Horse Racing in OZ

[Charles49]

I wanted an improved performance last week as the number of winners since I have returned from the end of the world have been 7, then 10 the following Saturday and last Saturday it was up to 13. Still not happy with that as the longest priced winner was just $5.20, so this week I'm aiming for 16 winners and at least two with nice healthy dividends. Interesting that the increments of winners have been in increments of three so 16 should be achievable if the current trend continues.!!
On the home front some of the family's interests are returning from spells in the paddock with Loburn Lass having its second start this prep on Friday at Cairns where it will run around in a 1250m (race 5) carrying the second topweight of 59 kegs. A 1.5kg claiming apprentice will reduce that to 57.5kg. Barrier draw hasn't been kind this time as she has drawn 10 of 11. Strawberry Lady was aimed at a Gold Coast race this weekend, however the track is in a very poor state at the moment, so she has now been entered to race at Grafton on Sunday the 5th March in a 1200m race. The field size is 14 and there are currently 28 nominations. She will be a reserve so doesn't have a great chance of getting a start at this stage. Its a $30K maiden race so the first prizemoney of $15k would be nice. I'll update status once the final field has been posted and scratchings are complete. UPDATE: Strawberry Lady will make the field as number 14 so it just gets in. (UPDATE...ran 6th) Of the two I think Loburn Lass will run a much improved race as she needed the run last week and the distance is more to her liking. The barrier draw is not ideal but she is a fast beginner and should cross to the lead without using too much petrol. The query is the heavy (10) track. (Ran 5th beaten 2.4 lengths.)
Old mate of mine has Tuvalu going around in Race 8 at Flemington. He is quietly confident so I have included it amongst the selections as an each way pick.
Weather here has been hot with most days around 30deg Celsius. Todays expected temp is 33deg max, whilst tomorrow is for a cloudy day with a max temp of 31deg. That's typical of a Brisbane summer.!!
The early selections will go up shortly, which will be updated as the week rolls along to Saturday.
Best wishes for a successful day on the punt.


FLEMINGTON: Track Good(4)
R1 no 4 Massira
R8 no 4 Gentleman Roy....no 1 Tuvalu is the danger
R9 no 4 It's Ourtime 2nd


ROYAL RANDWICK: Track Good(4)
R3 no 1 Learning to Fly Won
R6 no 8 Giga Kick 3rd
R9 no 2 Roots 4th

EAGLE FARM: Track Good (4)
R1 no 4 Hokahey
R2 no 3 Beast Mode 2nd
R4 no 13 Rubaahy 3rd
R5 no 10 Top Fun 3rd
R6 no 2 Namazu
R8 no 6 The Good Bigbye 2nd

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 3 Brave Shot
R2 no 3 Prawns Eleven 3rd
R3 no 6 Senorita Dorotea
R4 no 5 Man Crush 2nd
R5 no 1 Time Scale
R6 no 3 Alyza
R7 no 8 Here's Dreaming Won $3.50
R8 no 7 Starchienne
R9 no 3 Weaponson 2nd


LAY BETS:
SR6 no 1 Eduardo Started $3.20 Fav. Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won
SR8 no 4 Zou Tiger Started $4.40 2nd Fav. Ran 3rd. Lay Bet Won
MR7 no 1 Jacquinot Started $2.50 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
MR2 no 4 So Unusual Won $3.20 Lay Bet Lost
MR3 no 2 Kallos Won $3.10 Lay Bet Lost
MR5 no 8 Kettle Hill Started $3.60 Fav. Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
SR3 no 1 Learning to Fly Won
SR6 no 8 Giga Kick 3rd
BR2 no 3 Beast Mode 2nd
MR8 no 1 Tuvalu e/w @ $5

HAIL MARY BETS:
MR6 no 18 Benedetta e/w @ $10 Won $5.70 (Backed in from $10!)
MR 8 no 10 Nonconformist e/w @ $41 Won $22
MR8 no 12 Lunar Flare e/w @$41
SR8 no 2 Osipenko e/w @ $5 Scr.
SR6 no 7 Passive Aggressive e/w @ $8 Won $8.50

Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

Thanks Guys for fixing issue...great detective work...very much appreciated.
So its onwards and upwards after my browser issue with some excellent racing ahead on Saturday. For the record we did have a winning day with the reduced number of selections last Saturday and I'm happy to report that my first starter Screatch ran a pleasing 4th in a tough race and did so without being extended. It has a big race target ahead for its next start which will be a tough mountain to climb, but it will be interesting to see how he performs as he goes through the grades.
Busy week this week as she who must be obeyed wants the dividing wall between us and the neighbours repainted, then we are off by bus with a group to the Gold Coast to celebrate (belatedly) St Patricks Day Birthday on Friday, followed by the grandsons baptism on Saturday, followed by a flight on Sunday to Perth for two weeks. So I will be missing in action for two weeks having to cope with the likes of sampling red wines at Margaret River wineries and any other like establishments in West Australia.
Tough gig I know but someone has to do it!!.
One of my sons has a runner at Port Macquarie on Friday in the form of Coastal Raider. Its his first horse and second race for the Raider. Expectation is that it will run well however its a tough field and I'm guessing it will start around the 12/1 mark. (Ran 4th) Mate of mine owns Palaispan which is in the last at Rosehill today. He is quietly confident that it will run well.
In the meantime I'll do my best to try and find a few winners for this Saturday.
Best wishes for a successful day.


