SPORTING NOTES.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1867, 30 July 1874, Page 2

SPORTING NOTES.

Referring to the chances of the iTew Zealand horses for the Melbourne Cup and the Metropolitan, the Nelson Colonist, says.:— ' . '"'■;.■'.••; Of the New Zealand horses, Pap^pa's chance of the Cup is by far the best, j An . impost of 7st 51b is a small matter to a colt who won his Derby la3t year, carrying Bst 101 b, in 2min .44^sec, a. performance which has never been achieved in Melbourne, where the fastest Derby was won in '72 by Loup Garpu, in 2min 464 : sec : Lapidist who won his Derby last year at Fletnington, in 2tnin 51sec, gives the son of Ravens worth and Waimea, in the prer sent handicap, 61b, We speculate on the chances of the New Zealand horses, because the stable will accept with Lurline, Calumny, and Papapa. We prefer the chances of the colt, not only because he is more favored by the handicapper, but the..season is unfavorable to mares, the Cup never yet. having been .won by an animal of the. tender, sex. L Much, of course will depend on how the colt has wintered— whether the blow he got from ; a block of scoria on the Auckland course on the Ist January last, and -which lamed, him at the time, will' come again3t,him — ; and on the passage he gets across!- Sup- , posing all these contingencies to prove favorable, we regard Mr Red wood's chance of winning the Cup with i;; Papapa to be equal that of. any horse he will meet. The weights of the 'fifty-four horses entered for the Sydney. Metropolitan are also published, but for this .irace;Lurline and Calumny. are entered alone. fripm New Zealand. Dag worth here, as in Melbourne, is at the top of the handicap with 9at.131b, being lib less ; but Lurline is handicapped ; at 88t 41 b, being 71b less tMn for the Mel£. bourne (Kip, while CalWatiy has 7st 9lb being 61b less than for the race over the Flemington.. course. The., mare's chance> for the Randmick Handicap is the better of the twb^ arid we dare Bay long shots will be taken about the New Zealand stable carrying off both races. When we hear that the colt. has. Safely reached Mcl- - bourne, and that the twb mares are ; all' right and in safe quarters, in Sydney, we shall, not mind, risking a trifle oil the double victory, ].. ," ':,■ ,: ;i