THE MELBOURNE RACES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5197, 17 November 1877, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE MELBOURNE RACES.

(By “Augur,” iu the Australasian, Nov, 10.) The Derby and Cup are over, and the result has proved that Cheater is a colt of the very highest order of excellence. The manner in which he romped homo for the Derby must have satisfied his detractors that ho was a superior auimal to Woodlands, though I question if there would be much difference between him and First King if the l itter were thoroughly fit, Mr. Wilson’s horse was certainly short of work, , while Chester was cherry ripe, aud should they both meet upon equal terms in the Champion Stakes, there will be' some interest iu the struggle. Pluto proved himself a good colt, but the Cup running conclusively demonstrated Chester s vast superiority. I was somewhat disappointed at Waterford’s performance, aud as he did not improve upon it in the Cup, it is quite certain that he either cannot be himself, or that he has retrograded considerably. Lockleys managed to run pretty forward, and there is a great future before this fine sou of Talk o the Hill, for his trainer lias never bustled him, believing that to do so would materially affect his prospects of future success. I fancy about the Leger time he will be heard of to even greater advantage. The Maribyrnong Plate was another proof of the surpassing excellence of the Stookwell line, for the first three were all nearly related to the emperor of stallions; in fact, Chester and Vulcan are bred a good deal alike, as the former is by Yattendou from a Stookwell mare, while the latter is by Yattendon from a Kataplan mare, and Bataplau aud Stookwell were full brothers. Vulcan is a good deal in-bred, the top aud bottom lines of the pedigree being very similar. I fancy both he and Koodee will train on better than His Lordship, as the son of the Marquis is not blessed with the best set of legs in the world. The Governor’s pair and Warlock ran very forward, but Lilian stumbled early iu the race, and she aud Monarque both sadly disappointed their friends. The Cup day was again overdone, the crowd being altogether too dense, aud more accommodation will have to be provided if the V.K.C is desirous of studying the comfort of its patrons, The Press accommodation was of the most limited description, and during the race for the Cup the box that was supposed to be set apart for the reporters was crowded with people who had no business there at all, consequently it was with the greatest difficulty that the doings of the competitors could be.discerned. The rain put a damper upon everything, hut there was plenty of enthusiasm over the Cup, though not half so much as there would have been had the day been line and pleasant. Chester won pretty cleverly, aud could have done so easily had not Pigott left off riding when he thought he had the race won ; but young St. Albans came with a great rush, and nearly snatched the race out of the fire, much to the astonishment of Pigott, who imagined he was clear of everything until he just happened to see Savanaka’s head, and hurriedly commencing a"ain, he won by half a head only, and as bis horse had hardly got upon his legs again, Savanaka’s head was in front directly after passing the post? It was a great performance upon the part of both colts, and had not Savanaka met with a disappointment before reaching the turn, he and Chester would probably have eome right away from the field. The result conclusively proved that Mr. Wilson made no mistake with Savanaka, whose party would have lauded an immense stake bad the colt won ; but the money would have gone into a few hands, whereas Chester's victory was profitable to the public generally, horses trained by either Mr. De Mestre or Mr. John Tait always being popular idols with those who speculate upon horseraoing, This was the third time that the Cup had fallen to the winner of the Derby. Lantern and Briseis being the others who achieved the double triumph, but in Lantern’s year the Derby was not run until after the Cup. THE VICTORIAN DERBY, A sweepstake of 25 sovs. eack. 5 ft., with 500 added. For 2yrs old—colts, Sst 101 b ; fillies, Bst Sib. The second horse to receive 50 sovs.,. and the third 20 sovs.'