A RECORD OF SPORT. Compiled expressly for the Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 686, 7 November 1876, Page 2

A RECORD OF SPORT. Compiled expressly for the Waikato Times.

Auckland 2nd Nor. THE MELBOURNE CUP. As ihi tine for this grout sporting 'eye-it (Thursday Nov 7) draw* near, publ o interest is >ooteiu t ei to .1 great pitcli. Although v.ry few people in Ausklnnd hive >>etg on (he race, fully two thousand five hundr> d ot them are 'concerned in the different "sweeps" which have baiyi gob up in connection with it, and this is suffieent to cause erery cablegram which comes orer giving informaiion au to the stat9 of the market to be eagerly looked for and read. During the last two o* three weeks some startling chinge* hate been rung with the f ivountet. For a long ime, in fact, right up to the declaration of tho last forfeits, Valentin and Irish Stew maintained their premier position in the quotations, 'ih.-u one fine morning we heard thut Feu d'Anifice had come with a rmh and was backed up to 7 to 1. Fioni what I learn in reliable quarteis this movemont emanated from the ngtit source and the money that has gone on the mare has been foinl by the sttbK 'Che )erformance3 of the daughter of Fireworks and Victoria do not warrant her I resent position, but pub ie fay r ,is not always % leliaule guide. The next faioirile to crops up was Timothy who came with a rattle from 25 to 1 to 14 to 1, and the next d.y was at as short a pr.ce as anythmg. Timothy's beat performance was in the Open U audio ip it the Rdndwick Eacmg Club's meeting last year, when with 7st 12lb» ho beat Valetta, c, 9it Guelder Hose, 7st, t and a moJerate field, the distance being a mile and a quarter. A3 this was his last appearance he may bo as good as Valetta cole, for h hat we know ; it so he will about wm with 7st up. The greatest rise has bien made by Sterling, 6yrs, Bsl 6 bs, who will hare to run up to his very best form to stand a show with such a weight. He ii a New South Wales' horse and ran very well as a four year old when he w^s second in Hawkesbury Handicap, carrying 6st 13ib tj GoKlsborou^h's 7at 7lb, and won the Great Me ropolitan with 7st 61b ; his conqueror on the former occasion being s cond with 8 3 t 71b. He was placed among the tiiso three in every race ha ran this >ear. Last season hi was lept m retiroment. He certainly r.iu twi> c, namely, 111 the liotham Haudicau and the Melbourne Cup, but ha did not s'iow prounueutly in either. If h e still ret jii s his four year old { .rm it is like putting iv Gold-borough at 9di 21b, at which Uie "grand ojlt" would be "a hot un." Valeulia and Iri-h the old favourites, have not suffered much from th« advai cc of tho above named trio, and I am of opinion that they will beat all of them. Valenlia i have a particular fancy lor. tie is a good consistent puolic pertjrnnr, and his owner, Sir Hercules .Robinson, is thd be^tman 111 Australia to follow, .Added to this the hone ha* only a nice iuci q we'ght, 7dt 71b to drry, and in my op - mon he ii bound to be there or thereabouts. Irish Slew, 4yrs, 6st 81bs, oertainly hat an immense pull in tho weiglrs, considering that ha made 1 clean aneep ot seven raoes rig tit off the reel in hi* Northern tour at the end of lait season, including the Q aeons land T C Handicap, the brisbtne Cup, and Governor* Oup at iheNA JC meeting. fiThe only e*cute 1 <an ace the liandicajjper haB ior giving him euch a trifle as 61* 81b in the Uoo of such a career, it that the horse did not meet a single lint class opponent is any of his fiotoiies. At thV^Y R 0 Spring, and the A J U Autumn, wnere he came against good tattle, he was invaiiably well beaten. lierao and the Wrangler («howas favourite, but nowhere in tin Metropolitan) may be cited ns the two best animals who<e colours " the 8lew " has lowered. I look up.>n hini aa holding safe •11 the throe year olds, and in fact all the light weights. If it is fated thai he ia to bo bowled over, it will be by a good weight for age performer, like Valeutia, whose opponent* have been of the first wa*er, and who haa always acquitted him* e f a race-horse. There is one lightly weighted mare I fancy will see a a shoit piece of the cour 0 to the post fit and well. I mf»sn the Hobart Town Bella, 4 yr« , 6->t 81b», who baa oome of very respectable antecedents to reoodomend her. Sne is the sekcUd of Mr W Field 8 pair, Strop, a very groi performer, having been scratched. I should not bo surprised to sue her run very prominently, if bhe does not wm outi^hb. Imperial) with B*t lOlbs, at first sight, looks out of it, but, it mutt be remembered that on one occasion last year he ran Goldsborough to a neck, giving him lib (he Spring SUkea at the AJ Y. Spring M«etiu<>) and, aUbaugh he pdrfoimsd badly after wardi, what a horse hat dona onoe, he may do again, and this foim wnu'd laud him at tho head of everything. Southern Cross, Bst Gibs, in a goid mare, but haa about sils too much weight, and, besides her sex is agonist her coming out in her brightest fettle. Emulation, 7nt 81us, and Impudence, are a table oompaniout, hailing from \ delaine. Both can quote good deeds in their own. country, and, as they are not overburdened with weight, whiohever ia aelected ought to run well. Vain Ho^e, another Adelaide candidate, is highly spoken of, and has been backed heavily m some quarters. Hi r form, however, la-. t year, was not up to Oup excellence. Newminater, I cuinot farcy with 7s> 4 hfl, great horse as he un oubtt dly wai as a two year-old, and if Messrs Cberns-ide are going to repeat the Haricot trick, they will have to do it with Sultan, 6yrs, B't Gibi, who is a much more "likely bird." This horse can bath stay and go fast, as he proved last year, by boating Wollomai (last year's Cup winner) at a stone in the Midsummer Handicap, lj miles, at the V.R.O. New Year* Day me ting, and then at the V.R.C. Autumn meeting, running away from that clipper Poodle in a short «pin of }-mile at the slight difference of 51bs. Thee is a rumour about at the present time that this horse has gone amiss, or, I should contider Mm a most formi'laWe candidate. Canterbury, 4yrs, 7st 4lbs, i fl aluost certa-ti to be the champion of Mr C. B. Fmher'p, who nominated no leu th»n seven, including the ill f itcd Kobin Hot fl, Burgundy, and S .vereign, vho were killed ou toa/d the City of Mtl. bourne, and tho Chryaohte Oolt. who

V a it jured in the «•»«>« dmnstw, nnd ■ ho It .tintohed. M F aher h»n Ot yx, 4 r , (J.t 10 ba, an own brother to thn lan panvd, to represent bim, »• woll as Canterbury, tut, T do not put"ulnrly • ft. ot either. For Kwniet, 4yr«, 6-t 6 r , 1 have no partiali y, goc\ antm^l "« he ■ ■nd to be. BniM.i», 3yrß, 6s>. 41b«, ought to htat Newmiuiter it a atone tn last years running, but, 1 hear *he has not grown much. I think I have now mentioned nearly every candidate of the 42 left in, wh • at vnds a ahow, Rapid Bay and 01 fton excepted, and I do not »ntici)>al« that either of th«e will trouble the Judue'a eye. Summing up in a few *orV I believe «Valentia r wi'l be the winner <i the Mulbonrne Cap of 1876, »ud if beaten, it will be by Irian Stew. 1 be tw o out aidert I shall select for placet, are Be>Ja and the Deer, a veteran 10 years old. who wm Hurdle Racing last year, aud haa the feather of 6«t 41b« t" carry. Vatks.