Crio’s Question: Who or what has tested your loyalty during the spring carnival

By Chris Riordan I’m confident that a picture of All Silent is hanging on Makybe’s loungeroom wall and a pic of Alan Eskander is near triple 20 on the dartboard! Makybe will have Hissing Sid tucked in a drawer and a screwed-up All American resting next to the bin. Spring is tough on our loyalties.

Racing: Cup Day picked me up and now I’m looking forward to the carnival’s final day

By Chris Riordan After  the debacle of Derby Day, I tentatively swung on the bag at 9.30am on Tuesday, praying not to ever face another day of such disgraceful, anti-social behaviour. Nine hours later, I left the track after a tremendously enjoyable, relatively busy experience interacting with a gamut of patrons who, while having a [Read more]

One “bogan Josh” too many on Derby Day

Most bookies reported losses from Derby Day…all would have lost their temper. We were positioned adjacent to the Beaver at the end of the main ring and had a terrible day dealing with total dickheads. No security or police were in evidence at any stage of the day. Beaver reckons it is time for a [Read more]

Crio’s tip: to win more, put more on Onemorenomore

After the fiasco at Caulfield, my faith in the betting ring as central to a day’s racing was restored at Moonee Valley where a massive crowd bet ferociously on what was the busiest day I’ve had on the bag in memory. Despite the early shorties arriving, the value was good, you could lay plenty of [Read more]

Looking for a change of fortune

by Chris Riordan I keep running in to punters lauding over last week’s riches. No good for me. I’m still backing Bookies’ chances and we got belted. It was an awful day all round at Caulfield. Punters just kept getting it right and the occasion was tarnished by horrible, drunken, unpleasant behaviour. A classic Connex [Read more]

Crio’s Question: Which is the horse that holds a special place in your heart?

About ten years ago we were down at the old Flemington stalls on raceday looking at the horses, particularly (very) young Tom’s favourite, Sky Heights. To his shock and the amusement of on-lookers (including Trevor McKee tending to Sunline next door), Colin Alderson grabbed Tom from my arms and sat him atop the giant champ! [Read more]

Racing: The Caulfield Cup is a raffle

by Chris Riordan I love having a beer over the Winning Post on Thursday night. There’s no rush and the possibilities are endless. Mind you, it’s stressful in a way as there’s 40 odd hours of indecision between now and disappointment. The greatest challenge of all, without doubt, is the old bugbear of track conditions [Read more]

Crio’s Question: Who are the money munchers?

There are at least two types. There’s the annoying nag who catches your eye early and fleeces you throughout the Carnival. You just know that as soon as you jump off it will salute at odds. Shocking is the yoke for me this time in and possibly the Hisser for Makybe soon?? But there are [Read more]

Racing: You want winners? Look no further than this site

By Chris Riordan Every Saturday and most public holidays I stand in the betting ring, bag around my neck, grabbing money from the dreamers and the greedy. Inevitably I am asked for a tip. “You must know?!” It bemuses me. I want to point out that I’m the one who is working during everyone else’s [Read more]

Crio’s Question: Who’ll take No.5 at the Demons and other quandaries

All those players traded to new clubs during the week will have to find a new number as well as a new jumper at their new home. I’m happy for Barry “The Brawl” Hall to wear No.1 at the Doggies, though I’ll be demanding a bit more physicality than from previous lockermen Farren Ray and Simon Minton-Connell. [Read more]

Racing: Denman the logical choice in an intriguing Guineas field

By Chris Riordan Early prognostications for Caulfield. Great meeting. Always a beauty and yet to reach the public pandemonium of the next three Saturdays. Go (unless you’re at the Manangatang Cup!). The feature race, The Guineas, is, as has been recounted, “vintage”. I doubted Denman could stay up this long but he seems bomb-proof. Logical [Read more]

Crio’s Question: Given Victoria’s triumphs in so many codes, does footy have anything to fear in its heartland?

When “other” national codes begun a concerted push in to Melbourne, many “dedicated” AFL fans (and the parent body, I suspect) exhibited ill-will towards them. It was us or them. Even the Socceroos and the Wallabies were not to be supported lest a foothold be conceded in Victoria. According to my son Tom, untainted from [Read more]

Racing: Melbourne punters need to note tricky track traits

By Chris Riordan Despite the relatively fine weather, cracking fixture and healthy attendance, it was pretty much business as usual in the main betting ring at Flemington on Saturday. For bookies it was predominantly a winning day after a tough start. The Turnbull Stakes and Gilgai Stakes put the ledger in their favour, although the [Read more]

Racing: Red Ruler’s my Turnbull tip under the conditions

By Chris Riordan I’m heading to Flemington with a spring in my step but hopefully a zip on my pocket as I’m keen to look but not commit yet. By tomorrow night we’ll be scouring the doubles boards, but it is a tough meeting which will need careful strategy. Sydney races, too, will be tempting. [Read more]

Crio’s Question: Who are the perennial losers?

St Kilda has lost another AFL Grand Final. Glenelg has again bowed out early in the SANFL finals. South Africa is out of the Champion’s Trophy. Who are the other perennial losers?

Racing: Country cups offer great post-footy fun

By Chris Riordan This Thursday we flick our calendars to October and focus on the spring carnival and racing’s brief visit to the forefront of Australian sport. Before Flemington and Randwick elbow in with their magnificent meetings next Saturday, I do want to highlight three wonderfully Australian cup meetings that are taking place in the [Read more]

Racing: Sometimes, just sometimes, they change a race name for the better

By Chris Riordan Many of us old-timers lament the name changes that devalue feature races. But none, I suspect, resent the old Freeway Stakes being renamed in honor of Moonee Valley Champion , Manikato. Tonight’s 1200-metre weight-for-age race is a great tribute to Manikato, who won this race twice as well as recording five consecutive [Read more]

Crio’s Question: Who are some notable September performers and failures?

“Give me 80,000 people at the MCG and I was Hercules. Give me a grey day at the Western Oval and I wasn’t worth a cracker.” – Brent Crosswell At this time of the year it’s always trumpeted that reputations are made and lost in finals (sorry Skilts!). Think Dermie, Gazza in ’89, KB in [Read more]

Racing: Jockeys strike over whip ruling

By Chris Riordan Racing’s hopes of leaving the jumps drama behind and cashing in on the spring carnival hit a metaphorical hurdle this afternoon when, mid-meeting at Ballarat, Victoria’s jockeys called an immediate strike upon hearing that the Australian Racing Board had dismissed their calls for change.

Crio’s Question: What can you do to help your team in September?

I’m converted to the fatalist view, but all around me at the MCG are Doggies fans taking the blame for our latest puncture. Katrina bought her new Bulldogs fleecy top before the West Coast game and hasn’t been to a match since. What’s more, she’s never seen the Doggies beat the Cats. When Cat’s Whisker’s [Read more]