Racing: Moonee Valley, Saturday, 22 August 2009

PREVIEW

Mark “Makybe” Freeman writes:

Punters! Best tip I’ve got for you this week – and it mostly applies to scumbags like me who refuse to fork out a pineapple a month to filthy Rupert for Foxtel – is that the puppies at BigPond have finally allowed customers of other ISPs access to their racing feed. It includes an archive of replays, and the video quality is excellent. A great relief for us desperado dad punters who can’t hang out at the tote all day. http://www.horseracing.bigpond.com/other.aspx

More exciting beasts returning tomorrow at Money Valley, including Peter Moody’s highly spruiked Black Caviar in the first, but it’s overshadowed by the Randwick meeting featuring the Warwick Stakes and the return of this year’s George Ryder and Doncaster winner Vision and Power along with John O’Shea’s old warrior Racing to Win.

At the Valley Jarrod McLean’s promising Nicastro resumes in the Nissan Stakes, and my big go in the Caulfield Cup, Hissing Sid, starts his hopefully glorious campaign.

But for Daff’s Monopoly Hunnert, I’m keeping it simple tomorrow. D.I Dodson’s Bonindi would have secured us a nice return had he held out the classy Miss Maren at the Heath last Saturday, but he backs up tomorrow in a very suitable event. His record backing up is good, he’s got a lovely marble, young B Avdulla takes another two kilos off his 53.5 and the rail is out 4m at the Valley, which should play to the on-pacers. He’s also three from three on the slow, which on Thursday night is a fair possiblility. And one of my favourite sprinters returns tomorrow in Secret Flyer, and while short, he should win.

Melb R6 No.8 Bonindi $50 win

Melb Running Double R6 No.8 Bonindi into No.3 Secret Flyer

Good Luck punters.

REVIEW

Mark “Makybe” Freeman writes:

Deja vous for us this week punters – we snared one leg of our double, but again Bonindi, while brave in defeat, wasn’t able to salute. This time he was undone by the hard track – we expected a slow 6 and copped a good 2. The Valley is very fishy at the moment – one week it’s a heavy 8 after a dry fortnight, then it’s a good 2 after a week of rain.

Nevertheless, Secret Flyer put in a herculean effort to run down the leaders from a hopeless position before the turn. He’s a genuine star, and loves to win. We won’t be getting off him anytime soon.

Hissing Sid turned in a nice if unspectacular pipe-opener and in Sydney a three-year old Trusted, having his third start in a race, won the Warwick Stakes against the weight-for-age horses. Remarkable.

Next Saturday is huge: Memsie Stakes day at Caulfield and the Group 1 Golden Rose in Sydney.

Running total – 160 in the red.

Chris Riordan writes:

Many satchel-swingers concede the Valley as the toughest of the city courses to earn a quid. So it again proved with local punters feasting on well-supported victors.
The first winner was too short (1/5 favourite) for any great damage to be done, but its domination of the race was a portent for the day.
Anyone who heard Peter Moody interviewed after Black Caviar’s win would have been more gobsmacked than by what they’d witnessed on the track. Amongst other revelations, Moody admitted that he could not gauge the horse’s ability to cope in a contest as none of his “at home” could keep up… and he has a crack stable. As an aside, he speculated on heading next to the Manikato Stakes — this for a horse with only three races of experience. Regardless of the ultimate judgement, he’s already whacked some interest into the future meetings!
The other winner who will undoubtedly figure in sprint prizes over the Carnival was Secret Flyer  (6/4 favourite), whose whirlwind finish reminded many of the promise shown in an equally brilliant win at Flemington in autumn. This is a very good racehorse and worth watching if the handicapper does not get in first.
Carrara (evens, Race 4) and Eagle Falls (10/9 in the last) were amongst other heavily backed winners.
An ordinary meeting, and an aberration as next week the good ‘uns return again. Bookmakers were wounded but punters who strayed to Sydney found their profits dented. What they did see there, though, was a potential ripper in Trusting, a three-year-old who beat a crack field, including the unlucky Racing To Win. Let’s hope he heads south soon. One who will is Swift Alliance whose win (7/4, Race 5) seems to have put him on a float to the Group 1 Manikato.
The Memsie meeting next week at The Heath should be far more illuminating for us all.

Comments

  1. Disappointing meeting, don’t you think?
    Sydney is the key tomorrow.

  2. Thanks for the sage advice Mark. Any truth to the rumour (that I’m just making up now) that you’ve had the “D” removed from your surname in order to distance yourself from one of racing’s more controversial families?

  3. Peter Flynn says

    Go the Sid!
    sssssssssss

  4. Hissing Sid’s starting from the outside of the second row, to use old trots parlance! In the same race, from the potentially awkward gate, Pre-eminence is a really good horse who goes alright at the Valley. If he has done enough work I reckon he is better than these.
    In the “get out”, a tough race with convictions everywhere, I’d try Moody’s Moondancing if required.
    But with the Valley, you must watch the pattern of racing and the flucs.
    Probably better off watching the VFL on telly and then study the race replays during the week…and Sydney.

  5. Mark Freeman says

    Wise words Crio. The Valley patterns often fix me up. Winning Post talked abt last meeting rail out 7m, even until winning from off pace late in the day, and now the rail back to 4m so some fresh ground. But other than Bonindi and Secret Flyer (and something on one of my stable Shrewd Rhythym, which has become some sort of cantenkerous beast these days) I’ll be taking it easy.

    And Peter very nice to see me and my mate Gears are not the only ones keen on Sid for the Caulfield Cup after his huge Bool cup win. I enjoyed your post abt getting on Sid with the books the other day and about the Wangoom Bool cup double. We were also on Arch Symbol and Sid and in the past 9 years in attendance we’ve never backed both big race winners in the one year – and I’ve never seen an easier bool cup winner. Big jump of course, and he has to win the Naturalism or maybe even the old Herbert Power on Guineas day to get a run, but I’d love to see him near the lead in the last 300 at Caulfield.

    And Gigs I’d love it if I did have the ‘D’ in the name and was one of the brothers – they’re all on easy street after the Freedman’s ‘special mix’ (apparently some kind of ‘herbal remedy’ – but Harms and Daff note how for legal reasons I’m mentioning nothing at all about double malt or two scoops of ice-cream) worked like a treat during the 80s!

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