A big day out for the Godolphin/ Cummings stable with Marquess and Tom Kitten winning at Rosehill last Saturday.
They appear to have a conveyor belt of a good three years in the stable and are set for a huge spring.
Annabel Neasham has a good horse in Libertad. Three out of three for the colt after winning at Rosehill.
Otherwise it was fairly even racing at Doomben, Rosehill and Moonee Valley, albeit the notorious Valley track bias was there for all to see. Once the rail goes out 4-5metres all bets are off, quite literally.
I certainly hope fellow punters have a little left in the biscuit tin after collecting from little bonnie mare Fan Girl’s win last week because Gundy legend Lucky Pippos has a little neddy named, Xidaki, ready to start. Apparently this colt has been burning up the training tracks in recent trackwork.
Lucky’s mates have been given the heads up that the colt will be racing in the Gunsynd colors. The colt is out of a mare named after his mother, Anathea and by ZouStar. So keep an eye out and hang onto your hat if Xidaki hits the front in the straight.
To the owners of The Driller who struck oil in winning this year’s Cairns Cup last Saturday. The horse paid a whopping $70 in knocking off the even money favourite. Miracles do happen. Meanwhile, the mighty Betoota Cup was won by the Nyngan raider called All Words. It’s a fair hike from Nyngan
NSW to Betoota. Good on trainer Rodney Robb, he had two wins on the day to reward his efforts.
Here’s a turn up for the books, Warm Heart, a filly out former top Australian race-mare Sea Siren won the English Oaks during the week. Owned by Coolmore partners and sired by all-time champion Irish stallion Galileo, Warm Heart is one of Sea Siren’s three offspring bred in Ireland. Sea Siren was a winner of the Doomben 10000 and a one-time favourite in our very own Stradbroke Handicap. She has been returned to Australia, produced a colt by Camelot and been covered by Home Affairs.
The cost of having a horse trained has become astronomical. In Brisbane it’s $3600- $4000 a month.
In Sydney and Melbourne it’s closer to $6k every 28 days. No wonder it’s 2.5 and 5 per cent shares these days. A lot of money. You can see why the syndicators reign supreme. I guess its not called the Sport of Kings for no reason.
Is this the Phar Lap saga from the 1930’s, all over again, with the VRC and their veto in regard to Everest obtaining black type status. Peter Vlandys, head of NSW racing, looks like taking this further. Watch this space.
Geez I’m getting old; horse names have certainly changed. The last race run at Moonee Valley was won by an Aussie-bred: Najeem Suhail. Long way from the days of Ryes Hope , Bobs Brother and Dads Best Mate.
Jockey’s riding style is not something you hear of much in the media. But believe me it’s critical. I still have doubts about the toe only in stirrup style of modern jockeys. I reckon it leads to more falls.
Granted it pushes the jockey further up on a horse wither which is a good thing, but to my mind its unsafe – very little control. I’m also a stickler for avoiding dead weight on a horse – that’s lead in the saddle to make the race weight. I’d prefer a senior heavy hoop than a kid with loads of lead to make the weight. They don’t say dead weight lightly, that’s what it is – no extra oomph in the saddle.
Great to see a successful eight race card run at Warwick last Thursday. Again, the club did well securing many big name Brisbane trainers and jockeys who made their way up the Cunningham’s Gap. Warwick is now an entrenched venue on the TAB meeting circuit.
Great to our former superstar race mares busy in the breeding barn. Black Caviar foaled an I’m Invincible colt during the week, while Winx is getting ready to be covered by Snitzel come September. Won’t those offspring be worth a king’s ransom?
Well, a smile often comes over my face and The old tugger is showing his age as around this time. Back in the 50s and 60s and at the beginning of the Victorian jumps season, a Brisbane radio station played an interview with Bert Bryant and Les Boots. 4BC was the only station playing reruns of the
races back then. Famous and well-regarded caller Bert Bryant could not stop laughing every time Les Boots mentioned another of his race “falls”. I will touch base about Les Boots in the coming weeks again.
“An English lawyer was sat with his Irish client. ‘Marty’ he sighed, ‘Why is it that whenever you ask an Irishman a question, he replies with another question?’ ‘Bollocks. Who told you that?’ asked Marty.”
