Racing: Rosehill Guineas Day

by Chris Riordan

I’m confused. The Rosehill Guineas meeting this Saturday is a beauty with excellent races across the day and much interest in the juvenile Gr2 Pago Pago and Magic Night Stakes’ as the Slipper markets remain in flux.

But isn’t next week Easter? Stawell, Oakbank, AJC Derby/Doncaster?

Racing’s calendar has again fallen victim to the nomadic Easter and, quite frankly, needs a revamp. The consolation, I guess, will be a punters’ bonanza right across the holiday weekend.

We might even get a fair crowd to the Valley’s Easter Thursday meeting; this last of the night series incredibly having no local footy in opposition. How the AFL could fixture no matches in Melbourne on the Thursday night (or Good Friday for that matter) staggers me!

Our Caulfield meeting this week is pretty ordinary and I’ll be saving most of my scraps for the clockwise gallops.

Flying Ruby (R4), despite more convictions than Ronnie Biggs, should relish the mile and the weaker grade. Last chance for her and don’t take short odds.

We might have one to try in the “get out” at The Heath. Elvis made one of his bizarre calls three weeks ago when he tried to present a (fruitless) case for Fomalite in the Group 2 Kewney. She then ran a bold race last Friday night despite Mark Pegus seeming to be unaware that the rail had been returned to the TRUE position. The winner bolted in but Fomalite might be ready to bail us out in MR8.

The Rosehill Quaddy will carry most punters’ hopes and it kicks off with The Ajax (R6, Gr2, 1500m), a tricky race not worthy of its rating. I’ll possibly have a snip at Kiloton and expect it to get a good sight as they flatten.

The Guineas itself is full of interest. Queensland’s Shoot Out was awesome at Randwick, overcoming multiple setbacks to somehow win. Bart’s Rock Classic bitzed a feted Flemington Guineas. Extra Zero returns to his own age level after stepping up to the Australian Cup and will be much better off. Hanks, an AAMI Vase winner over this ground, must now nearly be tuned (but his goal remains the Derby on the big track). John O’Shea has secured Nash Rawiller for Zabrasive, a clear pointer that his colt is ready to make this step. And, to confound the puzzle, classy filly Run for Naarna will represent top value and thus carry some of mine.

I’ll then be taking a G.A.Ryan Running Double to complete the card:

Hus Der Lieften has not been kind to me, but this race looks ideal.

And Melito wins the last.

Comments

  1. mark freeman says

    Ah Crio: (sings) In my (punting) mind I’m going to Sunny Meydan, where the Aussie sprinters get set, where the Aussie sprinters will brain the world….

    Ahem. Enough of that clearly. Nonetheless: My boy All Silent. Straight track. 1200m. Track good weather fine. Group 3 only, if you don’t mind umpire. Will brain em. Assuming physically all is well that is. When I got the to the tape of the Newmarket I saw him go over the line with head up, ears pricked. As if to say of the encroaching thunder and lightening: “What the flying pheark are we doing out here?” If being spooked by the storm is the reason he didn’t hit the line, then were in for some pretty bickie tomorrow, having picked up the $9. There was evidence to suggest a lot of them were spooked, as only two horses closed, and the last 200 was run in a jog-trot. Very unusual for a Newmarket.

    And I don’t think Eagle Falls is without a chance. Is in the harder race of the two, a group 1 on the artificial surface, but I reckon he is up to group 1 class on last performance.

    The thing is over recent years our sprinters have been put to the test internationally and have come out second to none. Horses like Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, Scenic Blast have been blowing them away overseas. Even our horses up to a mile, they’ve been very successful – Haradasun and Starcraft for example, and then even Benedetti, just a fair city horse who went over to Dubai and won two on the trot in listed class.

    A yard over a mile, it swings the opposite way – they’re dominant, we’re not good enough. But up to a mile, we’re shining big time.

    Good punting folks.

  2. Bouyant big fella.
    Just found my way home from almanac trap at the wonderful Clyde. Are you at Caulfield tomorrow?

  3. mark freeman says

    Unfort not Crio, but happy bag swinging out there. Surely Turfbet has to turn a profit on the sixth at the Heath, bar Tenzing saluting sherpa style.

  4. Those races aren’t much good anymore. Too open. Great with a big crowd but there’ll be slim pickings. I’m E/W Fomalite in the last to get my money back from last night…as some say, “you can’t eat value”. I was happy to lay the Cats at the 1.27 but needed to be able to lay-off later instead of studying the bottom of beer glasses!

  5. mark freeman says

    Er… as it turns out the Aussie sprinters each found four better in their respective races. Perhaps I should re-align my overarching claim to read that when it comes to taking on the pommy poofter horses (forgive me moderator, but I watched Bazza McKenzie last night) we’re second to none.

    Nonetheless, suffice to say I did me dough on All Silent. Back to the drawing board for Slipper Day then.

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