Crio’s Racing: Forget Easter Monday

Forget Easter Monday – the holiday programs have totally changed in recent years – and focus on some great racing this Saturday at Caulfield and, especially, at Rosehill.

No more does the floating Easter dictate scheduling so, as a consequence, Sydney has a fantastic meeting on Saturday and Randwick a “mid-weeker” on its former bumper fixture. On a lesser scale the same applies down here with a mediocre MRC card on Monday.

Even Oakbank, for decades a bumper Easter Monday picnic, has found crowds dropping and the Saturday the “better” of its days. Who’d have thought… but they have “gone to the well” too many times and the iconic venue is losing the novelty factor. I’ve been back there the last few years (http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/oakbank/) and seen its decline – my plan had been to try Stawell or Sydney this year but instead I’ve got Cranbourne Thursday night, the double at the Heath and hopefully Mornington on Sunday! One undeniable truth about the Easter weekend is that if they won’t let us race on Friday then the Industry will saturate the calendar for the rest of the weekend. It is just not possible for you to be far from a great raceday – my favs would be Clare on Saturday or Swifts Creek on Sunday (http://www.countryracing.com.au/tambo-valley-racing-club.html) though the Stawell Cup sandwiched between the footraces is an obvious ambition.

Unfortunately most of our regular contributors will be off-line this week so I’ll keep the analysis brief – though I will be happy to correspond with anyone else idly flicking through the form on Good Friday.

Group racing flourishes at the ATC’s Rosehill Guineas/Galaxy Day, with a terrific support card to the dual Group Ones – 3 Gr2s, 2 Gr3s and 2 Listed races! Carlton House is certainly the query runner in the Ajax (SR8, 1500m) and it will be interesting to see if Good Job Bro can bounce back in the Pago Pago (SR4, 1200m, 2yo c+g). The race pattern of the Guineas (SR6) looks predictable. Fiveandahalfstar (1) bowls along in front. It’s a Dundeel (2) stalks. Hvaastan (4) is the unknown factor. 2 from 1.

What a pity that Hay List has scratched from the Galaxy! (SR7). Despite that, it is a fascinating race, with a subsequently seriously compressed weight scale. Sea Siren (2) has been backed but most pundits still expect Gerald Ryan’s Snitzerland (5) to be the measuring stick. Some of the contenders have drawn very poorly – I’m tempted to forgive She’s a Fox (18). Box 5,2,18.

Don’t overlook the Heath on Saturday. Many of the support races are names for icons of the “game”- Jack Elliott (R1), Geoff Murphy (R2), Bill Collins (R3), Bert Bryant (R5), Bill Adams (R8).

The Quaddy is a ripper:-

MR5- (1000m) 4 and 9. Maybe 6.

MR6- Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation Victoria Handicap(1400m,G3) 1,8,9.

**** Please try to take some time to look at this Charity – quite inspiring!**** http://www.zaidee.org/

MR7- Easter Cup (2000m, G3) – ironically sponsored by Le Pine’s! 4 and 3.

MR8- (2000m) I’m taking the Monty Python Easter lead with He’snotthemessiah (9).

It is a busy sporting weekend so racing can easily be overlooked – try to catch the Sydney features and, for the very keen, the Dubai meeting on Sunday.

Good luck!

Comments

  1. Peter Flynn says

    Get back to the fallen log Crio.

  2. Maybe I should Flynny – especially after the farce at Cranbourne last night.

  3. Pity about Hay List, damn fine horse, and ran some good races, but maybe we’ve seen the last of him.

    Crio, how do you rate Minnie Downs, Caulfield, R3, Saturday? She’s previously won @ 7 furlongs, also placed at Caulfield, curious how she will perform.

    Callanish, running in the Easter Cup, brings back memories of Minson. He won his first six starts, then the wheels fell off, with only one more win, that being in Darwin quite a time later, his only other victory. Callanish won his first eight, curious what more he can produce.

    Tocumwal races on Saturday. Will get there one day, but after the big drive to Ardlethan last week, i’ll put that meeting on hold for 2014.

    Glen!

  4. Gee Glen, i was annoyed not to have tried Minnie Downs at Bendigo. This is no harder. If she doesn’t owe you, go again.

  5. Skip of Skipton says

    Race 1 Rosehill: Lampedusa. Ready to show now. Get your day off to a good start.

    As a side note, Jet Away (Easter Cup) ran second (as favourite) to Hunter’s Light at its last start in England. Hunter’s Light is close to fave in the Dubai World Cup this weekend. Cox Plate etc. Be told.

  6. Crio

    Ah the old days at Clare and Oakbank.
    Thinking back to Clare Easter weekend and the Budge’s manic cries of “get 11” at the dodgem’s at the Clare showgrounds, I’ve come up with a number 11 at Caulfield that I liked first up but didn’;t really get into it-Blackie in the Vic Hcp. Also noticed Folding Gear’s run at Bendigo was a beauty and 3rd up it is very good so it may push the fav.

    It’s pretty tough everywhere today but Howmuchdoyouloveme was geat 1st up and is really well in at handicaps so I think that’s probably my best in Sydney. Little bro has just been on the phone pushing Fibrillation in Sydney as it’s beaten Craftyy Irna everytime they have met.

    There’s a great sprint at Oakbank, one of the best fields I can remember for that race and Riziz is a great 1st up hope if it handles the track, interesting that he meets the top weight 6Kg better for a recent meeting when it didn’t have much luck and was 7/1, will be close to double that today.

  7. Happy to have a reasonable place collect on Minnie Downs. With my Caulfield form, i value a place collect their as being on a par with a trifecta on all other tracks.

    Glen!

  8. Jock, Hope you backed Riziz.
    Skip, JetAway was baccked as if no settling and was helped by D.Lane putting on the pace for him.

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