Archive for the 'Horse Races' Category
October 22nd, 2008 - Cox Plate Horse Race Betting
Well, the Melbourne Cup carnival is in full swing.
Last weekend local punters saw the English stayer All The Good walk away with the $2.5 million Caulfield Cup.
The 6 year old, ridden by former Melbourne Cup winning hoop Kerrin McEvoy, saluted at 50-1 from the winner of this year’s AJC Derby, Nom De Jeu.
Barbaricus - which was completely unwanted in the betting - clung on to third place from the fast-finishing Kiwi, Mad Rush.
This weekend all eyes are on Moonee valley for the running of the $3 million W.S Cox Plate, over 2,040 metres.
It’s regarded as the world’s premier weight-for-age race.
Previous winners include the likes of champions Makybe Diva, Kingston Town, Phar Lap, Tulloch and Sunline.
Unfortunately, nothing contesting this year’s Cox Plate is of that calibre.
The favourite is the New Zealand mare Princess Coup.
But she’ll have the job ahead, from barrier nine.
Her jockey Opie Bosson has, unfortunately, made headlines in his home country after being embroiled in a drug testing investigation.
It’s understood fellow jockey Bruce Herd was asked to provide a urine sample for testing, but asked Bosson to provide it for him.
And it’s alleged Bosson did so.
The investigation into all of that is still on-going.
So Bosson has a bit to ride for.
But Princess Coup has got form on the board.
Two starts back she easily accounted for Nom De Jeu in the Stoney Bridge at Hastings.
And we all saw Nom Du Jeu’s performance in the Caulfield Cup last weekend.
Many would argue she only has to reproduce the Hastings run to figure prominently in the Cox Plate.
And then there’s the Sydney filly Samantha Miss - a recent winner of the Princess Series.
She’ll carry a postage stamp - 47.5 kilos, and she’s drawn beautifully in barrier two.
Her jockey Glen Boss hasn’t had the easiest of fortnights.
Boss has been forced to shed nearly 4 kilos to make the weight.
But, he says, he’ll be right come 4:05pm on Saturday.
Outside of Princess Coup and Samantha Miss, look for horses like Zipping, Master O’Reilly and Sirmione to be running on from a Melbourne Cup perspective.
And if the Gai Waterhouse runner Thesio turns in his Epsom Handicap run, he’ll be right in the finish.
So after all is said and done on Saturday, it’s on to Derby day the following week at Flemington.
And just three days later, it’s the race that stops the nation - the running of the 147th Melbourne Cup.
Source: Macquarie National News
October 17th, 2008 - Weekend Hussler last the distance? Caulfield Cup
TRAINER Ross McDonald and jockey Brad Rawiller are convinced champion Weekend Hussler will stay, but many of the nation’s leading form experts believe the horse’s stamina limitations will be expose in today’s $2.5million Caulfield Cup.
“I am 110 per cent confident, I think he can win and prove the critics wrong,” McDonald said.
Rawiller also stated his case about Weekend Hussler’s staying potential in a Melbourne newspaper column, saying: “I said the day he won the George Ryder (1500m) in April he would stay. I base that on the way he came back under me, his great rhythm and cruising speed. He can sustain a sprint like nothing else I’ve ridden. That day he felt like he could go all day like that.
“When he sprints he keeps lengthening stride and gets stronger.”
But TAB Sportsbet’s Glenn Munsie has a different view, believing Weekend Hussler won’t run out the Caulfield Cup (2400m) distance.
“Weekend Hussler has never won beyond 1800m but he has topweight of 57kg in a 2400m handicap — he’s a big risk,” Munsie said.
“I don’t like horses going into a Group I race off a bad last-start run, either.”
Timeform’s Gary Crispe said that in Weekend Hussler’s only run at 2000m, he rated well below his best Timeform rating of 130 achieved winning the George Ryder Stakes over 1500m last start.
“The history of past Caulfield Cup winners clearly shows the winners must have at least been proven at 2000m and desirably at 2400m,” Crispe said.
“Sadly, this rules Weekend Hussler out of the Caulfield Cup- winning equation.
“Even though he is the highest- rated Timeform horse in Australia, and a great horse at that, to my mind he must have a rating that transposes to 2400m to be considered a genuine winning chance.”
