AUSTRALIAN RACING

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 102, 27 October 1945, Page 12

AUSTRALIAN RACING

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. \ "Wanderer." —Royal Coon ran and was 6-5 ia the betting.

THE MELBOURNE CUP

(By Air Mail, Special to "The Post.)

MELBOURNE, October 12;

First In (8.12), High Play (8.9), Immediate (8.7), Typhoon (8.4), and Stanelaus (7.9) figure prominently among, the 75 first acceptors for the £10.000 Melbourne Cup, run on Tuesday. November 6. This year for the first time since the commencement of the war the stake will include a gold cup valued at £200. Australia's horses this spring, after rather an indifferent start, have been impressive and the New Zealanders will have to be right up to their best form to live up to the deeds of their great predecessors. The three-year-olds, always a tough proposition in the big event, are well represented with Don Pedro and the A.J.C. Derby winner Magnificent. The promising Foxbridge colt Anstey is a noticable absentee, but this good-looking, customer may be a Cup proposition for his owner. Mr. John Wren, next season.

Trainer Lou Robertson, with nine ; horses still engaged, has the largest individual entry in the Cup race. No doubt the present favourite. Lawrence, who was withdrawn this week from the Caulfield Cup, will be this powerful stable's first choice, and it is only a matter of the Lawmaker horse remaining sound to command great respect. Robertson's entry also- includes two useful stayers in Oatcake and Martial Law (who has yet .to be produced this season), the brilliant Manitoba mare Deliria, and the useful three-year-olds Lincoln, Leonard, Euxine, Ross, and Star ' Knight. Four of his first acceptors. Lawrence, Leohard, Lincoln, and Delina, arr owned by Mr. A. H. Griffiths. E. J. Willmott, who prepares his. large team at a private track at "Braeside," Mordialloc, stated this week that unless Don Pedro has an easy race in the V.R.C. Derby (run on Saturday, November 3), he is an unlikely starter in the Cup. Willmott also has Bootle and another good three-year-old Liberty Law. in the big race. . Among the top-weights Amana has yet to show his true form, and Peter (second last year to Sirius) has been disappointing. Counsel, too, has hardly lived up to his form of last season. The showing of Si Fairy, Great Victory, Spearmain, and some of the lightweights in the Caulfield Cup will have a big bearing in the final summing-up. The leading Sydney performers Flight, Russia, and Silver Link have been heavily supported this week following their good form at the A.J.C. Meeting. J. O'Sullivan, who was associated with the late Mr.J. T. Jamieson in some of his Australian successes, has been selected as Flight's rider, and in D. Munro's unfortunate absence W. Briscoe, crack Queensland lightweight, is mentioned as the likely rider for Russia. J. Thompson will pilot Silver Link in his spring engagements, • while W. Cook, whose father died this week, is being sought after by the Willmott stable, and unless Typhoon shows greatly improved form he may ride that stable's Cup elect. RUSTY ROBIN IN BRISBANE. Rusty Robin (Christopher RobinHomeric Lass) was a recent winner at Albion Park, the only racecourse available in Brisbane at present. Apart from the sand track, the course and surroundings are not unlike the Hutt Park, and it has proved totally inadequate to cope with the huge crowds in Brisbane durin" the war years. After scoring in a maiden event a fortnight previously, Bombardier (the much-discussed litigation horse) Rajputana, by Bulandshar— Medusa) was runner-up -in a Fifth Division Handicap. Bombardier, it is reported, is proving a hard horse to train. ■■-* , The Hunting I Song stallion Game Carrington, a Caulfield Cup winner, is getting some nice horses in Queensland, and his stock is noticed quite frequently among Brisbane ' results. Old Gold Salute showed pace in his first appearance there a . couple of weeks back, but he is not the glamour horse of a few seasons ago when his former owner, Mr. Allan Cooper, backed the New Zealand-bred gelding for some large four-figure amounts. The ex-Taranaki trainer M. Conway continues to turn out winners in Tasmania, and last week at Launceston he won a double with Misogynist and Home Jame"s for his patrons Mr. P. Grant Hay and Mrs. D. Fraser-Smith, who are both well known on the mainland. ' „ When Mr. W. S. Spence made a flying visit to Melbourne in June, he told the V.RiC. the Auckland Racing Club's plan of filming the running, of races, and following the controversy over the suspension of jockey R. Heather there have been many suggestions by prominent racing men that the scheme should be introduced here. The A.J.C. suspended Heather for.two months for alleged interference during his successful ride on Magnificent in the A.J.C. Derby, and now after witnessing a screening of the race in a newsreel, there is considerable dis-. cussion as to whether Heather was responsible for the interference. It would occasion no surprise if portion of Heather's suspension was lifted. Wild Song is the name claimed for the Battle Song—Azalea filly purchased at the last Trentham yearling sales, i She was placed twice in the recent two-year-old trials and is now being turned out for a short spell'by her trainer Lou Bloom, who also prepares the £1000 Battle Song yearling Bold Warrior from Lady Graceful. Bold Warroir, now a four-year-old, has shown promise on occasions but is .still a maiden performer. He is to be given another trial when the resti-ic-tions are lifted. . Mr. A.-McLean, who paid good prices for Jannie Girl and the CoronachLady Phroso filly, is particularly pleased with his purchases. The fillies have been turned out at Mr. McLean's property, "The Nook." since their arrival some months ago, and their wellknown owner is undecided whether to race them or use the pair as broodmares at his stud. There are only three Coronach fillies in Australia. Mr McLean's racing affairs are managed by Mr. Eric Welch, whose voice is well known to New Zealand radio listeners, and who is making special recordings of the big races in which the New Zealand horses compete.