Horse Racing in OZ

[Charles49]

Big news here still centers around Novak Djokovic's entry paperwork into Australia. Its clear he (or his representative) incorrectly answered a question about if he had visited any other country beside Serbia within 14 days of arrival in Oz. The problem here in Australia is that we have too many Governments and this case is a good example of how they cause issues. Entry into the country is controlled by the Federal Government, however each State and Territory have their own rules regarding Covid and that creates cases like this where he complies with State requirements but not with Federal matters. All very messy and embarrassing on an international level. UPDATES: The Australian Government has cancelled Novak's visa. An appeal by Novak's lawyers is expected asap Then a further development is that Novak is apparently a Serbian Diplomat and that means entitlement to diplomatic immunity!! Tune in as this story has legs and you can expect more twists and turns before its settled. Novak will be detained by Border Force personnel this morning and an emergency court hearing will then take place to decide if he stays or goes.!!
Next cricket Test match will be played at Hobart in Tasmania this week for the first time I can ever remember. Plus it will be a day/night event plus they will be using a pink ball proving the fact that the world has gone crazy.!! UPDATES: Game is underway Australia lost the toss and 4 quick wickets. A century by Head has saved Australia at this stage after ducks by Warner and Smith.(Currently 6 for 241 at stumps on first day) Game is evenly poised but just like the Novak story there will be more twists and turns to come!!
Racing news in Oz is dominated by the Magic Million races and the Magic Millions sales. A colt by Not A Single Doubt out of Miss Admiration opened up the sales and sold for AUD$1.7m. Crazy stuff but that's how popular racing here is now with prizemoney lifting significantly each year. Wife has purchased another horse and my son picked up a share in a nice filly also. Better get out the wallet and buy something for myself otherwise I'm likely to end up out in the cold.!!
Saturdays racing will be highlighted by the Gold Coast races where they will be racing for plenty of prizemoney. To give you some idea on what's on offer prizemoney wise there are 9 races at the Gold Coast on Saturday. Two have prizemoney totalling $250K. Five have prizemoney of $1m and two have $2m each up for grabs. That's 9.5 million Australian Dollars on offer!!. They don't call it the Magic Millions for nothing!!
Racing for the events below will commence with Rosehill at 12.20 AEDT and the final race will be at Ascot at 21.25 AEDT.
Winners have been scarce of late so hopefully we can find a few more like Casino Kid last week which won at $9.
Good luck with your investments and stay safe.

GOLD COAST:
R1 no 1 Ambitious Spirit 3rd @ 14/1
R2 no 2 Wheelhouse 2nd
R3 no 1 Parry Sound
R4 no 7 Snapdancer... Won $4.20. no3 Kiku 3rd is given a good each way chance here.
R5 no 14 Isotope Won $3.60
R6 no 2 Apache Chase 3rd
R7 no 9 Coolangatta Won $2.15
R8 no 2 Jamaea
R9 no 4 Miami Fleiss

FLEMINGTON:
R1 no 7 English Riviera 2nd
R2 no 1 Decent Raine Won $4.30
R3 no 1 Dark Dream.. Won $8..no 9 Somerset Maugham 2nd is the late mail
R4 no 1Can't Go Wong
R5 no 4 Not To Be Mist
R6 no 13 Divine Diosa 2nd
R8 no 5 Convict Sam

ROSEHILL:
R1 no 5 Kir Royale 3rd
R2 no 1 Flashing Steel is the late mail 3rd
R3 no 5 Lord Desanimaux 2nd
R5 no 5 Niffler 3rd
R6 no 3 Blesk.. 3rd.....no 1 For Valour is the late mail
R7 no 1 Bellucia Babe 2nd
R10 no 10 Star Cherie

ASCOT:
R1 no 9 Lucky Sue 3rd
R2 no 2 Beads 2nd
R3 no 1 Express Time Won $4.60
R4 no 1 Vain Tempest 3rd
R5 no 3 Resortman
R6 no 6 Fashion Queen Won $2.50
R7 no2 Cheval De Vaga Won $3
R8 no 7 Chilli is Hot 2nd
R9 no 8 Clairvoyance


LAY BETS:
GC Race 4 no 8 Brookspire Started Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won


