Almanac Horseracing: Jumps Racing Preview – Ballarat, Sunday 6 April 2025

The jumps are on in Ballarat today and Dandy Andy has picked a winner or two for punters.

Tulloch Done This: SP bookmaking in a country town

Pestwac (Tony Moffat) gets into a reminiscing mood and meanders along with some colourful memories from an old bush-town Australia.

Almanac Literary: – ‘The Marvellous Cup’: a story told in ‘Touchstone’, a biography of Samuel Griffiths.

In this third extract from ‘Touchstone’ Murray Bird and Richard Griffiths, ‘The Marvellous Cup’ looks at the world of racing in Australia in 1890, and in particular the Melbourne Cup.

Almanac Literary: ‘The Bribe’ – a story told in ‘Touchstone’, a biography of Samuel Griffiths.

In this second extract from ‘Touchstone’ Murray Bird and Richard Griffiths show that Samuel Griffiths was a man of great integrity.

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.

Melbourne Cup: The Almanac sweep and trifecta

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

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 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.

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 (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.)

Finals Week 1 – Sal’s Preview: Let the Spring Begin

Sal offers his analysis of Week 1 of the AFL Finals as well as a his thoughts on the main races at Moonee Valley.

#AusJumpsRacingPreviews – Hamilton, Sunday 20 July 2025

Dandy Andy previews the big jumps meeting at Hamilton this Sunday (July 20).

Almanac Horseracing: It seemed like a good idea at the time – travels with the horse (Part 2)

Roger Lowrey and John Craven love their filly Briseis Eclipse and were willing to complete the eight-hour round trip to Warracknabeal to see her go round in the opening maiden. The sandwiches were noteworthy. The filly was at least honest andis not far away from a wine (by all reports).

#AusJumpsRacingPreviews – Sandown Lakeside, 1 June 2025

Dandy Andy previews today’s (June 1) big card of jumps racing, with all the main features, from Sandown.

Round 7 – Sal’s Preview: Picking Favourites

Sal is brief and to the point as he takes a look at AFL Round 7 and the main races at Morphettville.

Round 5 – Sal’s Preview: Gather around your TV

Sal takes a look at Gather Round, the annual SA ‘benefit round’, with matches spread across several venues. His tips for both Bendigo and Randwick are also there for those who like a punt o n the nags.

Round 3 – Sal’s Preview: Saturday Night’s Alright for Footy – on Free-to-air

Sal is previewing the footy and the big racing while letting us know what he thinks of no free-to-air footy on the Saturdays.

Almanac Horse Racing: Off The Rails

Dandy Andy has some tips for a huge day of Group 1 racing in both Melbourne and Sydney.

Sal’s Preview – Opening Round

Sal is itching to get into the footy and has some thoughts on the big races at Flemington and Randwick.

Almanac Horse Racing: Way Out West

In his first contribution to the Footy Almanac website, Dandy Andy provides his thoughts and tips for Group 1 races (which return this weekend) as well as for harness racing and the dogs everywhere from Caulfield to Mount Gambier. [Welcome Dandy – Ed]

Almanac Horseracing: The Muse is musing on Derby Day at Wyche

The Muse is reminded of old trips up the Calder Highway and other grand times as he muses on Derby Day and country racing at his beloved Wyche.