Horse Racing in OZ

[Bog]

Hi Charles. Antartica! It's sound like it's on another planet )
The only penguins I saw or a live volcano, was in BBC documentaries ) It must be an amazing experience to see penguins in their natural environment.
Does Antartica has any traditional gastronomy, did you eat something special?

How much do Antarctica cruises departing from Australia cost?

Three-week cruises cost around AUD 25,000 for a mid-range ship (like the Akademik Shokalsky) and up to AUD 47,700 for a luxury option like the Crystal Endeavour.
https://www.chimuadventures.com/blog...tica-australia

Good luck with your bets/trades in 2023!

[Charles49]

Well the big trip to the bottom of the Earth is now done and dusted. It was my second Antarctic experience having visited West Antarctica for about 10 days some nine years ago. If you want to know anything about penguin colonies...how they are faring...which ones are likely to be extinct in the next few years (Yellow eyed penguins) and which ones are in danger (Emperor) and which ones are on the increase and why (Adelie) just add a comment below and I'll give you the information. In summary I spent four weeks tramping around Sub Antarctic islands and Antarctica, and travelled as far south as one can reasonably go. If you look at a map and locate McMurdo Sound Base on it then that's as far south as I went. The base has a nice neighbour in Mt Erebus on Ross Island which quietly puffs away smoke every minute or so and of course it was the volcanic mountain where New Zealand Flight 901 sadly flew into killing 257 passengers and crew in 1979.
If you are into penguins then news about the Adelie's is contrary to what has been predicted. Some of the colonies are a million plus birds and most had two chicks (and even 3 in some cases) that the parents were feeding. This suggests that food resources are good as it was noted that they seemed to be eating more krill than fish suggesting that krill numbers in Antarctic waters have increased.
But enough of the Antarctica rant...its back to the serious business of picking winners.
Good mate of mine has interests in Tuvalu and Corner Pocket both of whom go around at Sandown on Saturday. Tuvalu is arguably one of the most consistent conveyances racing as it just doesn't know how to not run a place or win!. Fingers crossed it continues the good form on Saturday.
The selections for Saturday's races will go up progressively as the early selections followed by the late mail and then the late late mail picks at which point the "Still Working" sign is removed, the "In Play" sign goes up, and we are off and running.

SANDOWN:
R1 no 6 So Unusual Won $4
R4 no 1 Charm Stone
R5 no 9 She Dances
R7 no 3 Tuvalu.......Late mail suggests no 1 I'm Thunderstruck 4th has a sound chance here
R8 no 5 Corner Pocket

RANDWICK:
R5 no 3 Gravina 3rd
R7 no 1 In Secret..Won $2.20.late mail gives strong chance to no 11 Sunshine in Paris 2nd
R8 no 1 Anamoe Won $1.80
R10 no 4 Waterford

DOOMBEN:
R3 no1 Tidal Creek 2nd
R4 no 3 Major Artie 4th
R5 no 3 Bold and Lucy 2nd

ASCOT:
R1 no 4 If I Din Havadime
R2 no1 Ain't No Other Man 3rd
R3 no 5 Fly Away Home 4th
R4 no 1 Casino Seventeen Won $1.80
R5 no 1 Acromantula 2nd
R6 no 10 Gage Roads
R7 no 2 All The King's Men
R8 no 8 My Bella Mae Won $2.10
R9 no 6 Madam Kisses 3rd

LAY BETS:
MR3 no 1 Barber Won $4.20. Lay Bet Lost
MR5 no 13 Dusse Started Eq Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
BR3 no 1 Tidal Creek 2nd
SR7 no 1 In Secret Won $2.20
SR8 no 1 Anamoe Won $1.80

HAIL MARY BETS:
MR7 no 6 Aegon e/w @ $26
SR7 no 7 Revolutionary Miss e/w @ $35
SR8 no 10 Icebath e/w @ $20

Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

Santa was kind to us this year with last weeks picks resulting in 17 wins. Best winner was Magnum Bullet which paid $9.60 for the win. If you had backed all of the win selections for $1 each then your return would have topped $60. If you are new to this site that's not the normal so don't expect similar returns this Saturday. The Punting Gods have their ways of levelling out the playing fields so expect a tough grind and be thankful for the odd good days when the Punting Gods do smile down upon us.
This Saturday will be the last for Horse Racing in Oz for 2022 and I hope that 2023 is a very good year for Geek's Toy members and supporters. I will be taking a well deserved break after this post for around 5 weeks (my wife thinks otherwise!) as I'm heading off again to Antarctica to say gidday to the penguins. Imho its the greatest place on Planet Earth and I'm keen to visit areas in Antarctica where I haven't been before.
If there is nothing on here after six weeks then you know I have been swallowed up by a crevasse, or have fallen off a glacier, or the boat has sunk during a storm, or has reenacted the Titanic tragedy by hitting an iceberg.!
Do have one runner this weekend and that's Vanilli who will go around at Inverell on Sunday. (Drew the car park so its a non runner) Tried to buy a share in Alpha Go recently which goes around in Race 7, the 1400m Inverell Cup race, however was outbidded !!. Think its a big chance in the race and worth a couple of bob each way.
Hope you have a winning day and best wishes for 2023.