. out of the stakes. One mile and a-half. Forfeit to be declared and paid to the V.R.C. secretary before 10 o'clock on the morning of the race, or the nominator will he liable for the whole stake. (92 nominations). Mr. J. White’s b or hr c Chester, by Yattendon— Lady Chester, Sst 101 b (P. Pigott) 1 Mr. H. Philips's b c Pluto, by Panic—Miss Melbourne. Sst 101 b (J. Lang) 2 Mr. J. Wilson’s b o First King, by King of the King—Mischief, Sst 101 b (T. Hales) .. .. S Brownlight, Waterford, Salisbury, Kapidity, Hotspur, Amendment, Lockleys, Devilshoof, and Koyalty also ran. Betting: 5 to 4 on Chester, 5 to 1 agst First King, 10 to 1 each against Waterford, Lockleys and Fluto 12 to 1 each agst Koyalty and Amendment, 20 to 1 each agst Salisbury, Devilshoof, and Hotspur. When they assembled at the post Salisbury was a little fractious, and broke away several times ; and though Chester was as quiet as a lamb so far as keeping his place, he resented any close acquaintance by lashing out, and gave Pluto a rap with his heels. After Salisbury had spoilt what might have been a good start, Mr. Watson gave the word to a pretty even start, Pluto having a slight advantage as they passed the end of the stand and made for the turn, Chester and Waterford being the last two as they left the straight. Having fairly settled into their places, Devilshoof led them round the turn, and was followed by Hotspur, Pluto, Rapidity, Koyalty, and Amendment, the favorite having slightly improved his position by threading his way through three or four that were iu front of him as they left the straight ; Lockleys and Waterford whipping in. Devilshoof continued in front as they ran along the river side, the pace being good, but before reaching the bridge, Devilshoof swerved inside, and coming in contact with one of the numerous posts that infest the track, he injured his stifle and Griffin’s arm badly. By this time Ashworth had taken Amendment to the front, and had First King and Waterford on the outside, but on rounding the turn towards the abattoirs Mr. Tait’s colt ran out wide, and taking First King and Waterford with him ; the favorite, who had been gradually improving his position, went up to the leaders, Amendment having .shot in again and taken the lead, Rapidity lying second, and Chester third, but as they passed' the abattoirs the latter, pulling double, went to the front, and Royalty took second place, Amendment being third, with Waterford, First King, and Salisbury iu close company, Hotspur and Brownlight being in difficulties, and Devilshoof many.lengths in. the rear. Although not thoroughly extended, the favorite was, taking them along at a great pace, and entering the straight he held a clear lead of Royalty, Salisbury, and First King. Before reaching the distance, Royalty and Salisbury were beaten, and Pluto coming with a rush on the outside quickly disposed of First King also, but though he gamely answered every call, he could never get to the head of Chester, who won easily by half a length, First King three lengths off third, Lockleys a bad fourth, Salisbury fifth, Royalty sixth, Hotspur seventh, Amendment, eighth,'Waterford ninth, Devilshoof.tenth. Rapidity eleventh, and Btpwnlight last. Time, 2min. 43sec. • The result of the Derby had considerable influence upon the great handicap that was to follow, for it had the effect of. sending Chester to the tqp of the tree in the betting, but he did not hold the premiership for any length of time, as the positions of Breadalbaue, Artful Joe, and First King in their respective races caused the St. Albans division to regard the Cup as a good. thing for Savanaka, and as the bookmakers, who had been so hostile towards the brother to Kingsborough, took the alarm aud endeavored to get out of the difficulty at any price, the St. Albans representative displaced Chester. ■ There was a great attendance at Tattersall’s on the night preceding the race, and the Derby settling having been got through satisfactorily so far as the bookmakers were concerned, attention was turned to the great event of the morrow. Savanaka and Cheater were all the rago, and of the others nothing seemed to be so much in demand as Aldinga, whose friends, rallied round him, and supported him with great spirit. The weather was almost (is anxiously discussed as the probabilities of the race, and general regret was expressed in the morning when there was every probability of a wet day; but fortunately for

the club tho weather kept up until the afternoon, and thousands of people of all classes mado their way to the comm Tho railway as usual was largely patronised, and over 37,000 persons wero conveyed by tin's moans of transit alono. Wo hoard numerous complaints of tho manner in which the carriages wore rushed, and iu tho desire to got places numbers of people had their clothes torn and injured, one male passenger having his top-coat completely removed from ids body. Omnibuses and cabs lined tho road, and several four-in-hands patronised this route, one of the best appointed of the lot being that of Sir Hercules Robinson, which was piloted by his Excellency himself. A largo number of lorries, gracefully decorated with flowers and evergreens, aud full of people, formed an attractive feature. Long before noon thousands had readied tho course, aud profiting by tho experience of last year, tho ladies were amongst the earliest attendants, and took their scats iu the grand stand, which was quite full an hour before the time set down for the commencement of the proceedings. THE MELBOURNE OOP, A handicap sweepstakes of 20 sovs each, 10 ft., 5 if declared, with 600 added. The second horse to receive 60 sovs, and the third 20 sovs out of the stake. Two miles. Hon. J. White’s b o Chester, by Yattendon—Lady Chester, S yrs, (Ist 121 b (P. Pigott) 1 Mr, Power's bl or gr c Savanaka, by Kingston— Sappho, 3 yrs, Cst 21b (St, Albans) 2 Mr. G. W. Petty's eh h Tho Vagabond, by Fireworks—Skittlesiiarper, 5 yrs, (Ist 91b (Ivomy) .. 