SYDNEY RACING NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume V, Issue 249, 2 May 1895, Page 5

SYDNEY RACING NOTES.

April 25. The principal item to which allusion has to be made this week is of course the Sydney Cup, but sight must not be lost of Delaware’s brilliant win in the Doncaster last week, or Cobbitty’s appropriation of the Leger Delaware was in

the pink of condition to run a mile, and he ran it in record time. I think only Paris .and Bungebah have registered lmin 40sec for the eight furlongs before. Anyhow -the son of Trenton and Genesta is a very speedy customer. Cobbitty’s classic win on Saturday in -the fastest time on record for the race drew a considerable amount of attention •to the great future that appears to be before Abercorn as a sire Of course the little fellow is well bred on his dam’s rside also, Copra being rich in blue blood.

That mountain of horseflesh Atlas, who rgot a place in the Leger still wants a lot of time before he can be possibly seen at his best. Cobbitty’s best performance, though, in mv opinion, was in the Sydney Cup in which he ran third —and a good third it was too. He was terribly badly ridden. :Such a lamentable amount of bad judgment on the part of a jockey I never before saw displayed. Better ridden and the son of Abercorn would have won the Cup easily. There can be no doubt of it. He looked even better than he fiid on Leger day and the only thing .against him was-the heavy going. He was kept too far from the field. In fact .-at the seven furlong post he was abso-

lutely last and the run he made from there there up to third place at the finish have been indeed somethingout of the ordinary. He came very fast near the close, but his effort was made far too late. Ruenalf raced well to the distance when he melted like butter. The Harvester disappointed a great many people, and so did Marvel’s brother Blarneystone, who started actual first favourite. Of late Loyalty has been given the name of rogue by his erst fanciers, but in the Cup race he hung out longer than was generally expected. In fact he seemed to have a winning chance half way up the straight. The Auckland bred Bradford (St. Leger—Woodnymph) ran an excellent race falling back when only a dozen strides from the post. He finished fourth. If I am not mistaken this horse will win many a big handicap ere his career closes. He is a fine specimen of a racer, and, bred as he is, there can be no doubt expressed as to his future prospects. The Doncaster Handicap winner, Delaware, was not up to a two mile task, nor was his stable companion Oxide. Taranaki (a long shot for the next Melbourne Cup) was far from being last, though he was quite out of condition. That was palpable His preparation was all too and he had to be sweated without being worked as

incessant strong gallops might have knocked him off his pins. Newman was as fit as a fiddle, but was apparently not up to beating such a field as he had to meet. The Trenton —Tremulous filly, Quiver, was in the race the whole way and shaped much better than she did in the Leger. lalanthus, who was fancied to be endowed, with a goed show, ran absolutely last. The winner, Patroness (Grand Flaneur—Olga), was kept in a good position throughout the race by young Cook, who rode all he knew in the straight and landed a comparitively outside chance.

As for the contest, when things settled down the Martini-Henry horse Vanitas was taken to the front, the object being to take advantage of his light weight and force the pace. In the straight Sundial had first position, but crossing the tan Vani’as displaced him, Queensborough being third, scarcely clear from lalanthus, Bradford, and Patroness Loyalty, Quiver and Delaware were just behind. After the mile Sundial didn’t seem to like the going and a short distance further on fell back. Vanitas looked going strongly, but Loyalty made a big run and reached his girths at the half mile post, where Bradford, Quiver and Patroness were

ahead of the ruck. Cobbitty here came up with a rush on the outside. At the distance Vanitas was tired and Quiver, Ruenalf, Bradford, and Patroness soon had him ,out of the race, while Cobbitty could be observed in the centre coming fast, but far too late. Ruenalf failed as he always does, leaving Quiver in front, but Patroness wore her down and after a great battle won by half a neck, Cobbitty just got on to Quiver’s girths. Bradford was fourth, the worn out Vanitas fifth three lengths from him, and then followed Newman, The Harvester, Taranaki, Queensborough, Donation, Blarneystone, Loyalty, Oxide, Chesterman, Ruenalf, Delaware, the last to get home being Honor Bright. Sundial, Llena, and lalanthus. Time, 3min 38|sec.

The win of Patroness makes the eleventh time a three-year-old has got home in the Cup during the last 29 years. An aged horse has only been returned once. Carbine carried 9.0 when he won as a three year-old, and his time of 3miu 31sec is still the record. The Barb and the son of Musket are the only horses that ever won the event twice.