MOONEE VALLEY:
R1 no 1 Midwest Won $2.30
R3 no 5 Summerbeel 2nd
R4 no 2 Russian Dancer 2nd
R8 no 2 My Bella Mae
R10 no 3 British Columbia 2nd

ROSEHILL GARDENS:
R7 no 1 Anamoe Won $2.10
R8 no 10 Learning to Fly
R9 no 2 Uncommon James 2nd
R10 No 1 Palaisipan 4th

DOOMBEN:
R2 no 3 Fast Talking 3rd
R4 no 4 Buying Time 3rd
R5 No 1 Tumbler Ridge
R7 no 9 Trifling 4th


ASCOT:
R1 no 1 Sir Mambo
R2 no 5 Mountain Ash Won $2.60
R3 no 3 Prawns Eleven
R4 no 1 Weaponson Won $4.40
R5 no 8 Mantelli 2nd
R6 no 1 Awesome Chatter 2nd
R7 no 9 Live to Tell Won $2
R8 no 9 Baby Paris 3rd
R9 no 2 Blazing Tycoon 3rd


LAY BETS:
MV R7 no 2 Alligator Blood Started $2.80 Fav. Ran Unplaced. Lay Bet Won
MV R8 no 6 Ojai Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
MV R9 no 3 Amenable Started $3.30 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay bet Won
SR 8 no 5 Cylinder Stared $3.30 Fav. Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
BR5 no 1 Tumbler Ridge
SR7 no 1 Anamoe Won $2.10
SR9 no 2 Uncommon James 2nd
ASC R7 no 9 Live to Tell Won $2

HAIL MARY BETS:
MV R6 no 3 Frankie Pinot e/w @$22
MVR6 no 10 Belsielle e/w @ $25
SR5 no 7 Hell I Am e/w @ $8

Cheers'n' Beers

[dags]

Hey Charles,

Long time no chat, followed your lays this weekend, thanks all winners. you still on twitter we can catchup on news

[Charles49]

Just returned from trip to Western Australia. Went on the Indian Pacific train which because there was a murder mystery group on board took up over 800m of carriages and was the most they have ever had and therefore the longest passenger train ever.!! Well in Oz anyway.!!
But its down to business and lets find a winner or two. On a personal note I have a neddy called Screatch running in the 6th at Rockhampton and its chasing the big prizemoney on offer. It opened up on Friday as a $51 chance so my bet is on at that price. In last nights charity fund raiser Screatch ended up the No 4 pick, so fingers crossed it can finish in the top 5 at least.
Thanks Dags for the message ..have sent you a PM...very nice to hear from you again. Hope you followed the Lays again today!!
Here are today's picks and best wishes for a successful day.


BENDIGO: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 6 Illation
R3 no 6 Croatian Belle
R4 no 7 Sing For Peace 3rd
R6 no 1 Queen Air
R9 no 5 Mynumerouno


RANDWICK: Track Soft (5)
R4 no 3 Sequestered 4th
R5 no 4 Talbragar 2nd
R6 no 1 Cylinder
R7 no 10 Giga Kick 2nd
R10 no 2 Opal Ridge 4th


DOOMBEN: Track Soft (7)
R7 no 11 Spirit Queen 2nd
R8 no 6 Manhood 3rd
R9 no 9 Tenzing 4th

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 1 Leniency Won $4.40
R2 no 7 Marmooga 3rd
R3 no 7 Awesome Rival 2nd
R4 no 5 Mountain Ash Won $5
R5 no 4 Top Of The Pops 2nd
R6 no 1 Snow Prince 3rd
R7 no 2 Live to Tell Won $2.90
R8 no 13 Amelia's Jewel Won $2.50
R9 no 7 Mack Mack 2nd


LAY BETS:
Doom R1 no 3 Tricketeer Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won
SR7 no 1 Nature Strip Started $5 fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
Ben R7 no 6 Marble Arch Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
Ben R8 no 5 Munhamek Started $3 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
Ben R6 no 1 Queen Air
Doom R8 no 6 Manhood 3rd
Rand R10 no 2 Opal Ridge 4th
Ascot R8 no 13 Amelia's Jewel Won $2.50


HAIL MARY BETS:
SR8 no 13 Golden Mile e/w @$20
SR8 no 5 Fangirl e/w @ $10
SR9 no 12 Virtuous Circle e/w @ $34 2nd

Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

Not a great deal of joy last week with the exception of the Lay Bets which thankfully did the right thing. Selections last week were extracted using a different method due to the limited time available after returning from a rail trip from one side of the nation to the other. Back to the usual sources this week so hopefully the number of winners will increase. No joy with Screatch in Rockhampton as it finished 7th but the run in good company was good and the prizemoney was enough to cover expenses. My son had better luck with Coastal Raider at Grafton which came from well back to finish an impressive 2nd,
There are some names running around at Royal Randwick on Saturday that may be familiar to those living in the UK. Irish stayer Cleveland is the Sydney Cup $3.50 (5/2) favourite, despite drawing barrier 17. Alcohol Free, which was purchased for more than AUD $10m has drawn barrier 2 and at $3.50 its the fav for the AUD$1m Queen Of The Turf Starts which is run over one mile.
The early fields will go up sometime tomorrow and then the routine is the morning mail on Saturday morning followed shortly afterwards by the Late Mail and then we are up and running. Well that was the plan until I realised its Good Friday and that means my normal source of the early mail wont be dropping off my source material so its back to the drawing board and Plan B. And on top of that Brisbane is expecting its worst storm for the year today so the hatches are battened down and the electricity will be switched off as a precaution. Life is great in the Sunshine State!!
Lets hope Saturday is a good day on the grisly grunt and the Easter Bunny has left you with plenty of chocolates.!!


SANDOWN: Track Good (4)
R1 no 6 Foxicon Won $3.80
R3 no 1 I Am Unstoppable Won $3.30
R6 no 4 Gringotts Won $4
R7 no 7 Cardinal Gem Won $3.70
R8 no 8 White Marlin Won $2.50

RANDWICK: Track Heavy (8)
R1 no 2 Inhibitions
R3 No 3 Autumn Ballet
R4 no 5 Kayobi 4th
R5 no 1 Aft Cabin Won $2.70
R6 no 2 Pavitra
R7 no 1 Gold Trip.....Late mail suggests no 11 Cleveland is a good chance here
R8 no 2 Dubai Honour Won $2.60
R9 no 5 Hope In Your Heart 2nd

DOOMBEN: Track Soft (5)
R2 no 3 Compass Road Won $4.20
R3 no 3 Pharoah's Reign
R4 no 2 Red Wave
R5 no 12 Sea Ripple
R6 no 2 Chinny Boom Won $1.80
R9 no 5 Astero 3rd

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 1 Snowdome Won $2
R2 no 1 Mountain Ash 4th
R3 no 5 To Rise Again
R4 no 1 Shell Bell Won $2.30
R5 no 1 Leniency 4th
R6 no 5 She's Fit 3rd
R7 no 5 Magnificent Andy Won $2.25
R8 no 8 Weaponson Won $2.30
R9 no 2 Starring Knight

LAY BETS:
SR8 no 1 Anamoe. Started $3. Ran 3rd Lay Bet Won
BR1 no 5 Ringer's Reward Won $1.90. Lay Bet Lost

BEST BETS:
BR6 no 2 Chinny Boom Won $1.80
ASC R1 no 1 Snowdome Won $2
ASC R4 no 1 Shell Bell Won $2.30
SR5 no 1 Aft Cabin Won $2.70

HAIL MARY BETS:
MR7 no 4 Frankie Pinot e/w @ $14 2nd
MR9 no 2 Game Keeper e/w @ $66 3rd
SR7 no 12 High Emocean e/w @ $14
MR8 no 5 Lunar Flare e/w @ $10 3rd



Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

Well that was a different and interesting set of results last Saturday. For the first time that I can recall since compiling these tips every selection at Sandown saluted. Okay none of them were fancy prices, but a win is a win. And for good measure the Hail Mary bets produced 3 out of 4 placings including Game Keeper which ran third at 66/1 and paid $15.80 the place and higher divvies with the likes of Betfair, Vicbet and Sportsbet. All in all there were 38 selections of which 18 won and 5 others returned a place dividend. Lets hope the good times continue to roll on.
Brisbane and the East Coast of Australia have been battered by strong winds over the Easter holidays and the accompanying rain probably ruined many (not so) happy campers who were looking forward to their Easter holiday on a seaside campsite. The winds have now abated so hopefully we will have tracks that are rated Good or better for Saturday.
In Western Australia this Saturday they have the running of a race named The 2023 Quokka. What is a Quokka you ask? It is a rather rare macropod that looks something like a large rat or small wallaby. Its found on Rottnest Island where tourists flock daily to in order to catch a glimpse of these rare creatures in the wild. Funny thing is you can spend a day or more on Rottnest Island and not see one in the wild, but go to the local restaurant, or diner, and there they are picking up the crumbs that customers have dropped.!! Here are a couple of photo's so you know what they look like. And to think they now have a major race event named after them!!

.......and this is where they live at Rottnest Island....lucky little buggers aren't they!!

Saturday's tips will go up on Friday morning, followed by the late mail and deletion of any scratchings on Saturday morning and then we are off and running. Cant wait to see the Quokka race 8 at Ascot, which is run over 1200m, and for prizemoney totaling AUD $4m.!!