RANDWICK: Track Good (4)
R1 no 9 Infatuation Won $3.80
R3 no 2 Garza Blanca 2nd
R5 no 8 Italian Informant
R8 no 12 Vowmaster 4th
R9 no 6 Canadian Dancer 3rd

MOONEE VALLEY: Track Good(4)
R1 no 1 Croatian Belle Won $2.50
R3 no 3 Meiner Legacy Won $4.50
R6 no 6 Riot and Rose.....4th..........Verona No 5 is the late mail
R7 no 14 River Noire Won $3.40


DOOMBEN: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 6 Hold On Honey 3rd
R2 no 2 Sovereign Fund Won $2
R3 no 2 Antino Won $1.70
R4 no 13 Ayahuasca
R7 no 8 Brigantine 4th
R8 no 3 Sneaky Five 3rd
R9 no 6 Orbisyn 3rd

PINJARRA PARK: Track Good (4)
R1 no 3 Ruler Rocket Won $1.95
R2 no 7 Pennies Galore Won $3.80
R3 no 3 King Hallowell .. 3rd...No 1 Salary Man 2nd is a strong tip here
R4 no 10 Bergamo
R5 no 4 Miss Intention Won $6.40
R6 no 4 Rockstar Status 2nd
R7 no 2 Trade War
R8 no 8 Sunny Honey Won $2.20


LAY BETS:
MV R3 no 8 Look Sharpish Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
SR8 no 8 Stromboli Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
Doom R4 no 7 Renouf Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
BR1 no 6 Hold On Honey 3rd
BR2 no 2 Sovereign Fund Won $2

HAIL MARY BETS:
MV R6 no 1 Night Passage e/w @ $14
MV R9 no 11 Devils Fiddle e/w @ $12
SR 7 no 12 Youthfull e/w @ $17

Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

Think I should take a holiday more often if last Saturday's results were any indication. We managed to find 12 winners including the FIFA World Cup winner and the best part was that two winners were at odds of $11.00 and $12.50. Also nice to see every race pick at Ascot resulted in a win or place return.
Funny story is my son rang early on Sunday to give me the news that he had three tickets to the cricket Test match Aus v South Africa on Monday and they were in the members area and he would be there at sparrow fart to ensure the wife and I had front window seating positions. Of course the match didn't last two full days so no cricket on Monday!!.
Well the good times are continuing. On Tuesday at Race 5 at Scone I had a Hail Mary bet on Behind the Storm @40/1. It missed the kick and looked like running last but somehow it found the energy to fly home at a rate of knots. You can watch the replay here....just scroll down to Race 5 and press the button for a full race replay.
https://mdata.racingnsw.com.au/FreeF...ec20,NSW,Scone
Good luck with your investments.
I'm off to a Christmas party today so balance of results update will occur either later today or am tomorrow!!


MOONEE VALLEY: Track Good(4)
R2 no 4 Forbidden City Won $3.30
R3 no 3 Inundation Won $2.40
R5 no 1 Right You Are Won $3
R6 no 13 Pitchanun 3rd
R9 no 4 Magnum Bullet Won $9.60

RANDWICK: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 1 Empire of Japan 3rd
R3 no 2 Estadio Mestalla Won $3.50
R4 no 2 Salire...3rd....late mail gives no 7 Proverbial 2nd a chance at odds
R6 no 4 Just A Jedi 3rd
R7 no 6 Democracy Manefest 3rd
R10 no 7 Kalino Won $7.10

DOOMBEN: Track Soft (5)
R2 no 2 Greek Hero Won $3.50
R3 no 1 Soothsayer Won $3.20
R4 no 6 Hidden Wealth Won $2.60
R5 no 6 Miss Coota


ASCOT: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 1 Sky Duke 4th
R2 no 4 Currimundi 3rd
R3 no 2 Cash Away 2nd
R4 no 1 Big Bada Boom 3rd
R5 no 3 Real Danger Won $6.20
R7 no 9 Burnya To Survive Won $2.25
R8 no 8 Coolth 4th
R9 no 9 The Velvet Queen Won $4.70


LAY BETS:
MV R7 no 5 Riverplate Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won
MV R8 no 4 Wertheimer Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
SR 6 no 1 King of Clubs Started Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

BEST BETS:
BR3 no 1 Soothsayer Won $3.20
BR5 no 6 Miss Coota

LATE LATE MAIL:
MV R2 no 6 Sigourney
SR 8 no 14 Sunshine in Paris Won $2.50

Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

Thanks Firke...Its been a long time between drinks so very nice to hear from you and see you are still in the Geeks Toy club! Best wishes for a successful 2023 on the punt and I hope you back plenty of long priced winners. Kind regards to you and Mrs Firke and family. Cheers and Beers.

