THE RACING CARNIVAL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 234, 6 November 1914, Page 6

THE RACING CARNIVAL.

N.Z. CUP MEETING. FAVOURABLE PROSPECTS. Only a few weeks ago there was every indication that Canterbury's great racing carnival would lack much of the success that has characterised its history during the past half century. At National time the feeling of uneasiness engendered by the war was keenly felt by votaries at the shrine of St. Hippo, so much so, in fact, as to give rise to the suggestion that for once Week" would have to be cut out of the' sportsman' 9, calendar. Fortunately these ill omens have be6n entirely dispersed. Eacing, like all other sports, is so closely identified with the life of the colonial-born that even a war of unparalleled dimensions, will, for the time being, have to take a secondary - place in the minds of the thousands who will make Eiccarton their Mecca during the next few days. That the response of so many sportsmen to their countries'' call is bound to have some effect on the attendance and general eclat of the fixture admits of no doubt. Even so present indications point to the meeting going down to history as one of the most memorable, evex held under the auspices of the Canterbury Jockey Club, for never has a Clip race borne such a perplexing appearance, and never Jiave the classic events drawn such splendid fields. Nor have the prospects from a racing standpoint ever appeared quite so roseate. And now all that is left to do is to measure the success of the coming fixture with that of even the best of its predecessors. The pretty Eiccarton racecourse is looking at its veiy best, and no . pains have been spared in the direction of making its surroundings thing of beauty." Nor could the most fastiduous find cause for complaint in the state of the racing track. It is covered by a heavy sward that should temper the going to the infirm, thoiigli another shower or two wopld haye been most acceptable. The Cup Candidates.

Naturally the New Zealand Cup is'the chief topic of discussion in sporting circles, and for some time past the doings of the various candidates, both with'the colours up and in their training work, have been eagerly canvassed. That there have been many better fields admits of no doubt, , for it must be granted that the present season is a decidedly lean one in the matter of highclass handicap horses. ' As to the open nature of the issue there can be no shadow of doubt. Since the enforced retirement of Expect, who shared the fate of so many former favourites, the critics are almost equally divided as between the ; chances .of at least half a dozen candidates, the;, topweight, has done nothing : to. attract public attention since he. appropriated, the Sumner Handicap ai Trentham last January, nor lias there been anything of a reassuring , character in' his work since coining to, Riccarton. Still such ia tried stayer must always be entitled to respect, especially in what, is assuredly a weak field. It would come as no surprise to,find Sea Pink elected favourite on the day, for though his form this season lias been' anything but ; reassuring, the fact - remains that he- is lone of the few. with credentials over such/a lengthy journey. * He will have thirteen pounds more in the saddle tliap he had when lie made such a bold bid for the prize -twelve "mptiths ago, and, with .the ; . services :of B. ; . .Berry .on 4pp, will .lack nothing; in the matter of horsemanship. There is. just the question as to whethei'Sth.e Napier repr<js&n--tative is quite so forward as was, the case last year,. tion enabled him to'.-.beat''all"but'SinSpiS; ' From the North Island. \

No horse in New sJealaii.il raced mo.re consistently last- season than Kooya. No fewer thai four cups fell to her lot, and in'all her racing she 'shaped; like an out and " out / stayer, ; Signalman's daughter is 1 fit enough to run the race of her life, and there * can - lie little doubt as to her' ability to see oitt the full journey. ; True, she was defeated by Multiply in the Wainui Handicap at Trentham, only. a .fortnight ago on almost similar, terms to those, on which they will meet in to-inorrow's contest, but that race is sure to have done her so miach good that there is a probability of her turning the tables over the longer journey. That she will take a power of beating admits of no' doubt; The Auckland . representative. La Eeixia, has attracted a lot of attention since coining to Jticcarton by her free style of galloping.' On appearance she should certainly give a better display than she did twelve months ago, when, carrying five pounds more than her present impost, she was one of the first beaten. She can be depended on to put' up a much better fight in to-mor-row's contest, but a • shorter course j would be more to her liking.

