SPORTING NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1523, 21 June 1873, Page 2

SPORTING NEWS.

Judged by the entries, the next Melbourne Cup race will be a grand affair. Ninety horses have been entered j fortytwo from "Victoria, twentyvseven from New South Wales, eleven from South Australia, four from New Zealand, two from Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland, one each. New Zealand is represented by Castaway, Calumny, Lurline, and Tambourini ; Queensland, by Judge Lutwyche's Flirtation ; Tasmania, by Old Strop ;> while the oraok horses of Australia are' well re.prqs.en.ted by The Ace, Hamlet, Javelin, Dagworth, Reprieve, and the Prophet, all five year olds ; and among the fours there will be found Patriarch, Blue Peter, King of the Ring, The Arrow, and I£ing of Clubs, all horses of some meyit, although not, perhaps, firstrclass when gauged by the won* derf ul Loup Garou. The threes will likewise bb ably represented by Lapidist, Rose d'Amour, Dagmar, Benvolio, and Triton, all fair performers ; while among the aged contingent, although there it nothing of extraordinary brilliance, wg find Nimblefoot, Lfttle Dick, Lapdog, and Valentine. Out of the ninety, perhaps forty will come to the starting posb. Mr Merry, whose ill-luck has been proverbial since Thormanby's year, ha 3 secured the blue ribbon for 1873 with his colt Doncaster. For years past the performances of Mr Merry's two-year olds, have been brilliant. These included such famous horses as Dundee, Liddington, Scottish Chief, Buckstone, and King of the Forest. Since Thormanby won the Derby, however, the well-known yellow jacket has never succeeded in getting first past the post in any of the great threeyear old races. Doncaster, who was purchased by Mr Merry as a yearling for 950 guineas, never ran in public before the Derby. In July last he injured his stifle which prevented him running for any of ' his numerous engagements, Although previous to this he had been regarded as the pick of Mr Merry's lot, the accident seems to have affecied his position in the betting, as 40 to 1 had been taken about him previous to the Two Thousand. Doncaster, who is by Stockwell out of Marigold, is described as a remarkably powerful and handsome horse, with a nice easy action. The two leading favorites, for the Derby, Gang Forward and Kaiser, ran a dead heat for second place in that race, which is said to have been a most exciting one. Mr Merry has also been lucky in securing th.3 Oaks with his filly Marie Stuart, by Scottish Chief out of Morgan Jja Fayne,