Sal’s Previews: Champions Day Preview – Going into the Last Quarter: a Stayer’s Test!

It’s Champions Day at Flemington on Saturday, with unsettled weather forescast, punters may be wise to considering backing stayers suggests Sal Ciardulli in preview and tips.

Almanac (Irish) Life: My day at Páirc MacUílín, Ballycastle

Murray Bird recently had a couple of weeks in Ireland. He was so taken and moved by the people, their sport and their music, their friendliness and their likability, that he just had to get his thoughts on the page. This is an Almanac classic. It’s travel, observation and understated commentary. It’s wholehearted participation and engagement. Please, pour yourself a Guinness or a whisky, and immerse yourself in a superb account of a hurling game and what happened along the way in getting there. This is the story of a grand people and their rich history and culture.

Sal’s Preview: Oaks Day Preview – I’ve Got a Good Feeling!

It will be another fabulous day of Spring Carnival horseracing with the Oaks Day meeting. Sal Ciardulli presents his thoughts and tips for the meeting.

Melbourne Cup: The Almanac sweep and trifecta

Here’s what the mugs at the Footy Almanac came up with.

Almanac Horseracing – Cup Day Preview: can Valiant King drive us home?

Sal’s back with a fine-toothed comb run over the field for the Melbourne Cup today.

Almanac Poetry: ‘The Race That Stopped A Nation’ by Patrick Smith

Today is the running of one of the world’s greatest horse races, The Melbourne Cup. Patrick Smith recalls in verse the circumstances surrounding Damien Oliver’s win on Media Puzzle in 2002, ‘The Race That Stopped A Nation’.

The 2025 Melbourne Cup Field and an invitation to Monday evening’s digital (Teams) meeting of the tipping minds

Join the annual Almanac Melbourne Cup tipping round table, via Microsoft Teams, Monday night from 8pm EDST. Sweeps and form analysis to decide on the Almanac Trifecta.

Almanac Horseracing – Confessions of a teenage racegoer Part IV: the 1980 Golden Slipper Stakes and other Yobbo headline grabbers

Wayne Peake provides us with another hugely entertaining excerpt from ‘Confessions of a Teenage Racegoer of the 1970s’ a section of his book ‘Sydney Racing in the 1970s’.

Sal’s Preview 2025: Derby Day – What will Racing Santa Bring Us?

It’s Derby Day at Flemington on Saturday and Sal Ciardulli presents his thoughts and tips for the meeting.

Almanac Books: An Extract – ‘Touchstone: Racing, Racing Men and Racehorses’ by RM Griffiths & MG Bird

Samuel Griffiths witnessed his first Melbourne Cup in 1877 at the tender age of nearly 12 years. His great grandson Richard Griffiths co wrote a rollicking yarn with Murray Bird about Samuel’s life in ‘Touchstone: Racing, Racing Men and Racehorses The life and times of Samuel Griffiths 1865-1937’. The Footy Almanac presents an extract from the book.

Sal’s Preview 2025: Cox Plate Preview – Farewell to the Grand Theatre

With the two-day 2025 Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival this weekend punters have plenty of racing to consider. Sal Ciardulli makes it easier with his thoughts and tips for picking a winner.

Almanac Horseracing – Confessions of a teenage racegoer of the 1970s Part III: Melbourne Cup mayhem

Read more adventures of Wayne Peak and Ton Currie and The Yobboes as they bumble their way to The Cup.

Almanac Lunch: Cox Plate Eve with special guest Andrew Rule (Oct 24)

The Footy Almanac Cox Plate Eve Lunch is on Oct 24. It features Andrew Rule and his new book ‘The Chosen Few’. All welcome.

Sal’s Preview 2025: Caulfield Cup Preview – Plus a draft review of course

Sal Ciardulli presents his thoughts and tips for the Caulfield Cup on Saturday. Sal also discusses the washup of the AFL Trade period.

Almanac Horseracing – Confessions of a teenage racegoer of the 1970s Part II: ‘Ton’ Currie and the Yobboes

In the second in a series of abstracts from the chapter ‘Confessions of a Teenage Racegoer’ from the book ‘Sydney Racing in the 1970s: an Illustrated Companion’, Wayne Peake introduces us to The Yobboes which included blokes like Ton Currie, Pretty Boy and Bad Ronald. [You may recognise a former life here – Ed]

Almanac Horseracing: Caulfield Guineas Day – Saturday, 11 October 2025

Dandy Andy presents his thoughts for Caulfield Guineas Day and picks his winners for the meeting.

Almanac Horseracing (Memoir): Confessions of a teenage racegoer of the 1970s

Wayne Peake takes us on a journey recalling his initial attraction to, and later fascination and obsession with, the punt! It’s a slippery slope… (Welcome aboard, Wayne, some superb stories here – Ed.)

Sal’s Preview 2025 – Track Time: Caulfield Guineas Day

It’s Track Time with Sal Ciardulli as he previews Caulfield Guineas Day this Saturday.

Almanac Horseracing: Turnbull Stakes Day – Flemington, Saturday 4 October 2025

It’s a big day at Flemington on Saturday featuring Turnbull Stakes Day. Dandy Andy has cast his eye over the card and picked his winners for the meeting.

Sal’s Preview 2025: Turnbull Stakes Day – Review: Grand Final – They Left the Best Till Last

Sal Ciardulli previews the big race meetings at Flemington and Randwick this weekend, and presents his thoughts on the Grand Final and new rule changes.