[Firkinelle]

Pleased you enjoyed your trip, yes poms do see sporting events as an excuse to partake in alcohol.

[Charles49]

Well I have had my trip to Tasmania and I must say it was a good one. Enjoyed sailing in an old three master vessel along with trips to the old penal colonies at Port Arthur and Sarah Island on the rugged west coast. As you probably know Australia was populated by settlers and ex convicts from the United Kingdom which probably explains a lot about our loutish and loud behaviors (!!), particularly at sporting matches where there is plenty of alcohol. Mind you I have met plenty of poms who are equal in terms of behavior and consumption of the cold stuff so we are not alone in that department.
Racing has been fairly ordinary of late as we suffer thru that period of doldrums that always occur after the Spring Carnival. Lets hope that we can find some of those elusive winners for you this Saturday..
On a personal note its been a quite time for the family stable with just Coastal Raider running 5th on debut. Loburn Lass will be back next week and Coolmeans shortly thereafter. New addition Skreatch is itching to get a start and Strawberry Lady is ready to chase some of the nice prizemoney and bonus monies that will appear shortly. Also Vanilli has now joined the stable and she is having a short rest before she races again. Fingers crossed they can earn their keep in 2023!!
On a different subject our TV screens here have been dominated by Netflix's series on Harry & Meagan. The impression here is that they are that they are whingers. The segment being aired here showed Harry & Meagan complaining about the cottage that they were provided with inside Buckingham Palace. Harry said the ceilings were too low and it was too old and unsuitable for them. Its a long time since I was in London but when I was there the cost of accommodation in London was skyrocket high for even a room the size of a broom closet, so free accommodation inside Buckingham Palace in the form of a detached cottage must be an absolute bonus and no one in their right mind would look a gift horse in the mouth...well maybe Harry & Meagan are exceptions!! Cant wait to hear what opinion Piers Morgan has on this subject!!
Many thanks to Firkinelle for his message. Firke is one of the originals on here (we both joined in 2009!) so its always nice when one of the original members of Geeks Toy sends thru a note. Of course anyone is welcome to comment on here at anytime and I do welcome suggestions, general comments and feedback.
Hope your punting Bank returns a positive dividend this weekend and for the record I have backed Argentina Won to win the Cup.


FLEMINGTON: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 4 She Dances... Won $11 .late mail suggests no 12 River Niore 2nd
R2 no 7 Cotel 3rd
R4 no 8 Blushing Tycoon 4th
R7 no 6 Rose Quartz 4th
R8 no 5 Poland.. 3rd...no 11 Night Passage is the late each way mail.

RANDWICK: Track Good (4)
R1 no 3 Snapback 2nd
R3 no 5 With Your Blessing Won $3.70
R5 no 6 Alpha One
R7 no 8 Camaguey
R9 no 5 I Am Me Won $2.35

EAGLE FARM: Track Good (4)
R1 no 1 Coco Rox
R5 no 1 Kovalica Won
R7 no 1 Emerald Kingdom
R8 no 4 Golden Boom 2nd
R9 no 3 Mass Destruction

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 2 Salary Man 3rd
R2 no 6 Shell Bell Won $2.40
R3 no 1 Vane Tempest 3rd
R4 no 8 Halatorian Won $12.50
R5 no 3 Revitup 3rd
R6 no 6 Alsephina Won $2.15
R7 no 7 Queen Alina Won $2.25
R8 no 10 Steinem.. 2nd.late mail gives no 7 God Has Chosen an each way chance here at odds
R9 no 3 Trade War 2nd


LAY BETS:
MR6 no 1 Persan Won $2.70. Lay Bet Lost
MR7 no 2 Esta La Roca Started 2nd Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
(Hail Mary Bets!!)
SR3 no 9 Major Murphy e/w @$35
MR9 no 1 Commander Harry e/w @$22


BEST BETS:
EF R5 no 1 Kovalica Won
EF R8 no 4 Golden Boom 2nd

[Charles49]

