CRACKS OF THE AUSTRALASIAN TURF.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9034, 22 January 1908, Page 7

CRACKS OF THE AUSTRALASIAN TURF.

In an article headed "The Cracks of Their Day," "Martindale," of the Sydney Town and Country Journal, says: —"There is not tho least doubt but if a vote was taken as to which was the best horse that ever raced in Australia that Carbine would secure first place. He was a very hard one to beat, and the point in which I think he stood out over all others was his good tempei'. Still, it is questionable, though I know scores won't agree with me, whether he was really the champion of his day. Carbine had very strong opponents in Abercorn, Marvel, Ensign and Melcs. Cer- _ tainly he beat them more often than Ithey scored over him. Still, both fit "and well, it is doubtful if Abercorn was not his master. Now, strange to say, Carbine failed to win the Derby. The excuse is that he lost through an accidental stroke of the whip. This tells that his opponent" Ensign must have been a particularly good one to bring him to the whip. In my opinion we never knew how good Ensign was. At Randwick in the spring he beat the Metropolitan winner Lamond at weight-for-age in the Wycombe Stakes. Next we find him beating Carbine in the V.R.C. Derhy, and had his leg not given way in the Melbourne Cup I feel very sure that he would have been returned the winner. The V.R.C. Derby was Carbine's first defeat, as he commenced his rac- J ing career in New Zealand at Christchurch in Tattersall's Hopeful Stakes, 4gve furlongs, which he won, following it up by winning the Middle Park Stakes, Dunedin Champagne Stakes, Canterbury J.C. Champagne Stakes and Challenge Stakes. Carbine thus landed m Australia with an unbeaten certificate, and Ensign was the first to lower his colours at the V.R.C. Spring Meeting, at which the New Zealander won the Flying and Foal Stakes. In the last-named event the second and third to him were in the one stable—Wycombe and Melos. Weighted at Bst 121b in the autumn, Carbine ran third in the Newmarket Handicap to Sedition, 7st 31b, and Lochiel, 9st 41b, and in the Australian Cup, Lochiel, Bst 71b, beat him with Bst 61b. In his next three starts Carbine was successful, winning the Champion Stakes, All-Aged Stakes and Loch Plate, but Abercorn beat when he came to Randwick in "• the Autumn Stakes. However, Carbine had a vnry successful time of it at our autumn meeting, as he won in succession the Sydney Cup with 9st, Melos, Bst 21b, and Abercorn, 9st 41b, finishing second and third; also, All-aged Stakes, Cumberland Stakes, and A.J.C. Plate, in which he defeated Abercorn and Melos. The following spring was not profitable to followers of the Musket horse, as he was beaten by Dreadnought in the Caulfielcl Stakes, by Abercorn in the Melbourne Stakes, ran second to Bravo in the Melbourne Cup with 10st, then won the flying Stakes, beating Dreadnought and Wilga, but Abercorn defeated him again in the Canterbury Plate. He commenced the next autumn by winning the Essondon Stakes, but in the Champion race both Melos and Dreadnought defeated him. From that out, however, Cai bine was in great form, as he won fifteen events in succession, including the Melbourne Cup with 1 Ost 51b, and his first defeat was in the All-aged Stakes at Randwick by Marvel, and he finished up his racing career by winning the A.J.C. Plate; he thus won 33 races, was second in six, and third three times, and finished last on one occasion. It is a wonderful list of performances —done over all distances. Still, he met with occasional defeats, like other good ones."