SANDOWN: Track Soft (6)
R1 no 1 Beltoro 4th
R2 no 6 Belle Savoir 3rd
R3 no 4 She Dances Won $2.60
R4 no 1 Northern Barrage 3rd
R6 no 3 Stormbolt
R7 no 8 Shesallshenanigans Won $3.40
R8 no 1 Pinstriped Won $3.60
R9 no 14 Eagles Crag

RANDWICK: Track Soft (5) Downgraded to Heavy(8)
R1 no 1 Osipenko Won $2.30
R3 no 5 Floating 3rd
R4 no 1 Magic Time 3rd
R5 no 1 Vilana Won $3.30
R7 no 2 Militarize Won $2.25
R8 no 12 Giga Kick Won $3.20
R10 no 9 Democracy Manifest Won $4.10

EAGLE FARM: Track Good (4)
R3 no 12 Bulloo
R7 no 6 Kipsbay
R9 no 1 Rothfire 2nd

ASCOT: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 2 Pot Shot 2nd
R2 no 3 Forever Dreaming 4th
R3 no 4 Miss Field Won $6.50
R4 no 6 Ciscojoe 3rd
R5 no 4 Snowdome Won $2.30
R7 no 6 Live to Tell 2nd
R8 no 14 Amelia's Jewel.. 2nd..No 4 Uncommon James is the late mail
R10 no 3 Top Of The Pops 2nd


LAY BETS:
SR1 no 3 Pericles Started 2nd Fav, Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won
BR1 no 8 Headwall Started Fav. Ran 3rd. Lay Bet Won
BR 5 no 6 Good Chat Started $2.30 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
SR4 No 1 Magic Time 3rd
ASC R8 no 14 Amelia's Jewel 2nd
MR6 no 3 Stormbolt

HAIL MARY BETS:
MR7 no 12 Elphinstone @ $26 e/w Ran 2nd
SR 6 no 6 Bankers Choice @ $10 e/w Ran 2nd

Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

Thirteen winners plus fourteen that ran second or third last Saturday so I think the results were reasonable and the strike rate okay. Amelia's Jewel flew home to just miss. The outside barrier probably cost her the title of the first winner of the inaugural running of the Quokka. The Hail Mary bets both ran second with Elphinstone a nice result at odds, Best bets let the side down after a four from four result last week. Such are the vagaries of life on the grisly grunt.!
I do have a runner at Townsville on Monday in the form of Coolmeans. He has been a good conveyance with a win and several placings before injuring his back and then running unplaced for two starts until the injury was located and treated. He will need the run so its a matter of sit back and watch him go around even though he looks good and is eager to get back to work. He has drawn barrier 1 and believe it or not his stablemate Listen Listen has drawn barrier 2. The Gods must be listening to our prayers!! In Race 7 another stablemate goes around in the form of Focus who will probably start close to favourite despite drawing barrier 10.
I know its nice to send the city races out into the bush occasionally, but past results of that adventure have not been good so please take care with your investments at Mornington and Hawksbury as history shows that results from such venues are harder to pick..at least that's my experience!!
Best wishes for a positive result.

MORNINGTON: Track Soft(6)
R7 no 1 Jigsaw Won $2.90
R8 no 5 Hezashocker.. 2nd .No 3 Non Conformist is the late mail
R9 no 11 Maktoob

HAWKSBURY: Track Soft(5)
R1 no 2 Zardozi Won $2.90
R5 no 2 Fire. 4th...No 11 Red Card 2nd is the late mail
R7 no 2 Kote...no 9 Razeta 3rd is the late mail
R8 no 1 Princess Grace Won $4.60
R10 no 5 Wicklow


DOOMBEN: Track Soft(5)
R1 no 4 Oceans of Energy
R3 no 5 Alburg 2nd
R5 no 12 Sweet Margot May 4th
R8 no 1 Skyman Won $5.10
R9 no 6 Golden Boom


ASCOT: Track Good(4)
R1 no 5 Rusty Dreams 3rd
R2 no 6 Lucky Landing
R3 no 6 Auspicious 2nd
R4 no 3 Gunmetal Grey 4th
R5 no 2 Mantelli
R6 no 9 Mahaleo 2nd
R7 no 3 Brave Contender
R8 no 10 Kings Sicario 3rd
R9 no 6 Rejuva King e/w.....no 2 Featherweight is the late mail

LAY BETS:
MOR R1 no 5 Neutralism Started $5. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
MOR R6 no 4 Dashing Started $2.70 Fav. Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won
HAWK R8 no 10 Never Talk Started $11. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
HAWK R9 no 3 Floating Artist Started $4.80 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
MOR R8 no 3 Non Conformist 4th
HAWK R7 no 9 Razeta 3rd

HAIL MARY BETS:
HAW R4 no 18 Bon Vivant e/w @ $7.50
HAW R5 no 9 Delacour e/w @ $22 Won $26.20
HAW R9 no 9 Jojo Was A Man e/w @ $15 3rd

Cheers' Beers

[Charles49]