Back to Form. Labour Day has apparently come back to her best form, judging by her signal victory over Expect, Sea Pink, Kooya, Multiply, ami others in the Spring Handicap at Hawke's Bay a month ago. Mr Lowry's representative looks really .well, and'with the services of C. : Emerson in the saddle, can be expected to be. in the fighting line at the finish. Riccarton's Hope. Nothing at Riccarton has shown such' brilliant form in her efforts to "clip the wings of Father Time." than the locallytrained Warstep. She has got through a most searching preparation, one that has been equalled by no other Cup candidate seen at headquarters. That Martian's speedy daughter will put up a good fight admits of no doubt, but I fancy the last half-mile may prove just too uracil for her. Multiply is practically an unknown quantity over, a lengthy course; in fact, this is the first time he has been asked to race ov6r more 'than-a mile. He will ; carry the extreme confidence of the Gisborne contingent, who, will not hear of his defeat, but over the extra distance I fancy Kooya for one will be capable of turning the tables on him. Neither Guiding Way nor Rongahere have credentials sufficiently good to suggest them as probable? winners, but Indigo's chance cannot be left out of consideration. Since doming to ,Ricca.rton he has been galloping in rare style, and

under such a convenient impost as 6st 121b should be one of the hardest to beat.' Altogether the issue looks particularly open, but on track form Kooya, Indigo, and Warstep should be capable of keeping the opposition busy. The Two-Year-Old Contest. Another attractive first-day event will be the Welcome Stakes, in which the pick of the Dominion's two-year-olds will sport silk, several of them for the first time. Of those that have already faced the music, Asterias has the best credentials, .but that cruel 101b penalty is sure to trouble him just the same as it has other good ones in the past. Amongst the locally trained candidates nothing has shown better form than Nones and Battle Eve.

The Big Sprint. There is sure to be a big field seen out in the Stewards' Stakes, which will include the pick of the sprinters at. .present in commission. The three top weights, Merry Roe, Postillion, and Chortle, are all in great heart, while of those lower down the list Sauci and' Bimjeter are a pair of quick beginners, possessed of a great turn of pace. Serviceable fields claim engagement in all . the remaining events, and altogether, the prospects for Cup Day 1 of 1914 look particularly bright. There will be a convenient trani and train service to the course. The first event is timed to start at 12.30 p.m. each day. The Card. To-morrow's card is a$ folhws: 12.30—SPRING HURDLE HANDICAP, of

2.SS*—NEW ZEALAND CUP, of 2000 sovs. ' Two miles. St. lb. V. Riddiford's br h Kilrain, by Kilcheran —Grand Rain, 6yrs (L. Wilson> , . . . 9 0 E. J. Watt's br g Sea Pink, by Sea* i tori Delaval —Rose Madder, Cyrs ' :(R. Berry) .. .. .8 2 D. Kemp's b m Kooya, by Signaliman, Koia'na, syrs (\V, Bell)..«, 8- 0 R. H. Diider's r in La Reina, by .Soult —Queen Anne, aged (J. Buthanan) .. • ; w 7.12 T. H. Lowry's b m Labour Day, by Soult —Eduam, 6yrs (E. Emerson) 7 11 C. Cr. Dalgety's b in Warstep, by Martian —Stepdanccr, 4yrs (J. O'Shea) ' ... .. .. .. .. 7 11 A. B. Williams's b g Multiply, by Multifid—Lady Augusta, syrs (B. ' Deeley) . . ...... .. 7 9 G. Hunter's b g Indigo, by Mystification —Mungista, 3yrs (0. Stone) (inc. 51b pen.) .. .. . . ... 612 C. Renault's blk. h. ;Guiding -Way* by Foritenoy—Guiding Step, 4yrs (A. Reed) ;V' ;: V. . . 6 9 J. Smith's b g Rongahero, :,by .Sarto - ' —Komuri, syrs (R. Reed) .. 6 7 3.4O—WELCOME . STAKES, of 1000 sovs. For two-year-olds. Colts 8.5,. fillies 8.0. Four furlongs. G. D. Greenwood's b f Nones, by Martian— I Lovelorn G. D. Greenwood's b c Sutala, by Elysian— Lady Hester . "Mr HighdenV'-b f Amphora, by Achilles— Vasa _ • G. D. Beatson's b c Asterias, by FinlandAsteroid . Sir George Clifford's b c Battle Eve, by Martian —To-morrow Sir George Clifford's cli c Flying Start, by San Francisco—Fleetfoot ; Sir George Clifford's ch f Floweret, by San Francisco —Kirriemuir G. L. Stead's b .c Wishful,, by Boniform—rDrought ■ Harvey Patterson's ch c Golden Prince, by Menschikoff —Scotch Device , i G. P. Donnelly's ch f Gold; Foil, by Hymcttus .. V —Gold Thread .- ■ .:v. :■■.si ?".-v. ;., ; T. U- Lowry's>b f; Desert; Gold, by All Black —Aurarius • H. M. Speed's br f Interlude, by Bezoriian —Prelude Hon. J. D. Ormond's b f Hyla, by Birkenhead Gladisla ! ... - Hon. J. D, Ormond's b f Freya, by Hymettus - —Derelict' C. G. Dalgety's br f Spangle, by Martian— Nantes