LATE LATE MAIL:
GC R6 no 13 Animate e/w @ $26

Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

Australia won the pink ball Test match played in a virgin Test arena under lights in just 3 days proving little more than the world has really gone mad. Obviously the guardians of Planet Earth felt annoyed this week when an uninhabited island just off Tonga decided to have a volcanic eruption spilling enough rubbish into the atmosphere that will stay around for a good two years and causing more pollution then 200 coal power stations could possibly achieve in 2 years. And just to prove that the world has gone crazy I just watched an interview where Biden suggested that it was okay for Russia to take back Ukraine!! Yes folks its now officially the silly season!!.
The Magic Millions racing at the Gold Coast last week went off without a hitch. Nearly ten million Australian dollars ended up in the hands of many happy owners, and the favourite won the big race, so even us poor punters managed to leave with a smile!!
Interesting Covid news out of Western Australia where they are now cracking down on any jockey that has not had his/her vaccination. That brings them into line with every other State in Australia, except New South Wales, which strangely allows unvaccinated jockeys to ride. Turns out that WA's best jockey in William Pike is unvaccinated, and he has now announced that he is leaving WA where he has dominated for years, and will move with his family to NSW. Wont be an easy time for him there because the jockey ranks are the best in Australia, and not every Trainer is likely to support an unvaccinated jockey.
Managed to see the wife's horse which has been in horse heaven at the Gold Coast where the grass is green and knee deep. She has put on 40 kgs (the horse not the wife!!) so she's gone back into training and will race again shortly. Trainer has made a bold prediction that her horse will win at least 10 races before her racing career is over; she has managed 3 to date, so that was not only a bold call, but an interesting one.
I do have an interest in a filly that has won just one race so far and all going well she will go around on Saturday at Townsville. Trackwork has been good but she is a lazy girl who does just enough to avoid the glue factory, so I'm not expecting her to run a place first up since a spell. Belfast Lass is her name and she is in Race 2. Barrier draw is now out and she has drawn the carpark so her chances of even placing this time around are now remote. Ran 2nd @ $41
Racing sanity returns this Saturday with racing at all the usual venues. Covid is rampant here but few are worried as we believe the best course of action is to just let the Omicron version run its course and get on with a business as usual approach. But that's not the case in Western Australia where its just been announced that hard borders will be maintained, plus you need a RAT result 24 hours prior to travelling there, plus you then need to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days and return negative results before you can leave and venture out.
Here are the venues for Saturday, which will be followed by the early selections, then the late mail and removal of any scratchings, and then once the Late Late mail arrives the "In Play" sign will go up and the action will commence shortly thereafter. Time permitting updates will occur as the meetings progress.
May you stay safe and also may the punting Gods be kind to you.



........................................ .........................IN PLAY........ Result updates as races are concluded......................................... . ..................................


MOONEE VALLEY:
R1 no 1 Unflinching Won $2.50
R2 n8 Sumatra. 2nd...no 3 Eros 3rd is the late mail
R3 no 1 Good Idea
R4 no 4 Lost Impact 2nd
R5 no 2 Yulong Command .... Won $2.80
R8 no 11 In The Boat Won $2.50

RANDWICK:
R1 no 3 Subterranean.....no 4 Silent Impact Won $2.50 is the late mail
R4 no 7 And We Danced 2nd
R6 no 4 Toomuchtobear Won $2
R7 no 7 Salina Dreaming 4th
R10 no 7 Badoosh

DOOMBEN:
R1 no 8 Licenced And Ready
R3 no 5 Sea Raider Won $4
R4 no 2 See Marie
R5 no 11 Kipsbay
R8 no 13 Kingston's Here Won $4
R9 no 7 The Ritz

ASCOT: Races Abandoned due to excessive heat

LAY BETS:
SR2 no 14 Wild Calm....Started $3.70 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
SR9 no 10 Canasta Started Fav. Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
BR6 no 2 Frosty Mango @ $3 or better. 2nd
MV R8 no 7 Midships E/w @ 33/1
MV R10 no 3 I Am Vinnie E/w @ 25/1

Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

They say owners and trainers and jockeys are the worst judges when it comes to predicting race outcomes and that was certainly true with my prediction about Belfast Lass which opened up at 81/1 and ran a gallant second, and would have collected the chocolates in another couple of strides. For a horse with no prior form first up, and it ran 5th of six in a lead up trail, and it drew the carpark, causing it to run six wide throughout the race the result was quite remarkable. But that's horse racing and its nice to get a plus for a change.
Yesterday we had Australia Day celebrations which were low key this year due to Covid. The neighbours had a nice little function and unfortunately I drank too much and I'm suffering for it. Enough of the rant...lets try and find some winners for Saturday.
Racing on Saturday will commence at Rosehill at 12.25 AEST and will finish with the last race at Ascot at 22.00 AEST.
As per the norm the early selections will go up am tomorrow followed by the removal of scratchings, the addition of the Late Mail and then finally the Late Late Mail picks will be posted on Saturday morning, and then we wait for the results.
Hope its a good day for you and you manage to find enough winners to finish in the black!


MOONEE VALLEY:
R1 no 1 Throntari....no 6 Rioyuki Won $4.80 is the late mail
R2 no 3 Sweet Carolina
R3 no 2 Stay Gold
R4 no 5 Dundirtcheap
R5 no 1 Finance Tycoon..3rd...No 4 Pinstriped Won $3.30 is the late mail
R6 no 2 Gentleman Roy Won $2.15
R7 no 10 Maribi Won $2
R8 no 11 Holt.....no 12 Midwest Won $2.25 is the late mail


ROSEHILL:
R1 no 11 Shen Gui 4th
R2 no 4 Great Barrier Reef 4th
R3 no 2 Ojai...no 1 Ebhaar is the late mail
R5 no 4 Military Expert
R7 no 6 Anamoe 3rd
R8 no 4 Yiyi 2nd
R9 no 9 Tamerlane....no 6 Rule of Law Won $2 is the late mail


SUNSHINE COAST:
R1 no 10 The Lioness 3rd
R2 no 3 Garoppolo
R5 no 2 Weona Smartone
R8 no 2 The Harrovian