Picking racehorses to win place or lose is a bit like fossicking for gold. In both instances you do your research and pick what you think is the best way forward to achieving a goal of a positive outcome. Last Saturday was one of those days where you could anticipate that results could be very much a hit and miss affair as two of the events were staged in out of city venues and that brings with it a host of unknown and unfamiliar factors. So how did we go? Well the out of town events at Mornington and Hawksbury washed their faces so no harm done there. Doomben did the same but the normally consistent Ascot venue was a washout. Lay Bets however struck gold but Best Bets eroded some of those winnings. And then in the Hail Mary Bets we struck a rich vein when Delacour saluted at $26.20...bless its little heart.
Despite my doubts Coolmeans did the right thing at Townsville on Monday saluting at the generous odds of $22 on Betfair. Trainer wasn't confident so I halved my normal bet ...but a win is a win and that means another trophy for the mantelpiece which is on its way. !! HOOFNOTE: Coolmeans had its offside rear leg stripped by another runners hoof during the race. It required bandages to stem the bleeding. The culprit?....race replay film points the finger at its stablemate!! Go figure!
Wife has Loburn Lass WON $3.30 going around at Mt Garnet on Saturday in a weak picnic race meeting so with any luck we could make it two in a row for the week. Its drawn barrier 3 in a seven horse race and at long last is running over its pet distance of 1350 meters. Track rating is a Good 4. Fingers crossed.
On Monday Australia sadly lost another jockey when Dean Holland fell shortly after entering the straight at Donald in western Victoria His mount crashed into the running rail. That brings Australia's tally to around 900 jockeys that have lost their lives in races or race related activities such as track work. Its a timely reminder that racing is a dangerous occupation. There have been several falls of late which have resulted in serious injuries to some of our prominent jockeys like Tegan Harrison, Leah Kilner, Jamie Kah, Teo Nugent, Etham Brown & Craig Williams. I was watching the race when the incident occurred and whilst the running rail was thrown in all directions it didn't look like it was anymore than a race accident. They did abandon the rest of the meeting shortly afterwards and it was later that evening that we learnt that Dean had passed away, leaving behind a wife and four children.


SANDOWN HILLSIDE: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 3 Prinzerro 2nd
R2 no 2 Sing For Peace 3rd
R4 no 3 Aiming
R6 no 3 Katsu Won $2
R8 no 1 Midnight Glow 3rd
R9 no 1 Cardinal Gem Won $3.20

ROSEHILL GARDENS: Track Soft (5) Downgraded to Heavy (8)
R1 no 1 Sovereign Fund
R2 no 1 Bianco Vilano Won $5
R3 no 13 Wrathful Won $4.50
R5 no 6 Hellfest SCR
R6 no 7 Navaho Peak 2nd

EAGLE FARM: Track Good (4)
R1 no 2 Kalapour 2nd
R2 no 16 Typhoon Taavi. 2nd...No 3 Manhood Won $4.20 is the late mail
R3 no 3 King Kapa
R4 no 4 Party For Two 4th
R7 no 6 Antino Won $1.80
R9 no 3 Kovalica Won $2.90

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 2 Leica Jaguar 2nd
R2 no 2 Bustler Won $2
R3 no 2 Cosmopolitan Girl 4th
R4 no 2 Brave Venture 2nd
R5 no 3 It'sarayday Won $3.20
R6 no 10 Pot Shot 3rd
R7 no 1 Knot Secret 4th
R8 no 6 Super Smink Won $1.25
R9 no 9 Sesswa 4th


LAY BETS:
EF R6 no 9 Baltic Coast Won $7.50 Lay Bet Lost
EF R8 no 1 Private Eye Started $2.40 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
EF R9 no 5 The Vowels Ran 3rd. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
ASC R2 no 2 Bustler Won $2
ASC R8 no 6 Super Smink Won $1.25
EAG R3 no 3 King Kapa
SAN R4 no 3 Aiming

HAIL MARY BETS:
ROSE R2 no 12 Jalmari e/w @ 42/1
ROSE R4 no 4 Cruel Summer e/w @ 25/1 Won $16.60
ROSE R5 no 9 Spiranac e/w 20/1 SCR
EF R8 no 4 Rothfire e/w @ 7/1 Won $5


Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

My pet hate in the gambling world is getting banned or excluded from bonus bets or the like by bookmaking firms. Unfortunately for me I have had an unusual sequence of good results recently and in particular with horses at 10/1 or better so that's attracted the attention of the watchdogs so like so many these days my options are now restricted and of course there is no chance I can participate when bonus bet opportunities arise. Having said that I acknowledge that Bookmakers are not in the Charity Business and if they think you are a danger to their profitability then they will take whatever action they consider necessary to protect their bottom line. Still its happened to me on at least ten occasions in recent years so if I sound a bit pissed its because I am.
Enough of the rant and onto better news.
Last week was a good week for the family with Coolmeans winning at $22 and Loburn Lass also collecting the chocolates at $3.30. Our other conveyances are looking promising so with a bit of luck there is more to come. It was nice to see the Hail Mary Bets bobbing up last Saturday with two winners, one of which paid $16.60. Lets hope there is more good news after this Saturday.
Some interesting stats re Australian horse racing. One in every 254 Aussies owns at least a part share in a racehorse. There is one AUD$1m race every four days. Prizemoney has increased 92% in the past decade and that doesn't include bonuses of AUD $92m. Little wonder horse racing here is a popular sport.
We have an unusual situation on Saturday where the Gold Coasts major meeting for the year is being transferred to the Sunshine Coast track. Reason would be that the Gold Coast track is undergoing some serious renovations so its a case of pick up the stumps and head 200k to the Sunshine Coast track on the north side of Brisbane and play on their track in lieu of the Gold Coast. Feature event is the Hollindale Stakes where AUD$500k prizemoney is up for grabs.
Do bet with care on Saturday as the city to the bush experiment occurs with both Gosford and Sunshine Coast. Past experience is that betting in these areas is not always the most fruitful in terms of profits. And if you like odd stats then Sandown has a great record for horses drawn barriers from 8 upwards.!!.


