Turf Topics.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 176, 14 November 1903, Page 14

Turf Topics.

By St. Simon. C.J.C. Meeting.

THE New J Zealand Cup of 1903 is now stowed away in one of the vpigeon holes of Time, and labelled a record foi* the Australasian colonies. How the Cup w as, won is now ancient history, and it only remains for me to pay tribute to the winner, and the two immediate attendants of the speedy gi-ey. In fact, honours of the race Yi€i with the two four-year-olds, who carried their nine stone odd burdens to the emd of- the two miles. J The Porirua crack, Achilles, should have been very close to the w inner had not /so mluch use been made of .ham_ in the earlier stages of the race. The son of Medallion is a very hard puller, and, with Jenkins in a weak state through recent illness, he practically set the pace the whole way/ and, when it came to the final pinch, his brilliancy was crone, and interference on the part of McCombe assisted in settling his chance. Wainki, who was paying close on a tenner dividend, ran up to, if not beyond his most ardent admirers' anticipations, and the manner in which he finished went to show- that his trainer, who was accused of leniency, knew the horse's constitution well. The time in which the race was run — 3min 27 l-sthsec — was a record for Australasia, the pace being so strongly set that quite a number found the mile and arhalf about their limit, and gracefully retired in Indian file to watch the heroes of the race fight out a magnificent finish. Jack McCombe rode the winner, and paid the penalty of reckless riding by

" two-yeais' disqualification for mterfeience with Achilles in the straight. McCombe is noted for taking chances of an opening where others would quail, and, in his eagerness to scoie., he probably overstepped the mark It is a very severe sentence, agaanst which the; rider has instructed Mr. Tom Wilford to appeal. A Wellington lady, of betting proclivities., some months ago backed Canteen ta win her a couple of hundreds straight out, and also took one hundred to three the double Canteen and Maohme Gun. It is said that the owner of Canteen had a very good win over the success of the grey, but a Chiistchureh theatiical manager is ci edited with having, on the strength of a dream, won a much la.rgei stake. I've dreamt them, backed them, and still dream that laying them is best. Loid Ranfurly and Lady Constance Knox could only spare Cup Day in Chnstchuroh, owing to the approaching departure of Lady Ranfurly. The viceregal party, I believe, thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and His Excellency expressed regret at being unable to linger longer I join with all tiue sports in expressing sympathy with Bill I>avis m the necessity once moie for the withdrawal of St. Leger's son, Melwood, on the e.ve of the Cup. The 'horse's showing at the Wellington meeting,- amd - indications of continued soundness, led to the belief that the Hutt-traaned one, with his modest impost, would make things warm, but the hard going got on to the weak spots, and the scratching pen eot to work. Field Battery, too, another of Bill's, felt the effects of the hard track, and went out. The trip will take a bit off the Wellington gingerbread's gilt unfortunately. The much-fancied Roseal, a sterling threei-year-old, found the Cup beyond his powers, and, although hei showed prominently in the first few fui longs, he took a back seat ticket when the argument commenced. He made- amends, however, by annexing the Derby in splendid, style on the second day of the meeting, beating the more-fancied Treadmill and Quarryman, Sir George Clifford's pair, who, it was thought, between tlhem held a mortgage on the race. The erratic Perkin Warbeek colt, General Symons, of whom a Southern scribe recently wrote as being a danger

on any race track through his savage nature, cut away by himself in the Metropolitan Handicap, and, with the liawke's Bay mare, Float as his nearest attendant carved out another AustiaJasian lecord, covering the mile and a-haJf m 2m in 34sec. Canteen, next to Achilles, was the woist horse an the race for the bookmakers. Heavy commissions had been quietly worked m aJI parts of the colony on the grey, and he formed the first le.g of many doubles. Wainki had fallen away from pride of place in favountism. even enthusiastic Aucklandeis cooling in their opinion, which a,t one time say» nothing to beat the Soult colt. The tidy sum of €1000 for Roseal the morning prior to the Cup could not tempt his o\\ ncr, who eventually had within a touch of that amount secured to him bv the Handsome Jack colt's mm in the Deiby. Rain fell throughout Sunday and Monday, thereby considerably affecting the attendance of Wellington sportsmen at the pooular Carterton meeting. It was rather too long a journey to take w ith a chance of a postponement at the end. However, those who did p'o had a i^aJ pood time on the first day — the second day's racing had to be postponed t 11 the following: afternoon, m consequence of the continued rain y wea.ther. ~ "Foil Cry came down as a real good thin? for the principal event, and those who back ' information only" got a very fair price about the maie.