Let’s face it. Most of us will end up skint over the next week. The pressure to spend is crushing. The racing industry, as ever, seeks its share of your pecuniary pie. I’d argue that there are worse ways of wasting your money than having a try on the geegees and the options, naturally, are many and varied.
Just in Melbourne metro we have Friday Night Lights and then we head to Flemington with the hardy desperates for Saturday’s card. After Christmas it goes up a further notch. Caulfield always hosts a meeting on the 26th which is supplemented by Provincials at Wodonga and Geelong. Further afield, Kerang offers respite for holidaymakers on the Murray whilst Penshurst and Nhill have their once-a-year Cup Days in other areas of the State. Throw in the popular Drouin Picnics and you can see that trainers and jockeys work off the Xmas pud pretty quickly.
Most people find that they’ve more time to look at the form post-Santa so I am not expecting much interest at HQ on Saturday. For habitual Quaddy punters, try these early pointers:
MR5- 1420m. Find a good speed chart. If not much pace, just load up E/W on the leader as this barrier releases on to an epic bend. Watch on 7 @ 16/1
MR6- 1420m. OK race. Maybe the 13 @ 12/1
MR7- 2000m. 1 from 9.
MR8- 1200m. 3, 7, throw in the toppy.
Obviously the fields are far from finalized for Boxing Day but I’ll tune in over Xmas for any comments and matters of interest.
Remember that the races always start late on Boxing Day so you have time to clear the head and reload for another big day. Maybe get to Session 1 of the Test then, rather than queue for a beer, hop on the train to the Heath! Guaranteed good day.
Good luck!
In Melbourne for Xmas and a day at the track tomorrow -after “bush meets “while on tour with the Management Committee” its going to be a shock to the system
being at HQ
Happy Xmas to all the “true believers”( as DD calls us) like me on Crios Racing and thanks Crio and bloggers for a great effort in keeping us informed amused and enjoying the “past” with some great memories
But where the “hell” are you Elvis ?
Merry Christmas and cheers on a good job with ‘Crio’s Racing’, crio. Lots of great banter, tips and reminiscing. Merry Christmas to the rest of the usuals like Budge and Oges too. DD’s Ascot/Black Caviar diary was noteworthy aswell. It wont be long before we are discussing Blue Diamond horses, the Lightning and C.F. Orr. I’d expect Elvis to re-enter the building around then.
Skip – got horribly bushwacked cutting across country Vic near Bendigo on way home to sunny SA
Now Avoca is on the “bucket list” as we landed there – but not next year
(GPS and maps were useless and it took a level – headed wife to get me out of the mess)
Merry Christmas punters,
I’ve had a punting hiatus since Sandown, but will ramp it up again from Boxing day.
Also echo thanks to Crio for churning out the preview every week and keeping racing in the game.
I’m thinking Drouin picnics on Boxing Day instead of Caulfield. Anyone with mail re how that meeting fares?
May your stocking be full of quaddies, and maybe even a jockeys challenge.
DD
P.S: Don’t like my chances of another old dart leave pass for Ocean Park’s tilt at Royal Ascot next year!
Oges, roads and directions can get very messy in the old gold mining parts of central Victoria. Avoca is on the Sunraysia Highway which starts at Ballarat and goes to Mildura. Its market is the Sunday after Talbot. Whilst not as big (none are), it is of quality in a pleasant setting on the river. There is good dining and wining in and around Avoca, and the turf club race somewhat regularly. As I have mentioned before, Avoca sits on the north side of the Pyrenees and has a mediterranean micro-climate that gives to good wine production, sunshine, and a few extra degrees in warmth during the colder months which makes it popular with me and a few other folk.
Oges,
We’ve done Avoca several times. Great.
DD,
Good wraps on Drouin but never ventured there.
I last spoke to Elvis last weekend as he snared the Quaddy at Ascot (WA).
He was embarking on a couple of weeks off work and on to a schedule of watching movies and drinking wine on alternate days. They may have overlapped. He has pledged to visit for Autumn.
Thanks to all for their contributions. Good fun. Racing does have a heart beneath the corporate greed and carnival fervour. It is good to find kindred spirits.
Broke square in a sparse betting ring at MV tonight. HQ tmrw.
By the way, I’ve not been enamoured with all of the Apprentices and this is a good time to track ones with a claim…
follow:
J. Kissick
A. Forbes
J.Beriman
all 3kgs in City. My 3,2,1 at present.
A big Merry Christmas to all the regular contributors to Crio’s Racing.