The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – January 22nd Edition

The Sydney riding ranks is on the cusp of being stronger, a veteran got another Stakes win while speed demons came to the fore at The Valley. All that and more in this weeks edition of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’.

KEY NEWS:

Pike Makes Sydney Home

With the vaccination mandate for WA racing participants not far off beginning, gun hoop William Pike has made the decision to relocate to Sydney, where as it currently stands, jockeys aren’t required to be vaccinated from Covid. Some parts of the jury are out as to whether or not the move will be fruitful, but Pike has already said that Team Hawkes, James Cummings/Godolphin and Annabel Neasham have told him they want him riding their horses.

Special Reward The Upset King

His odds weren’t as big compared to his Razor Sharp triumph, but it was still somewhat of a surprise that Special Reward won again, this time taking out the Carrington Stakes at Randwick on Saturday. The win was near identical to the Razor Sharp. Had a suck run behind the speed, angled clear late and finished over the top.

Speed Demons Burn Valley Turf

It’s extremely rare to see a metro track, any track really, declared a Firm 2, but that was the case at Moonee Valley on Saturday and with that, horses were running fast times, especially those on speed, with the most impressive wins being from Unflinching, Yulong Command and In The Boat, all three potentially now heading towards blacktype.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK:

It was an outstanding win from Green Belt at Sandown on Wednesday. He could have easily knocked right up given the heat that was near the front of the field. The other speed horse, Seonee, was beaten close to seven lengths. This guy showed tremendous courage to fend them off and win. He has that Ayrton/I’m Thunderstruck look about him. That run, I dare say, will bust him for this prep. Only guessing, but he likely has a break, comes late Autumn ala Ayrton and sets himself up for a Spring assault.

DEBUT OF THE WEEK:

It was a strong win from the Counttheheadlights at Moonee Valley on Saturday. Not getting carried away that he’s Blue Diamond quality because relative to the meeting, his time was just fair, but the manner in which he put them away was impressive and has the Maher/Eustace polish.

RIDE OF THE WEEK:

I’m not alone in thinking Sha Tin is at the top of the tree when it comes to glorified fishbowls in horse racing, but Joao Moreira gets the nod from last Sunday. His ride on Sight Spirit was elite. Had gate 11/13 but after 250m-300m, had the box seat and from that point on, it was race over. I still have my doubts on him conquering Australia, but in set ups like Sha Tin, Singapore etc, he’s just about number one. On Saturday, it was Ron Stewart for his 12/10 aboard Kingston’s Here at Doomben.

SLAUGHTER OF THE WEEK:

Something that is creeping into some riders is the preference to hold their position and stay in, rather than give up a neck/half length, ease wider and get clear air. Make no mistake, Zac Purton is a world class rider, but gee he rode several ordinary races at Sha Tin on Sunday, opting to stay one off the fence instead of restraining for a stride or two, get into the three wide line for clear air.

HORSES TO FOLLOW:

Desert Icon – How…how didn’t he win
Fundraiser – Massive effort in defeat
Wairere Falls – He’s ready to win now

ONE MORE CHANCE:

Winsum – 2/4 legs were lame, which doesn’t help
Moridan – Poor post race recovery. Give him another chance
Waihaha Falls – Reckon with a bunny to chase he’ll be better

NEVER EVER AGAIN:

Intuition – Honest, good horse you’d like to own…just doesn’t win
Grand Rock – Wouldn’t be shocked to see him in an online sale
Tamilaide – He’s one of mine…that is, he was one of mine. Never again