AUSTRALIAN VERSUS ENGLISH HORSES IN INDIA.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 939, 5 March 1908, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN VERSUS ENGLISH HORSES IN INDIA.

For many years Indian owners have looked to Australia, and, in a measure, New Zealand, to supply the best racehorses. This was not to be wondered at, because the whalers, as they are called, have earned for themselves countless laurels. It would appear, however, that the colonial-bred animal is no longer to have matters all his own way, and the English-bred ones are becoming very formidable competitors. Take, for example, the big events of the recent great meetings at Calcutta, and this is how they resulted:—

Burdwan Cup (hurdles, R.C. and distc.), Mallard (Australia). The Trials ( mile), Stirabout (England). The Viceroy’s Cup (1% mile), FitzGrafton (Australia). The Calcutta Plate (6 furlongs), Golden Gleam (England). The Grand Annual -'2 miles, hurdles), Marmalade 111. (England). The Sandown Park Plate < 5 furlongs), Sermon (England). The Cooch Behar Cup (1% mile), Ballark (Australia). The Chowringhee Plate i,6 furlongs), Annamulloch (England). The Macpherson Cup (St. Leger course). Amplify (England). The Tally-ho Plate (2 miles, hurdles), Marmalade 111. (England). The Metropolitan Plate (6 furlongs), Sea Spray (England). The King’s Plate (R.C.), Misty Morn (Australia). The Prince of Wales’ Plate (1 rnile), Paddy’s Darling (England). The Merchants’ Plate (1% mile), Footprint (England).

The Hooghly Plate (5 furlongs), Ferndoun (England). Steeplechases.—The Indian Grand National (3 miles), Mallard (Australia); the Tollygunge Plate (3 miles), Seclusion (Australia).

Writing on the subject, the Indian correspondent to the “ Australasian” says:—Whilst Australia has sent the winners of the blue ribands of both the flat and cross-country events, and has also supplied the Cooch-Behar Cup and King’s Plate winners, the English horses have put up a very big score all round, and have shown both over hurdles and on the flat that they are yearly becoming more and more a factor for the Australian dealer to reckon with. England has appropriated all the principal sprint races, and both of the two big one-mile events, the trials, and the Prince of Wales’ Plate, and this bears out the argument that Indian buyers find that they can get better value for their money for this class of horse in England than they can in the colonies. These results I think are worthy careful consideration at the hands of Australian sellers, as the Indian “nabob” who goes to Australia from the country of “ rajahs and rice” is beginning to debate within himself whether he is not being asked rather too high prices !