The good news is that the silly season is all but concluded here in Oz and normality returns to metropolitan racing. Well almost. The only exception is Brisbane where there is no metro meeting on Saturday.....closest racing is at the Gold Coast where they race every Saturday of the year. Lets hope that the return to normality heralds in some winners as these have been hard to find of late. Has been a lean period also for our family racing team with little action in the past month or so. Loburn Lass will be back shortly after a refresher and we also have Coastal Raider joining the ranks and it will have its first race at Gosford next Wednesday if it survives the ballot. It won a trial recently so should perform well. A long time mate of mine has Miss Antarctica running on Friday night at the Sunshine Coast in Race 3. Currently its 33/1 and he is keen on its chances as its drawn the pole.
I'm enjoying watching the World Cup matches in Qatar at the moment with the exception of the team protests about issues that are non soccer matters. There is a time and place for everything and a World Cup stadium is where you go to see the best players and teams displaying their finest skills with the round ball. Interestingly teams that have protested issues, like Germany for example, have been very ordinary when it comes to results. Perhaps there is a message there!!
Best racing in Oz this Saturday is at Ascot where the Group 1 WFA Winterbottom Stakes will be contested for $1.5m in prizemoney. May the punting gods be kind to you.

There will no tips for Next Saturdays meeting as the wife and I are off to Tasmania to sample some cold mountain air and hopefully a bit of their extraordinary fine Scotch. All going well it will be business as usual on the following Saturday.

CAULFIELD: Track Good (4)
R3 no 7 Jigsaw Won $4.60
R4 no 3 Naiconi 2nd is the late mail
R5 no 8 Norwegian Bliss 2nd
R7 no 9 Luncies 2nd
R8 no 13 See You In Heaven Won $4.80
R9 no 2 Belle Plasir is the late mail

ROSEHILL: Track Good (4)
R6 no 1 Dream Runner 2nd
R7 no 14 Steely
R8 no 1 Sunshine Rising 4th
R9 no 6 Najmaty

GOLD COAST: Track Good (4)
R2 no 5 Mighty Won $2.15
R3 no 3 Drive a Deel
R6 no 9 Liza With a Zee 3rd

ASCOT: Track Soft (6)
R1 no 7 Revitup Won $2.90
R2 no 11 Rumour Says
R3 no 1 Talk it Up
R4 no 11 The Velvet Queen Won $5
R5 no 1 Oly"s Choice
R6 no 2 Saintorio Won $3.40
R7 no 14 Pure Devotion
R9 no 8 Billy Ray 3rd


LAY BETS:
Caul R1 no 10 Remedies Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
Ascot R8 no 1 Rothfire Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
MR8 no 2 Sandpaper e/w @ $16
MR9 no 5 Mac 'n' Cheese e/w @ $10
SR9 no 9 Surreal Step e/w @ $67

BEST BETS:
GC. R2 no 5 Mighty Won $2.15
ASC R7 no 14 Pure Devotion

Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

I really do hate it when city racing goes to the bush which occurred last Saturday. Why? Well simply because my past records show that I invariably lose. I blame the fact that all of the good horses have spent their all in trying to acquire their share of the big pots of money that exist as part of Spring Racing and once the curtain comes down on the Carnival all we are left with are the wannabees that couldn't make the grade. And yes there was just winner out of the eight selections for Newcastle and Cranbourne last Saturday and that was just short of 2/1. So time to dust off the history lesson here and concentrate on finding some winners for this Saturdays program, despite the fact that history is against us and we have to contend with another day of bush racing.
Lets hope for a speedy return to city racing so our results improve. .
News this morning here is that Qatar has banned the sale of alcohol at the stadiums that are hosting FIFA games. Qatar is an alcohol free country although you can buy alcohol there under a permit system if you are a non resident. Its a fascinating country but I'm not sure the owners of Budweiser will be happy with the decision as they are a long standing sponsor of beer to FIFA games which I think they pay around US $75 million for the exclusive rights. Qatar's temperature at this stage of the year is around 30C to 33C so a nice coldie would go down well. Bud Zero anyone? Despite this I have high hopes the World Cup will be a resounding success because Qatar does produce some outstanding achievements when it comes to design and construction and they are very efficient and effective in any project or event that they do.
Here are todays selections....do bet with care as the form is suspect due to the non metropolitan courses, with the exception of Ascot, where they do have at least 2 Group races and a normal program.


