Now Let the Fun Begin!The next four weeks are the biggest in Melbourne's racing year. Some would say the biggest in the land. For overseas readers, let me explain that we have the Caulfield Cup on October 17, then the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley (October 24), then the VRC Derby, the Coolmore and the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington (October 31), and at the same track on the first tuesday every November, the Melbourne Cup. The Oaks follows on the thursday and the Queen Elizabeth on the saturday. The
Now Let the Fun Begin!
The next four weeks are the biggest in Melbourne's racing year. Some would say the biggest in the land. For overseas readers, let me explain that we have the Caulfield Cup on October 17, then the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley (October 24), then the VRC Derby, the Coolmore and the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington (October 31), and at the same track on the first tuesday every November, the Melbourne Cup. The Oaks follows on the thursday and the Queen Elizabeth on the saturday. The Sandown Classic Cup is run on the following saturday.
Group Ones will be coming out of our ears!
It's a thrilling time for horseplayers, but also a time for great care and caution.
Let me offer an example of impatience. This is not genius, this is experience talking,
I've said for hundreds of years (well... almost...) that if you want to bet prepost, make it well ahead and require BIG odds. Yesterday (Monday) Speed Gifted was around $5.00 maximum for the Caulfield Cup. The finals would be declared today (Tuesday). Could he be shorter if and when he accepted? Not much, if at all. Barrier 18 and probably he's longer.
And the trainer told everyone ALL WEEK that he was undecided whether to run the horse here or next weekend in the Cox Plate. He wasn't playing ducks and drakes; he genuinely replied to every query with the FACT that he would make up his mind today AND NOT BEFORE.
It was in the papers, it was on the telly, it was everywhere. Yet yesterday, with 44 horses still entered, and the field to be reduced today to 24 acceptors (including six hopefuls), one bet of $100,000 was struck at $4.50 and others totalling the best part of half a million dollars went on Speed Gifted.
He didn't accept, and today those tickets are lost forever. Meanwhile, a week or so back he was being offered at around 20/1 for the Cox Plate. Now he's in that and out of the Caulfield Cup. And everyone was told it was undecided.
What can anyone say?
Below I have put the field of 24 (18 can start) in for you to peruse. Each horse's name is followed by trainer, ballot order, weight and handicapper's assessment. We don't have the barrier draw yet, and four of the highest ballot numbers will be deleted, the other two becoming emergencies.
Speed Gifted isn't there. All that money...gone. And it was so avoidable.
Doesn't it make you just weep for some people? I think I'm coming back as a bookie.
1 VIEWED Bart Cummings 4 57 115
2 KIRKLEES (IRE) Saeed Bin Suroor 5 56 115
3 C'EST LA GUERRE (NZ) John Sadler =6 55.5 111
4 CIMA DE TRIOMPHE (IRE) Luca Cumani =6 55.5 115
5 FIUMICINO (NZ) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes =6 55.5 112
6 MASTER O'REILLY (NZ) Danny O'Brien =10 55 110
7 ROMAN EMPEROR (NZ) Bart Cummings =6 54 110
8 SARRERA Michael Moroney =13 54 110
9 PREDATORY PRICER Paul Murray =10 53.5 112
10 RED RULER (NZ) John Sargent 15 53.5 106
11 ZAVITE (NZ) Anthony Cummings =16 53 107
12 HARRIS TWEED (NZ) Murray & Bjorn Baker =13 52.5 108
13 BAUGHURST Bill & Symon Wilde =18 52.5 105
14 LIGHT VISION (NZ) Robert Smerdon =18 52.5 109
15 NEWPORT Paul Perry =18 52.5 104
16 RED LORD Anthony Cummings 2 51.5 0.5 106
17 DAFFODIL (NZ) Kevin Gray 12 51.5 110
18 READY TO LIFT Gerald Ryan =16 51.5 106
19 VIGOR (NZ) Danny O'Brien 1 51 110
20 SHOCKING Mark Kavanagh =18 51 98
21 SIX O'CLOCK NEWS (NZ) Patrick & Trent Busuttin =22 50.5 95
22 ALLEZ WONDER Bart Cummings 3 50 111
23 MISS DARCEY Anthony Cummings =22 50 95
24 HOORANG (NZ) Ian Shaw 24 50 101
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