Help the Almanac by signing up for a Ladbrokes account

Almanac Racing

This used to be a massive weekend for racing.

 

The Easter double-header at Randwick, supported by their iconic Sales (and the neighbouring Show) took centre stage.

 

Seemingly most of Adelaide headed into the Hills for the timeless Oakbank Carnival.

 

Melbourne stuck with Caulfield and a plethora of country cards.

 

Holiday Mondays are nowadays hopeless meetings across the year. Great Eastern Day, once in the top ten attended in Australia each year, has dwindled dramatically. Maybe they need to tinker before it dies. Discard the extra meetings which have removed the novelty. Make the Carnival consecutive Saturdays, making it easier for Von Doussa participants to back up for the gruelling marathon Steeple?

 

The Adelaide forecast is positive so hopefully they get a few there, at least on Saturday – and they stop the recent trend of exorbitant pricing. Once your regular crowd stops going, you’ll never entice them back. Easter rituals are replaced.

 

Randwick now only open for the Saturday, again a G1 card on a wet track (tipped to improve from the 9 posted Wednesday). The All-Aged Stakes (SR7, 1400m, WFA, G1) is time-honoured and invariably lands a classy winner. It’s a pretty even field with just 10 acceptors. Le Romain (1) is now a triple G1 victor and the conditions and wide gate will suit. I marginally lean to English (9), which made a hoofnote last week as one of 3 Waterhouse horse substituted by others at the “Breakfast gallops” – substituting horses and Waterhouse being an old sore the media might like to scratch. She and her co-trainer, Adrian Bott, have been hauled in for their “mistake” and some punters are scathing that she wouldn’t parade her good ‘uns at a gallop. They see it as disrespectful. It is, of course, deceitful, but perhaps we should be looking to the ones “drafted in”? It isn’t easy to gallop all that you want on the course proper at Randwick so maybe these 3 were hand-picked for a purpose. One just got pipped at Warwick Farm (odds-on) today (Wednesday). But the other two are in the last at Randwick on Saturday and I’m interested. Very keen to back Fabrizio (SR9, No1, 7/2) and small save Stampede (SR9, No8, 14/1).

 

The Champagne (SR6, 1600m, 2yo, SW) is a fascinating field but doesn’t inspire me.

 

A couple of other races do.

 

Almighty Girl may become a marginal muncher but she has to be given a last chance in a BM81 with little depth (SR2, No2). Sending my good after bad at 8/1. The Hall Mark (SR4, 1200m, SWP, G3) is a great little race with a host of chances. More study required.

 

Down here in Melbourne the focus of Caulfield’s 10 race card will be Greg Miles, a man who is held in high regard as both a caller and a fella. Good luck to him in retirement. Miles gets to call a couple of traditional features, the Victoria Handicap (MR8, 1400m, G3) and the Easter Cup (MR9, 2000m, G3).

 

Sadly I must acknowledge what a terrible week it has been for jockeys…injuries, paraplegia and death. Bloody tough game.

 

Take care over the long weekend. Back a winner if you can. Have the money and health to try again next week.

 

Good luck!

 

Comments

  1. Easter Saturday hey.

    Yeah Crio, not a good week re jockey health and safety. Two shocking injuries at Toowoomba during track work, the three way fall in Northern NSW with one dead, two seriously injured. It’s a dangerous life being a hoop. As we all know there’s no other job where an ambulance follows you every time you work.

    On a different note it’s the end of another season of Victorian picnic racing, with Balnarring and Swift’s Creek closing the season. A season where we had a TAB picnic meeting, something quite novel. To put the icing on the picnic racing season cake we have the picnic Grand Final at Cranbourne next Friday night.

    I’m a tad perplexed there’s no races at Kyneton today. Easter Saturday I associate with Kyneton races but not today. TAB wise there are races at Kerang and Warracknabeal.

    However this is all academic to me as i’m, working this afternoon.

    Happy punting ,

    Glen!

  2. Easter has started off with a bang- Glenelg followed up beating Port by thrashing Sturt. I hope the punting is as good as the footy.
    Caulfield race 7, Miss Gunpowder wins , doesn’t need to improve under hayes to win
    Caulfield race 8, thought Petrology a mad chance, lots of speed in this a swooper may be the go
    Caulfield race 9 Tarquin a bit unlucky last time and should go OK.
    In Sydney, I will wait and see for a possible pattern but Counterattack should be pretty hard to beat on a favoured wet track.
    I watched most of the races from the Sunday Oakbank meeting and runners were winning from back in the field so I assume they will be able to again if good enough. In the 1st, Hanks Nephew was 3 deep no cover last time and went OK, may be a chance at very good odds. I like Shaf in the 8th.

Leave a Comment

*