Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 4 November 1903, page 7


V.R.C. SPRING MEETING.

- SECOND

(CUP) DAY,

. BRIGHT WEATHER AND AN ENORMOUS

ATTENDANCE.

LORD CARDIGAN WINS THE CUP.

GREAT PERFORMANCE BY

WAKEFUL.

the steeplechase won by his

remarkable success on new

southwales horses. (BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTERS.)

MELBOURNE, Tuesday.

The Cup was run to day amid a scene re

presentative of the strength and wealth the fashion and prosperity of the Commonwealth for a few hours the attention of the vast majority of Australia s widely scattered population was concentrated on Flemington to lay The display was worthy of iii Ina i mens patronage Balmy weather as enor " mous crowd and magnificent racing made it reminiscent of Flemington s greatest days The rain which fell on Sunday night had dispersed

the heat of Saturday and restored to the course any freshness it had lost by the passing of the crowd on Derby Day The morning broke dull but fresh As the hours advanced a cool southerly breeze sprang up and during the afternoon chased the light clouds across a bright blue sky The day was tone of quickly alternating sunshine and BEde which showed with fine effect on the 850 richly carpeted acres which comprise the course and the brilliant assemblage of seventy thousand spectators Horse racing is open to many charges but in Australia,

It is at least free from any imputation of half heartedness Its patrons-and whom do they not include know no tired fooling The intensity with which the sport that can

minutes annually in Cup Day is followed is startling Doubtless Melbourne feels its influence most strongly but no little township in any of the six States is free from it A pessimist might see in such a spirit nothing that is commendable and might ask what result might be expected from equally wide and united interest in any question of national material advancement That however demands no consideration to day Australia's manhood are too busy picking or attempting to pick winners at reasonable prices to think of graver matters Sport has the arena complaint is only called for if the game is not well played be all who can go out to Flemington 'Those who cannot attend in person are represented by their bit of cash Next to going they like to back their fancy or to cast for fortune in a golden promising sweep full of interest in a hundred ways 13 this Cup meeting Tor j cars past Victoria has been accustomed to "go on holiday from end to end Schools post offices banks and business places closed by common assent Those who objected to the price line on moral grounds grow weary of protest and made the best of the matter by having a day of rest or indulging in a picnic this year however there has been a change The Commonwealth Government

decided that all post offices beyond Melbourne limits should not be closed The banks In the country towns followed suit and doubtless the general paralysis of business of former years would be less marked

But this had no effect on the city By 2 o'clock Melbourne was practically deserted For hours before the population had been streaming towards Flemington towards the sea the races the parks and gardens and anywhere else that provides rest of recreation The races of course are supreme in public attention but Flemington great as any Its grassed enclosures would not hold the mass of people who wish to make holiday on Cup day From 11 o'clock there is a scramble to reach the racecourse The majority make the trip from the city by trains which under excellent management convey tens of thousands to the scene of the racing The trams are also crowded but the feature of the transport is the variety of vehicles engaged Everything that boasts wheels is pressed into service in. motor cars steer a hazardous course through a bewildering procession of stylish drags and dogcarts carriages and phaetons buses and cabs lorries and vans The course reached the crowd -drafts itself into three divisions of the hill and that It is more a question of inclination than means There are thousands on the flat one could never imagine at case on the stand while the tall batted host who cluster about the elms would cut a ludicrous figure among the jostling but good natured happy features On the Hill to day there was scarcely stand Ing room Patrons of this quarter are a busy earnest section They look for winners as a necessity In unhappy seasons many of them may be found on the flat and given a couple of winners on Cup day the frequenters of the latter section promote themselves to the advantages of the hill for the Oaks It is to the stand that all eyes are attracted Perhaps the dominating feature even to the discriminating male observer was the brave show of ladies' dresses The soft and varied colouring of hundreds of flowing graceful gowns had an admirable setting in shades of green on the extended lawns the brilliant flower pots the tiled terrace and the fresh foliage of many ornamental trees The cal

stage paddock was crowded and corks popped merrily at gay luncheon parties There were no speeches to din and the king of toasts was

Al Cup fancy Passing before the stand one approached the elms were great voices roared the odds that were echoed by the babble from other parts of the course On the hill and flat cure

gentlemen who were in the know said dead bird Ups to the credulous for a bob The., did good business too It might strike some past is that it would pay the vendor better to keep his tip and back it than to sell it but to pay Is easier than to reason There were 169 policemen among the multitude but the pet and thimble and three card ex ponents flourished as of old 'Vv dehors were not missing and one of the most honest races of the afternoon was witnessed across the flat ME were triers but the weather had pace and escaped

As on Derby Day Viceregal parties were numerous. The Governor General and Lady Tennyson and party reached the course early

and about the lawns in the afternoon were Sir Harry Rawson Lady and Miss Rawson Sir George and Lady Clarke Sir George Le Hunte Sir 1 rode Ick and Lady Bedford and Vice Admiral Fanshawe and Mrs Fanshawe Others noticed were Sir Edmund Barton Mr G H Reid Sir J Forrest Sir W Lyne Senator Playford Mr Irvine Mr Crick the Lord Major of Sydney and many members of the Federal and the State Parliaments

The Cup was run at half-past three The first three races on the card went to outsiders and backers wondered when the run of ill luck initiated on Derby Day was to be broken for the great race of the afternoon wagering was very open Every

thing seemed to carry a lot of money The excitement as the horses went to the post was very intense and the brilliant victory of the heavily backed Lord Cardigan after a splendid race in which the great Wakeful was only beaten in the last CO yards evoked a popular demonstration The Steeplechase which followed fell to the favourite and the public was happier than at any time since the meeting opened but with the settlement of the Cup feverish interest goes out of the carnival and Indeed out of racing for the year When little Godby who by the way is an Armidale boy on Lord Cardigan flashed past the post at the head of the field he put an end to thousands of restless dreams The remaining events belong to the sporting public The Melbourne Cup is the property of the

people as a whole

Anyone who spends Cup week in Melbourne must cease to question why the southern city fosters the sport Money easily made is freely spent and the amount that flows into the business channel via Flemington is enormous There may be grave objections to the argument that the impetus which horse racing gives to breeding overshadows any evils re

sultan) from gambling to the community as J whole The sport may be injurious but to Melbourne the material gain must be very great Money is attracted not only from all skin clean out from all parts of Australia whether won or lost a heavy percentage Timor leges The metropolis The meeting

. ! be continued on Thursday when The Oaks will be the chief event