Thank god the winter races are over and the top liners will be back on show next week in Sydney and Melbourne.
Many of the Spring Carnival chances either barrier trialled or had a jump out during the week. There were also some exhibition gallops on Saturday, including the very good mare Fan Girl. Watch out for her in the big spring features – this might be her time to shine.
Nothing stood out from last Saturday’s winners, except to say the Group One winning trainers, Cummings, Maher, Eustace and Neasham all featured and are champing at the bit to get back into the big money racing.
The top jockeys are also returning from overseas holidays and riding stints in Asia.
The first Group One for the spring, the Winx Stakes, is on next Saturday, then it’s two and a half months of great racing and decent odds about good horses.
The old master Chris Waller is still excited about his two outstanding two-year-olds from last season, Golden Slipper winner Shinzo and the Sires and Champagne Stakes winner Militarize. Hoping they will tear up the track again this season. The old tugger has already raided the biscuit tin in readiness.
The bookie boys, not taking too many chances, are only offering $4.50 in the Golden Rose.
Sorry to see the local annual Talwood races called off last Saturday. They had good fields, a band and a late bar all organised, so it will have come as a blow to many locals. Next year.
To this old Coat Tugger’s mind the VRC have been off with the pixies in recent times, proposing to move the dates of both the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup, and now the latest nonsense of mic-ing up jockeys on race day. Be blowed; I want my horse’s pilot focussing 100 per cent on the race, not
giving a furlong-by-furlong commentary. Former top jockey now permanently disabled man Danny Brereton said the idea was “dangerous, reckless and stupid”. I’m with Danny , this is horse racing not Hollywood.
With spring in the air ’tis the season of love, and the great race filly Coolangatta has been purchased by Coolmore for $5m and will be served by Home Affairs next month. It seems that it was only yesterday she won the Magic Millions and ran third in the Golden Slipper. Her start in the Kings Stand at Royal Ascot back in June was her last race start.
Hard to beat the breeders. The owners of Giga Kick’s five-year-old full sister Miss Gaga sent her from Sydney to good old Yeppoon to break her maiden, then immediately retired the mare. As far as her future offspring are concerned mum now will always appear as a winner in the sale catalogue. The horse’s owners Trilogy Investments have announced her first suitor in the breeding barn is none other than Anamoe.
Great to see top Victorian jockey Ethan Brown back doing what he does best, winning races during the week. To say his fall back in March was horrendous would be an understatement. It’s been well documented that he suffered major internal injuries and was in serious strife for a while, let alone
enduring a long stay in hospital. But you can’t keep a good man down and he is set to have a very big spring.
Plover two – jockey nil, that was the score from Bendigo when top hoop Jye McNeil, not once but twice hit the deck, trying to avoid the incensed bird, when walking the track. The video of the incident is hilarious. Poor fella really was on the end of a shellacking. I can vouch from my youth that
magpies have nothing on plovers as dive bombers -vicious buggers.
A bit of excitement in the camp this week with the owners (which includes the son-in law) of promising steed Esskay knocking off a very hot trial field at Flemington, and in a (rumoured) slick time, surprising many. The Danny O’Brien trained three-year-old is currently one from one, winning his only mid-week start at Sandown back in March. Big plans are being hatched, but luck is not the part owner’s fellow traveller. His last day as an owner at the races, back in May, saw both his horses running long lasts at Caloundra and 17 years before that winning a race in town.
Murphy’s cousin had been found guilty of murder and was sentenced to the electric chair. “Do you have any last requests,” asked the warden?
“Yes” he replied. “Will you hold my hand.”
