The Almanac horse – Eight Grand Boys resumes at Kilmore in Race 1 at 1.15 EDST.
He has had a long lay-off and we are hoping he runs a reasonable race. Expectations are not high. We’d love him to run into a place.
…….
Later…..we ran fifth after being checked mid-race when the pace slowed. Raced reasonably tractably otherwise. Encouraging.
About John Harms
JTH is a writer, publisher, speaker, historian. He is publisher and contributing editor of The Footy Almanac and footyalmanac.com.au. He has written columns and features for numerous publications. His books include Confessions of a Thirteenth Man, Memoirs of a Mug Punter, Loose Men Everywhere, Play On, The Pearl: Steve Renouf's Story and Life As I Know It (with Michelle Payne). He appears (appeared?) on ABCTV's Offsiders. He can be contacted [email protected] He is married to The Handicapper and has three school-age kids - Theo, Anna, Evie. He might not be the worst putter in the world but he's in the worst four. His ambition was to lunch for Australia but it clashed with his other ambition - to shoot his age.
$4.80 in to $3.80!!!?
Good luck to the owners. Polanski gives every mug hope.
The post-script…
As connections waxed lyrical from the balcony of the Kilmore committee room of a nice first-up blow-out, it was then noticed there was a loose horse.
Upon a closer look, the red and black silks, our red and black silks, of Ryan Moloney, emerged from the turf. Confirming, it was our EGB who was astray.
With part levity and a perhaps unspoken internal horror, we witnessed EGB careering down the back-straight solo – to the naked eye reeling off some of the undoubted best sectionals of the day.
At this point the natter re his sire Ratki and time-honoured cliché’s of “appreciating more ground” and “looking for further” were in full swing.
After balancing beautifully around the turn out of the back, the free-wheeling EGB was then not so keen on the turn into the home straight. Straight being the operative word.
To the increased gasps, the fractious steed made a bee-line for the outer rail.
And jumped it.
A mix of groans from the balcony then accompanied the circumspect giggles, head-shaking and “oh no’s”.
Now off the course proper, and potentially hurt from scraping the rail on his jump, Eight Grand Boys was then seen darting further towards the car-park (or the pokies, or Assumption College). This did have calamity written all over it. Temporarily out of view, the worst was feared. We started thinking for our vehicle welfare, to boot.
However, he shortly came back into view, as he had luckily jumped into a penned-in area, and was tired enough now not to jump back over the rail from whence he came. Though he did dart about a few more times just to make sure all possible escape options had been exhausted.
Walking down the course to check on his welfare, coming back the other way one of the course clerks, with Irish accent to add gravitas, and not a hint of taking the mick, did comment..
“I’ve never seen anything like it. You’ve got a fine jumper on your hands there”.
Now under a hold, Amy from Griffiths Racing led EGB, rather sheepishly, yet still stubbornly, back up the home straight. No apparent harm done, some paint on his leg from the fence, and a small nick. The jock was also ok. He was initially tossed from him as he tried to turn him around. I guess he really did want more ground.
In the galeforce condition Gary’s cap then blew on the track that saw me hopping the fence to retrieve it. I can confirm the height of the fence and the impressive effort it required of the horse to clear it! It was lucky he hopped a part of the fence that was not “double railed” with concrete bars as per most of the straight.
There may be a trainer Robbie transfer from Griffiths to Laing if it doesn’t work out for us on the flat.
The close-shave mirth was discussed over a complementary owners parma in the dining room.
One of the more memorable fifths in Kilmore racing club history.
A first-up effort over 1400m had become a first-up effort over 2400m. A European style preparation, just as his sire Ratki would have wanted. His half-brother Polanski looking on chuckling, I’d imagine
He might be in for a quiet week on the track…