ASCOT:
R1 no 2 Beads 2nd
R2 no 2 Alien From Mars 3rd
R3 no 1 Galaxy Affair
R4 no 3 Trade War 3rd
R5 no 1 Sentimental Queen Won $4.50
R6 no 8 Cheval De Vaga Won $2.10
R7 no 11 Pink Carats Won $12
R8 no 5 Miss Conteki....3rd......no 11 Clairvoyance is the late mail
R9 no 6 Mr Causeway


LAY BETS:
SR3 no 1 Ebhaar Started $2.10 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
SR4 no 7 Kanazawa Started 2nd. Fav. Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won
SR8 no 7 Canasta Started 2nd. Fav. Ran 3rd. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
MV R5 no 7 Danny's St Darci 2nd.
Rosehill R5 no 15 Free State...e/w $25
Sun Coast R8 no 8 Animate ....e/w @ $10

Cheers 'n Beers

[Charles49]

Highlight of the week that was here in Oz was the Australian Open tennis final between Nadal and Medvedev. I confess that after watching Nadal lose the first two sets that was it for me and I toddled off to my cot for a good night's sleep. I couldn't believe the result when I awoke next day as I firmly believed that Nadal's goose had been well and truly cooked at the time I wandered off to bed and he had no chance of beating Medvedev. But he managed to find something, and cheered on by a willing crowd, he succeeded in plucking victory from the jaws of what appeared to be certain defeat. I just wish some of my selections could find some of that fortitude when the whips are cracking!!
Lowlight of the week here has been the searing heat, humidity, and some fierce storms that brought along some serious hail and inflicted significant damage particularly along the eastern seaboard of Oz. Touch wood we have missed most of the damaging winds and hail stones however others have not been so fortunate.
Racing here of course has been affected by the storms and high humidity with a number of races cancelled. Heavy tracks don't favour punters, so this week my punting results have to date been a small minus as I have curtailed my investments where the weather is likely to impact field numbers and profits. Last weeks results were encouraging with the standout being Ascot where Pink Carats saluted at $12. Lets hope we can find a few more like that this week.!!
Racing here on Saturday commences with the first at Randwick at 12.25 AEDT and the lucky last will be set off at Pinjarra in Western Australia at 18.12 AEDT
As per the usual format here the fields will go up firstly, followed by the early selections, followed by the removal of scratchings and the addition of the late mail, and finally the Late Late Mail will go up some two hours before the first race together with a line in blue stating that we are now "In Play." Time permitting updates as to the results will follow as each race is run and won. And thanks to the two who managed to press the LIKE button last week.....very much appreciated.
May your day be a good one and may you all stay safe.

CAULFIELD:
R1 no 4 Minouche Won $4
R4 no 4 Renosu ** Best Bet
R5 no 2 Generation Won $2
R6 no 2 Under My Spell 2nd
R7 no 1 Dark Dream
R9 no 8 Savannah Cloud 3rd

RANDWICK:
R1 no 5 Lady Lugana 2nd
R3 no 9 French Emperor......no 13 Tycoon Hallie is the late mail e/w $6 or better
R4 no 3 Kallos
R5 no 5 Yukon 4th
R6 no 1 Sejardan 3rd
R8 no 4 Paulele Won $3
R10 no 8 Through The Cracks

DOOMBEN:
R2 no 1 Stuck With You
R5 no 3 Gogol Won $5
R7 no 5 Palladas 3rd
R8 no 3 Sir Rocket

PINJARRA: Races at Pinjarra Abandoned
R2 no 3 Tradem In
R3 no 1 Chiclett
R4 no 9 Prized Miss
R5 no 14 Via Monte
R6 no 6 Miss Vasari
R7 no 1 Spin The Knife
R8 no 2 Street Parade
R9 no 6 Beret
R10 no 7 Comes A Time


LAY BETS:
BR6 no 10 Rich Lister Won $3.30fav. Lay Bet Lost
SR4 no 2 Wisdom of Water Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won


LATE LATE MAIL:
SR1 no 5 Lady Laguna 2nd
SR2 no 9 Very Sharp
MR9 no 3 Swiss Hero e/w $12 or better


Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

Covid news continues to dominate our newspapers in Oz. Most Australians (96%) have received their first dose and 94% have their second with 60% receiving their booster. Restrictions are being eased in most States with the exception of Western Australia where the borders are still shut to the rest of Australia. Its been an interesting exercise to watch State Premiers exercising their new control powers over their respective States and/or Territories with variances in actions from reasonable Dictators to full on Hitler impersonators!!.Other news dominating our television screens relate to the upcoming Federal Election. Currently the incumbent Liberal Coalition Government are trailing the Labour opposition so our news is now becoming dominated by all sorts of political posturing.
Racing News here is that prizemoney continues to increase and the State of New South Wales will run a new $2m race on Melbourne Cup Day. The State of Victoria is not happy because Melbourne Cup Day hosts the race that stops a nation (which means most stop work and take the day off to have a punt and a few pints!!).
The wife's horse Loburn Lass is overdue for a return to racing which hopefully will be next week. In the meantime my interest in Belfast Lass is due for a run in Race 6 at Townsville on Saturday where it has drawn barrier 4. The original nominations totalled enough to allow the Club to split the race into two divisions, which is excellent as there was every chance she would have missed out as she was down as 3rd emergency. Well done Townsville Turf Club!! UPDATE: The morning paper has Belfast Lass as the $5 favourite and picks it to win. The market thinks differently and has priced its chances at $10 -$13 which I believe to be pretty accurate. Where she positions after the start will be important to her chances of success here as she needs cover so 3rd, 4th or 5th on settling down would be nice.(No joy ..ran unplaced.)
Australia has received some decent rainfalls right across the nation, including outback areas, which is excellent for refilling dams, but not so good for racing, with most States and Territories having to cancel part or whole meetings, and of course track conditions make it that bit harder to exercise and train horses. Hopefully we will get through this Saturday's program without disruption.
Racing this Saturday kicks off at Randwick at 12.25 (AEDT) and the lucky last will be run and won at Ascot at 20.34 (AEDT).
Best wishes for a profitable day and please stay safe, fit and healthy.