SANDOWN LAKESIDE: Track Soft (7)
R1 no 3 Hydrogen Power 4th
R2 no 1 Bay Thirteen
R4 no 3 Unflinching 3rd
R5 no 5 Cap De Joie 4th
R7 no 13 Globe Won $1.85
R9 no 12 Our Redente

GOSFORD: Track Good(4)
R4 no 8 Fall For Cindy 4th
R5 no 9 Hometruths Won $5.70
R6 no 13 Kin 2nd
R8 no 3 Thalassophile
R10 no 7 The Poacher

SUNSHINE COAST: Track Good (4)
R5 no 1 Tycoon Evie 3rd
R7 no 1 Zaaki Won $1.80
R8 no 2 Palaisipan 2nd

ASCOT: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 9 Sass Machine 2nd
R2 no 2 Rear Admiral Won
R3 no 3 Harmika Won $3.30
R4 no 1 My Fury
R5 no 3 Jadavi Won $4
R6 no 1 Savage One
R7 no 9 Arcadia Star 4th
R8 no 6 Fear The Wind Won $2.60
R9 no 8 No Dice 3rd


LAY BETS:
Sand R6 no 2 Dashing Started $3.40 Fav. Won. Lay Bet Lost
SC R8 no 5 Far Too Easy Started $3.90 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
ASC R2 no 2 Rear Admiral Won 1.70
Sand R7 no 13 Globe Won $1.85
SC R7 no 1 Zaaki Won $1.80

HAIL MARY BETS:
SC R8 no 17 Salateen e/w @ $12
Gos R3 no 7 Pad Thai e/w @ $20
Gos R6 no 3 Delacour e/w @ $16


Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

Tough gig last Saturday with just 11 winners and only 6 places. Lets hope this Saturday is better in terms of results and it would be nice to have a Hail Mary in there too. Fingers crossed. I'm busy at the moment repainting fences, external stairs, gates and walls as the wife and I prepare to leave our nest for some three months and head off on a world tour. And yes we will be in Old Blighty for a quick visit to Dover. Following our three months of touring we then go home for a short break before heading off to France for yet another World Rugby Cup. Australia have been hopeless since winning the World Cup in 1999, but the tour group always have a hard core group of regulars who are entertaining to put it mildly. And they like the odd beer or two!
Wife has Loburn Lass going around at Innisfail (RACE ABANDONED) on Saturday over 1500m. She will be within half a kilo of the top weight and the distance will test her, however she has drawn barrier one which is a big plus. Jockey won on her last time around and is keen to repeat so fingers crossed for a good result.
Here are Saturday's venues which will be followed by the early mail and then of course the late mail follows and the Still Working sign is replaced by the In Play sign which means we are then off and running. Exercise care with the Scone meeting as this is a non metropolitan meeting.
I have been toying around with AI chat bots with the hope that I can find one that can predict with some reliability the outcome of horse racing events. Whilst the ones I have used have tried hard to give good advice none of them have ventured into the field of providing a system, or method, or the like in terms of finding those elusive winners.
I'm very interested in pursuing this further so welcome any ideas, suggestions or links you may be aware of that I can pursue.
Probably wishful thinking on my part but I do like new ideas and I do find AI interesting and I like its capacity to instantly answer questions.
Good luck with your punting and may the Gods Of Odds be kind to you.


FLEMINGTON: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 1 Scheelite Won $4.90
R3 no 9 Party For One Won $3.30
R4 no 17 Altivo Won $2
R6 no 4 D'Jumbuck 2nd
R7 no 10 White Marlin. 2nd..danger is No 17 Lunar Flare Won $6
R9 no 2 Airman Won $3.70

SCONE: Track Good (4)
R2 no 4 What A Peach 2nd
R3 no 4 Wrathful 4th
R10 no 4 Soami


DOOMBEN: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 11 Self Indulgent 2nd
R8 no 8 Giga Kick Won $1.80
R9 no 10 Siege

BELMONT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 8 Petula Won $2
R2 no 3 Lucky Landing
R3 no 3 Rusty Dreams Won $2
R4 no 9 First Encounter Won $2
R5 no 1 Thorogood
R6 no 9 Mack Mack
R7 no 4 Catalpa
R8 no 3 Dom To Shoot
R9 no 1 It's Sarayday


LAY BETS:
Flem: R8 no 7 Outlaw's Revenge Started $4.10 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
Doom R2 no 3 Count Da Beans Ran equal 3rd. Lay Bet Won
Doom R7 no 5 Stroke Of Luck Started $3.70 Fav. Ran 3rd. Lay Bet Won
Doom R8 no 2 Mazu Started 3rd Fav. Ran 3rd. Lay Bet Won
Doom R8 no 9 Aft Cabin Started 2nd Fav. Ran Unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
BR8 no 8 Giga Kick Won $1.80
BEL R7 no 4 Catalpa

HAIL MARY BETS:
Doom R5 no 2 Sovereign Fund e/w @ $12
Flem R3 no 17 Tick Tock Lady @ $16
Flem R5 no 1 Russian Dancer e/w @ 7.50 3rd
Flem R9 no 5 Redzoust e/w @ $20


Cheers'n'Beers

Please Gamble Responsibly.