If Dan O’Brien was disappointed at Loyalty’s failure he had good cause to rejoice at Bob Ray’s win io the Champagne Stakes, when the son of Welcome

•Jack defeated Wallace, the son of his one time crack, Carbine. Challenger decline I the contest, and of course Wallace started at 6to 4. The other starters were, Bluecap (Abercorn — Blue and WhiteJ, Form (Cranbrook —La Mode), and Waterfall (Niagara—Little Wanzer). Wallace’s game was to make all the running, so he was in charge half a furlong from the starting point. He hugged the rails and first turned the corner for home, followed by Form and Blue Cap, Bob Ray being on the extreme outside, and it was noticed he apparently had the race in hand. Gough rode Wallace all he knew, but Ettridge didn’t trouble Ray at all until the half distance, when he dashed at the favourite. Then there was a go. Wallace laid himself out for a race home, and answering every call, ran locked with Bob Ray to the post, but O’Brien’s gelding gained the verdict by a long head. They are a game pair without a doubt. Bob Ray, who was racing with his head in the air before he was given rope, is by the New Zealand Welcome Jack out of Gage d’Amour, by Grandmaster from Keepsake, by Stockowner from Gildermere. by the Elying Dutchman, and was bred by the Hon. H. C. Dan gar. Wallace ' was in great heart, and was in the pink ’ of condition. Bluecap was a fair third.

A possible crack worth watching in the future is the bay colt True Blue, by Hotchkiss (son of Musket) —Rose of Wellington (by St. Leger—Fleurette). He beat sixteen in the First Nursery Handicap, including Killiecrankie and Miss Nora. Melema (by Splendor— Minuet) was favourite, Ordnance and Killiecrankie being next in demand at sixes. True Blue , was never enquired for at even 20 to 1. When the finish came, True Blue came to the front in his own style and won by a short half length from Melema, Miss Nora (Nordenfeldt — Lady Norah) being third. Akarina was last. The winner belongs to Mr Hook, who purchased him at the yearling sales.

The Flying Handicap on the same day fell to Mr Oxenham’s Solanum, by Somnus (imp) —Blue and White, who carried 9.0 and beat Malachite (Chester —Moonstone), Messmate (third), Bungebah, Moorfield, Pharamond, Isaac, Tiwoona, GuillarcPia, Little Agnes, Engineer, Canon, Ebony,. Carnation, La Perouse, Paramount, and Chrystaline. Solanum had things all his own way at the finish, and scored a four lengths victory in lmin 17sec.

The winner of the Maiden Stakes turned up in the chestnut gelding Boko,

by Splendor —Jewel, Vivian (Abercorn — Lady Vivian) being second, and Fort. (Gibraltar —Formosa and consequently, half-brother to Ensign) third. Siguinius and Surge were beaten off. Waterbury (Natator —Sunshine) did not start in the Steeplechase, but Ballyhooley (another New Zealander") did, and got third. Highborn 11. (Idalium — Belladonna) cantered home a thirty lengths winner from Reckless (Cresswick —Blue Bonnet), Ballyhooley (Dauphin Pastine) being a very poor third. The last named refused the palings in the straight, but got over on the second time of asking. Keith’s Dart (who I think is by Gipsy King) raced splendidly, and in the straight headed Highborn, but came down at the next obstacle. Grand wing, Alarm Bell, Over, Ontario, The Joker, ■end Spanker, all came to grief. The pace at which Highborn and Dart went through-out took the field off their legs —hence so mony spills. Not unlikely that Bob Ray will be as well backed for the next Derby as Wallace. The Maoriland mare Ilium won the Easter Plate at Williamstown (Vic.) on April 15th, beating Auster, J. 5, Esau and Disparity.

Jriweller is ift work' again upcountty. ■ They had a rare turn up in the" Onkaparinga(S.A.) 'Great Eastern Steeplechase, when Waterloo 1 (10.12) - beat Eepetitibn,'Strike, The Actress, Dondi, Tayforth, Sneaker, Alice, Expectation, Cuttlefish; K'nebsworth, All Fours, - lilljieria, arid Surprise, paying .£44 6s dividend. Amount' iri tote (apparently ten bob tickets) £4023 10s.- The Onkaparinga Cup saw Maroon beat Monastery a ; head, Horterisius being a head away third, and Leeway a head off fourth. So that it was a great finish. Dividend, ij? 9s. In the Hills Bailway Stakes Carbine fell, Breaking his leg and’had to be destroyed. Hickey, the rider, broke his-arm. •

The holders bf the first three tickets in Oxenham’s Sydney Cup sweep live in Ascot Vale (Vic.), : Melrose (S.A.), arid Plattsburg (N.S;W.) respectively. The holder of Cobbitty’s ticket is a miner. The owner of Taranaki also has a horse rurinirig- at country meetings called Bangitikei. He must have surely- lived ori the West Coat of the North Island Of New Zealand at some tiifie.- : ---- :