SOMETIMES IT'S BEST TO STAY AWAY.Sandown last Saturday was a bog. OK, well, it looked like one and it smelt like one on the telly.You know what they say: if it looks like a trap, and it smells like a trap, it probably IS a trap.Maybe the adage doesn't go quite like that, but you get the picture.I was quite hyped up about Sandown on Friday by midday. I knew four winners. You know the feeling when you're super-confident and you've done all your homework.Thank God I didn't bet early.On Saturday mor

SOMETIMES IT'S BEST TO STAY AWAY.

Sandown last Saturday was a bog. OK, well, it looked like one and it smelt like one on the telly.

You know what they say: if it looks like a trap, and it smells like a trap, it probably IS a trap.

Maybe the adage doesn't go quite like that, but you get the picture.

I was quite hyped up about Sandown on Friday by midday. I knew four winners. You know the feeling when you're super-confident and you've done all your homework.

Thank God I didn't bet early.

On Saturday morning half the field was scratched in one race and a large number were taken out overall. The message was there. If the trainers (some quite local) wanted no part of the day, nor should I.

In younger, inexperienced days, enthusiastic days, I might have stuck in there and batted on. But when three horses that I regarded as over the line ALL came out, I came out too.

I decided to test my decision on paper, watching the meeting closely and monitoring the betting. I made selections for almost every race (you can do that on paper - it costs nothing).

I decided on seven horses (one race defied any analysis). I really concentrated. I brought all my knowledge to bear.

One of my seven won. This was Jungle Ruler, Michael Rodd's ride. If there's a better front-running rider in Australia, I don't know who it is. This young pace genius has the magic timing you see once in a generation.

But the horse was surely a $10 chance. Not a $4.40 (less on the TAB) shot.

After the race I could see why it was 7/2. Damn near a certainty, the way Michael rode the race.

But at those odds I'd have stayed out. So, all in all, it would not have been a good day.

Rotten in fact.

When the trainers give you such a strong lead as to their views of the conditions, perhaps you've had a valuable free tip:

STAY AWAY!