[filthy_muck]

I'm a keen follower of your selections Charles but was heavily cruelled by the go slow on your horse Coolmeans a couple of weeks back. Worked the market heavily and got smashed in the race when it saluted. Someone knew it was going OK because it was backed in from 36 on BFair ( I know I laid it! ) and into 22 when they started.
I guess you gotta lose sometime to appreciate the wins.

So minus a kidney, I'm over the pain and back in business.

cheers,

Filthy.

[Charles49]

Yes there is quite a story behind Coolmeans. Unbeknown to us (and apparently the trainer too) the horse pulled a back muscle and then went onto run two duckeggs. The vet was eventually summoned and discovered the out of place muscle and managed to manipulate it back into place. The horse had a short spell and it was evident after another vet check that it was back to normal. In its comeback race it drew the pole and was expected to run well however there were some doubts as it had missed a trial, hence the reason I halved my normal bet. I don't have any firsthand stable info as the horse is trained in Townsville and I live in Brisbane and that's a separation distance of some 1350 klms. Having said that I do get a weekly report which is the norm for this and other horses that the wife and family own. Its actually been a good horse to us as its won two races one at $22 and the other at $10.50.
I had a horse with the same stable a while ago by the name of Belfast Lass and the stable were confident it would run okay in a local Townsville race. The odds in the early market were $82 on BF however it wasn't long before it dropped to $21. It ran second but missing out on the better price is never an easy pill to swallow. So I guess the moral of the story is if you see one of the stable conveyances firm sharply in the market then clearly that's a signal of great expectations.
Very nice of course to hear from you once again particularly as you were one of the original group of Geekstoy members.
Please look after your surviving kidney and I wish you well with your punting investments.
Kind regards and best wishes,
Charles.

[Charles49]

My rain gauge reading for the past 48 hours here in Brisbane recorded 100ml of rain. That's a decent amount for a city that normally has around 325 days of sunshine per year so when it does rain here it generally comes down in bucket loads. To put it into perspective Brisbane has an annual rainfall around 1200mm. Its still raining as I write so its likely that over a 60 hour period we will receive 10% of our annual rainfall inside two and half days.! Needless to say racing here for the next few days will be undertaken on heavy tracks!!
Last Saturday produced some highs and lows with standout results from Flemington and the Lay Bets. The rest were disappointing particularly Belmont, which is normally an okay place to find winners at a reasonably consistent rate and price.
Received a flyer this week which read "The Australian yearling market is worth over A$565 million and has a clearance rate of 86%, giving pinhookers every chance of turning a profit" What caught my eye was the word "pinhookers" so I had to resort to Google to find out what pinhookers are. The definition refers to folk who buy yearlings with the intention of on selling for a profit. Is it worthwhile becoming a pinhooker? Apparently so as a Hellbent x Kyoto Moon filly bought by a pinhooker for A$50,000 was onsold for A$220,000.
Have a horse in the form of Screatch nominated for a Provincial Maiden at Gosford next Thursday 25th May( Scr )Prizemoney is $45K so its worthwhile having a crack. Will be interesting to see what barrier he draws and who gets the mount. Tough race but well worth a shot at the stumps here!
For those of you who like poetry here is a short poem about Horse Racing in Oz.

" In Oz they know their horse racing,
Its a passion that's forever embracing.
The thrill of the chase, the glory and fame,
Its a sport that will always reign."

Good luck with your investments and may the punting gods be kind to your wallet.


FLEMINGTON: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 1 Le Zebra Won $4.80
R2 no 6 Free Willed 4th
R6 no 11 Altivo
R7 no 5 Renosu 3rd

ROSEHILL GARDENS: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 2 Celestial Legend Won $2.90
R2 no 13 Diamond Diesel 2nd
R5 no 2 Tradition

DOOMBEN: Track Soft (6)
R5 no 4 Golden Boom Won $1.90
BR7 no 1 Zaaki

BELMONT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 1 Krysanova 4th
R2 no 2 Arnie's Boy 3rd
R3 no 3 Fear The Wind Won $2
R4 no 3 Rear Admiral 3rd
R5 no 1 Vane Tempest
R6 no 8 Devine Belief Won $3.10
R7 no 1 No Change
R8 no 2 Keep Attacking
R9 no 10 Debonnaire


LAY BETS:
ROSE R6 no 5 Rediener Started $2.10 Fav. Won. Lay Bet Lost
FLEM R4 No 16 Tapa Capall Started $4 eq Fav. Ran Unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
BR5 no 4 Golden Boom Won $1.90
BR7 no 1 Zaaki

HAIL MARY BETS:
BEL R5 no 1 Vane Tempest e/w @ $10
DOOM R7 no 3 Huetor e/w @ $12 Won $11
DOOM R7 no 7 Non Conformist e/w @$21
ROSE R4 no 8 Mars Mission e/w @ $9


Cheers 'n' Beers
Please gamble responsibly!

