by Brett Dutschke The early tip for the Melbourne Cup is for brisk winds and a high of about 20 degrees, according to weatherzone.com.au, so it will be worth taking a jacket or cardigan.
A day at the Cox Plate
October 28, 2009 by 1 Comment
by David Hyland Firstly I have to say that Saturday was my virginal live Cox Plate experience. I had always wanted to attend having been to the course many times for different events and thought that packed to the rafters it would provide magnificent atmosphere and excitement. I went with my wife and another two [Read more]
How it feels to be Barted
October 24, 2009 by 11 Comments
by Mark Makybe Freeman Savage bashing. Pilloried on the punt. Barted, Barted, Barted again (thanks P. Flynn for the handy new verb). Got the Plate completely wrong. The 3-year-olds I labelled ‘mediocre’ quinellaed the event. Whobe, Heart not good enough. Not even big El. Utter wipeout.
Looking for a change of fortune
October 23, 2009 by Leave a Comment
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]
Like Moonee Valley’s turf, the Cox Plate is cut and dried
October 23, 2009 by 4 Comments
By Mark “Makybe” Freeman I can see clearly now, punters, the Plate has come…. it’s gonna be a deep, deep-pocket, fill-up day. After the raffle of last week’s Caulfield Cup, the 2009 Cox Plate is as cut-and-dried as they come. There are only three genuine top flight stakes-class performers – Whobegotyou, Heart of [Read more]
Crio’s Question: Which is the horse that holds a special place in your heart?
October 21, 2009 by 22 Comments
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]
Cup Day has nothing to Show for it
October 21, 2009 by 564 Comments
by Josh Barnstable This is a question I have asked myself each year. The question is filled with answers, yet I never find one. Why is the Melbourne Cup day a public holiday? For years, I wondered why we got the day off in November to see a bunch of horses running around a track, [Read more]
The Rite of Spring
October 19, 2009 by 2 Comments
by Damian O’Donnell I love Spring. I love what it does to people. In June, July and August we go about our business. We watch our footy team battle through the long AFL season. We pay the mortgage, keep warm, and ask our kids what they did at school. The grass only grows in clumps, [Read more]
It’s “Bart! Bart! Bart” all the way to the post
October 18, 2009 by 4 Comments
by Mark “Makybe” Freeman Bart, Bart, Bart! When will we ever learn? Amazing, extraordinary, unbe-fuckin’-lievable … anyway, it’s all in the papers for you to read. Viewed did get an amazing passage through on the inside, while stablemate Roman Emperor worked harder for his second placing, so perhaps he might be the one to get [Read more]
Caulfield Cup: Tread carefully with the internationals
October 16, 2009 by 6 Comments
by Mark “Makybe” Freeman Amazingly wide Caulfield Cup this year, punters. With obvious favourite Speed Gifted missing and next in line Predatory Pricer (barrier 16, jump from 14) and Vigor (22, jump from 18) drawn poorly, the internationals are the default favourites. Despite racing in top quality races across the globe (in fact Cima De [Read more]
Racing: The Caulfield Cup is a raffle
October 15, 2009 by 27 Comments
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]
A change of Gears at the Caulfield Guineas
October 13, 2009 by 18 Comments
by Mark Makybe Freeman The mistake I made, punters, was to agree to frock up and take advantage of the corporate largesse on offer. Gears had lucked into some passes handed over by a buddy, and in we went under the assumed names. I’m still only coming good now – the reason for this “come [Read more]
Caulfield Guineas: Down down at The Heath
October 12, 2009 by 11 Comments
Saturday morning. For the first time in a couple of years, Clare and I are heading off to the track at the same time. (She called heads and got to attend the Derby Day car park last year and I spent my first eight hours straight as a single father, changing seven nappies, feeding four [Read more]
Racing: You want winners? Look no further than this site
October 11, 2009 by 17 Comments
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]
Racing: The Mug gets an early whack on The Beaver
October 11, 2009 by 8 Comments
It was set up to be a magnificent day’s racing at Caulfield yesterday, and it was. I have been extremely conscientious in fulfilling my duty to celebrate the premiership properly which has meant I have not paid much attention to the form guide. However there is nothing like a couple hours in an airport and [Read more]
Racing: If you’re having a quaddie, make sure you close the gate
October 10, 2009 by Leave a Comment
By LES EVERETT I’ve tried hard not to mention this. I do so as a Spring Carnival service. In the weeks to come the punting gene will be reactivated in some of us while others will believe a year of betting and studying will have somehow set them up for Group 1 success. Whatever our [Read more]
Racing: Denman the logical choice in an intriguing Guineas field
October 9, 2009 by 7 Comments
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]
Racing: Guineas looks a vintage edition on my favourite race day of the year
October 9, 2009 by 8 Comments
By Mark “Makybe” Freeman Magnificent card at Caulfield on Saturday, punters, and the weather is shaping up perfectly. My favourite day of spring, and easily the best to get along to. The Guineas looks a vintage edition, with those classy Sydney colts set to battle it out. I like Trusting from his last effort, and [Read more]
Racing: What a fine day it is at the Gunny races
October 7, 2009 by 3 Comments
Horse racing at Gunbower dates back to1881.The “Gunny” races used to be held in the heat of January but last year the date was changed to the more weather-friendly first weekend in October. Gunbower is a small town on the Murray Valley Highway, half an hour from Echuca. The flat plains stretch out on the south side [Read more]
Racing: Makybe’s lowdown on the tipsters
October 7, 2009 by 13 Comments
By Mark “Makybe” Freeman While your correspondent got lucky on the weekend and other Knacker racing contributors, Crio, Budge, Craig and Peter, have done same in recent weeks, what of the pundits out there on the airwaves and in the dailies? Since some of you Knackers will find yourselves trackside in coming weeks, it’s timely [Read more]
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