Daylight on Cup morning broke to the accompaniment of heary downpours, but the weather soon cleared up. By food and rail all the world and his wife wended their way to Flemington.
The Secretary of the V.R.C. estimated the attendance on all parts of the course 100,000, but as there exists no means of checking flat patrons, this estimate rests largely on conjecture. Both lawn and hill were, however, filled to overflowing. The scene in the former was scarcely as brilliant as on the preceding Saturday.
The Governor-General, accompanied by Lady Hopetoun, Admiral Beaumont; and staff, arrived on the course, shortly before 1 p.m., and were escorted as usual, by a detachment of Mounted Rifles. Punctual-Ir at 3.30 p.m. Mr. Watson dispatched the nineteen starters, who had elected to do battle for the Cup, the great event of the Australian racing calendar. Mr. C. Macdonald's Revenue was made a hot favourite and went out at the short odds of 2 to 1. When the barrier was raised an outsider Rockleigh went to the front and maintained the lead for about two-thirds of afmile, Khaki then assuming the command. Coming into the turn, the fa-your ite moved up into the second. place, with the Sydney horse, San Fran, fol A close race up the a length, from San Fran, with Kheki 3rd. On all sides the victory appeared to be a most popular one, and the winner was repeatedly cheered as he returned to the scales.
The hurdle and steeple events were not 1 favourable to the public, three falling in the former and two in the latter race. As one punter remarked, "I had six horses going in the two events, five of them fell, and the sixth baulked at the home turn," and lost the race by several lengths. The Cup race of 3 miles was cut out in 3 minutes 30} seconds, the record of 3 minutes 28} seconds having been made by the famous warrior Carbine in 1890. A high wind operated largely against record-breaking performances, and under the circumstances Revenue's win stamps him as a "goer" of number one calibre.
The Oaks was the greatest success of the meeting, so far as the racing was concerned. The Oaks Stakes fell to the lot of Beanba, who, like Revenue, was made a hot public favourite and started at even money. Beanba won by four lengths from Cre-tenne with Australia third.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.