CAULFIELD:
R1 no 2 In The Boat 3rd
R2 no 7 Decent Raine
R3 no 5 Jacquinot
R4 no 1 Miss Roseiano. 2nd...each way chance to no 4 Revolutionary Miss Won $14
R5 no 6 Scorched Earth 2nd
R6 no 6 Open Minded
R9 no 1 Probabeel Won $1.80

RANDWICK:
R1 no 2 Metallicity
R2 no 4 Racketeering
R3 no 7 Fortified
R4 no 1 Delexo.. 3rd.no 2 Capital Reign is the late mail
R7 no 8 Espiona Best Bet 2nd
R8 no 9 Verry Elleegant
R9 no 7 It's Me.....late mail suggests no 6 Wandabaa has an each way chance here

DOOMBEN:
R1 no 8 Abracadazzle 2nd
R2 no 4 Indian Dreamer
R3 no 4 Stardome
R5 no 6 The Lioness Won $5.80
R6 no 13 Melisma
R7 no 4 Self Indulgent 3rd
R8 no 1 Profit Won $3.30
R9 no 7 Kingston's Here 2nd

ASCOT:
R1 no 2 Santoria Won $5
R2 no 6 Rulelee
R3 no 2 Trade War..3rd..no 7 River Rubicon e/w Won $3.20
R4 no 1 Express Time Won $6.20
R5 no 1 Trix Of The Trade Won
R6 no 3 Cheval De Vaga
R7 no 1 Special View
R8 no 11 Triple Missile
R9 no 9 Phanta


LAY BETS:
MR1 no 3 Fundraiser Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
MR4 no 4 Revolutionary Miss ...Won Lay Bet Lost

LATE LATE MAIL:
MR6 no 8 Normandy Bridge
MR8 no 1 I'm Thunderstruck
SR 8 no 11 Icebath e/w at $16

Cheers 'n Beers

[Charles49]

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Games continue on with Norway currently leading the medal tally with 13 Gold. Australia are in 17th place with New Zealand breathing down our neck in 18th spot. No sign of the UK on the medal count so what's happening guys to Britain's wonderful sporting traditions?? Other big story here is of course the Prince Andrew settlement (believed to be around $19m AUD) to Virginia Giuffre who resides here in Queensland. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing in various interviews and statements, however settling the matter must be a big relief for the Royal Family as the matter was taking oxygen away from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. No doubt questions will continue about this, such as where has the settlement money come from, and was that famous photograph of Andrew with his arm around Virginia at the top of the stairs, near a door opening, a real photo or a fake?. For the record my money is on the fake!!
Of course the other main story headline matter in the news here is will Russia invade Ukraine? We should know the answer to that one by this time next week.
Racing here this Saturday is highlighted by the Group 1 Lightning Stakes, which is a sprint race over 1000 meters. Worlds best sprinter Nature Strip heads the betting market as 6/4 favourite. There are also two Group 3 races on the card in the form of the C.S Hayes Stakes and the Vanity Stakes both to be run over 1400m.
Racing here commences on Saturday with the first race at Rosehill at 12.25pm AEDT, and the lucky last will be run at Ascot at 20.48pm AEDT. Stormy weather and rain affected tracks has made the form a bit on the wobbly side of late but hopefully Mother Nature will be kind to us and the run of beaten favourites will reduce back to some semblance of normality.
May you enjoy good health and a happy day on the punt.


FLEMINGTON:
R1 no 3 Playoffs 3rd
R2 no 5 Tuvalu 2nd...no 7 Gentleman Roy Won $5 is the late mail
R4 no 12 Waltz On By 2nd
R5 no 4 Socialist
R6 no 7 Pinstriped Won $5
R7 no 1 Nature Strip 2nd
R9 no 10 The Garden 3rd


ROSEHILL:
R2 no 3 Mr Mosiac...no 1 Rule of Law Won $2.20 is the Late mail
R6 no 13 Queen of the Ball
R8 no 1 Anamoe Won

SUNSHINE COAST:
R2 no 5 Palladas Won
R3 no 3 Chocolatier 3rd
R5 no 5 Deep Sceiva
R6 no 1 F Troop 3rd
R7 no 5 Zuma California


ASCOT:
R1 no 2 Saintorio 2nd
R2 no 1 Spin The Knife Won $3
R3 no 6 Spirited Session Won$5
R4 no 8 My Baby Blue Jean 3rd
R5 no 8 Beads
R6 no 2 Crescent City 2nd


