20 RACEHORSES IN AUSTRALIA 



and again, during which the whole prosperity of the country, or of the 

 world, has been depressed, the story of the Turf, not only of Victoria, but 

 of Australia, has been one of continuous growth and advance, and that upon 

 the most solid lines. 



The Melbourne Cup itself, one of the most famous races contested in 

 the world to-day, is a barometer of the financial welfare and general pros- 

 perity of the community at large. 



It was a very small affair for the first few years after it had been launched 

 upon the sea of time. The race was run under the auspices of the Victoria 

 Turf Club, the Derby and Oaks under the aegis of the Victoria Jockey Club. 



The stake for the great Cup was of the value of two hundred pounds, 

 and it was won, for the first couple of years after its inception, in 1861, 

 by Mr. E. De Mestre's Archer. This was a fine horse by William Tell 

 (imported), a bay son of Touchstone from Miss Bowe, by Catton from 

 Tranby's dam, by Orville. There seems to be some doubt about Archer's dam, 

 but Mr. Wanklyn states that she descended through Bonnie Lass (by Bachelor 

 (imp.) ), to Cutty Sark, whilst the first and second volumes of the Stud 

 Book give his dam as Maid of the Oaks, by VagaTsond from Mr. Charles 

 Smith's mare by Zohrab. In 1869 the stake was increased to £300. In 1876 

 the value had mounted to £500, a sum which had already been far surpassed 

 by the Tasmanians as a prize for their championship at Launceston. This 

 was already worth one thousand. The thousand limit in the Cup was reached 

 in '83 for the first time. Martini Henry being the winner for the Hon. Mr. 

 James White. After this prize money ascended in leaps. In '86 there was 

 £2,000 of added money; it jumped to £2,500 in the following year; £3,000 

 in '88; £5,000 in '89; and £10,000 in 1890. It was the summit, the "suprema 

 dies," the grand climax of all things. This year compressed all the bests on 

 record imaginable into its calendar. 



There was a record sum of money added to the race, a record field 

 (thirty-nine starters), a record weight was carried by the winner (ten stone 

 five), and the time for the race (3 minutes 28 J seconds) was another best 

 ever seen up to that time. That has since, however, been far surpassed, 

 Artilleryman, in 1919, having smashed up a great collection of good horses 

 in most decisive fashion by very many lengths in 3.24^. And the winner of 

 1890 was undoubtedly a record horse — the brave, consistent, staying, 

 immortal Carbine. 



In the three following Cups, Malvolio, Glenloth and Tarcoola each swept 

 in ten thousand sovereigns for their owners, but in Auraria's year, and when 

 Gaulus, Newhaven and The Grafter won, racing affairs had met -with "an air 

 pocket," and had consequently suffered a heavy "bump." The added money 

 fell to three thousand pounds. The depression, however, during the seasons 

 following the collapse of the land boom, did not last long, and ere the war 

 drums boomed across a horrified world in 1914, the prize had once more 

 risen to upwards of seven thousand pounds. Even whilst the struggle for life 

 and death was progressing, the V.R.C. and the A.J.C. both strove nobly to 

 maintain racing on the highest possible plane in every way, and the value of 

 the great Cup never fell much short of five thousand pounds. And this, too. 

 in face of the fact that the Committee of the V.R.C. presented to the numerous 

 Patriotic War Funds the magni.^cent sum of over one hundred and two 

 thousand pounds. 



Since the early days of the V.R.C. other clubs have arisen in great 

 numbers. For many years, all through the country districts, no township was 

 too small to hold a race meeting. Even country public houses far outback 

 could manage to give away sums of money, and gather a crowd of people for 



