EARLY DUNEDIN CUPS

Evening Star, Issue 19788, 11 February 1928, Page 15

EARLY DUNEDIN CUPS

THOSE RUN AT FORBURY (Recollections by “Old Identity.") PART If. The lion. R. Campbell’s handsome three-year-old Sir Motived was supposed to bo pitch forked into tho Cup of 1881 at 7.10, and several pood horses pulled out, leaving a- Held ol but seven, in which Sir JModred was the only representative ol class, since Fishhook was decaying and Lady Emma had not then conic to her lorm. The betting was nominally ovens the favorite, and I don’t think the layers were anxious to hold against him even at that price. The only chance of Sir Modrod losing occurred about three days before the race, when he stumbled over a dog whilst exercising at Eorbury and might have been injured. Steve Harris rode the colt confidently in the race, and won without serious effort. On Bit (7.2) being second, and The Governor (6.13) third. Malcolm Allan, now a farmcr_ in North Otago, who had the previous season ridden Lady Emma to victory in the Great Autumn Handicap, had the mount on that mare in the Cup of 1882, and she went out at a nice price despite the tact that she had only 7.6 to carry. Tho public, fancies were Mutate {1.9) and Libeller (7.8) Jmt there was nionov for Chancellor (/ .12) and The Dauphin (7.11). Tasman, then a three-year-old, was one of the starters, and other decent handicap horses in tho field were King Quail and The Poet, both stayers. Air G. Bate also started Hilda—not the Musket mare that afterwards made a name, but a half-sister to Welcome Jack, out of Miss Elat. Lady Emma won easily from Libeller in tho best time so lar recorded, Smin 55)see. Next year Adamant provided a surprise. Raced round the country meetings by Air I). Kirby, this six-year-old had become thoroughly fit, but the experts could not see him holding Ills own, even at 6.7, with classy candidates sucli as Welcome Jack (8.4), Salvage (8.3), Sir Alodrcd (9.6), and Ladv Emma (8.5), and lie started at 20 to 1. Air John Fleming, who had previously owned a share id Adamant, had become the sole proprietor before the race, and be held the then big bet from Abo' Snider of 1,000 to 10. Billy Sharp rode Adamant to orders. Ho waited till a mile and a-quarter from home, then gave the chestnut his head, and lie soon got a lead which enabled him to stave off Salvage and win by nearly a length. Some people said it was a fluke. How so, when he was simply too fast for the others to catch him?" The time, tho record to date, showed tho pace. The only (hike about it was that Sharp was able to hold his seat at- the finish. Ho was_ vomiting as Adamant flew up the straight. Lady Emma won again in 1884, this time-ridden by Jim Cotton, who bad trained Adamant the previous year. She carried 8.5. and was then iho property of the Hon. (afterwards Sir) George APLean. Sou’-wester (6.10) was the hot favorite that year, supposed to be unbeatable, bub after going six furlongs be slipped into the ditch. Air E. Cults owned Sou’-wester, who was ridden by -Billy Brown, and lie also started July, ridden at 7.4. by that great finisher Percy While. July made a gallant attempt to catch Lady Emma, but the mare won by a couple of lengths, Sou’-wester, who came fast when he got going again, a poor third. It was a very strong field, and July’s performance caught tho imagination of the betting public, who followed him for a long time and thus_ lost a pot of money, for he never did anything else worth mentioning. _ ' That good horse Vanguard, admirably ridden at 9.3 by Bob Dwelt, started a firm favorite in 1885 and won nicely, a sure winner all tho way, from Trenton. (7.9) and eight other proved horses. I have always thought that Trenton’s good gallop in this race cost him the Alelbourno Cup by giving him the extra weight that enabled Sheet Anchor to heat him at Flemington.

Nelson (8.5) started an odds-on chance for the Cup of 18,86, and, contrary to expectation, had to fight out a desperate finish with another Aucklander, not Derringer, with whom Air J. Alarshail declared, hut with Air Marshall's other candidate, Necklace (7.8). In the rim home Nelson was staggering, and ho swerved in, boring Necklace on to the rails. Alick Sutherland, who rode Necklace, had bis left boot nearly torn off by contact with a post. One of the stewards afterwards told mo that if Air Alarshail had protested for boring ho would probably liavo got tbo stake.