4.20. —APPRENTICES' PLATE, of 150 sovs. Weight 7.7. One mile. Stockade Medallist Irish Rose . Kilts Muinura Teviotdale Scotch Melody Grand Cup St. Aidan Margarita Lady Alicia' , 5.5._-STEWARt>S' HANDICAP, of 1500' sOvs. Six furlongs.

LESSON OF THE EMDEN. ». The Emden lias been our teacher. Just such.a vessel, without the slightest, trouble, could liave''sealed all our trade' in "port, and brought the wheels of our terrestrial industry to a. full or partial stop. She could have captured numerous rich. Australian, prizes, before discovery, and after discovery she cbuld have raided or bombarded with impunity many an •. Australian seaside city. From these dire perils of the sea our foresight has preserved us. Our navy lias added something to the cost of government, but it is certain we never made a better national investment than when we ordered its construction.— 1 Age."

300 sovs. Two miles.st. lb. Rt. lb Kilmeny 11 13 Glenorchy 10 7 Fashion Plate 11 6 Corno 10 3 Beacon 10 11 Parable 10 2 Daylight Bill 10 9 Sunbeam 10 2 The Pole • .. 10 9 Otatara •- 9 10 Ngatiruanui .. 10 8 1.15,—SPRING PLATE, of 500 sovy . One mile. : Chillies ; • 8 .2 Moulu ... ». 7 4 Gleriroy .. 7 13 Samiel ; . ' 7 4 Golden King.. 7 13 Shaki" <7 4 Montana 7~ 13 Atheldana 7 2 Silver Shield.. 7 13 Court-Martial 7 2 Bimeter 7 7 Honesty ., • 72 Campeador 7 7 Hoy .. .. T' 2 Caniulus ; 7- •? HusheenVy i. ■ 7 2. Don' Francisco 7 7 Martigues 1 : ., 7 2 Ringforin 7 7 Shepherd's Meltchikoff .. 7 7 Bush 7 2 2.10? —RICOARTON WELTER HANDICAP, at 400 sovs. One mile and a furlong. My i Lawyer.. 9 13 Hyettus 8 13 lied Book . . 9 13 Moulu' 8 10 Mysteriarch .. 9 9 Gnomo 8 5 Feramorz 9 9 Troon . 8 5 Slogan 9 6 CamuluS 8 5 Birkful .. 9 0 Veritas 8 4 Charmilla 9 0 Snapdragon . . 8 3 Gasolene 8.13 Mescal 8 0 Banian 8 13 Glencannich .. 8 0 Rene 8 13

. st. lb. Bt. lb Merry Roe .. 9 1 Beldame, . 7 11 Postillion 9 0 Sir Moseley . . 7 10 Chortle 8 12 Blue Lake .. 7 9 Crown Pearl 8 9 Bertrada . . 7 8 First Glance'. ; 8 3 Peg V 7 7 Chudic 8 3 Hymettius . 7 7 Sauci 8 2 Ogier . 7 6 Ruapani 8 v 1 Bimeter .. ' 7 v 4 Reval (inc. 51b Beo .. 7 3 penalty) f . .8 0 Vocation . 6 13 Downham 7 13 Vanquish .. f> 0 Martius 7 12 Suratura . 6 7 Obsono .7 11 Chakwana . 6 7 5.50.—LIN WOOD HANDICAP, of 200 sovs • Seven furlongs. Scotch .Melody. 8 9 Birkbeck . 7 3 Ardent 8 9 Varanian . 7 2 Huslieen 8 4 Waitara . 7 2 Flower of the Gloe . 7 0 West 8 3 Philadelphia 7 0 Leading Lady 8 1 Te Araroa . 7 0 Baritone 8 0 Grey Echo . 7 0 Listen . . 7 13 Chorale . 7 0 Court-Martial 7 12.Doon . 7 0 Steinhcil 7' 10 Skirl . 7 6 St. Elmn 7 7 Este . -.7 0 Sartorze .. 7 7 Volsi)iel . 7 0 Martigues 7 7 St. Ewe' . 7 -0 Miraculous _ ... 7 .3