LAY BETS:
SR R1 no 5 Steplee Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
SC R8 no 4 Liza With A Zee Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
MR6 no 11 Pascero 2nd
MR7 no 1 Nature Strip 2nd
MR8 no 1 Elephant e/w
SR4 no 1 Krone e/w
SR10 no 4 Ulysses e/w

Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

No tips this Saturday as I'm off to a mountain lodge adjacent to some excellent wineries. With a bit of luck we will catch up with the wife's horse and she hopefully will appreciate the carrots. Nice to see Great Britain finally get into the medal count and finish in 20th position just below New Zealand and Australia. Those Kiwi's always manage to punch above their weight in international sporting events and they have done it again this time around.
Normal tipping will resume Saturday week.
Stay safe and enjoy life.

[Charles49]

Shock news just to hand is that Australian spin legend Shane Warne has died at the age of 52 in Thailand. That's the second cricket legend to pass away within 24 hours as we also lost the best wicketkeeper that Australia has ever had in Rod Marsh (74) who died of a heart attack. Both were legends of the game. May they both rest in peace.
Other big news In Australia at the moment is the amount of rain that has fallen in the last week. Unprecedented levels of flooding has occurred all over the nation and none worse then what has been experienced here in Southern Queensland and then down to New South Wales where currently houses that have never had their footings wet are completely underwater. And according to our Bureau of Meteorology there is even more rain to come. That all means that horse racing has been severely interrupted so its a case of bet with caution on Saturday. To give you an idea of how much rain we have had in Queensland we received more than our annual rainfall in just two days earlier this week.!!
We did get some good news in Queensland this week...no masks required anymore...except in hospitals and aged care facilities. Hooray for that!!
The wife and I did manage to go up to Mt Tambourine Mountain lodge for four days and despite the heavy rain, managed to get up to the top of the mountain where we spent the four days in pouring rain in amongst the clouds with visibility at times down to the length of a cricket pitch. Fortunately we didn't run out of red wine, and when it came time to leave we had to carefully pick our route home to avoid the mass flooding that covered so much of Brisbane.
Selections for Saturday are posted below minus the Doomben program which has been abandoned due to heavy rain and on course flooding.


FLEMINGTON: (Track Good 4)
R1 no 10 Wee Nessy 2nd
R2 no 5 Tiger Tiger 2nd
R3 no 9 Rose Quartz ** 2nd
R5 no 1 Overpass Won $2
R6 no 1 Zaaki 2nd
R7 no 3 Profondo
R9 no 10 Yonce Won $2.70


RANDWICK: (Track Heavy 10)
R1 no 4 Satirical Glory
R2 no 7 Greece.......no 2 Ojai has an each way chance @ $12 3rd and throw in no 1 Russian Conquest for the trifecta.
R3 no 1 Sejardan Won $2.70
R4 no 11 No Comprimise
R5 no 1 Nature Strip **. 3rd.. No 2 Eduardo Won $$2.50 is the knockout chance
R6 no 3 Mazu **** Won $5
R8 no 1 Anamoe *** 2nd
R9 no 7 Le Gai Soleil
R10 no 4 Belluci Belle Won $3.60


DOOMBEN: (Track Heavy 10) ABANDONED


ASCOT: (Track Good 4)
R1 no 4 River Rubicon Won $3
R2 no 1 Spin The Knife 2nd
R3 no 7 Gold Merits
R4 no 5 Trade War
R6 no 1 How's The Serenity Won $3
R7 no 2 Clairvoyance
R8 no 9 Come Right Back
R9 no 4 Phoneme 2nd


LAY BETS:
MR7 no 1 Hitotsu WON. Lay Bet Lost

LATE LATE MAIL:
SR1 no 9 Icecrusher
SR6 no 12 A Very Fine Red e/w 3rd
SR10 no 11 Geist e/w

Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

News from Oz continues to be dominated by the extensive flooding along our eastern coastline as well as updates on the war that's been played out on Ukrainian soil. Images of a bomb strike on an Ukrainian maternity hospital were front and center on our screens this morning. Lets hope sanity prevails quickly here as history suggests that this one has all of the ingredients of further external involvement and that wont end well. In Australia the cost of fuel at the bowser has jumped 20% as supplies are affected by the events unfolding in Europe.
On the racing front Flemington will produce seven Group races on Saturday from a card of nine races including two Group One races in the Newmarket 1200m (straight six furlong race) and the Australian Cup run over 2000m. Both races are for prizemoney totaling AUD $1.5 million each. These are quality races that will be contested by our best so well worth a watch if you get the opportunity.
There is an interesting conspiracy theory doing the rounds about Shane Warne's interest in a horse named Sacred Oath. Said horse was backed from $1.85 into $1.30 in a race at Ipswich in Brisbane on Wednesday after an avalanche of sentimental money poured into bookies bags. Just after the start a horse named Tesaura crossed from out wide and cannoned into a horse outside Sacred Oath causing Sacred Oath to hit the running rail which dislodged the jockey. Question being asked was it an accident? Or was it something more sinister?. Mmmmm!
Racing in Oz on Saturday will kick off with the first at Rosehill which will commence at 12.20pm AEDT and the last race will be at Ascot at 20.28 AEDT. Heavy rain has affected recent results from the majority of tracks in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, so bet with caution until the good rated tracks return.
Good luck with your investments.