Form guru Dominic Beirne said there was still “zero evidence” that Weekend Hussler would stay.
“The Caulfield 1800m is a simple test; over 80 per cent of weight-for-age races there are won by horses near the lead,” Beirne said.
“In the Underwood, he ran the equal-slowest last 600m and last 200m of the day.”
Mark Morrissey, the form expert from Col Tidy’s betting organisation, said he thought the alarm bells started to ring even when Weekend Hussler won the Underwood Stakes.
“He wasn’t able to break away from them that day,” he said.
Today, Weekend Hussler will answer the debate on his staying capabilities one way or the other.
Source: Daily Telegraph
Caulfield Cup field Trainer Jockey
1. 1118 Weekend Hussler (11) R McDonald B Rawiller 57kg
2. 2446 Maldivian (18) M Kavanagh M Rodd 56.5kg
3. 8-62 Master O’Reilly (13) D O’Brien V Duric 56.5kg
4. 4130 Fiumicino (4) M, W and J Hawkes S W Arnold 56kg
5. 7998 Kibbutz (5) D Hayes Scratched 55.5kg
6. 2D23 Nom de Jeu (20) M Baker (NZ) J Lloyd 55.5kg
7. 2212 Mad Rush (17) L Cumani (GB) D Oliver 55kg
8. -491 All The Good (8) S bin Suroor (GB) K McEvoy 54.5kg
9. -081 Duoro Valley (3) D O’Brien J Winks 54.5kg
10. -333 Ice Chariot (2) R Maund G Schofield 54.5kg
11. 1-87 Viewed (14) B Cummings B Shinn 54.5kg
12. -331 Littorio (10) N Blackiston S King 54kg
13. -402 Red Ruler (1) J Sargent (NZ) C Brown 54kg
14. -154 Boundless (6) S McKee (NZ) D Dunn 53.5kg
15. 7041 Dolphin Jo (12) T and K O’Sullivan C Lindop 53kg
16. -862 Riva San (9) P Moody L Nolen 53kg
17. 5210 Zagreb (7) D Hayes G Boss 52kg
18. 1153 Guillotine (21) D Hayes C Williams 51.5kg
19E. 3432 Barbaricus (22) D O’Brien S Baster 52kg
20E. 1091 Newport (16) P Perry Scratched 53kg
21E. 1128 Red Lord (19) A Cummings Scratched 53kg
22E. 1456 Moatize (15) B Cummings Scratched 51.5kg
October 10th, 2008 - Caulfield Guineas Horse Racing Bets Form Guide
Trainer Mark Kavanagh says the favourite Whobegotyou may have to come from last to win Saturday’s Group One $1 million Caulfield Guineas after drawing barrier 12 today.
Whobegotyou, TAB Sportsbet’s $3.80 favourite after the barrier draw, will be trying to emulate Helenus who was the last horse to complete the Bill Stutt Stakes-Guineas double in 2002.
Drawing the coveted barrier one was Caulfield Guineas Prelude winner Fernandina, trained by Leon Corstens who won the race with Helenus.
The Caulfield Guineas October 11th 2008 may well be anyones race for the taking. Sydney galloper Rhyno Chaser has already been scratched, making the way for first emergency Whitefriars.
NSW 3 yr old Gai Waterhouse trained Dreamscape looks to be an up and coming favourite for the race and has achieved a lot in a short period. - winning the Up & Coming Stakes at debut and at only his third start proving far too strong for his rivals.
Here is the draw for the 2008 Caulfield Guineas..
1 Von Costa de Hero
2 Duporth
3 All American
4 Rockdale
5 Carnero
6 Fernandina
7 Dreamscape
8 Baci Amore
9 Rhyno Chaser Scratched
10 Tindal
11 Whobegotyou
12 Minnesota Shark
13 Lord Tavistock
14 Time Thief
15 Gogocanny
16 Related Scratched
17 Whitefriars
18 Georgia`s Boy
19 Bondarchuk (3E)
20 Bright Deputy (4E)
CLICK HERE to claim a FREE $50 to bet on this horse race!
