NEW ZEALAND CUP.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 543, 27 August 1932, Page 12

NEW ZEALAND CUP.

Very Satisfactory Entry Received. SEVERAL ABSENTEES ENGAGED. An iQcrease even of one in the nominations for the New Zealand Cup of 1932, compared with the total twelve months ago, is eminently satisfactory. Racing folk, in view of the exodus to Australia, have felt a little uneasy as to what the response to the call for entries would be. There are some interesting features about the entry, and the surprises customary to such occasions, it there were no optimists in the world there would be no punters and probably no such sport as racing in its existing form. A glance through the list suggests that a few owners are super-opti-mists, but that is always a feature of nominations for races like the New Zealand Cup. Mr J. E. Henrys, with Nightmarch engaged, will not have to search for a (Op-weight. Also he will not be without a few candidates for the minimum, iind may even regret that the minimum is not the same as the Australian, 6st 71b. Anything Can Win. Of course, anything can win a race at times. New Zealander George Price trained a Sydney Cup winner—Murray King—whose starting price was much more than a century to one. All the bookmakers rejoiced except a Melbourne man, who went to the course with one of the part-owners and cajoled him against his will into backing his own horse. Australian bookmakers have a saying, “ fruit for the sideboard,” the meaning of which is not flattering to the judgment of some bettors. In the case under review the fruit was not delivered to that Melbourne bookmaker. About a week later, Murray King was a runner in the Albury Cup, but despite his Sydney Cup win the public would not trust such a proved rogue and the odds were liberal. George Price was astonished. “ That's a wonderful price in this field about a Sydney Cup winner,” he remarked. But this time the public was right. Murray King refused to gallop and tailed the field hopelessly all the way. The gelding finished up by committing suicide in a hurdle race. May Be There Again. The first four horses home in the last New Zealand Cup—Spearful, Admiral Drake, Gay Crest and Jaloux — are again eligible to run. Red Racer, Royal Love and Flower are the only others of the 1931 field engaged this time. Of the others, Kahikatoa is in India, and Compris is destined to go to the same country, but will probably be in Melbourne in November. Ephialtes is in New South Wales. It used to be almost the invariable rule for New Zealand horses, after racing at Randwick, to return home. This year, many of the absentees have ideas of going on to Melbourne, where the V.R.C. spring meeting takes place at much the same time as the C.J.C. Metropolitan fixture. Some owners have put themselves in a position to make the choice between Flemington and Riccarton later on by engaging their horses for both meetings. Nightmarch, Concentrate, Silver Ring, Oratorian and Historic are all in Sydney at present, but they have been nominated for the New Zealand Cup. Admiral Drake and Colonel Cygnus, who are still in the Dominion, are in the Melbourne races as well as the C.J.C. event. Early this month, people at Riccarton were watching Okopua race over fences, also Pahu and Fullmark running in hurdle events. They have been entered for the New Zealand Cup. This year the Auckland spring meeting will clash with the C.J.C. fixture, but there are a few entrants for the New Zealand Cup from the Auckland province. *