Crio’s racing

Flemington’s been humdrum and bloody freezing these past few months. We’ve raced there at too many mediocre occasions with other courses unusable. And we front again this Saturday.
Excitingly, the next visit down Racecourse Road will then be on September 8 when Spring taste buds will be whetted on the old Craiglee Stakes Day. It’s a happy thought. The seasons turn very quickly and we are now looking towards 2012/13 feature hopefuls. The first black type of the Victorian season is run this Saturday and, whilst some rightly contest it’s worthiness to be a G3 sprint, the Aurie’s Star has been a significant portent to spring over its varied career. When posited as a mid-weeker, Bart used this pipe opener down the straight for his stayers, many of which ran well fresh and were soon after clobbered in feature doubles. It appears to be a modest version this year but the gems are often hidden. Golden Archer (MR6, No4) will start pretty short and should salute.
Warwick Farm also hosts a Group sprint, The Missile Stakes (SR6). Pinwheel (1) is likely to go around pretty short.
Speaking of Group racing, Ortensia surprised those of us who thought she’d had enough by last week becoming Australia’s first winner at the “Glorious Goodwood” Carnival with a brave win in a G2 event. She now has an extraordinary record and deserves to be ranked highly amongst our crop of quality dashers of the past decade…I still reckon she is a gun G2 but might find a better ‘un at the G1s?
On an unimaginably different track and climate, the remarkable Hawk’s Bay scored a heart stopping win in Monday’s Darwin Cup. Under an enormous impost (though S.Arnold nurses them so sweetly), he drifted to $10 but won by a pimple from the fav, Bolton. It was another dramatic and memorable day at Fannie Bay.
I’ll be back in Melbourne by Friday looking to recoup my schooner spending in the Top End. The best pattern at the moment seems to be taking Oges’ advice and following The Impaler (V.Duric).
Any other strategies welcomed.

Comments

  1. Spare a thought for captain Crio- 30 C in the “Top End” vs brass monkey weather down south..Durics on fire at the moment and teaming with Peter Snowden has been a winner.
    Do other racing guys share my concern for the Industry after the 4 Corners program on “suspected Race fixing” (I choose my words carefully lest our forum gets into strife)

  2. Best it all comes out Oges. It needs to get sorted so we can move on in to spring.
    Duric might get Zahra’s lost opportunities.

  3. Durics on fire Good call Crio

  4. I think V.Duric was 2 from 2 today, at tidy odds.
    No bets for me!!

  5. Skip of Skipton says

    Since horse racing has existed, ‘suspected race fixing’ has existed. It comes with the territory. That’s what stewards are for. “Four Corners” had an expose did they? They were probably light on for a scoop and went through their rolodex discovering a ‘horse race fixing’ hadn’t been done for 20 years. To be fair, the tabloid varieties only wait 6 months for a churn of the same old.

  6. Good point Skip. The program spent a lot of time on the murder of Les Samba and added the race fixing allegations as part of the Police investigation .

Leave a Comment

*