June 4th, 2008 - TAB’s new plan Virtual Horse Racing
The New Zealand Racing Board wants to introduce ‘virtual’ horse racing, where punters can bet on a computer-generated field.
It has asked the Department of Internal Affairs for permission to show the virtual races at TAB outlets.
But that would need a law change.
These computer-generated horse races are run at TAB outlets in some parts of Australia and the UK, and now the New Zealand racing board wants them introduced here too.
“What industry are they in?” asks Graeme Ramsay of the Problem Gaming Foundation. “Because if they’re moving down this path when their own customers aren’t asking them to, does that mean that they see themselves as part of the gambling industry and competing with casinos?”
The Racing Board has asked the Department of Internal Affairs to amend the rules to allow it to offer betting on virtual races.
Internal Affairs released a statement to 3 News saying this form of gambling would be subject to “limits on bets and maximum prizes, along with harm prevention and minimisation provisions”.
These requirements are such that it is unlikely any application to run virtual racing would be successful as the Gambling Act currently stands. So an amendment to the act would need to be put forward, and the Racing Board is keeping quiet about whether it plans to lobby for one.
The Racing Board refused a request by 3 News for an interview. CEO Graham Hanson says Internal Affairs’ response is still in his in tray, and he has not yet decided if he will take it further. He says it is one of many things he has under consideration.
April 15th, 2008 - Golden Slipper Horse Race Favourite
SEBRING has been listed the clear favourite for the Golden Slipper after drawing barrier No.6 for the feature race at Rosehill.
The colt was made the $4.80 favourite with TAB Sportsbet as a result of his favourable draw allied with proven form on wet tracks. Such prove may prove invaluable given the likelihood of a rain-affected track at Rosehill.
The Bart Cummings-trained Related, and Von Costa de Hero, were equal second picks at $8 before the barrier draw, drifted to $11 and $13 respectively after coming up with gates No.16 and No.17 in the field of 16 plus two emergencies.
Leon Macdonald, trainer of Magic Millions winner Augusta Proud, was extremely happy after selecting barrier No.1 for his filly.
Unbeaten from six starts, Augusta Proud was not among the original nominations for the Golden Slipper but her owners paid a $150,000 late entry fee to secure a start.
A disappointed Tony Vasil attended the draw at Sydney’s Martin Place but made a hasty exit after Blue Diamond Stakes placegetter Burgeis drew the outside gate in No.18.
She blew from a $14 chance out to $21 as a result, while All American, one of four runners for David Hayes, also eased from $9 to $11 after drawing awkwardly in barrier No.14.
Hayes had mixed luck, though, with Blue Diamond Stakes winner Reaan drawing well in No.4 and Hips Don’t Lie in N.9.
Over The Wicket from the Gary Portelli stable was a big firmer from $26 to $15 after coming up with gate No.7.
He is also proven in the wet, with his lone victory coming on a slow track.
The two emergencies, Siennas Fury and Typhoon Fury, drew barriers No.10 and No.15 respectively.
AAP
April 12th, 2008 - Autumn Racing Carnival
New South Wales’ Autumn Racing Carnival features a glorious 50 days of thoroughbred racing.
The Autumn Racing Carnival includes 120 race meetings and a host of social events and celebrations. From Lismore on the North Coast, Albury on the Victorian border and as far west as Cobar and Lightning Ridge there are a wealth of charismatic meetings to experience.
The Carnival kicks off on Easter Saturday March 22 with the first of Royal Randwick’s race meetings and concludes on May 10 with the Hawkesbury Race Club’s Gold Cup, which grows in stature and prestige every year and in 2008 will offer over $500,000 in prizemoney.
Highlights of the carnival include:
- The world’s richest 2 year old event - the Sydney Turf Club’s AAMI Golden Slipper Stakes which offers prizemoney of over $3.5 million on Saturday April 19 and;
- The Australian Jockey Club’s Emirates Doncaster Day & David Jones Australian Derby which are arguably two of the most historic and prestigious races anywhere in the world on Saturday April 26.
- The William Inglis & Son Easter Yearling and Broodmare sales from April 20 to May 6 where the very best of Australian Thoroughbreds hit the sales ring under the famous Moreton Bay Fig tree.