BALLARAT: Track Soft(7)
R1 no 6 Hypothetical Won $2.30
R2 no 2 El Padrino...no 3 Deekay is the late mail
R5 no 17 Our Redente Won $8.65
R7 no 1 Direct Won $5.50
R8 no 3 Artisu 2nd
R9 no 5 Nicolini Vito 4th
R10 no 1 Detonator Jack 2nd

KEMBLA GRANGE: Track Good (4)
R1 no 6 Lady Kah
R3 no 10 Just A Jedi
R6 no 14 Able Willie
R8 no 9 Sky Lab


SUNSHINE COAST: Track Good(4)
R1 no 5 On The Amazon
R2 no 9 Hillcrest Avenue
R3 no 2 Soothsayer Won $2.55
R4 no 2 Jackalberry Finn
R5 no 6 Golden Boom Won
R6 no 9 Logan Street Lion 4th
R7 no 9 Je Suis Belle 3rd


ASCOT: Track Good(4)
R1 no 4 I'm On
R2 no 4 Zadar Rock
R3 no 7 Lexington City
R4 no 5 Alsephina Won $3.20
R5 no 13 Baby Paris. 2nd...no 5 Sniparoochy Won $2.50 is the late mail
R6 no 7 Devoted
R7 no 15 Amelia's Jewel Won $2.20
R8 no 10 Karli's Karma...no 7 Alaskan God is the late mail
R9 no 7 Crescent City 4th

LAY BETS:
ASCOT R7 no 6 Bustler Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won
BALL R9 no 15 Do Ya Punk Started Fav. Ran 2nd. Lay Bet Won


LATE LATE MAIL:
BALL R1 no 11 Defining @ $5.50 e/w 3rd
BALL R10 no 14 Night Passage e/w @$20 Late Scr
KG R 7 no 11 A Very Fine Red e/w @ $6


BEST BETS:
ASCOT R7 no 15 Amelia's Jewel Won $2.20
BALL R10 no 1 Detonator Jack 2nd (should blow them away!)

Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

It feels like the aftermath of a hangover here after the Melbourne Cup heralded the end of the Spring Racing Carnival. But its onward and upward even though the release of the fields for Saturday are unusually slow at this point in time so perhaps the hangover is an ongoing reality. And now that they are out we have racing in Victoria and New South Wales off to the bush. Well Cranbourne is not really in the bush but it is 43klm south east of Melbourne's CBD and Newcastle is 159klm from Sydney. Bet with caution at these venues as Cranbourne is a tricky track and city form doesn't always easily translate when you float your horses into new environments. Newcastle is an excellent course, very wide and roomy however the form here doesn't always favour favorites.
Venues for Saturday's racing are now up as they have been revealed, and this will be followed by the early selections on Friday. Normally at this time of the year I'm swimming laps and just generally mucking around in the pool. However this year the water temperature has dropped to just 21deg Celsius compared to the normal, which is around 26deg. That's about a 25% decrease so we are living in strange times. The good news is the weather forecast is for good, warm and maybe even some hot days ahead. Bet our lot don't mention that at the COP's Conference in Egypt!!.

CRANBOURNE: Track Good(4)
R1 no 4 Roussilon 4th
R2 no 2 Dunkel 2nd
R3 no 3 Kissinger Won $2.90
R4 no 4 Greece 2nd
R5 no 5 She's All Class
R9 no 2 Arran Bay

NEWCASTLE:Track Good(4)
R3 no 2 Short Shorts 4th
R7 no 6 Kazalark 2nd

DOOMBEN: Track Soft (5)
R1 no 2 Abounding 3rd
R2 no 3 Otyrar Won
R3 no 6 Zingalong 3rd
R5 no 4 Drive A Deel Won


ASCOT: Track Good(4)
R1 no 11 Sweet Tea 4th
R2 no 5 Stellar Vista
R3 no 1 Oly's Choice
R4 no 2 It's Sarayday 4th
R5 no 5 Buster Bash Won $3.40
R6 no 1 Laced Up Heels 2nd
R7 no 1 Elite Street 4th
R8 no 9 All Show
R9 no 10 Devoted 3rd


LAY BETS:
CRAN R6 no 7 Brayden Star Won $3.60. Lay Bet Lost
NEW R7 no 3 Saveadateforme Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
NEW R8 no 17 Brutality e/w @ $20
NEW R9 no 6 Super Strike e/w @$34 4th
CRAN R8 no 4 He's A Balter e/w @ $20

BEST BETS:
BR1 no 2 Abounding 3rd
BR2 no 3 Otyrar Won


Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

Well the Melbourne Cup, Australia's longest running Cup race has been won and run. Congratulations to anyone who backed Gold Trip at the lovely price of $22. Our Melbourne Cup advice above managed to pick the first four from two tipsters pick of four chances each. Its a hard race to get a positive result in so to pick the winner two years in a row is nice. But that's history now so lets concentrate on finding you a winner or two from Saturdays racing. One of the best races on Saturday's card is the Darley Champions Sprint worth a cool $3m AUD in prizemoney. The old champion is Nature Strip (considered by many to be one of the world's best sprinters) is pitched against up and coming champs in the form of Giga Kick and Bella Nipotina. Should be a great race to watch.
Here are the venues, which will be followed by the early selections, then the late mail, and finally the Late Late Mail will go up and then shortly after that the IN PLAY sign and we are off and running.

