Heavy rain and a resultant heavy track has put a dampener on what looked likely to be a vintage Doncaster Day this Saturday, with Gai preening her beloved More Joyous for a fabulous final fling. Randwick patrons should flock back after the momentous meeting last weekend. Highlights abounded. Pat Carey and Rhys McLeod won the [Read more]
Small steps in an industry built on four legs
April 18, 2012 by 6 Comments
On Saturday afternoon, I – as unassumingly as I could – entered the age-old ambiance of the TAB Sportsbar at a local pub. This is neither a first-time practice for me but nor is it a regular one. This is about family! With six minutes left before they jumped out of the barrier at Hamilton for [Read more]
Crio’s Racing
April 12, 2012 by 12 Comments
Racing returns to Randwick this Saturday for a star-studded meeting. It’s the time-honoured Derby Day though the 3 yr olds’ big day has to be shared with the mouth-watering return of Atlantic Jewel in the Sapphire Stakes, All Too Hard’s battle with Slipper winner Pierro in the Sires’ Produce and the anticipated Rain Affair/Foxwedge showdown [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: the Easter schedule
April 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Easter schedule has certainly changed in NSW and tomorrow (Saturday) we see the Slipper being run at Rosehill. Tinkler’s scratching of All Too Hard and some tough draws for challengers have made it look very much like Samaready’s year. I was taken with the effort of the maiden Narcissus and must respect all of [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: The Hard Sell
March 30, 2012 by 7 Comments
Starting now it becomes a hard sell. Ask anyone involved in “other” sports in Melbourne between March and October. But, for racing, it needn’t be a matter of giving up. Here’s where committed “horse players” need to get organized and develop a resilient punting habit to withstand footy’s destructive tsunami! I’m certainly not advocating that [Read more]
Gawd – Walshy and Alf Gard
March 27, 2012 by 2 Comments
by Mark Schwerdt I wasn’t a huge racing person (although I went a bit in my late 70s Adelaide Uni days, and even saw Dulcify fly home on debut at Morphettville at the juicy odds of 330-1), but still remember Alf as the cranky old bugger who presented the day’s racing highlights on the ABC [Read more]
racing…baton change
March 23, 2012 by 5 Comments
It’s the “Interstate Interchange”. Moonee Valley farewells Friday Nights with this week’s cracker William Reid Stakes meeting and then Rosehill picks up the baton on Saturday as Sydney’s Carnival formally begins with a challenging Coolmore Classic card. As is so often the case, weather will impact strongly on crowds and formlines. Valley Nights work with [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Back to Randwick
March 16, 2012 by 8 Comments
It’s an unconventional fixture confronting form analysts this weekend. Racing returns to Randwick for a black-type Guineas meeting that conclusively transfers the Autumn spotlight to Sydney. Perhaps in acknowledgement of this, both Victoria and South Australia stage their Saturday metros “off-Broadway”, possibly a portent for future post-Carnival “venue diversification”. crio
Corowa Cup 2012
March 13, 2012 by 9 Comments
by Glen Davis Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny , a good start to the Labour Day weekend. Maryanne and I headed up the Hume to Corowa, in expectation of a good day at the Cup. Our last day at Corowa races on Saturday January 28 was good all round, with me in particular [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Labour Day weekend 2012
March 9, 2012 by 22 Comments
There’s always plenty of racing over the Labour Day weekend. I ran in to picnic bookie Lee Walker out at Sandown yesterday and checked his schedule for the weekend. “Alexandra Saturday and Balnarring Monday.” Great meetings both. Others are heading up to Echuca, reassured by messages that the track and environs are unaffected by the [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: 2012 Australian Guineas Day
March 2, 2012 by 32 Comments
Warning. Seems I might be tempted to “declare one”. What’s that TV disclaimer?…”LOOK AWAY NOW”! For weeks I’ve been clicking away on RVL’s site awaiting the resumption of Jim Conlen’s 2yo Rhandara and finally he is presenting….MR1 No8. Seems I’m not alone in my anticipation with a Wednesday fluc of 3.50 in to 3.10 indicating [Read more]
Autumn Group Racing at The Heath
February 23, 2012 by 12 Comments
The Oakleigh Plate. The Futurity Stakes. The Blue Diamond. All etched in to the Autumn “mindtables” of Australian racing people. Gratifyingly – despite a distance tinkering for a time with the Futurity – they’ve even managed to maintain their traditional titles as befits Gr Ones[1]. The honour boards boast great champions and vivid memories for [Read more]
The Great Mare and the Beast
February 20, 2012 by 13 Comments
Saturday brims with options for the musically inclined, the sporting minded and the thirsty. At nightfall and no doubt coinciding with a sizeable drop in temperature, Rockin Rod will rock the Rock. Nothing syrupy appears on the impressive play list as Rockin Rod plans to tap into the era of the Faces. Alas, I [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Lightning Stakes 2012
February 17, 2012 by 16 Comments
It seems like Spring. Not only because we’ve had a heat wave and a flood in the last hour, but also because that further creases my brow regarding Saturday’s track conditions for the fantastic meeting at Headquarters – and I’m even contemplating grabbing a Winning Post to whet my appetite. Yep. Racing is getting great [Read more]
Caviar for two
February 14, 2012 by 13 Comments
Caviar for two It’s Saturday morning and there’s but one thing on my mind: Black Caviar. I don’t buy into the baloney about her being the greatest racehorse of all time. Seventeen emphatic wins in a row is impressive; very impressive. But they have all been sprints! If someone were to say to me, “Usain [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Caviar on Orr Stakes Day
February 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Without the hype this would still be a really good race meeting at Caulfield on Saturday with so many horses plotting paths in to Autumn. But there’s heaps of hype for a change and, rightly, it is all about Black Caviar and free admission at The Heath for the big C.F.Orr Stakes Day. There is [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Valley Nights
February 3, 2012 by 4 Comments
I’m working at the Valley Nights meeting this Friday, hopeful that the Club (and our bookies business) can cash in on the hype generated by last week’s extraordinary roll-up for Black Caviar’s Australia Stakes romp. Sadly, yet unsurprisingly, the MVRC massively under catered with too few staff on gates/ bars/ food outlets and also with [Read more]
A day at the COROWA races
January 29, 2012 by 3 Comments
Maryanne and I scooted up the Hume on Saturday morning, for the first Corowa race meet for 2012. Early start; 11-35. Met up with relatives in the members and prepared for good day. A 7 race card in glorious summer weather, top temperature being 35. Quite cool for Corowa in January. Glen!
Black Caviar lights up the Valley
January 25, 2012 by 4 Comments
by Chris Riordan It’s a huge weekend of racing with the Australia Day holiday on Thursday and a bumper provincial calendar for Saturday but the truth is that the only story is Friday Night at The Valley…..Black Caviar. Moody’s mighty mare steps out again in the Gr1 Australia Stakes (1200m) and suddenly we’ve got [Read more]
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