The Melbourne Cup

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 19, 13 August 1891, Page 4

The Melbourne Cup

M Olympus, " the' spirited contri%utd^o^Melbpurne Punch,' pens the lf6llo^wa^ng;:-r--"it has been stated that Mr /VV^iallrice >co mplains bitterly of h^ tferms^he crue! way in which "t/atbine « has been; treated in being ;allbttedJilOßt 12lb, in the Melbourne '';■ Cup? if that be so, then Mr •DilS. "V?aliace must have an idea that he slhould be simply presented year -after Vy^ar with the valuable Melbour"ne;.jCup. During the last three jrears^ii.e''; has been made a present of the vricli:. stake oa two' occasions; , vrhiist^he year that Carbine ran second with lOst it would have been gift for the Musket — Mersey *colt ! nad he been in his best condition. As a matter^,of fact, Carbine's handi--cap'weight for the Melbourne Cup : tbiß -year -should have been well over list— -that' 8 in all fairness, if you wanted to give other horses a possible 'chance./; Last year he ran away from his field at the home turn as if they %erea lofc of hacks, even although he %ad ; a gathered hoof and 'the crusher' 'of -JLOai 51b, on his back. • The son of t ;Mr Wallace is reported as having, stated, : was all out on that "occasion, and could' not have gone any faster if his life depended upon it.' Tyeil, considering that he smashed all previous .records for the Melbourne Oupl^ahdijan.. tHe .distance within a •quarter of .a- second of the World's Eiegister (Ten Broeck's 3nu 285., accomplished against time, mark you JJ)3fs.iio wondar that he was all out (of || it,) aye, at any part of the journey. T Of course the generality of the publio will say, 'Oh, if Carbine can .win with lOst 12lb he ought to be allowed to do so.' But that isn't the principle of handicapping. The handicapper is supposed to try and bring all the entrants on some sort of an equality; but the very fact that 'Old Jack' is'Bven now a most pronounced firsi favourite at the ridiculously short odds.of 4.0 to 1 in of over 160 horses, to -demonstration that the army of punters consider all iheVotEers to have been far more cruelly treated than Carbine was. Fit and',well on the day, bar accident, there's, only one in the forthcoming Melbourne Cup, and that one Carbine, who is, I am perfectly certain, at the present time pounds upon pounds a bette? .^hqrse, than ever he has been in His life before."