[Charles49]

Nice win by Huetor @ $11 was the highlight last Saturday on a day of few highlights. But is onward and upward as we advance yet again into another weekend of racing. My little fellow Skreatch was supposed to start in a race at Gosford on the 25th however the trainer has found an alternative at Lismore on Friday 26th so it will contest what looks like an easier event and with a top jock on board in Ben Looker. It's drawn the outside barrier in a field now down to 5 after scratchings. Small field size means even if it runs last it will pick up A$975 in prizemoney Ran 5th!. Still I fancy its in with a rough chance so some of my hard earned will be on top. Also have Coolmeans nominated for a Class 3 race at Townsville on Tuesday over 1200m which should suit. Fingers crossed!!
Good luck with your investments..


SANDOWN HILLSIDE: Track Soft (6)
R3 no 3 Belle Savoir
R6 no 7 Katsu 3rd
R9 no 2 Gunstuck

ROYAL RANDWICK: Track Soft(5)
R1 no 5 Vomo Island 3rd
R2 no 8 Demitasse Won $5.80
R5 no 4 Kazou 3rd
R7 no 14 Iowna Merc Won $4
R8 no 5 Fox Fighter
R9 no 14 Democracy Manifest
R10 no 13 Shipshape

EAGLE FARM: Track Good (4)
R1 no 12 Kinetic
R2 no 1 Antino Won $2.90
R3 no 4 Kalapour 3rd
R4 no 13 Luncies 2nd
R5 no 8 Hawaii Five Oh Won $4.60
R6 no 2 Chrysaor 3rd
R7 no 1 Kovalica Won $2

BELMONT: Track Good(4)
R1 no 2 Zing To Win
R2 no 4 Supersession 3rd
R3 no 7 Playz With Fire
R4 no 1 Ginger Baker Won $5.40
R5 no 3 Category Three Won $3.30
R6 no 1 Catalpa Won $2.20
R7 no 1 Cobbanco
R9 no 13 Rokanori

LAY BETS:
SAN R3 no 1 Good And Proper Started $3.70 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
SAN R5 no 3 Euphoric Started 2nd Fav. Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
BR7 no 1 Kovalica Won $2
SAN R6 no 7 Katsu 3rd
BEL R2 no 4 Supersession 3rd


HAIL MARY BETS:
SAN R3 no 2 Lacrima e/w @ $8
BEL R9 no 6 Multinational e/w @ $8



Cheers'n'Beers
Please Gamble Responsibly!

[Charles49]

Well guys this will be the last post from me for a few months. Time to start inhaling some fresh sea air and visiting places where I have never been. If I survive then I will resume sometime in the near future.
Thanks to those who have frequented this site from time to time for your comments and suggestions....they have been very much appreciated.
Here are the early venues for Saturday..... selections will follow shortly.
Best wishes to you all and may the Punting Gods find plenty of future winners for you.

FEMINGTON: Track Soft (7)
R3 no 3 Party For One Won $2.70
R8 no 1 King Marcus Won $7.60

ROSEHILL: Track Good (4)
R5 no 1 Grebeni Won $5
R6 no 2 Spirit Ridge
R7 no 3 Devil's Throat Won $4.10
R8 no 7 Alcyone

EAGLE FARM: Track Good (4)
R7 no 4 Quantico
R8 no 3 Renaissance Woman 4th
R9 no 12 Red Card Won $3.90


BELMONT: Track Soft (6)
R1 no 2 Ruby Noir
R2 no 7 Duchess of Gossip Won $2.20
R3 no 1 Sass Machine
R4 no 4 Ultimate Command Won $6.40
R5 no 2 Catalpa 2nd
R6 no 3 Fear The Wind Won $2.20
R7 no 2 Snowdome 3rd
R8 no 6 Rare Encounter
R9 no 6 Featherweight
R10 no 5 Rusty Dreams 2nd
R11 no 3 Cash Away


LAY BETS:
MR2 no 3 D'Aguilar Started $4.20 Fav. Ran 3rd. Lay Bet Won
MR4 no 9 Legio Ten Started $3.40 Fav. Won. Lay Bet Lost
MR7 no 14 Shaiyhar Started $4 Fav. Won. Lay Bet Lost.

BEST BETS:
ROSE R7 no 3 Devil's Throat Won $4.10
FLEM R3 no 3 Party For One Won $2.70

HAIL MARY BETS:
EF R7 no 11 Clemenceau e/w @ $13 4th
EF R9 no 16 Queen Assassin e/w @ 66/1



Cheers 'n' Beers
Please Gamble Responsibly