No sooner has the dust settled on Kyneton Cup day than I find myself puffing and panting for the formguides for the VRC Oaks and dutifully do the required form work that night.

Is there a picture emerging in your minds that resembles a somewhat crazed guy hunched in corners doodling on formguides, or asleep in trains or breathlessly sprinting into newsagencies?


Well, let's not worry about what others think, as it's become obvious to even Blind Freddy that, at best, there are only three genuine Oaks prospects: Danglissa, My Sienna and Tributes.

Danglissa meets My Sienna better at the weights but I'm worried that she's had too many runs this campaign and might be tired. She had a torrid bumping duel with another runner on Saturday and I suspect this may have knocked her around too much.

I decide to put her third pick and see no reason, bar the distance issue, why My Sienna should not be my No 1 selection with Tributes slotting in as 2nd pick. She is the fresh girl on the block but may lack the class of My Sienna.

Approaching the 200m, Greg Hall has a very confident look to his right (or was it a look of fear?) as My Sienna seems to be bolting but, as bonny as she is, she doesn't quite stay the distance and Tributes wears her down.

The quinella pays a juicy $8.70 and the exacta a surprisingly good $18.20, and suddenly the poor result in the Cup seems a distant memory. However, there's just one thing: I didn't have a bet!

One of the problems about working for a living is that I have to work for the money and sitting in front of the TV screen, at work, watching Channel 10's coverage is not what I am paid for. So, with time not quite on my side to view the approximate dividends after lunch, I made a fatal judgement that on the newspaper prices it was not a value race.

I told myself I wasn't really THAT sure that My Sienna will stay and just as unsure about the ability of Tributes.

Never mind, I rationalise, it's only money, and at least I did the form well enough to get it right on paper.

The other bet of the day to most punters was, naturally, Pharein in the 1200m wfa Emirates Classic.

However, I'm cautious as she's backing up within five days after a personal best in the Salinger Stakes and the astute Mark Read has often advocated being very, very careful with this type of situation.

At about the even-money mark, was she value? I didn't care and was quite happy to leave the race alone and I'm still comfortable with the decision, even after she bolted in again.

In the long run you don't miss out on much by dismissing evens chances that have a couple of queries against them.

The beauty of the race was that we have unearthed another flying machine and there'll be ample opportunity to profit from her in the autumn when, no doubt, she'll contest the sprinting treble of the Oakleigh Plate, Newmarket and Lightning Stakes. If she bypasses that treble she'll head north for the Stradbroke, against the likes of Redoute's Choice and Testa Rossa. I might just try and be there.

So, what have I learnt this week? What have you learnt from this series of articles? You have learnt I am fairly dedicated to the punt to the point of being maniacal, but it's my hobby, my escape valve from the daily pressures of life and, as Patton immortalised, "God, I love it so".

I have learnt, once again, that it's the HANDICAPS that are a punter's handicap and that the Set Weights or Special Weights events are the better betting propositions.

As punters we need to protect our capital, and events where the handicapper cannot weave his magic give us an edge that we really should exploit far more aggressively.

I wish to make clear that there is a serious side to the punt; we all work too hard in today's "time poor" society to throw our money away but it's also important we have some fun along the way or we'll lose sight of life itself.

I hope in this series, where I have deliberately strayed from the seriousness of staking plans and betting banks and tried to inject the odd smattering of humour, that you have found yourself enjoying the reading experience.

Click here to read Part 1.

By Roman Koz

PRACTICAL PUNTING - FEBRUARY 2000