FLEMINGTON: (Track Good 4)
R1 no 5 Nanagui 2nd
R2 no 1 Turaath.....no 4 Flying Mascot....Won $2.20 is the Late Mail
R3.no 8 Zarastro is the late mail
R4 no 4 Sir Bailey
R5 no 1 Yearning...no 4 Argentia 2nd is given a strong chance here
R6 no 2 Home Affairs
R9 no 5 Cardigan Queen 2nd


ROSEHILL: Track Heavy 10)
R2 no 2 She's Extreme Won $3.75
R3 no 3 Magic 3rd
R5 no 5 Remarque...no 2 Rule of Law 2nd given a strong chance here
R6 no 11 Fangirl 4th
R7 no 1 Great House 3rd
R8 no 4 Lighthouse Won $6
R10 no 14 Benaud.....Dogs are barking no 12 Zoumon in the last

EAGLE FARM: (Track Good 4)
R1 no 3 Mishani Embrace 3rd
R3 no 1 Dreamreacher 2nd
R4 no 1 Ocean Emperor
R5 no 1 Gypsy Goddess Won $2.20
R8 no 6 Contemptuous Won $3.40
R9 no 4 Rock Amore


ASCOT: (Track Good 4)
R1 no 4 Sichern
R2 no 9 Loopy's Baby
R3 no 1 Panzdown 2nd
R4 no 6 State Of Power Won $2.20
R5 no 1 Trix Of The Trade 2nd
R6 no 1 Constant Dreaming Won $2.20
R7 no 6 Chiclett
R8 no 6 Tri For Us
R9 no 4 Comes A Time
R10 no 2 How's The Serenity


LAY BETS:
MR2 no 4 Flying Mascot Won. Lay Bet Lost.
MR5 no 4 Argentia Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
SR5 no 2 Rule of Law 2nd
MR3 no 8 Zarastro
MR9 no 1 Diasies ..worth a small e/w @ $40

Cheers'n' Beers

[Charles49]

Big news here is of course the Ukraine/Russian war. Our TV screens are filled with war images and refugees fleeing the war zone. Thought the gesture by the UK Government to pay UK homeowners to accommodate refugees was a nice decent thing to do. Here in Oz we are in clean up mode as the floodwaters retreat exposing tons of mud and rubbish. Usually takes a week or three then we are back to normal.
Focus on racing here this weekend will be on Queensland's Gold Coast which is the place to go if you want to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Unfortunately I'm not one of them, but I will be watching the action on the telly! The wife and I have an interest in 5 racehorses and one of mine is down to go around at Townsville on Friday in the form of Belfast Lass which is around 50/1 in the market.. The barrier draw has come out and she has drawn barrier 1 which is a plus. I don't fancy her chances at this stage as its a big field however she does have a top jock on board so fingers crossed. The stable does have a smart one going around in the form of Sheez Bean Talkin in race 1 on the card. Its competing in a small field and has been set for a big race in a couple of weeks, but she is very fit and should be very competitive.
Some further news on the outcome of the Stewards Enquiry as to to what caused a horse named Sacred Oath, part owned by Shane Warne to cannon into the running rail after being backed from $1.80 into $1.35. Jockey Ben Thompson was suspended for four weeks for careless riding, however I have a gut feeling that we will hear more about this in the future as there are plenty of conspiracy theories floating around in respect of this matter.


FLEMINGTON:
R2 no 3 Lombardo
R3 no 1 Yonce Won
R4 no 4 Pounding 3rd
R6 no 1 I'm Thunderstruck 2nd...no 2 Zaaki Won $2.60 is the late mail
R7 no 9 Bermadez.. 2nd.no 10 Gentleman Roy Won $2.50 is a knockout chance
R8 no 1 Defibrillate

ROSEHILL:
R2 no 4 Mazu Won $2
R5 no 5 Verry Elleegant 2nd
R6 no 1 Anamoe Won
R8 no 8 Coolangatta 3rd

GOLD COAST:
R1 no 9 Rich Lister
R5 no 2 Remlaps Gem Won $2
R6 no 5 She'sgotthebroom Won $2
R7 no 2 Kisukano 3rd


ASCOT:
R1 no 4 State of Power 2nd
R2 no 5 Gold Merits 2nd
R3 no 2 Crescent City
R4 no 1 Express Time..2nd..no 8 River Rubicon 4th is the late mail
R5 no 1 Amelia's Jewel Won
R6 no 5 Snowdome
R7 no 3 Trade War 2nd
R8 no 7 Bruce Almighty 2nd
R9 no 1 Native Chimes

LAY BETS:

LATE LATE MAIL:

Cheers 'n ' Beers

[Charles49]