FLEMINGTON: Track Soft (5)
R3 no 3 Angry Skies
R4 no 11 Soulcombe Won $3.60
R5 no 4 Atishu Won $3.10
R6 no 1 Nature Strip 2nd
R7 no 2 Private Eye
R8 no 7 Anamoe 4th
R9 no 6 Taunting


ROSEHILL: Track Good (4)
R2 no 8 Brazen Impact
R4 no 7 Naval Seal
R6 no 1 Barber.. Won $7..no 12 Infatuation 2nd is the late mail each way
R7 no 1 Electric Girl 4th
R9 no 4 I Am Me Won $2.20


DOOMBEN: Track Soft (6)
R2 no 3 Hatchet 2nd
R4 no 6 Clairvue Molly 3rd
R5 no 2 Applications
R6 no 9 Rations 3rd
R7 no 8 Turn On The Charm
R8 no 4 Be Water My Friend
R9 no 4 Ulysses 3rd

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 1 Brave Halo Won
R2 no 2 Prawns Eleven 2nd
R3 no 3 Tri For Us 3rd
R4 no 8 Kosta's Crown 3rd
R5 no 1 Snowdome 4th
R6 no 4 Henchard....no 11 Lord Gannicus is the late mail
R7 no 12 Above The Peg.....no 14 Swear to God is the late mail
R8 no 8 God Has Chosen....no 5 Resortman 3rd is the late mail
R9 no 16 Zephyra

LAY BETS:
MR2 no 8 Aesop Started $3.10 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won
MR5 no 8 Dynasties Ran unplaced. Lay Bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
MR7 no 8 Tuvalu e/w @$10 2nd
SR7 no 11 More Secrets e/w @ $41 3rd

BEST BETS:
MR6 no 1 Nature Strip 2nd
Mr8 no 7 Anamoe 4th

Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

Well it's that time of the racing calendar in Oz where the race that stops a nation takes center stage. The time honoured Melbourne Cup run over a distance of 3200m is a grueling affair for horse, jockey, and punters alike. It truly is the race here that stops a nation and brings out the once a year punters and tens of thousands of office sweeps right across the nation. Its not a public holiday outside of Victoria however good luck trying to find a public servant or office worker at their normal desk...they would have gone to long lunch and wont be back on deck until the following day when the sun has risen and the headaches from the day before have subsided. The field has a capacity of 24 runners and the favourite this year is the international visitor Deauville Legend which I'm sure many on here would know a lot about and its performance deeds to date. The race has been run on the first Tuesday of November since 1861.
Prizemoney this year is AUD $7,750,000 and the most winning barrier to date has been barrier 5.
For those who like a punt on the other races on the card I will shortly post the early selections, followed by the updates on raceday. I have also included tips from Horse Racing Australia (Garry Robinson) who have a sound record of finding Cup winners at good prices over a number of years. Weather at the track is overcast.
She who must be obeyed has Strawberry Lady going around at Grafton Race 5 on Wednesday. This is its first start and expectations are not high as she is a very flighty and nervous type and therefore this is a suck it and see race. On the plus side she has drawn well in barrier 6 and has top jockey Matty McGuren on top.
Good luck with your Cup Day investments.
UPDATE: The eastern Australian seaboard is experiencing heavy rainfalls. The Weather Bureau predicts 95% chance of rain at Flemington Racecourse this afternoon. Expectations are that favourite Deauville Legend will go out in the market and those with good wet form like Montefilia will shorten.

MELBOURNE CUP SELECTIONS: (Charles49)............................. MELBOURNE CUP SELECTIONS (Horse Racing Australia)

1. Deauville Legend....4th...................................... .... .......................... 1. Montefilia
2. Without A Fight............................................. .... .................................2. Emissary 2nd
3. Gold Trip ........Won $22.......................................... ...........................3. High Emocean 3rd
4. Montefilia .................................................. .... ....................................4.. Stockman

First Four Numbers were 1,17,22 & 8 i.e Gold Trip, Emissary, High Emocean & Deauville Legend (which were picked above in 7 separate selections). If you had boxed these as a First Four bet then you would have collected the first four divvy which paid $102,785.00. The boxed trifecta paid $16,494.00.

