BIG EVENT TO-DAY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21182, 1 November 1938, Page 5

BIG EVENT TO-DAY

Winners of the Past Notable Achievements Tire Melbourne Cup, the premier event of the racing season in Australia, is to be run to-day. The event is timed to start at 3.30 (5.15 N.Z. time). At one time the Melbourne Cup was the world’s most valuable handicap race, on at least three occasions being worth over £13,000. When Bitalli won in 1923 the gross value was £13,288, of which £10,288 went to the winner. In Carbine’s year the Cup was worth £13,230, and the prize-money was £13,215 when Windbag won. England’s richest race is the Eclipse Stakes of 1928, won by Fairway, the stakes totalling £13,306, was not a handicap. In recent years, America has taken the lead with £20,000 handicaps. Phar Lap received £9429 for his Melbourne Cup, and over £13,000 for his victory in Mexico, and even bigger rewards are obtainable at Santa Anita. It is not likely that Bitalli’s record will be broken for a long time to come. At one time all nomination and acceptance fees (often totalling £3000) were added to the stake, but now they are retained by the club, and the first horse receives an even £7OOO. Archer won the first two Melbourne Cups, in 1861 and 1862, incidentally taking 3.52 and 3.47 to run the two miles. The only other horse to win twice is Peter Pan, in 1932 and 1934. The times for the last two Cups were 3.211 by Wotan and 3.224 by The Trump, so that measured by distance they did about 340 yards better than Archer. The highest weight carried to victory in the Cup was 10.5 by Carbine in 1890, when there were 39 runners, records which have stood for nearly fifty years. The greatest burden carried in the race is 10.10 by Phar Lap, who finished eighth. Carbine’s 3.281 was a time record in his day. The hottest favourite for a Melbourne Cup was Phar Lap, 11 to 8 on when he won in 1930. The longest-priced winner was The Pearl, 100 to 1. Ed de Mestre trained five Cup winners (and owned four of them) in the sixties and seventies, and John Tait won four of the early Cups. Since then R. Bradfield, J. Scobie and W. S. Hickenbotham have each trained four winners. The jockeys with most wins are R. Lewis, four wins in 33 attempts; and W. H. McLachlan three.

Every year there are heard lamentations regarding the alleged '’•'arth of stayers, and comparisons with the great horses of the dim past. The usual procedure is to assemble a list of names from the winners of two or three decades, and line them up against those of a single year of modern times. The cry has gone forth that there -re not half a dozen stayers in this year’s Cup, but what do we find? The Trump has won a Melbourne Cup, I’Aiglon a Sydney Cup, Spear Chief a Queensland Cup; and Marauder an Australian Cup. 21 miles. Royal Chief and Sir Regent are Metropolitan winners, and Young Crusader holds the Australasian record for a mile and five furlongs. Bourbon has to his credit a weight-for-age win over two miles; Queen of Song has won a Great Autumn and a Wellington Cup, and been fourth in a Melbourne Cup; Nuffield is a Derby winner, and so the story goes on. Nearly all the successes referred to were gained in or close to record times, figures which would place some of the old-timers at the home turn instead of the winning post if they could be resurrected. Stayers or non-stayers, a Melbourne Cup field to-day has the same fascination for the Australian public as of old.

NUFFIELD TO START SLIGHT SORENESS OF ROYAL CHIEF dnlfed Press Association— By Electric Teleeraob—Coovrleht (Received October 31, 10.30 p.m.) MELBOURNE, October 31. Mr Kellow, owner of Nuffield, decided to run him in the Cup despite a veterinary surgeon’s warning of the grave risk of running the colt. Nuffield showed no soreness after galloping to-day. Royal Chief showed slight soreness, but later moved all right. Ashley Reed’s mounts to-morrow are: The Trump and Lynch Law. M. McCarten will ride Auries Star and Spear Chief. The eleven acceptors for the Oaks include Acheron, Talkalot, French Gem and Lady Montague. COMMENT ON DERBY I AJAX’S AMAZING FORM United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright SYDNEY, October 31. Commenting on the Victorian Derby, the "Sydney Morning Herald,” says; "Nuffield was taken to his top gradually, and although Tempest raced almost level with him for about half a furlong in the straight, there was never any doubt about the result. Nuffield won the Derby in good style. "If Royal Chief had any prospects of beating Ajax in the Mackinnon Stakes, that object could not have been achieved after Badger had been, allowed to loaf along on Ajax in front for about half the journey. There is unquestionably not a horse racing who could beat Ajax in those circumstances. It would seem, too, that there is not one who can beat him in any circumstances.”

MELBOURNE CUP Of £10,000; 2 miles The Trump 9 1 Sir Regent 8 0 Allunga 9 0 Bourbon 7 12 Royal Gay Knight 7 10 Chief (N.Z.) 8 12 Aitchengee 7 9 Spear Chief 8 8 St. Constant 7 8 Catalogue Nuffield 7 7 (N.Z.) 8 4 Plectrum Manolive 8 4 (imp.) 7 7 Queen of Ortelle’s Star 7 5 Song (N.Z.) 8 3 Respirator 7 3 1’Aiglon 8 2 Kingdom 7 2 Young Bachelor Crusader 8 1 King 6 12 Marauder 8 0 Son of Silenus 8 0 Aurous 6 12