Big races abound this weekend and the action begins on Friday night at Moonee Valley with the running of the time honoured Group 1 William Reid Stakes. Then on Saturday we have another Group 1 time honoured race in the form Of the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill along with the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes. Throw in three Group 2 and six Group 3 races, including one at Ascot, and its a big day which will make plenty of owners very very happy. Melbourne racing will toddle off to the lovely coastal city of Mornington which is about a one hour drive from Melbourne. Whilst I understand the logic of giving outer areas their own Saturday race meeting I must admit that the city form seems to evaporate once the participants inhale those fresh sea breezes and country air in areas such as Mornington. So be warned; the results from Saturdays meeting may not be good.
Last week no joy on a personal note with Belfast Lass running home late for 6th. She is in again at Townsville this Friday, currently $21, so it will be interesting how she goes this time around as she drops down a grade, but hasn't drawn as well as she did last week where she drew barrier 1. This week she has drawn the other end in barrier 13, but she does step up 200m in distance, which should should be a plus. Stablemate Sheez Been Talkin is also backing up and she is in Race 1 at Townsville and is currently a $10 chance.
One of my favourite ways to take on the bookies is with bonus bets as they do give you an edge if you manage them the right way. So I had a $100 bet with VicBet on Coolangatta and it ran third. Under the T & C's I should of got back a $50 return but instead received $100. So I contacted them and pointed out the mistake, however they responded with no it was ok you can keep the extra, despite my protests to the contrary. So if want a good decent family bookmaking concern to place your Australian bets with, you wont do better then to have it with the the folks at Vicbet.

MORNINGTON: (Track Good 4)
R2 no 1 Yaki Ishi
R4 no 11 Jump The Broom Won $3.30
R5 no 2 Wyclif
R6 no 4 Crystal Pegagus Won $3.10
R8 no 8 British Columbia is given a good chance here

ROSEHILL: (Track Soft 7)
R1 no 9 Dalaalaat
R2 no 2 Boyfriend
R3 no 4 Mount Popa Won $4
(Balance of Meeting Abandoned due to heavy track conditions.)


DOOMBEN: (Track Good 4)
R1 no 5 Steady Ready Won $2.50
R2 no 10 Knight Mariner 2nd
R3 no 2 Sweet Margot May
R9 no 7 Montenegro Man

ASCOT: (Track Good 4)
R1 no 2 Pot Shot 3rd
R2 no 5 Snipillicious Won $6
R3 no 6 Critical Attitude
R4 no 8 Crescent City 3rd
R5 no 1 Lipstick Flickers 3rd
R6 no 6 Charlton Eddie...Late mail suggests no 2 Panzdown has a chance here
R7 no 1 Trix Of The Trade 2nd
R8 no 1 Constant Dreaming 3rd
R9 no 6 Catalpa 4th


LAY BETS:
SR7 no 2 Spainish Mission Race Abandoned
SR10 no 8 Taksu Race Abandoned
MR7 no 5 Superium 2nd

LATE LATE MAIL:
SR5 no 2 Krone Race Abandoned
SR8 no 6 Gypsy Goddess Race Abandoned

Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

Abnormal rainfall continues to fall along Australia's eastern coastline causing plenty of flooding and the loss of several lives. Racing (and race trials) in many areas have been abandoned. Saturday racing here has four Group One races with millions of dollars at stake. The Group ones are the Doncaster Mile, T.J. Smith Stakes. Australian Derby and Inglis Sires, all of which are to be run at Royal Randwick.. Plenty of action, providing the rain stops, and the sunshine returns!! On a personal note I have a runner in Race 5 at Gundagai on Sunday and its drawn barrier 4.. Gundagai is famous for its poem about a faithful dog that guarded his masters possessions a century or so ago and is called "The Dog on the Tuckerbox". "Sweet Home Alabama" will get a start as its a Class 1 race and its drawn barrier 4. The track looks like its missed most of the recent rainfall, its a tricky course that seems to favour horses up on the pace. The wife's horse Loburn Lass, is looking an absolute treat and was is due to run in a trial on Monday April 4th at the Gold Coast, over 1000m.
For those of you who follow cricket, Shane Warne's farewell will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground tonight (Wednesday) and its expected some 65,000 plus will attend. He was arguably Australia's best ever spin bowler and his record of 708 Test wickets is testament to this.
Australia received its 2022 Budget on Tuesday evening and amongst the highlights was an allocation for AUD$10Bn to fund the establishment of a new cybersecurity force. With unrest in Ukraine and an active China close to our shores our part of the globe is getting edgy as to how the future will evolve.
Hopefully this week we can find some of those elusive winners (and not such a high percentage of place getters as we did at Ascot last Saturday!)
Do bet with caution this Saturday as many of our tracks will be rated Soft.

RANDWICK: (Track Heavy 10)
R1 no 5 Voldemort.. 2nd.no 1 Semillon Won $3.60 is given a chance here
R2 no 3 Straight Arron Won $2.40
R3 no 12 Mamounia 3rd
R6 no 12 Fireburn Won $2.70
R7 no 1 Hitotsu Won $3.45
R8 no 2 Eduardo 2nd
R10 no 10 A Very Fine Red

BENDIGO: (Track Good 4)
R4 no 6 Zorro's Dream
R6 no 2 The Cunning Fox Won $3.70
R7 no 10 Cardigan Queen
R9 no 3 Corner Pocket

EAGLE FARM: (Track Soft 5)
R1 no 5 Savvy Oak
R3 no 9 Abracadazzle. 3rd..no 11 Rations 2nd is a knockout chance here
R4 no 6 Zingalong
R5 no 1 Le Palmier
R6 no 3 Humbolt Current
R7 no 9 Zavaboom 2nd
R8 no 5 Kisukano 2nd
R9 no 8 Enterprise Prince...no 11 Festival Prince 2nd is a strong chance.

