I arrived at Fannie Bay racetrack with a full belly (yet another parma) and a great amount of optimism based on my luck the previous night, as I related, when, if Dame Fortune deserted me, I may have been injured but escaped unharmed.I don't know what it is about Darwin but as soon as I set foot on the course I again felt totally comfortable just like I had since early Thursday morning. A little stroll around soon had me finding the air conditioned TAB building and the bookies boards were not fa
I arrived at Fannie Bay racetrack with a full belly (yet another parma) and a great amount of optimism based on my luck the previous night, as I related, when, if Dame Fortune deserted me, I may have been injured but escaped unharmed.
I don't know what it is about Darwin but as soon as I set foot on the course I again felt totally comfortable just like I had since early Thursday morning. A little stroll around soon had me finding the air conditioned TAB building and the bookies boards were not far away either. A climb upstairs had me looking across at a very picturesque scene bar the tents in the middle of the track and those on the lawn. I knew I would not see much of the races standing on the lawn but after some positioning I noted a spot where I could stand on the lawn and at least see the races on the screen positioned just past the winning post.
I did watch one race upstairs but after standing next to three pretty things and their men and noting them yakking through the race rather loudly and one of the girls screaming "Go number 5" in my ear for most of the race I decided the lawn offered me my best chance of a view of the locals.
With the speed of a startled gazelle I promptly ran second with my first four bets across the country and I wondered if "they" had seen me coming and had decided to teach this new boy to Darwin racing a thing or two. Well, they may have but I had other ideas. It was time to stop horsing around (pathetic isn't it but I could not resist) and I really studied the main race, the 1600m TVN Metric Mile as if my life depended on it (if you transpose "life" with "wallet" the sentence means the same thing, by the way). After some serious form work I came up with three chances: one, the favourite who had won 2 from 38 and the Victorian, Palmyra Bay with old Nozi a chance on his best form. The day I back a horse with 2 from 38 kick me with steel capped boots like you have never kicked anything in your life. This left me with Nozi as a saver and Palmyra Bay (apparently a good second last start) as my main bet.
I whacked the money on and was about to walk away when I decided to have an extra unit on Palmyra Bay at the 10/1. I thought he was about a 5/1 or 6/1 chance and if I read the race right from his barrier he might just camp on them and get out in the straight. As I was standing on the lawn I heard Palmyra Bay had been backed into 13/2. Now that was good to here. It was like I had read the tea leaves in the morning because that is exactly how the race panned out and PB won by less than a length to the former Lloyd Williams owned, Activation. While I am thinking about it the run of He's Here was excellent with 61.5kg as he was indeed caught wide as I thought/hoped he would. I will do the form on the race and post a quick blog Sunday sometime after lunch.
I have never kissed a horse but I tried my best when the grey came back to the scale as I was mighty happy. My feeling the night before had been proven correct but let's face it I do not know Darwin form and even though I had heard of Palmyra Bay I knew zippo about him. You really do wonder about doing the form when moments like this occur but I did not care less as I collected the monies owed and made my way off beautiful Fannie Bay racetrack.
Guess what? I was hungry again (there is a pattern to all of this, isn't there) so after the girls picked me up we made our way to the pier where the Coast Guard boats are moored and yes I devoured another parma. I love a parma by the way. We then strolled down to the car and a short drive later found us at the outside Deckchair Cinema we had heard about. What a delightful place and after meeting and chatting to a Canadian couple we settled down to watch probably the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. Apparently this film had won an award or awards at Cannes but after 40 minutes we decided this was rubbish and sadly left feeling a fraction dejected. Such a beautiful setting marred by a crap film.
Anyway, Darwin is better than that so we made our way down to the city proper and strolled around for a while until I found a ice cream parlour which, of course, meant "hold it - I am buying an ice cream". After scoffing down the ice cream we moved on and eventually found a really, really nice drinks venue on the beach front where we settled for a while until bedtime seemed the best option.
On Sunday Susie and I stirred sometime around 9 a.m. My daughter wasn't there because at six she went for a Fun Run which was meant to be only 5km but because she is so nice it became 10km when she filled in for someone who had hurt themselves and could not make it. After a visit to a friend of hers we went to the Darwin Hospital ,where my daughter works on a short contract, and had a gander at her workplace. Sadly, within no time at all it was time for us to get moving because Susie and I had a plane to catch.
Brrrrr!!!! We left Darwin when it was 30 degrees: when we arrived at Tullamarine it was 6 degrees but we did not care. Susie and I had a magic time and we both loved Darwin.
Thanks Darwin and thanks to Jenny Koz for being an outstanding daughter, great first time Karaoke singer and sensational tour guide. As the song went "words are not enough".