7 out of a place over 12 furlongs' in the A.R.C. Handicap, and the Janet gelding's nearest attendant at the finish was Quarryman 7.12. Scotty ran a good second in the Takapuna. Cup with. 9.6 to Strathavon 9.2, but in the- Wanganui Cup, with 8.7, he was unplaced to Quarryman 7.11. The last-named ran a good horse in j the Great Autumn, and now meets Scotty i on 161b worse terms, so that if the St. Leger gelding's favouritism for the Wanganui Cup was justified he should have a , good chance in the- two-mile race at Riccarton. Nightfall has obtained a concession of 101b from Aohil'-es and 31b from Mahutonga. She started eight times last season, won five times, a.nd was unplaced twice. The manner in which s-he wop the Derby, Oaks, and Wellington Cup, together with her other form, suggests that she has not been unduly burdened, but Achilles may be found capable of giving her 101b over two miles, and as Melodeon meets her on 61b better terms than when he was tinlucky enough to run second to her in the Wellington Cup she may find a match in Mr Watt's horse. However, she is a good, game sort, and a better line as to her chance will soon be obtained by her form at Randwick. Vladimir has been sent up 51b on his Autumn win, and now meets Quarryman on 41b worse terms. Vladimir got bumped at the start, and ran a good rac© when he last carried silk at Riccarton, but Quarryman has the better staying credentials, so that the pair do not appear to have much to choose between them on paper. It should not, however, be overlooked that Quarryman has been doing good serviceable work on the track and the other has been eating the oats of idleness for some time. Maniapoto is a somewhat awkward customer to handle, and in being pkced within 31b of i Quarryman, and considered as good a colt as Gladstone, he has not been overlooked, whilst the fact that his owners consider him good enough to send to Australia suggests that h© has not been badly treated. Scotty is a well-performed horse, and on form looks a« well treated as anything in the race. Patronus ran fifth in the last Melbourne Cup with 8.1, and the rcnort of the race states that he was travelling fast_ at the finish of a race which was run in 3min 28^seo, so that he has not been unjustly treated in being placed on the 8.0 mark. Patronus, however, is at the service of breeders, and, consequently, he is not likely to be trained for the race. Paritutu ran several good races last season, and amongst his wins were the Taranaki Cup (one andi a-half miles) with 7.1 in 2min 39seo 7 and the Egmont Cup (one and a-half miles) with 7.13 in 2min 38 4-ssec; but perhaps his best form lies in his second to Quarryman, to whom he was conceding 81b. Now he meets the Bill o' Portland horse on 171b better terms, and on that line he has been given a chance to enrol himself amongst the winners of the New Zealand Cup. Gold Crown was a frequent winner last season, and scored up to a mile and a-quarter with 9.7 in 2min 10 2-ssec. He won nine consecutive races, and as he is a well-bred horse may prove a dangerous outsider. Gold Crown was got by Gold Reef CBend Or — Crucible) out of Nymph, a daughter of Ingomar and the Musket mare i Wood Nymph, sister to Martini Henri. I Melodeon has been alluded to above, and Convoy has been given a chance in beinj* dropped 111b on what he carried into fourth place last year. The Vanguard gelding also meets Vladimir, Quarryman, and Ghoorka ' on 191b, 151b, and 91b better terms respectively. In that race Convoy's saddle slipped, but as he has been lame he may not be able to take advantage of the chance which he possesses on paper. St. Michael was once handicapped with 8.13 in the New Zealand Cup and placed within 51b of Cruciform, so that he reads well at 7.9 if he can go to the post after surviving a preparation. Bulawayo has been dropped 71b on his last year's handicap, and Roseal has gone down 81b. Fife and well, both horses on past form have good chances on paper. Ghoorlta meets Vladimir on 101b and Quarryman on 61b better terms than the trio ran at in the Great Autumn, and as he has fairly good staying credentials, together with recent form, suggestir-g- fchat more reliance can be placed in his running, he has been f airly well treated. _ Ghoorka has a Wanganui Cup, Dunedin Cup, and good form in minor raoes, and, like Scotty, looks to have a fine chance on paper. If Golden Knight had not been raced at the National meeting he would be regarded as well treated at 7.8, but the Knight put a stain on his escutcheon by his form last week, and whereas "But yesterday ho might have stood against the world, now none so poor as do him reverence." Still his form, in the writer's opinion, was too bad to be true, and he may retrieve his character under new colours, fassmg on through the rank and file comprising the tail end of the batch, one halts at such names as Jeanne D'Aro, Noctuform, Sungod, Sir Tristram, and some of the well-bred youngsters who may be Carbines in embryo, and) it is from amongst this division that the danger may come which may prove disastrous to the chances of horses who have been handicapped up to the very best form they can display. At the present stage the chances possessed by Achilles, Scotty, Ghoorka-. Nightfall, Melodeon, Mahuntonga, and Quarryman are the most fancied ; but if the spring- meeting at Randwick confirms opinions entertained about some of the field" engaged there it will put j a new face on the handicaps^ whilst at the present time a couple of fairly solid performers with racing weights to carry, and to ' whom one is inclined to give special notice, are Scotty and Ghoorka. I ~* THE C.J.C. NATIONAL MEETING. It is National week, and people will speak | Of little save horses and odds; j And tipsters, the sinners, are tipping the ! winners, But their tips are terrible frauds. What a hurry and biistle along rail and road, All sorts and conditions of men, And women as well, plebeian and swell, Are off to the races again. I It was nredicted that the birth, of the

present racing season would be ushered in by one of the most successful cross-country carnivals e\er held at Rieoarton. And such proved to be the case. The attendances were very large, and the crowds which thronged the enclosures on the first day in point of numbers rivalled a New Zealand Cup muster. The magnetic allurements of a National meeting always succeed in drawing visitors from all parts of the compass, and Dunedin was the only large town which was not strongly represented by supplying its usual quota of the attendances found at the principal sratherings held at Riccarton. From the North Island and the West Coast a large contingent of sportsmen was present, and Southland was also well represented. One could see the glad hand being extended on every side, as friend, from the north met friend from the south, and 1 an a-ir of geniality seemed to permeate tbe atmosphere. A galaxy of handsome and beautifullyaltired women thronged the lawn, and were escorted by men whose appearance suggested they were men of assured position, and probably with thousands of pounds — to get, no doubt, in many cases—and they were there with the intention of making a start by backing a few winners. The man wrapped up in horse knowledge gazed intently at the face of the totalisator, probably to seek for a lucky inspiration from the tick-tacking of its registers. Others again looked steadfastly at the different candidates as they paraded prior to their races, and evidently sought the solution of tha problem by a concentrated gaze which could be calculated to discern the superstitious fact as to whether the animal had an odd or even number of hairs in its caudal appendage. The preliminaries were carefully scrutinised, and tlio power of a, horse's stride noted, and as the last of the tails disappeared those who bet for fun or attempt to make money by wasting it walked like one man to the ring, as represented by the totalisators, and the fielders who had the audacity to be present on the course. Some were so dilatory in making up their minds as to what equine they should select to entrust with their coin and confidence that they did not see the start of many races. Restoratives had to be taken by winners, losers, and non-bettors alike, and the large mass of humanity present moved hither and thither, halted and hesitated, tussled and turned, stood still or sauntered about m a manner which must have seriously disturbed the sparrows, who own Riccarton by th« right of a more continuous tenancy than its human frequenters.