ASCOT: (Track Good 4)
R2 no 3 State Of Power...no 6 Hamika 2nd is the knockout chance
R3 no 1 River Rubicon 3rd
R4 no 6 Bruce Almighty Won $6.20
R5 no 2 Time Scale Won $3.80
R6 no 2 How's The Serenity Won $2.20
R7 no 3 Left The Building
R8 no 2 Comes A Time Won $2.50
R9 no 7 Wee Ripper

LAY BETS:
BR5 no 6 La Chevalee Started 2nd Fav, Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
BR8 no 14 Cherry Tortini Won. Lay Bet Lost

LATE LATE MAIL:
SR9 no 2 I'm Thunderstruck 2nd

Cheers 'n' Beers

[dags]

Hey Charles, thought I would drop in see how things going, and from the looks of it pretty good.

[Charles49]

Hi Dags.........really great to hear from you. Hope everything is going well with you and family and you are backing plenty of winners. Hopefully you missed the damage from recent storms. Take care and keep on backing winners!! Kind regards and best wishes.

[Charles49]

Probably the most frustrating enterprise I have ever been involved in is race horse ownership. Potentially it has the possibility of creating a rags to riches story but the reality is that the odds of that happening are 100,000 to one. Buying a yearling just on looks and breeding doesn't give you the key to winners, even when you heart says .'I think this is the one" !!.There are some great rags to riches stories but far more "bad luck" stories abound. I recall many years ago the story about the highest price ever paid for a yearling in South Australia and the wraps about it were huge. It never won a race....best it could do was to run second in a three horse race at Bordertown which is a country venue. Mate of mine owns a very good horse racing in Melbourne. It ran poorly last start so the vet was called in. He diagnosed that the horse had been poisoned !! Shock, horror was the reaction as you could imagine when the vet declared it was Sulphur poisoning that caused the issue. The source he said was the lake where the horse loved to swim...he said don't go there again its full of Sulphur!! My mate had received offers to purchase before that in excess of AUD $1m, now its doubtful if it will even run again.
This week has been frustrating in that the wife and I have had 4 horses take to the track. One ran 5th at Gundagai (good run that will tune her up for next time around) and the other three have gone around in trials where one ran 4th and the other two both won. Now if only we can get that form to repeat on the race track!!. Nothing happens quickly with racehorses as they spend a lot of their time getting fit and enjoying life in lush green paddocks.!!
Racing this weekend has a quality feel about it with four Group Ones on offer. These are the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the Sydney Cup, the Australian Oaks and the Queen of the Turf. One of our best horses ever in Winx won the Queen Elizabeth a total of three times in the years of 2017, 2018 and 2019. Other notable winners were Tulloch, Carbine, Phar Lap, Might and Power, Lonhro and Archer.
In other non racing news here in Australia it is widely expected that this coming Sunday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will call an election and send us all off to the polls.. Currently the Liberal team are in Government, however the betting agencies have Labor as a 3/1on hot favourite.
There is AUD $11.1m in prizemoney up for grabs at Randwick on Saturday. Heavy rain continues to fall in New South Wales so there is some doubt as I write this that the Randwick program will go ahead. If it does, bet with caution as the form guide wont help you find the swimmers!! Good luck and may the punting Gods be kind to you.

RANDWICK: Track Heavy (8)
R1 no 1 Williamsburg..Won $3.50 .no 2 Moko 2nd is the danger.
R2 no 9 Loch Eagle 2nd is expected to run well.
R3 no 2 Never Talk
R4 no 3 Paris Dior... Won $4.20.no 4 Ojai is an eachway chance at $10
R5 no 1 In The Congo 2nd
R6 no 1 Hinged is strongly fancied
R7 no 4 Stockman
R8 no 4 Verry Elleegant
R9 no 1 Colette


CAULFIELD: Good (4)
R1 no 1 Steel Prince 3rd
R2 no 2 Playoffs
R4 no 8 Yowie
R6 no 3 Scissor Step Won $5.75
R7 no 4 Artika...
R8 no 3 Zaratite
R9 no 11 Paperboy Won $3.70

DOOMBEN: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 1 Nettuno Won
R2 no 1 Slow Hands
R4 no 6 Sayl
R6 no 12 Snitzify
R9 no 10 Smart Image

ASCOT: Good (4)
R1 no 4 Acromantula 3rd
R2 no 5 Speed Dream 2nd
R3 no 1 Swear To God 3rd
R4 no 6 Premium Choice
R5 no 2 Harmika
R6 no 5 Comes A Time 2nd
R7 no 5 Black Chips 2nd
R8 no 3 Alaskan God. Won $2.70..No 1 Trix Of the Trade is fancied here
R9 no 10 Trade War 2nd


LAY BETS:
MR1 no 5 Maserartie Bay Won. Lay Bet Lost
MR9 no 7 Old Flame Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
SR2 no 9 Loch Eagle 2nd
SR5 no 6 Mazu Won $2.70

Cheers 'n' Beers