FLEMINGTON: Track Soft(7)
R1 no 1 Zulfigar
R2 no 7 White Marlin Won $2.70
R3 no 3 Criminal Code.....No 10 The Cunning Fox is the late mail
R4 no 12 Quang Tri
R5 no 16 Xtravagant Star
R6 no 4 Noname Lane
R7 no 8 Deauville Legend. 4th...no 4 Montefilia is the late mail
R8 no 13 Detonator Jack Won $8...no 12 Night Passage is the late mail
R9 no 5 Heresy
R10 no 11 Zeuthus

MELB CUP SPECULATIONS: (For those who like Hail Mary bets!!)

No 14 Daqiansweet Junior @ $34
No 17 Emissary @ $35 Ran 2nd

[Charles49]

Last Saturday night I went to a Science Event named Horizons presented by Professor Brian Cox who hails I think from Manchester. It was a slick performance from a guy who obviously knows his planets. I was surprised to learn however that most of the equations used these days in respect of outer space originate from Einstein's Theory of Relativity...the old E=mc2 theory. His theory originated around a century ago so that is some legacy. Now if only we could find a simple equation to consistently find those elusive winners. Surely there is a modern day Einstein out there who can write such a formulae for us punters!!. Personally I love this stuff and I do use a simple formulae to obtain the early selections, which as you can see by the results of Oct 13ths post do work,..... at least some of the time.!!
Very unseasonal weather here at present with temperatures well below the norm and rainfall well above the October average. This has meant heavy tracks and odd results. We have the main racing event of the year coming up, which is the Melbourne Cup, held ever year on the first Tuesday of November and its been that way since the 7th November 1861 when Archer won the first Melb Cup. Hopefully the Australian summer will return as the race always has international representatives including UK horses. I'll update the list of UK horses that are running in the Cup as soon as acceptances are finalised. Field size is 24 runners. Its known here as the race that stops a nation. That's because the majority of workers tend to leave work early in the day to watch the race, bet on the outcome, and party on thereafter!.
Here are Saturday's early selections. Updates and late mail will follow am on Saturday. Good luck on the punt.!

Following Saturdays racing I will post tips here for the Melbourne Cup together with the Flemington and Royal Randwick Race programs which will be run on Tuesday. Currently the international representatives continue to dominate the betting despite the fact none of these have raced yet in Australia. I refer to Deauville Legend, Without A Fight, and Hoo Ya Mal.


FLEMINGTON: Track Soft (7)
R1 no 1 Tijuana...No 12 Pungo is the late mail
R4 no 1 Jenny Jerome
R5 no 7 Turaath
R6 no 1 Jacquinot......no 15 In Secret Won $3.50 is the late mail
R7 no 2 Berkeley Square
R8 no 14 La Crique 4th
R9 no 2 Asfoora

ROSEHILL: Track Soft (6)
R3 no 4 Waterford Won $2
R10 no 5 Democracy Manifest


EAGLE FARM: Track Good (4)
R3 no 6 Deep Rouge 3rd
R5 no 9 Ang Pow Won $2.25
R6 no 1 Yellow Brick Won $3.05
R7 no 4 Chinny Boom Won
R10 no 2 Couldn't Refuse

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 4 Lexington City 4th
R2 no 2 Oly's Choice Won $2.80
R3 no 2 Baby Paris Won $2.80
R4 no 10 Vitalize 4th
R5 no 6 Strike Now
R6 no 8 Sniparoochy Won $3.25
R7 no 11 Miss Conteki Won $3.90
R8 no 16 Trix of the Trade 3rd
R9 no 7 Probity


LAY BETS:
EF Race 1 no 1 Mishani Renegade Won. $1.80 . Lay Bet Lost
SR Race 5 no 9 Mars Mission Won $4.20 Lay Bet Lost
SR Race 7 no 7 Lost and Running Started $2.40 Fav. Ran unplaced. Lay bet Won

LATE LATE MAIL:
MR3 no 8 Triple Missile 2nd
MR7 no 4 Mr Maestro 4th

BEST BETS:
MR7 no 2 Berkeley Square
MR8 no 14 La Crique 4th

Cheers 'n' Beers

[Charles49]

