Bookmakers were laying seafood platters abundant in oysters, crayfish and caviar across their big brass beds on Saturday night after an awful day for odds-on punters at Rosehill. Whilst the win of More Joyous at $1.30 may have stopped the bagmen from washing down their sunken treasures with a splash of Dom, the defeats of the heavily-fancied Flying Empress, Sepoy, Satin Shoes and Maluckyday ensured an excellent result for the tight-fisted rail barnacles, and any punters smart enough to play book

Bookmakers were laying seafood platters abundant in oysters, crayfish and caviar across their big brass beds on Saturday night after an awful day for odds-on punters at Rosehill. Whilst the win of More Joyous at $1.30 may have stopped the bagmen from washing down their sunken treasures with a splash of Dom, the defeats of the heavily-fancied Flying Empress, Sepoy, Satin Shoes and Maluckyday ensured an excellent result for the tight-fisted rail barnacles, and any punters smart enough to play bookie for the day and lay a couple of favourites.

The wet track could perhaps assume some of the blame for the defeats of the two-year-olds, who did not appear to handle the shifting conditions, but it should most certainly have taken Ranvet-winner Zavite down to Davy Jones' Locker with them. From 22 previous starts on dead, slow or heavy ground, Zavite had managed to win just one race, and that was on a dead track in the Launceston Cup - reason enough, one would think, for the tough son of Zabeel to 'forget this dance' and save his best disco moves for another, drier day. Indeed, the colours I had in my mind for this race were not the black and bone of heavy loss and the Jolly Roger, but the red, yellow and pale blue brandished by star New Zealand mare Keep The Peace. They shined for me not, however, rendered dull by rain; besmirched by mud. Wet conditions aside, perhaps she just failed to stay lady stay?

I also distinctly remember Mick Price being interviewed a couple of months ago after Aloha's first-up win on a Heavy 10 at Sandown, wherein he declared her a much better prospect on the dry. Well if that's the case, we may have a very serious mare on our hands here, because she dealt with a quality field as if she were born to swim. My selection - Lovemelikearock - failed to handle the conditions and strolled home at the tail of the field, not expending too much energy in an effort that appears to have reminded both Bob and I of my school football career: 'Why bother running when you're runnin' in vain?'