Spade Guinea. (Huxtahlo riding her at 7.12) made hacks of a poor field in 1887, and it was said that Allred Drake, who fancied her very much, made a little fortune over the race. Spado Guinea, a lop-eared mare, was owned at the time by R. J. Mason. She was the best stayer in the race. Rubina (8.2) ran second. Gipsy King (6.4) in tbo next year was the fourth successive favorite to got home, ilnxtablo had Ids second win on him. Ho waited on Springstou (6.13) till in a line for home, and then ran past easily for a well-judged win. Artillery (ridden by Free Holmes at 8.0) finished a poor third behind Springston. Air Cutts’s mare Dudu (8.5) paralysed tbo betting in the following year. The Tasmanian-bred Occident (0.3) led till six furlongs from home, when Uudu wont up and cut him down; but Dudu stopped very badly with three furlongs to go, leaving .Vandal (6.7) in. the lead and Sultan , (8.0). Prime Warden’s brother, ran home an easy winner of a changeable race. Percy White had tho mount on the winner. Dudu’s failure was never publicly explained. Jn the race it looked as if she had broken down, but she won the D.J.G. Handicap on tho second day. Only four started in 1890, all owned in Otago. Occident (9.5) went out favorite, St. James (7.12) next in demand. St. James, a true stayer, with no brilliance, led into the straight from Ixion (6.12). Then Occident made bis run, and a great fight ended in St. James and Occident passing the post practically together. The judge decided that St. James won, I have always thought that decision a mistake.

Prime Warden (7.3) was supposed to he a good thing in 1891, hut both he and the Alusket mare Hilda (8.9), who was second favorite, failed to stay, and the race went to Dan O’Brien with that good colt Freedom (8.3), ridden by Percy AVhite —his third win in succession. Occident, ridden at 8.8 by Leeson, shaped well in getting into second place in front of Cruchfield (7.8). Having been third in 1839, second in 1890, and second in 1891, it was fitting that Occident should be first in 1892. Backers recognised that ho was weighted leniently with 7.10, and he was tvell supported, hut there was always big money for Air Horace Lnnn’s Alerrie England (8.11), a brilliant horse and a weight-carrier, and when it was seen that Derrett was to ride him ho was made a hot favorite. He was not, however, seen in the race. Occident led a little while, then gave way to Crackshot (8.11), who showed the road till seven furlongs from home, where Sharp pushed Occident to the front, and he stayed there to win fairly easily from Cruchfield (7.4), Prime Warden (8.2) a poor third. Tho time was cut to Smin 50sec.

Stuart Waddell had the joy of training the winner in 1893, this time with the Sydney-bred Tempest, who started the outsider of the field, and, ridden by W. Pino at 6.11, made the running and beat Carbine’s half-sister Thame (7.6) after a good finish. Con"dering that Prime Warden (8.11)

and Clanranald (8.7) were in the field, it was a hotter performance than most folk thought. Air Pat Butler’s great horse Liberator, famous over jumps as well as on tho flat, romped over Ins five opponents in 1894. Charlie Stratford having a very easy ride at 8.3. The winner was second favorite, the public fancy being Air Stead’s Ich Dien (7.5), who finished second, five lengths away. That was the last year in which the course for our Cup was two miles and a distance.

In 1895 tho distance was reduced to a mile and three-quarters and 132yds—the St. Legcr course—and Harry Goodman’s three-year-old Gasket, ridden by Johnny APCombe at 7.4, ran away with the race, beating that famous mare Lady Zetland by half a dozen lengths, with Prime Warden (9.8) a bad third. Air J. B. Reid’s Skirmisher (8.5) started favorite, but did nothing, while the_ other pair— AA’olsclcy (7.5) and _ ATctim (6.12) — were only prominent in the first mile. Only four started in 189 G, and only three ran, "for Saraeen (8.2) swerved at tho post and was pulled up _ by Percy AVhite. That noble horse Gipsy Grand, then a three-year-old, smothered the other two, though carrying tho steadier of 8.4, and AV. Pine brought him home in a cantse. It was the first Dunedin Cup win for the firm of Stephenson and Hazlett. The minor places were filled by Skirmisher (8.6) and Dilemma (7.4). The distance was in this year altered to a mile and threequarters. In 1897 there was trouble with Canterbury, originating in the Alarion disqualification, and Otago supplied the three runners—Lord Rosslyn (7.2), Skirmisher (8.5), and Plotter (7.3), finishing in that order. The betting was pretty even. Len King rode the winner. . , .

Top weight of 10.3 in the IS9S race was carried by the penalised. St. Paul, and Euroclydon, then five years old, carried 9.11. Euroclydon broke down in the race, Epaulet was left at the post, and the winner was 11. Ray's Starshot (7.6), who romped home by four lengths and paid over £2O inside and over £3O outside. Harry Goodman was represented by Pitch and Toss (C.B) as well as Euroclydon, and Pitch and Toss, a very light-fleshed mare, the one that backers of the bracket relied on, ran into second place, Sequin (7.4) third. She was third again in the following year, when the club had moved to Wingatui.