There is something about a picnic race meeting. They are always a bit of fun because its a once a year event for the locals and probably about the only place in Oz where you will still be able to find a bookie who has not upgraded from the days of pencils and hand ledgers. Yes its a seven hour round trip by car however its a must attend event for the wife and I as we just love the country and Australian bush.
Perhaps I should venture off more often because despite the selections for last week being limited to just the early selections the results were quite acceptable with 8 wins, and 7 placed out of a total of 20 picks. A one dollar bet on all selections for the win would have returned $32.20.
Watched an excellent movie "Dream Horse". Its a true story about a horse named Dream Alliance in Wales. Its on Netflix and well worth watching.
Weather here has been exceptionally cold and wet. Normally we enjoy sunny days around 27deg Celsius however its drizzling and the max yesterday was just 23deg. Very unlike the norm for our Sunshine State!! Many are blaming some Spanish dude by the name of "El Nino" for the unseasonal rains, floods and low temperatures!! Expected temps for Saturday races below are not expected to be north of 20deg Celsius so that's well short of the norm.
Wife has Loborn Lass running around at Townsville on Saturday in Race 4 and Strawberry Lady at Grafton next Tuesday. The Lass is her best chance as Strawberry is unraced and this will be a suck it and see event. Loburn has drawn poorly in barrier 10, however she is back to 1300m which is her best distance, so if she can stride to the front she is in with a chance. I'm expecting her odds will be around the $10 mark.
Here are the early selections for Saturday which will be updated as Saturday race time approaches. Big race on Saturday is the time honoured Cox Plate. The race will be run and won at Moonee Valley in race 9. Prizemoney is huge with total Prizemoney for the race, an eye watering AUD $5m.


MOONEE VALLEY: Track Good (4)
R1 no 1 Arkansaw Kid Won $2.90
R2 no 3 Esta La Roca 2nd
R3 no 9 Great Barrier Reef.....late mail is no 6 Shalailed 3rd
R5 no 2 Do It La 3rd
R6 no 6 Gentlemen Roy
R7 no 1 Berkeley Square Won $3
R8 no 5 Lunar Flare 2nd
R9 no 10 Anamoe Won $2.70
R10 no 6 Roots 2nd


RANDWICK: Track Soft (7)
R1 no 1 Barber Won $4.80
R6 no 2 Kote Won $4.40
R7 no 1 Golden Mile Won $2.60
R8 no 1 Eliptical 2nd
R9 no 3 Icebath
R10 no 14 Bella Rouge

DOOMBEN: Track Soft (7)
R1 no 2 Miss Coota Won
R3 no 2 Northern Express 3rd
R4 no 7 Self Indulgent 2nd
R5 no 8 Fetch
R7 no 1 Tappy's One 3rd
R8 no 4 Proper Rouge Won $2.15
R10 no 15 Drive A Deel Won $2.60

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 1 Brave Halo Won
R2 no 3 Sneaky Chance
R3 no 2 Henchard 4th
R4 no 5 Blackwater Bay 4th
R5 no 5 Never Sober 4th
R6 no 9 Above The Peg 2nd
R7 no 2 Amelia's Jewel Won $2.40
R8 no 3 Trade War
R9 no 5 Billy Ray


LAY BETS:
SR4 no 8 Mahagoni Won Lay Bet Lost

LATE LATE MAIL:
SR7 no 6 Burgunder e/w @ $20
SR9 no 10 Espona e/w @ $7
MR9 no 2 I'm Thunderstruck e/w @ $13 2nd

BEST BETS:
ASCOT R7 no 2 Amelia's Jewel Won $2.40
MV Race 9 no 10 Anamoe Won $2.70

Cheers'n'Beers

[Charles49]

Not much to cheer about last week although there was a winner @ $11 and another @ $9 so it wasn't the worst day on record!.
No tips this weekend (just the early ones) as I'm off to the country for one of those once in a year picnic race meetings. Results will be posted on Sunday.
I do enjoy the serenity and the fresh country air so all things being equal, normal service will resume again on the following weekend.
Just hope the unseasonal rain that's around at the moment hangs off otherwise it will be umbrella and raincoat time which is never as much fun as
a good ole sunny day.
I see the Forum Fairy has been active again and has waved the magic wand and given me ten bars. Thank you FF, much appreciated.!

CAULFIELD: Track Heavy (10)
R3 no1 Mr Maestro Won $2

RANDWICK: Track Heavy (8)
R3 no 1 Cascadian Won $2
R7 no 1 Nature Strip
R8 no 1 Mr Mozart 2nd
R9 no 1 Ellsberg Won $3.30

EAGLE FARM: Track Good (4)
R1 no 7 She's A Rogue 3rd
R2 no 4 Smytzer
R4 no 2 Oytrar 2nd
R5 no 2 Boom Court 2nd
R7 no 7 Amore Veloce 3rd
R9 no 7 Mass Destruction

ASCOT: Track Good (4)
R1 no 3 All The King's Men Won $2.20
R2 no 2 Ain't No other Man 3rd
R3 no 1 Buster Bash Won $4.30
R4 no 5 Lexington City 2nd
R5 no 1 Powerful
R6 no 13 Acefire
R7 no 10 Miss Contiki Won $4.40
R8 no 5 Resortman Won $5.70
R9 no 1 Trix Of The Trade Won $8.30