Coming Events.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 208, 19 July 1894, Page 5

Coming Events.

[By

Borderer.]

THE MELBOURNE CUP. (continued.) Commenting upon this handicap in a previous issue I left off at the 8.0 mark, and to sum up I find the first horse to come under consideration is Saracen, 7.13, If he can stay the weight is a very likely one. Nightingale, also, has been weighted at 7.13. She is a good mare as witness her Tattersail’s Cup win in 3min 30sec, and, amongst other scores, it will be found she took third place in Lady Trenton’s Sydney Cup. She can stay, but they say a mare is a bad quantity for a Melbourne Cup. Pulvil’s accident to his shoulder will put him out of consideration. Burton stands at the same weight, and Sydney reports speak well of him, although he has not much to point to in the way of performances, for he has only run four times. His principal effort so far was his win in the Trial Stakes at the Summer Meeting of the Australian Jockey Club when he carried 8.0, and led Stanmore, 8.8, and The Trier, 8.0, past the post. He is a Trenton horse, being by Trenton out of Ringdove. September will probablv see him racing, and it will then be time enough to size up this, comparatively speaking, unknown one’s chance. Alpine is the first weighted at 7.12. This candidate has not done much, but his weight is a nice handy burden. Bessie McCarthy and Ronda are at the same weight, and this pair take my fancy very much indeed. The latter had 8.6 last year when he was a four-year-old, and now when he is supposed to have improved, the handicapper sizes him up as worse, and lets him in on 81bs better terms. When a three-year-old he took second place in a Melbourne Cup, and respecting his condition I am informed by Melbourne advices that he is decidedly improved horse. I should say his chance in the Cup is a decidedly bright one. Donation has 1 lb less, and he must have a chance, and of Tridentate, Memah, and Verax, the other three on the 7.1 1 mark, I must confess I know very little. In Qeensland Tridentate failed when his chance was very highly estimated; Memah I hear is a useful mare that can stay; and Verax is a brother to Jeweller, who has not yet performed. Tim Swiveller and Havoc are bracketed together at 7.10, and I am afraid Tim Swiveller cannot stay two miles at Melbourne Cup pace. Havoc is well enough as regards weight, but in the past bad hocks have interfered with his preparations. Still his nomination shows his people are hopeful of bringing him to the post in proper order, and on his breeding I shall give him a chance. There are five on the 7.9 mark, viz.. The Captain, Brotherton, Salient, Tellus and The Possible. The first named I hear is a non-stayer, but the others should be able to get the distance, and they are nicely treated in the matter of weight. Straightfire I pass by, and that brings me to Bruin, 7.8. On breeding this candidate should certainly be favoured for a Melbourne Cup. He is by Neckersgat from Ursula, who was by Gang Forward from Hebe by Lucifer by Zenobia. Bruin’s dam, Ursula, is a full sister to Ada, who is the dam of Lady Lovelace, Portsea’s dam, ■consequently the runner-up to Hova in last year’s Newmarket is a blood relation to the champion Portsea. Bruin’s pedigree shows great staying blood, and on that I shall name him as a likely one. Dreamland is also on the 7.8 mark, and he is also a likely one. Being a three-year-old, Dreamland should have bad luck in the big Flemington handicap, but I shall not be surprised to see him change the verdict that has generally followed the three-year-olds’ Cup efforts. Moorite and Selim do not strike my fancy, but I have a great leaning towards Capstan. He is a fine big stamp of a horse, with grert quarters, and oh breeding he should commend himself to one’s fancy, seeing he is by a Cup wanner, Sheet Anchor, and that stock is doing well just now. His dam is Commerce, a full sister to Skirmisher’s dam, Ouida. Commerce should give staying power, seeingi

she is By Tubal Cain from Argosy, who was by the Hermit horse Freetrader. Capstan’s Newmarket Handicap fourth with 7.12 shows he has phce, and his pedigree should give him heaph of stamina. He is also a likely one. Bonnie Scotland is on the improve, and mav have a chance with 7.5, and lower down nothing strikes me 1 so well as Cobbitty and Warfare. I see by recent Australian exchanges that .although it as believed that Portsea will be at his best this spring, his weight will make a win an impossibility. I’ll take all that .in and still give him a show. Next to him in the top weights I like Light ArtilleryLoyal ty, Sternchaser, Elswick, and The Sailor Prince. Then I take Saracen, Ronda, Bruin, Capstan, Havoc,, and Dreamland. That makes twelve, and my subsequent selections will come out of that dozen.

AUSTRALIAN WRITERS’ OPINIONS. The following are additional selections of Australian turf writers respecting the Melbourne and the Caulfield Cups. “ Terlinga ” of the Australasian fancies Light Artillery, Brockleigh, Hova, Maheee, Elswick, The Sailor Prince, Ronda, Burton, The Possible, Capstan, Royal Master, Izaac, and Climax. His preference is Ronda. “Verax” (Mr Nat Gould), of the Sydney Referee, considers the best dozen horses in> the Melbourne Cup are Port Admiral, Carnage, Loyalty, Light Artillery, Sainfoin, Dreamland, Moorite, Newman, Ronda, Elswick. Lady Trenton, and Patron, and to reduce them to four he selects Sainfoin, Dreamland, Carnage, and Port Admiral. The best Caulfield Cup dozen are Paris, Port Admiral, Oxide, Lady Trenton, Loyalty, Sainfoin, Mahee, Hova, Division, Moscow, Response and Foxtail. To take four as th® best he names Paris, Lady Trenton, Oxide and Sainfoin. “Ribbleden,” of the Australasian, names as the best of the Caulfield Cup horses, Mostyn, Capstan, Tellus, The Captain, Royal Master, Shotbelt, or Alec Tayler’s best. “ Nunquam Dormio,” of Melbourne Punch, who divides his time between picking winners and cracking jokes at his own exceeding girth of body, comes to the conclusion that the best dozen in the Melbourne Cup are Tarcoola, Loyalty, Sternchaser, The Sailor Prince, Skirmisher, Burton, Ronda, Donation, Tridentate, Havoc, Tellus and Cobbitty, and if he were compelled to nominate three out of that dozen he would plump for Tarcoola, Loyalty and Skirmisher. Respecting the Caulfield Cup he takes as the best dozen Paris, Fortunatus, Launceston, Skirmisher, Ronda, Donation, Havoc, Tellus, The Captain, The Dauphine, Mostyn and Moscow, and the most likely three are, he considers, The Dauphine, Mostyn and Moscow.