By Phil Percival
It was the interstate visitor’s day at Doomben last Saturday with the southern raiders winning six of the nine races on the card.
Huetor did the back-to-back double for Team Snowden in the Doomben Cup, while favourite and ageing star Zaaki finished out of the money and five lengths behind the winner.
Third place getter the Waller trained Kovalici put in a great audition for next week’s Queensland Derby. To my mind the standout performance of the day was the Portelli filly Fireburn winning The Roses. It was only last year when she won the Golden Slipper and I reckon she will be very hard to beat in the Oaks in 10 days’ time.
Looks like maybe Zaaki is ready for a change of career. As a rising nine unfortunately, he seems to be a “out of the race” at the moment. Let’s see what Annabel Neasham does with him. Whatever it is we know it will be in the best interests of the horse and connections.
Post race, the Snowdens said that Huetor was only now hitting his straps despite the fact he won the Doomben Cup last year. They said it had taken them a while to work out how to best train a French Import. That and the fact he had a very serious eye infection for four months of 2022 which almost ended his racing career. Peter Snowden said that they were very upbeat about the horse’s chances going forward, that we would start in the Q22 in a fortnight and would be a real player in the Spring racing.
Sad to see the revered Group One Goodwood Handicap fall away so badly. Last Saturday’s race arguably was the lowest class Adelaide feature sprint in a long time.
This year’s field was Group Three level at best. It just seems the crow eaters can’t compete with the eastern state prizemoney.
The Goodwood was a $500k race compared to a $3m Stradbroke and $1.5m Doomben 10000. An easy decision for trainers and connections as to where they send their horses this time of the year.
As I’ve always said you can’t beat a good grey horse. Burling is certainly one of those, and one to watch. While only having won bush races at Tamworth and Scone, he is unique in that the two-year-old is by four-time champion American sire Into Mischief out of well performed American mare Spirit of Ecstasy.
Foaled in America to Australian time then exported along with the mare to Down Under. The two-year-old is owned and trained by noted Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan. He is nominated for
next week’s Sires Produce.
Well, the Old Coat Tugger is now on “Shank’s” pony and pretty fit and think the 100m sprint could still be performed in good time! Certainly at better odds than those during the week for Lightscameraaction at $983-1 at Ipswich. Two Goondiwindi connections (one being an extended family member) were having a quiet coffee when the eye-catching price popped up on the phone.
Egos damaged for a short while. It ended up starting at 25-1 running eighth not too far off the pace. Rest assured the TAB didn’t have to declare bankruptcy from a lazy $20 each way wager.
Munsie mystery
A decade long feature on Sky Channel, Glen Munsie the odds man spruiking big bets and market movers for every Saturday race has had his services terminated, forthwith. He was there one day gone the next, without explanation.
There is speculation that his ongoing on-air criticism of his employers Fixed Odds operation may be the reason. What is certain is that we have heard over to you Munse on Sky Central broadcasts for the last time.
Great to see Eureka Studs first season sire Encryption really firing. After producing a two-year-old Group 2 winner in Cifrado last week, he sired Fleetwood a Godolphin James Cummings two-year-old winner at Warwick Farm. Of course, Godolphin bred and raced Encryption a royally breed horse sired by Lohnro out of four-time Group One winner Guelph. Nice to see the global breeding and racing powerhouse supporting a fledgling Queensland stallion. Encryption will make a perfect offsider to Eurekas champion stallion Spirit of Boom. Good times ahead for Cambooya.
If there was ever an omen bet No Love Lost was it, winning at Port Macquarie a week ago. It was trained and ridden by newly married pair Ben Hull and Teagan Harrison. Double Congratulations to them.
Talk about racing families, the Thornton clan take the prize. Originally from Victoria the family has progressively moved to Queensland. Dad Glen is a trainer on the Gold Coast, while his two sons Boris and Damian are leading jockeys. It doesn’t end there, daughter Stephanie is an apprentice jockey too. To top it off Stephanie’s partner is jockey Ben Thompson . There would be some interesting discussions around that dinner table.
Paddy had to make a visit to the Dr for his annual check up, “You have some problems with your heart Paddy, but if you take these tablets, I think it will be okay. “oh “ Paddy asks, “Do I have to take them every day?” No,” replies the doctor, “take one on a Monday, skip the Tuesday, take one on Wednesday, skip the Thursday and go on like that. “Two weeks later, the doctor walks down the street and sees the Paddy’s wife.” Hello Mrs Murphy,” he says, “how’s your husband?” “Oh, he died of a heart attack,” says Mrs Murphy. “I’m very sorry to hear that,” says the doctor, “I thought if he took those tablets, he would be all right.”, “Oh, the tablets were fine,” says Mrs Murphy, ”t’was the skipping that killed him”.