3 The following horses also ran :—Tho Diver, 9st 21b ; Pride of the Hills, 9st ; Wollomai, Sst 111 b ; Robinson Crusoe, Sst 101 b ; Imperial, Sat 51b ; Janitor, Sst 41b ; Newmiuster, Sst 31b ; Kingfisher, Sst lib ; The Painter, Sst ; Adelaide, Sst; Aldinga, 7st 101 b ; Haricot, 7st 71b ; Coquette, 7st 41b ; r l’om Kirk, 7st 41b ; Filibuster, 7st 21b ; The King, 7»t 21b; Artful Joe, 6st 121 b ; Fisherman, 6st 121 b; Lockleys, flat 111 b ; Peeress, 6st 91b ; Ralph Leigh, 6st 91b; Waterford, 6at 91b; Royalty, 6st 71b ; Lord Harry, 6st 61b ; Device, 6st 31b ; Waxy, 6st 21b ; Pluto, 6st; Glenormiston, ss(; 121 b ; Amendment, sst 121 b ; Woodlands, sst 71b. Betting—loo to 25 agst Savanaka, 100 to 20 agst Chester ; 100 to 12 each agst Woodlands and Aldinga, 100 to 8 each agst The Painter and Robinson Crusoe, 100 to 7 agst Haricot, 100 to 6 each agst Tom Kirk, Pluto, Glenormiston, and The Vagabond, 100 to 5 each agst The King, Filibuster, and Artful Joe, 100 to 4 agst Peeress. Without any delay, Mr. Watson dropped his flag to a moderate start, as two or three horses were in the act of turning round when the word was given, and Robinson Crusoe and Amendment coming into collision, the main body had got twenty lengths away before they were on their legs. Robinson Crusoe being a slow beginner dropped further to the rear, and Amendment set all sail and got close to the rearmost division as they left the training ground, by which time they had fairly settled into their places, and though nothing as yet had singled out from the leading division, the colors of Filibuster, Savanaka, Tom Kirk, Fisherman, Peerless, Device, Aldinga, and Waxy could be distinguished amongst the most prominent. Before reaching tho distance, Fisherman shot out with a clear lead, and he brought the field along at a tremendous pace, leading Tom Kirk, Savanaka, Adelaide, and Aldinga a length as they passed the stand, Waxy, Peerless, Glenormiston, and Chester holding good positions just behind them, Amendment, Device, and Waterford being the last, of the ruck, and Robinson Crusoe nearly twenty lengths in the rear. Fisherman continued to force the pace as they rounded the tarn by the saddling paddock, and here Waxy had taken second place, with tbe favorite lying third, Ralph Leigh on the inside being next, Tom Kirk at his side, Filibuster holding a good position also, while Aldinga, who was running unkindly, followed him, Chester, going as strong as a lion, being at his girths. All along the back.stretch Fisherman continued to make the pace as merry as he could, and Waxy continued to follow close in ids wake with Savanaka third, Filibuster being the latter’s immediate attendant, and then came a bunch of nearly a dozen, at the head of which were Tom Kirk, Filibuster, and Ralph Leigh ; this lot also including Chester, Glenormiston, The King, The Vagabond, The Painter, Woodlands, and Pluto, Adelaide having dropped to the rear, while Amendment and Robinson Crusoe were gradually making up their lost ground. At the bridge Fisherman was still at the head of affairs, and Tom Kirk was lying second, and Filibuster and Savanaka third and fourth. Soon after passing this point The King came into collision with a post and fell, but fortunately he was clear on the inside of everything. Approaching the abattoirs Tom Kirk and Waxy ran up to Fisherman, and before reaching the sheds Glenormiston and 'The Vagabond began to move towards the front, the latter pair being close behind Savanaka, who lost a few lengths through Waxy falling in front of him. As they approached the tarn Glenormiston rushed to the front, closely followed by The Vagabond, and Chester making an attempt to get up on the inside, nearly came to grief through slipping, hut quickly recovered himself, and as they entered tho straight Glenormiston had a clear lead, with Vagabond lying second, Tom Kirk and Woodlands being close together, with Savanaka on the right and Chester on the left. When fairly in the straight Pigott called upon his colt, for an effort, and, answering like a shot from a gun, he caught The Vagabond and Glenormiston with wonderful rapidity, and apparently having the race in hand, Pigott left off riding; but Savanaka, on the outside, came with a terrific rush, aud, amidst the wildest excitement, Pigott only commenced riding again in time to win cleverly by half a head, Savanaka’s head being in front in the first or second stride past the post. The Vagabond was third, three lengths off; then came Glenormiston, together with a horse ’ whose jockey’s colors we could not distinguish, but it was said to be Tom Kirk, which is doubtful. They were followed by Woodlands, Pluto, Amendment, Lockleys, Pride of the Hill, Wollomai, Royalty, Waxy riderless, Tho Painter, and Rnbinsoe Crusoe, the last lot to pass the post being The Diver, Lord Harry, Peerless, Waterford, and Adelaide. Time, 3m.