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RAGING FOREMOST SPORT IN AUSTRALIA Nearly 200000 Persons Present on Cup Bay and All Meetings Enjoy Hugo Patronage PatronageEvery Patronagei i Every returned traveler from Australia brings fresh evidence of the widespread popularity of rac ¬ ing in that country arid to the almost incredible at ¬ tendance the sport attracts Packed grandstands and overflowing fields are the rule even the epochal sufferings caused by the great war having failed to dull the enthusiasm of the Antipodean AntipodeanAccording According to one returned traveler a crowd of nearly 200000 persons clamored for admittance on Cup Iiy at the Flemington course at Melbourne This figure while probably eclipsed in the past on Derby iiay at Epsom Downs or at Lorgclmmps near Iaris where the Grand Prix is run lias cer ¬ tainly never been approached elsewhere elsewhereHack Hack in the days before adverse legislation coupled with the efforts of misguided theorists teniH rarily sounded the knell of racing in many sections of this country some immense crowds wit ¬ nessed the running of the Futurity at Sheepshead IKV the American Derby at Washington Park Chicago and the Hums Handicap at San Francisco The Kentucky Derby has likewise drawn immense throngs at Churchill Downs hut statisticians never placed the attendance at any of these places at over 100000 100000In In order however to fully realize the extent to which the great outdoor sport has captured the Australian public it is necessary not only to con ¬ sider attendance records but also to compare the population of Melbourne or Sydney with that of great cities like New York and Chicago When looked at from this angle the great percentage of racesoers becomes at once apparent in fact pat ¬ ronage of the turf may be said to be almost uni ¬ versal versalThe The enormous crowds which gather at Melbourne the ity the Cup Race s run may however be Partly ascribed to the fact that the entries come out six or seven months before the race is run Thrn a month later the weights are announced With their appearance wagering begins and nearly every man or woman in the province of Victoria names a choice choiceInterest Interest in the running of the Melbourne Cup is so widespread that for weeks prior to what may now be called the greatest race in all the world little else is talked about The daily papers contain pages of the most exhaustive discussions of this or that contenders groat performances ami strong points The ladies plan their Cup cos tunics months ahead and the man or woman who fails to acquire new regalia for Cup Day is l oo indeed indeedThere There is what is known as a sweep which is much on the order of a lottery in that one inclined to speculate after purchasing a fivedollar ticket draws a slip from a heap of such slips and that is his or her representative in the Cup Itnce ItnceA A part of the sweei or nool often amounting to over three million dollars in American money is set aside for those fortunate enough to draw a horse which starts for if your horse is scratched you lose your quid as one pound is called Should calledShould your horse win the slips lining all regis ¬ tered the enormous stun less five per cent com ¬ mission is divided among those holding slips on the vitmer A CUiuese cook Is reputed to luve won over one million dollars in this manner from an investment of five dollars dollarsOn On all the Australian tracks electric clocks are used to time the races This innovation has been in use in Australia for the past eight years and assures absolute accuracy in timing the speed of the racers racersNaturally Naturally as a result of the liberal public sup ¬ port accorded the turf the Australian government has realized vast sums in revenue at a time when every possible dollar is needed to beat the Lluu to liis knees
